# Ariens YT-12 Repower



## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

I got a steal of a deal on this tractor, $157 on eBay for the tractor, 38" deck, 36" blower, weight box, chains, all the original manuals which i just found in another box. The deck is in good shape, little surface rust i plan on sanding and painting over the winter to be ready for spring, needs the blades sharpened but otherwise they are serviceable. Blower works great and doesn't appear to have much use, needs new skids, after spending time looking at them today i think they died a slow death from sitting on the wet cement floor where it was stored rather than wear from use, new ArmorSkids on the way for that.

The only bad part? Its a 935015 so it has the KawaCrapi 12.5Hp engine that loves to have valve and valve seat problems. This one had three loose head bolts, retorqued and put in a new plug and oil and gas and i did manage to get it to run and drive, albeit running poorly and LOUDLY, man these suckers are loud, of course i think the muffler might have been rotted a bit also. I gave up on this engine, wasn't going to put anymore money into it. 

I invested in a B&S 13.5hp Intek, cast iron bore, model 21B907-0029 which should replace the Kawa nicely. Have to make some minor wiring changes, the B&S is a dual circuit alternator, 14v AC for the lighting, and a 3a DC output for battery charging. I also need to add a starter solenoid, the Kawa had a starter with solenoid on it, the B&S of course does not.

I got the engine pulled, power washed everything, got it all degreased and clean, and all the wiring modifications done except for the wires that go to the engine, still hanging free waiting for engine so i know what length is needed, connectors, etc. 

Work left to complete...

Install pulley on new engine
Bolt in new engine
Install drive belt
Connect wiring
Connect fuel
Connect throttle

Test Run
Reinstall Hood
Install new skids on blower

Then this winter i will go through and rebuild deck for it, bearings seem ok, needs new belts and some painting mainly.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Engine received today!! Was nice seeing the FedEx truck back up the driveway!

The previous part number was superseded by Briggs. This is model 219907-3029-G5. Has a vacuum operated fuel pump and even included a new fuel filter! All i needed was a short piece of new fuel line to the shutoff on the tractor.

It was also a nice touch that they included a nice long pigtail with the mating plug for the dual alternator output. So that made rewiring the tractor even easier. They didn't include the mating plug for the ignition kill wire, but i just chopped that off and put on my own style of QD connector.

The install went smooth. Needed a new 7/16"x1"-24 bolt, washer, and lockwasher for the crank. The stock Kawa motor was a 5/16" bolt to hold the pulley on. The original pulley was just cleaned up, sanded inside, oiled a bit inside with some light machine oil and just installed. I thought it had a ding in it but closer inspection after removing it shows it was manufacturing mark on the pulley, i assume from balancing.

Throttle cable install was one screw and making sure it worked through its full range, its a choke-a-matic carb so it works with the original control to engage the choke when pushed past full throttle. 

Re-used the stock large washers for the head of the engine bolts underneath but used four new 5/16" x 1 1/2" grade 8 bolts along with nuts and washers and lockwashers to bolt down the engine. The stock Kawa has threaded mounting holes the Briggs is not.

Got all the wiring done except the starter solenoid and starter cable, not here yet, ordered the solenoid and engine from same place but engine was drop shipped from warehouse and the solenoid is coming from retail location, should be here tomorrow so i will finish the electric start then.

The Kawa motor had a nice oil drain extension on it, which i re-used on the Briggs, same size and thread. Funny thing is, i took the brass elbow and oil drain extension off the old Kawa and the brass elbow has a Briggs emblem stamped in it!! This was factory installed as shown in the manual, i assume since this model was available with a Briggs from the factory as well that they just used the same part when going down the production line.

The exhaust is on the right side now instead of the left, but it clears the hood and everything fine. It came with the Briggs deflector to screw onto the muffler, i have put that on, just not in the pictures. I aimed it down to keep the sound and exhaust coming back at me to a minimum.

