# Friction ring issues



## handy wife (Dec 12, 2019)

I have an Ariens model 921032 snowblower. We had the friction ring replaced before the season started to be ready. Right! Well we have used the snowblower about 3 or 4 times and the friction ring is shot. What would cause this to happen?


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Could be a bad quality to begin with, possibly misaligned, or something in its path intruding into it?

Pretty hard to tell without inspecting it?

Could have been installed poorly even? I would contact whoever did the work.


----------



## Motor City (Jan 6, 2014)

The engagement cable could also be mis-adjusted, applying to much force or not enough.


----------



## toromike (Aug 20, 2018)

You say that the friction ring is shot. Please describe the symptoms you are experiencing. Have you removed the belly pan and inspected the friction ring? It is unusual for a friction ring to fail so quickly. If it's not the friction ring, the problem could be a loose drive belt or an adjustment of the drive control linkage/cable.


----------



## handy wife (Dec 12, 2019)

Yes I did remove the belly pan and inspected the friction ring. Now rubber left! Lots of black powdery stuff on belly pan. The machine would only move a couple little jolts then nothing, both in forward and reverse. It was working fine snow blowing for like 2 hours then it started the little jolts and really never moved forward much. I managed to get it in the garage and then removed the belly pan a couple days later to find the issues. I did talk to my son who is an engineer and he said it is a very poor design plan.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

The Friction Disc design has been around for years, and is a very effective drive system, as many manufacturers can attest to, as well as customers/owners of these units.

I would tend to lead to an improper install/adjustment, something broke, or I have also seen inferior discs that have disintegrated.

JMHO


----------



## toromike (Aug 20, 2018)

The disc that the friction ring contacts should be smooth and clean, it may have been damaged when the last ring failed. Keep the friction ring and the drive disc clean. Also, how are you shifting gears? It's not good practice to shift on-the-fly, the machine should be stopped, then the gear changed. Shifting on-the-fly can cause rapid wear of the friction ring. Move the gear selector through the gears and check for anything in the transmission that might come into contact with the friction ring. Check that the gear selector is properly adjusted. The operator's manual will have the procedure for adjusting the drive belt tension, the drive control lever tension and the gear selector. If you don't have a manual, you can download one here,
https://www.snowblowersatjacks.com/Images/Ariens/guides/921032.pdf
If everything checks out, order another friction ring directly from Ariens so you are sure you are getting a genuine Ariens part and install it yourself. The installation procedure is in the manual.


----------



## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

That, and make sure the drive clutch cable/linkage is correctly adjusted. If not, the disc may slip, overheat, and disintegrate.


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

How are the bearings that are on the ends of the hex shaft?


----------



## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

I had some trouble with a split ariens blower in the '70s, or '80s with the rubber drive ring peeling off. Replaced it 2,or 3 times. It was my father's. As I look back, I think the rubber vulcanized ring may have been been adjusted too tight, also in those days the "clutch was always on, and to stop it had to be squeezed to stop the machine. They are safer now. They have dead man clutches now.
Sid


----------



## handy wife (Dec 12, 2019)

Thanks everyone you have given me some good suggestions as to what to check. I think my husband is the problem. He was doing some on the go shifting.


----------



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

handy wife said:


> Thanks everyone you have given me some good suggestions as to what to check. I think my husband is the problem. He was doing some on the go shifting.


Noooooooooo:surprise:


----------



## 2.137269 (Nov 15, 2019)

NOOOOO is right! never do that, he's been forcing the disc across the drive disc ,


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

That on the go shifting would not be recommended by me, that's for sure.


----------



## handy wife (Dec 12, 2019)

Thanks guys. He got the wife speech for that! :smile2:


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

…. Ahhhh, we all know that one …..


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I love to hear where it's the guy who got it wrong for a change. Always seems there are so many female/GF/wife stories I always wonder how many times we men cover up how we broke our own stuff. :icon_whistling:

Shifting on the fly is a real no no and worse on some styles than others. On my Troy (MTD) the rubber itself is replaceable and is clamped between two metal halves so it can actually get rolled out of the metal if shifted under power. My in-laws did this and that's how I got it free. It was unable to move under it's own power as the metal had eaten into the drive plate so it was an expensive repair. Still much cheaper than a new blower but it could have been avoided.
You can see the rubber ring all the way on the left by itself.

IMHO I would think your brand new disc would have held up longer. That's just an opinion and it depends on how often he was shifting and the quality of the bond between the rubber and the metal. A photo of your disc would help. Like to see if it looks more worn down or if the rubber appears to have been ripped off.
Once it's repaired I'd make sure the tension on the disc is adjusted correctly so hopefully you'll get years of good service from the replacement.

.


----------



## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Good picture of the results when you "Shift on the Fly"


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

heck i paid $75 for this machine hoping the issue would be a simple fix. completely destroyed the drive plate. i re-used the rubber wheel and replaced the drive plate and it has done good for 2 winters so far.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

LOL …. its truly amazing what people will continue to run, … oblivious to the tell tale signs … these last 2 photos above just go to show you that there are many people that just don't care, and run there equipment until it physically wont move …. Gatta love it ….  … gives us some great machines when they throw them out.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Some people just don't know and or just don't care. They buy something and expect good service. They don't know about maintenance and likely never read the manual even when they're having a problem.

.


----------



## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

yup i don't understand how people can keep running their machine when you can hear something noticeably wrong and wont move. stopping for a few minutes to fix this could have saved hundreds of $$ in repairs. if they had to pay to repair the machine it would have been $200+. when i got it it also had a broken pull start and the electric start is finicky so i am guessing they may have had issues with it not wanting to start at some point.


----------



## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

I bought a used MTD Storm Tracker (tracks), and no matter what I did with adjustments, it was slow in forward and reverse. Also, once in awhile, it would just sit there unless I gave it a nudge. I looked at the friction wheel, and it has "some" rubber, but not much. So, I put in a new friction wheel (on this it is a rubber ring that gets replaced),m and bingo, that solved everything. It had a flat spot on the old rubber ring which it probably why it would stop moving until I helped it along. I am a happy camper now. So far, the machine seems to work very well, despite the engine being only 208 CC. Especially when the governor kicks in.


----------



## handy wife (Dec 12, 2019)

Thanks again for all the photos and help. Looks like I will be replacing the drive plate also. Glad to have found this help.


----------



## toromike (Aug 20, 2018)

It's good to hear you got it sorted out, I'm glad I could help. You know where to find us if you have any questions.


----------



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@handy wife,

Glad to assist …


----------



## captainrob1 (Dec 16, 2018)

I have an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO. I bought it new from the dealer. In the first 20 feet I used it something broke in the drive. I dragged it back to the garage very frustrated and put it in the service position. I was amazed to see that the rubber on the friction disc completely fell off all the way around. I scratched my head.?? I phoned the dealer and they replaced the disc the next morning. I was mailed another spare disc later. It’s been okay since but obviously poor manufacturing.


----------

