# Pulled the trigger... A R I E N S



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Well, now William and PS, don't get too upset with me.  I bought a pretty new *Ariens* Sno Tek. It was just too good a deal to pass on. Has about 2 hours use on it. I got the owner's manual and the store receipt and warranty card. Pics will be coming tomorrow. It's a 24" machine but it looks to have a whopper of an impeller. I don't know a thing about it except that it has an LCT engine on it. Runs really smooth.
Not even sure I'll keep it but either way I got a good deal. I'm happy.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

micah68kj said:


> Well, now William and PS, don't get too upset with me.  I bought a pretty new *Ariens* Sno Tek 92404. It was just too good a deal to pass on. Has about 2 hours use on it. Imgot tne owner's manual and the store receipt and warranty card. Pics will be coming tomorrow. It's a 24" machine but it looks to have a whopper of an impeller. I ddon't know a thing about it except that it has an LCT engine on it. Runs really smooth.
> Not even sure I'll keep it but either way I got a good deal. I'm happy.


Joe, Are you aware that that engine is made in China? However I heard they do run well and Snowblowers direct has really good reviews on the Ariens Snowtek line of machines. I have heard that the LCT engines have been working well on the snow blowers and I would not be afraid to try one out. Plus the newer OHV engines use less gasoline than the old L head engines and are more environmentally friendly since they release less unburned hydrocarbons in to the air than the old Flat head engines did

Mark


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Yeh, Mark. I knew it when I bought it but I still, am not going to buy a chinese replacement engine in the event of one of my *very reliable American made* Tecumseh's fail. We'll see how this blower behaves itself. I can already tell I'm going to like the impeller. It seems to be pretty good sized.


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Congrats. 

I'm not sure, but I "*think*" I recall hearing something about the snow tec having only one speed. Is that true?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

liftoff1967 said:


> Congrats.
> 
> I'm not sure, but I "*think*" I recall hearing something about the snow tec having only one speed. Is that true?


6 forward speeds


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Thanks. I musta been drunk,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, again,,,,,,, when I thought I heard that.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

liftoff1967 said:


> Thanks. I musta been drunk,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, again,,,,,,, when I thought I heard that.


No. You're ok on that. I remember someone saying something about a single speed on some blower. I do know this is the least expensive sno tek with the 136 cc engine instead of the 208 and it's also supposed to have a smaller impeller but it looks way bigger than my Toro 521 impeller. I'l know more tomorrow. Stay tuned.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

liftoff1967 said:


> Congrats.
> 
> I'm not sure, but I "*think*" I recall hearing something about the snow tec having only one speed. Is that true?


When the Sno-Tek line was originally introduced the smallest, cheapest model was 1 speed. I don't recall if it even had a reverse. It was either 20 or 24" wide. They don't make that model anymore and now they are all 6F/2R.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

They do still make the single speed 2 stage, its the Sno-Tek 20.

Sno-Tek 20 - Products - Ariens Sno-Tek

Scot


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## SteelyTim (Nov 14, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> Yeh, Mark. I knew it when I bought it but I still, am not going to buy a chinese replacement engine in the event of one of my *very reliable American made* Tecumseh's fail. We'll see how this blower behaves itself. I can already tell I'm going to like the impeller. It seems to be pretty good sized.


You could always repower with a Tecumseh. I've thought of that


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Joe
I fear you have caved to all the peer pressure here. A solid Toro guy going orange. Well, ok, black, but with the Ariens name.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

liftoff1967 said:


> Congrats.
> 
> I'm not sure, but I "*think*" I recall hearing something about the snow tec having only one speed. Is that true?


Yes it's true for certain basic models. enclosed gearcase with only one forward gear, and Fred Flintstone reverse and chute rotation...I have a 939 series like this ...It's orange and has an American made Tec motor with e-start, 20". 2006. 

It works a lot better than you'd think. It's actually faster to reverse than with a gear change. It throws snow far 35'-40'. Perfect for between cars and narrow walkways. 

The design would be perfected if it was a 2 speed with high/low range, but I suppose that would defeat the purpose of what they were going for (basic light duty compact with a never service lifetime drivetrain). So it only has a low range in case it ever snows 10"....


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

sscotsman said:


> They do still make the single speed 2 stage, its the Sno-Tek 20.
> 
> Sno-Tek 20 - Products - Ariens Sno-Tek
> 
> Scot


Yes, and if you'll notice , that is a 939 series SnoTek as opposed to the much more common 920 series 

That's a 939401, Mine is a 939001 IIRC. that new model Black Tek is actually one step above mine because it has remote chute operation.

Mine on the other hand has the steel chute instead of the polymer one, It's orange (w/ Ariens labeling)instead of black, and it has the Tecumseh small block 5 horse w/E-start


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

SteelyTim said:


> You could always repower with a Tecumseh. I've thought of that


Just so you know, Tim. I have a great running Tec 5H.P. sitting on a shelf in case this LC or whatever it's called tosses a rod or whatever..


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

[QUOTE=dbert;386650]Joe
I fear you have caved to all the peer pressure here. A solid Toro guy going orange. Well, ok, black, but with the Ariens name.[/QUOTE]

You *do * know that I already own another Ariens? I have an ss 522. I've said it before and I'll say it again that I like both brands and this is actually the 4th or 5th Ariens I've owned. You also may know that I buy and sell all the time.. I've sold at least 5 snowblowers this year. I have to have *some* way of earning some money since I became _unemployed_ a couple years back.  I may keep this Ariens forever or it may be gone by next week. Pictures of before and after of an MTD I picked up and a pic of my other Ariens. It was a $30 purchase.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Forgot the MTD pics. Here ya go. ( It's amazing what 10-15 minutes with a 'pressure washer will do.)


