# Henry would Spin in his Grave



## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

I'll bet Henry Ariens would spin in his grave if he saw a PlasticTransmission and drive components in one of his Machines.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I don't know.
He was a businessman and I'm sure like most wasn't selling products because it made him feel good.


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

ChrisJ said:


> I don't know.
> He was a businessman and I'm sure like most wasn't selling products because it made him feel good.


He Built High Quality Products, not Junk


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Jackmels said:


> He Built High Quality Products, not Junk


If you say so.

In my eyes he sold what was typical for the time.

I wish Ariens never got into the cheap market too but it is what it is. Now it's just another meaningless name.


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## Darby (Dec 18, 2020)

How much cheaper is it for manufacturers to use that plastic transmission ipo a friction drive?
I can't imagine its that much savings for them to damage a quality reputation.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

don't seem to hear too much about the ariens ones failing. i would guess it is the difference between a quality product and cheap ones like what is used in mtd's. i got one of those in my ariens 520 and still works just fine. biggest issue is that it is just very slow. it is a fairly lite machine which is part of why i used to use it for snowblowing driveways for people. could lift it in and out of my vehicle by myself.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Darby said:


> How much cheaper is it for manufacturers to use that plastic transmission ipo a friction drive?
> I can't imagine its that much savings for them to damage a quality reputation.


No idea.
But I've seen company after company behave similar.

Many many many. They build a name known for the best stuff and then start selling absolute garbage.

How many other companies in just outdoor equipment can we think of that this happened to? Let's start with Bolens.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

This is really sad. oughta be a law....

have seen the same thing hundreds of times. when the company has to answer to shareholders.

Ariens is a family owned company but the market pressures must be so great. 
I'd rather be a Ferrari than a Ford.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

that is a throw away
prolly cost 4 bills for a new one now that is planned end of life
woudnt take it for free same as the early twin handle pos imo
ive owned or worked 35 ariens blowers in 40 plus years
my 921037 will last 40 years thats plenty 414 auto turn xracs dual belts blows snow 60 feet it is a gas pig
shame on ariens plastic tranny


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

Nice to hear People's opinions. I personally will not tolerate any plastic parts or cables on My Machines.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Jackmels said:


> Nice to hear People's opinions. I personally will not tolerate any plastic parts or cables on My Machines. The ones I flip, well,,,that's another story.


I don't mind plastic for some things and I certainly don't mind cables.

Tecumseh engines on the other hand....











There's plenty about newer machines that disgusts me but I feel my dislikes differ from yours.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

ChrisJ said:


> I don't mind plastic for some things and I certainly don't mind cables.
> 
> Tecumseh engines on the other hand....
> 
> ...


ive always run my tecumsepart between 3750 rpm and 3900 never lost one except a gov spring took a dump reved to 5k before i could kill it broke a rod 1 out of 25
all mine started 1/2 a pull clean full oil a ch over full let it rip
40 feet from the kitted st824 slop 30 feet
hard to beat that for just about nothing


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

1132le said:


> ive always run my tecumsepart between 3750 rpm and 3900 never lost one except a gov spring took a dump reved to 5k before i could kill it broke a rod 1 out of 25
> all mine started 1/2 a pull clean full oil a ch over full let it rip
> 40 feet from the kitted st824 slop 30 feet
> hard to beat that for just about nothing


Want my HMSK80?
The 24v starter isn't included.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

i would but its a 100 for gas lol
iam sure somebody near you would like it
a freebie i could run that 4k lol
that engine sheave is 40 bucks


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## Cstanis (Oct 19, 2021)

I am no where as knowledgeable about snowblowers as most of you are but I do know that plastics of today are more durable than they were years ago. I worked in the mining industry and the use of plastics for certain applications was on the increase not just for cost reduction purposes.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

They will be 3D printing snowblowers someday. 
Everyone will have a 3D printer like they have cell phones and you'll be able to print spare parts. 

Some of the plastics these days are astoundingly strong. 

I'll just keep my old Honda's until they pry them from my cold dead hands. 
Watch me on the news 25 years from now when i am 90 and they arrest me for selling gas powered restored Honda's .


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## RickCoMatic (Dec 29, 2020)

What is it that would set him to spin?
Something not working?


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

RickCoMatic said:


> What is it that would set him to spin?
> Something not working?


that ariens would sell such a pos with his name on it
* the king of snow * ariens
that is * the king of junkyards *


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## RickCoMatic (Dec 29, 2020)

Your complaint is about the polymer gears?


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

RickCoMatic said:


> Your complaint is about the polymer gears?


