# Who uses front weights?



## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

My old iron are heavy machines that required some muscle to push the handlebars down for raising the front. The newer machines not so much and I did recently receive my weight box from Simplicity which holds sand for an adjustable weight. Have not installed yet but what do you guys think of them.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

* Don't really see the need for them. sometimes you just gotta take it in layers.*


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Just thinking out loud, but seems like what wheeled snowblowers could use would be a "wheelie bar", like they use on dragsters to keep the front end firmly planted on the ground.

Any thoughts/ideas ?


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I did a post on this earlier this year. I like having a weight on the front. It's needed for EOD after the plows go by. I find the front lifts up. I made a wooden box to hold two 25 lb lead bricks. The lead being so dense, it's heavy without taking up a lot of space. The box is held by bungee cords so it's removable. The box has slots on the end that the bungee cord goes through. I tried several ways of holding the end of the bungee cord. I tried removing a carriage bolt from the top side of the auger housing, and looping the bungee hook through the opening. I've also put an eye bolt through that same hole that I removed the carriage bolt and hooked the end of the bungee cord to that. I've also taking a longer bungee cord and drilled a hole in the skid plate, hooked the bungee cord through that hole over the top of the auger housing, through the slots in the wooden box, and down the other side of the auger housing hooking the other hook of the bungee cord into the hole drilled in the other skid plate.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

It is said that Ariens machines are front heavy, pre winter 2016/2017 models axle repositioning. I have always used their 10 lb. weight kit and it has helped significantly, preventing the bucket from riding up when working the EOD plow pile. This may not be an issue with tracked models but can't hurt with wheeled blowers.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

The thing with wheel snowblowers is it’s a give and take. Lift the handles to add digging weight to the bucket and lose traction. Push down on the handles to add traction and lose digging weight.

Adding weight to the bucket is particularly help full in packed snow. The extra effort nessesary to pivot the picket up can be used to apply additional force down onto the tires. While keeping the bucket nicely planted. 

Think of the toro power shift, when the wheels swing back you can practically hang on the bars without the bucket lifting. That’s the best of both worlds. Adjust to the conditions. 

Same goes with tracks.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Prior to the winter of 2016 I had only used the Snowbird's and did notice the lack of weight transfer with the Simplicity common to machines of late. A couple times the front would want to nose up.on the new machine last winter.

Took some measurements of the old 263 against the Simplicity. Handlebar height essentially the same between the two however the 263 bars are set five inches further back from axle pivot point which would give greater leverage to the 263. I was planning to use 10lbs. of weight but wound up putting 14lbs. of brick sand in the box as an initial fill to match the effort needed for the SB. The initial fill to my arms when lifting the front still does not match the 263. Will be bumping the weight up to 20lbs. with more sand.

Here is the variable weight box I got from Jack's which holds up to 33lbs. of sand and will work on virtually any machine.

https://www.snowblowersdirect.com/Simplicity-1692921/p7128.html


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## nastorino (Jan 28, 2016)

I put one of the ariens weights in the bucket of my 2017 24" SHO EFI to keep the nose down in the EOD.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

The Snowbird S263 could very well be one of the best blowers ever built and is why I use it as a reference. The machine is flawless and was built during the heyday of American manufacturing. When Yardman bought them out in 1966 they started to cheapen them, by '68 they had thinned the auger housing steel by .025" if memory serves correct along with other cost cutting measures. 

Back to the weight box, now weighing about 19lbs and feels comparable to the 263 all things considered . Wish I had a fish scale for some definitive numbers but am sure this will be a win-win mod.


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## 98234 (Dec 17, 2016)

I use a steel plate I had made, 6” by 24” by 1/2”...mounted with 2 bolts with wing nuts so I can put it on or take it off easily. Look in my pictures you can just make it out under the leds (which I moved to mounts on the bar in front of console.... snow too deep here to have them on the bucket..and a lot less wiring hassle)
Here in Halifax NS on a typical winter we get a snow fall...followed immediately by rain...which seeps through the snow...and creates a hard slush layer...so the weight helps. I also use a cab in weather like that now...so a counter weight is kinda required with a cab....soaked and frozen to the bone one too many times over the years.
But I do take it off unless the conditions require it....it’s a lot of weight to slug around.
So I would say....do you need one? Depends on the gear and conditions you face.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

I'd be careful it's not enough to promote handle stress fractures.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

Spectrum said:


> I'd be careful it's not enough to promote handle stress fractures.


A valid concern for most machines but not this one.


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## DriverRider (Nov 20, 2016)

After checking the weight of box on a shipping scale it came out to 21.5lbs. Here is the completed install with owner supplied rubber mat between box and housing.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

i use a 32 inch piece of c channel


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## KVacek (Jan 9, 2015)

That's why Toro developed the PowerShift. Best improvement to snowblowers ever.


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## guyl (Jun 12, 2016)

The Craftsman machine on which I converted the transmission caused the wheels to end up 2 to 3 inches further back than with the original transmission. This made it rather front heavy, and for that reason I will usually pick that machine for those times when the snow has become packed, or of the end of driveway stuff had hardened or frozen. It's a bit more tiring to handle but the decreased tendency to ride up makes this worthwhile.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I have a 10hp 24" Ariens with their weight bar. I think it's 20 lbs. It does help hold the nose down, which I like. Last year I added another 5lbs to the bucket, I like that even better. Though to get the same balance that I currently have, with a wider bucket, might require less weight, or maybe none at all. 

I have to push harder to raise the bucket, but I'm fine with that, and it's helpful when clearing up my driveway's incline, when the front end gets light. As was mentioned, when I'd pull up on the bars to hold the nose down, I'd lose tractio. I admit I hadn't really thought about possible handlebar damage, but if something happens, I'll try to weld it up. 

Now I'm thinking about trying to add weight at/above the wheels, for more traction, without changing balance.

PS- The Power Shift does sound pretty cool, I'd like to get to try one of those. Too bad the idea faded away.


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