Filled it up with oil and fresh gas, turned on the ignition switch, and pull started. Took a few pulls for the gas pump to prime and fill the carb. Runs like a dream! Drove it around the block, tried the blower again, everything working great until the main drive belt popped off again. I have a new one on order should be here beginning of next week and then i will fix that problem, it had that problem with old engine as well. The belt is just worn and in need of replacement. The idler pulley tension spring seems plenty strong but its over so far the two sides of the belt nearly touch, time for a new one!

Overall it was a very easy swap. Just have to make the electric start work now, that involves installing the solenoid and connecting the wires, i have everything made up and waiting to install. Charging the battery good, the lights all working nice, all the electrical changes worked perfectly.

If you run a Sno-Thro on her like i do the only thing i found is that the lift assist spring on the right side will just touch the muffler when the blower is all the way down. But i have a plan for that, just move the spring to the other side of the bar. You could put a different muffler on too if it really bothered you, but there is plenty of clearance, talking barely touching here. Otherwise perfect fit and a great replacement for the YT-12!


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Reposted this info here from some of my other posts to make one Repower post in case anyone else needs help with a YT-12.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Except for new belts all done!

Wiring... Done
Hood Reinstall... Done

Put new clips in all the attachment points, some were bent, some were nails, lol.. PO did that not me.

Installed new skids. Also new gas gauge/cap.

All i have left to do is install new belts when they get here and go over it and grease everything.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

Sweet looking setup there! Be interesting to see how those new skids work on a tractor setup, I'll be testing them on the Searsasauraus this year myself so we can see if they work better on a tractor or walkbehind.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Thanks!

And i am anxious to see how they work as well. Now where is the snow?? The wife said i jinxed myself, i rebuilt two snowblowers essentially, i bought a new pair of insulated coveralls, new jacket, new gloves, all ready to play and no snow! LOL


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## Philscbx (Oct 25, 2011)

Wait till you try nylon UHMW for skids.
I have exposed aggregate driveway fairly steep, and steel skids would grip that surface and stop machine in it's tracks.

I went to local plastic company and got sheet of it 1"thick 12" inch square.
Made them over size from stock size, a little longer, and man this works so slick.
The machine thinks it's ice cruising along.

Now no ugly rust stains on the floor either.
I'll shoot an image when I get back to other shop.
2-3 years later, still have not had to adjust them.
So being oversize, there is basically no wear.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Would be interested to see that! These skids have a pretty tough powder coating on them. Pushed the blower down the sidewalk a bit as a test, didn't seem to hurt them none and didn't snag on anything, so already thats an improvement.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Where's the snow*



kb0nly said:


> Thanks!
> 
> And i am anxious to see how they work as well. Now where is the snow?? The wife said i jinxed myself, i rebuilt two snowblowers essentially, i bought a new pair of insulated coveralls, new jacket, new gloves, all ready to play and no snow! LOL


Believe it or not, yesterday on the way to work I got some of it mixed with rain on the windshield of the truck. Sporatic but when it was coming down, it was thick and heavy. Quit before I got to work but there were spots where the wipers were going full steam to keep up. I guess that's Mother Natures way to tell us we're due.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Let it snow... let it snow... let it snow... lol


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Just an update... The ArmorSkids work awesome!!!! Finally got to use this setup last week, and it works so nice.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Skids*



kb0nly said:


> Just an update... The ArmorSkids work awesome!!!! Finally got to use this setup last week, and it works so nice.


You know, that just plain sucks. I bought a set early last fall and they're still virgin. Including the little snow we got yesterday, not enough at any given time to get a blower out to deal with.


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## kb0nly (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah i was wondering if i would even get the chance to use mine!! Finally did though. Hoping for a real snow, i want to see the snow as deep as the blower, well at least at the end of the driveway. Just feels so easy going through four inches... LOL

I ordered another set of ArmorSkids for my Craftsman, going to replace the stupid metal disk wheels on the front of the housing. That machine got a little use doing a couple small sidewalks, performed perfectly except for the stupid wheels digging in and the skids on the back of the blower housing snagging on everything. Thats the only thing i ever really hated about it.


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