Those who never owned a nice piece of equipment would not understand the difference in Quality.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

Jackmels said:


> Those who never owned a nice piece of equipment would not understand the difference in Quality.


you do realize most of these machines you are talking about are approaching 20+years old and still likely works as they should. i have had mine for 8 years and the transmission in it still works as it should. definitely lasted longer than the original engine which had a camshaft failure. i know i still see quite a few ariens 520's just like mine alive and kicking. i have used and abused mine and it is no longer as pretty as it was 8 years ago but still functions great. just very slow


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## Auger1 (Dec 4, 2020)

I have one of those Ariens blowers with the plastic trans, it worked better than I thought it would after I added the roller wheels on the bucket.


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## aldfam4 (Dec 25, 2016)

Jackmels said:


> I'll bet Henry Ariens would spin in his grave if he saw a PlasticTransmission and drive components in one of his Machines.


For the work we require from these machines Jack, I can't understand why engineers use plastic to design a transmission. Oh wait, they'll break sooner and you'll have to buy another one!


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## bisonp (Mar 23, 2018)

crazzywolfie said:


> you do realize most of these machines you are talking about are approaching 20+years old and still likely works as they should. i have had mine for 8 years and the transmission in it still works as it should. definitely lasted longer than the original engine which had a camshaft failure. i know i still see quite a few ariens 520's just like mine alive and kicking. i have used and abused mine and it is no longer as pretty as it was 8 years ago but still functions great. just very slow


I didn't even realize Ariens made machines with plastic drivetrains. Since this is the first I've heard about them here, that would would seem to indicate they either didn't sell very well or are pretty reliable.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

bisonp said:


> I didn't even realize Ariens made machines with plastic drivetrains. Since this is the first I've heard about them here, that would would seem to indicate they either didn't sell very well or are pretty reliable.


Or maybe did you consider the reason you didn't know was cause the failure rate is extremely low. It is not like we are talking about a mtd machine


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## bisonp (Mar 23, 2018)

crazzywolfie said:


> Or maybe did you consider the reason you didn't know was cause the failure rate is extremely low. It is not like we are talking about a mtd machine


Uh, yes, I did consider that. 



bisonp said:


> I didn't even realize Ariens made machines with plastic drivetrains. Since this is the first I've heard about them here, that would would seem to indicate they either didn't sell very well *or are pretty reliable*.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

crazzywolfie said:


> Or maybe did you consider the reason you didn't know was cause the failure rate is extremely low. It is not like we are talking about a mtd machine


My dad's 1992 30" White (MTD) just went to my friend and all we did was change the belts and I rebuilt the carb because it had issues with the float leaking while off.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

bisonp said:


> Uh, yes, I did consider that.


yeah thats it give that man a prize


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## BullFrog (Oct 14, 2015)

An interesting read this metal vs plastic thread. They are all only as strong as their weakest link and the glaring irony is a metal gov spring failure took out an engine.


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## RickCoMatic (Dec 29, 2020)

Seems like you are complaining about the realization that the old entry-level, non-performance, base model snowblower you have in your garage is more like a 4-cylinder Chevette than it is like a loaded Corvette.
When you have a base model like that the optional equipment is limited to: Training wheels and AM/FM/Casette.


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## model a lover (10 mo ago)

do you mean a am/fm/ 8 track tape?


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

And he's trading in his Chevrolet for a Cadillacacacacac.


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## TwiceStroked (Sep 30, 2021)

orangputeh said:


> They will be 3D printing snowblowers someday.
> Everyone will have a 3D printer like they have cell phones and you'll be able to print spare parts.
> 
> Some of the plastics these days are astoundingly strong.
> ...


I'll post Ur bail as long as Ur in NY


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## Sandman (Dec 20, 2017)

ChrisJ said:


> I don't mind plastic for some things and I certainly don't mind cables.
> 
> Tecumseh engines on the other hand....
> 
> ...


After 40 years with my 924050 I gave up on it, but it wasn't because of the Tecumseh. The auger gear box went out for the second time due to a chipped worm on the impeller shaft tearing up the bronze gear.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Sandman said:


> After 40 years with my 924050 I gave up on it, but it wasn't because of the Tecumseh. The auger gear box went out for the second time due to a chipped worm on the impeller shaft tearing up the bronze gear.


The original Tecumseh was good for what, 500 hours? So your machine had two gearboxes fail in 500 hours or less.

That seems pretty bad.


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## 2AriensGuy (11 mo ago)

For what snowblowers cost these days, you would hope that a $2500 - $4700 snowblower would last well beyond 5 years or 500 hrs. Has global warming slowed down the snowblower business yet ? I don't mind plastic, composite, or polymer parts in the right places but not being able to get one if it fails is ridiculous and charging $100+ for a $5 part is also ridiculous.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

I find it odd they use a Grade 8 bolt to hold the gear to the shaft. Did someone earlier suggest they want the gear to break?