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

good find joe , try it out and keep the snowblower you like best. you've heard that before from me haven't you


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

detdrbuzzard said:


> good find joe , try it out and keep the snowblower you like best. you've heard that before from me haven't you


Yessir. That's true. If you step into the wayback machine you'll remember that I had an Ariens 5520 last year and the Toro 521 won that contest. We'll have to wait and see.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

I remember the 5520, it was a good looking machine. I like the look of the ariens " st " series machines. I if I find an st724 or 824 at a good price i'll pick it up if there is room in the garage


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

detdrbuzzard said:


> I remember the 5520, it was a good looking machine. I like the look of the ariens " st " series machines. I if I find an st724 or 824 at a good price i'll pick it up if there is room in the garage


It's an entry level blower but ya gotta remember my tiny driveway. I don't need anything bigger or fancier. I got it off the truck this morning. It rained on it all night long. Big deal. It's going to spend its working days moving a form of water. It *does* have a nice sized impeller and I really like how quickly the remote chute direction rotates. It's also a home depot machine so naturally I'm going to have to make some adjustments. It's got some pretty sissy tires on it. They ought to be bigger.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

HE has gone over to the other side.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Not sure if you read everything but this is a *used machine* that was advertised on C'list. Got it pretty cheap. Have no idea if I'll keep it or not.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Got YA...


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

You know I was just giving you a hard time Joe. I think I have 4 Ariens machines in my possession now, and 4 Toros as well. If anyone has succumbed to peer pressure, it's me.


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Does a Sno-Tec and an Ariens share the same sheet metal? Same gauge is what I am trying to say?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

dbert said:


> You know I was just giving you a hard time Joe. I think I have 4 Ariens machines in my possession now, and 4 Toros as well. If anyone has succumbed to peer pressure, it's me.


Oh, heck man.. I knew that. I enjoy all the friendly banter that goes on in here. This year alone I have bought an ancient Hahn, a J.D. 1032, Husqvarnaa 5/23, MTD 8/26 and I honestly don't reme ber the rest. There were a couple more. If *anybody* was giving anybody a hard time it was me playing with Detrdrbuzzard and P.S.93. We three all kind of lean torwards the wonderful red machines but on any given day probably any one of us would cross over to the orange side.  If the price was right.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

dbert said:


> Does a Sno-Tec and an Ariens share the same sheet metal? Same gauge is what I am trying to say?


Orange or Black, I'm pretty sure every 920 is exactly the same base frame, same goes for the 939's (with the exception of a few hole locations altered)

The TeK's have some polymer chutes, the rest of the metal is the same.
I think at first Ariens came up with Snow Tek so they could throw Chinese engines on there and keep competing with entry level pricing competition. The Snow TeK Brand was there to differentiate for customers, these, from their all American lines.

So, at this point in time, basically now that no American engines are available, the only thing Ariens sells now are Snow TeKs. It's just that now some are painted Orange and labelled things like "Ariens Hydro Pro" and the like...even the Pro models now are Snow Tek by the purist definition.


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

I found a bit more info on the single speed gearbox...It's basically just a 27:1 right angle gear enclosed in a fiber reinforced composite gear case. The neat thing is on the input shaft there is an integrated cone clutch...I also found out that they make a variable pulley option so you are not always stuck in low gear!. It is made by the folks at GT ( the same folks that brought us the infamous "Autoturn") . This is the same transmission that is sold on some Murray and Snapper SB's, and it's actually sold through Briggs distribution network.

HF 180 | General Transmissions

V-Motion variable speed option available (HF 180 V)

Element V Automatic - V-Motion Technology

The infamous Autoturn is really just what they call a DI300 intuitive differential...
DI 300 | General Transmissions


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

micah68kj said:


> Oh, heck man.. I knew that. I enjoy all the friendly banter that goes on in here. This year alone I have bought an ancient Hahn, a J.D. 1032, Husqvarnaa 5/23, MTD 8/26 and I honestly don't reme ber the rest. There were a couple more. If *anybody* was giving anybody a hard time it was me playing with Detrdrbuzzard and P.S.93. We three all kind of lean torwards the wonderful red machines but on any given day probably any one of us would cross over to the orange side.  If the price was right.


 that would be a GRAVE mistake on my part if I ever did that. the TORO god's would make sure that I REST IN PEACE!!!!


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Joe, One thing to watch for is the fuel shut off knob. I read or saw a video of it being very close to the recoil handle. Thought was to be smart about not letting the handle snap back to the housing after starting as it can and will crack the knob off. If you look on their website, and compare the 254cc and smaller to the larger engines and see they have different pull angles and knob placements. Not knocking your machine, just an FYI
LCT USA: Liquid Combustion Technology | Global by Design


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

jtclays said:


> Joe, One thing to watch for is the fuel shut off knob. I read or saw a video of it being very close to the recoil handle. Thought was to be smart about not letting the handle snap back to the housing after starting as it can and will crack the knob off. If you look on their website, and compare the 254cc and smaller to the larger engines and see they have different pull angles and knob placements. Not knocking your machine, just an FYI
> LCT USA: Liquid Combustion Technology | Global by Design


Thanks for the heads up, J.T. I see the different angles on the pull. I never do let the rope snap back and another thing... Starting this little toy engine is like playing with a yo yo. It won't have enough guts to pull it out of my hand like a Tecumseh , Briggs, or Kohler. It sounds pretty good running though. It's pretty loud. Louder than I'd expect. Curious'to see how it'll perform.'
Hope you had a wonderful, merry Christmas.


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