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Toro-8-2-4 said:


> I find it odd they use a Grade 8 bolt to hold the gear to the shaft. Did someone earlier suggest they want the gear to break?


Yeah that is odd.

Reminds me of something else I ran into over the years. 1964 Fisher KX200 kit amplifier came with 1/2 watt cathode resistors on the output tubes. This was nice because if a tube shorted one of the 50 cent resistors would burn up and the tube would shut off.

But on the 500c receiver which wasn't a kit they used 10 watt cement resistors instead in the same circuit. That would cause a shorted tube to take out a $100 transformer instead.


My memory may be off and the resistor sizes may have been a little different but I'm close.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

Jackmels said:


> Those who never owned a nice piece of equipment would not understand the difference in Quality.





crazzywolfie said:


> you do realize most of these machines you are talking about are approaching 20+years old and still likely works as they should. i have had mine for 8 years and the transmission in it still works as it should. definitely lasted longer than the original engine which had a camshaft failure. i know i still see quite a few ariens 520's just like mine alive and kicking. i have used and abused mine and it is no longer as pretty as it was 8 years ago but still functions great. just very slow


 Have to agree with Wolfie here, These so-called plastic transmissions (they are actually a high tech polymer developed by General transmissions inc. "GT") are bulletproof in my experience. Far more reliable than my 926 series disk. Have any of the commenters here that call these junk, have they actually owned or used one? These aren't really transmissions per se, but actually hardened steel angle gears with an ingenious integrated cone clutch....all the polymer case does, is hold everything in place. There is no shifting.
These are super low weight and dead reliable. the nylon final gear on the axle is also bulletproof unless you start taking a hammer to one. The pinion is is still hardened steel. In fact, the biggest drive-train problem on these, in my estimation, is the steel axle on the final drive. When these corrode, enormous friction can build up between the rusted axle and the poly hex bushings on the frame, which in turn may cause extra strain on the angle gear....but this of course is an "operator error" maintenance issue, not an engineering issue. 
Has anyone had issues with the polymer case breaking from normal operation??? I highly, highly doubt this.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

So exactly what models does Ariens use this transmission on? I take from the posts here it is a sinlge speed machine. No reverse? I could see them using it on their cheaper Sno-Tek line.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

Toro-8-2-4 said:


> So exactly what models does Ariens use this transmission on? I take from the posts here it is a sinlge speed machine. No reverse? I could see them using it on their cheaper Sno-Tek line.


Yes they did utilize these on most Sno-tek, but they also used them on 939 series "orange" Ariens that generally weighed below 150lbs.
I should also add that the cone clutch is manually engaged, and when disengaged, the setup makes the entire drive train have near zero resistance during pull back reverse, and slightly more resistance when manually pushing the machine forward. In this manner the transmission is more like a manually engaged power assist for when the snow conditions make it uncomfortable for the operator to manually advance the machine. Keep in mind, these are lightweights, so it's not even like pushing a 10000 series differential model that has the clutch disengaged, it's easier, almost like pushing a single stage. The 20" had 12" high speed impellers, and sport a 60% bucket ratio...these things can fling some snow like the big boys when conditions are favorable.
I think these sold for $399 on sale at H-D back in the day. They had electric start. When that clutch is engaged, there is zero chance of these running away from you. It's almost as if Ariens designed the perfect machine for granny to clear 12" of snow off the driveway without breaking a sweat (or a hip)....


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

They come on the pretend to be series blowers


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

1132le said:


> They come on the pretend to be series blowers



Reminds me of the H2 and H3 hummers.


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## bisonp (Mar 23, 2018)

ChrisJ said:


> Reminds me of the H2 and H3 hummers.


How? These were lightweight economy machines at economy prices. They weren't trying to pretend to be something they weren't.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

bisonp said:


> How? These were lightweight economy machines at economy prices. They weren't trying to pretend to be something they weren't.


1132le said "They come on the pretend to be series blowers".
I didn't say I agreed with that, but that statement made me think of the H2 and H3s.

That being said, some could say them putting the Ariens name on such machines suggests they're supposed to be heavy duty quality machines.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

ChrisJ said:


> 1132le said "They come on the pretend to be series blowers".
> I didn't say I agreed with that, but that statement made me think of the H2 and H3s.
> 
> That being said, some could say them putting the Ariens name on such machines suggests they're supposed to be heavy duty quality machines.


They are light duty quality machines with premium features such as; no rust fuel tanks, never having to pull start ever, and never having to service, replace, or adjust a disk-o-matic...EVER. This is why you still see so many in the classifieds that are in perfect running condition 20 years on...The main reason people sell is simply just rust around the edges and welds.


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