# Question about front weight kit?



## Benny365

For those of you that added it to your machine, did you notice a difference? 

the ariens kit looks to be about 1/2" thick, I am contemplating getting a piece of 3/4Th x 4"W x 21"L. That should weigh approximately 18 lbs.

I have the 921035 deluxe 28+

thanks


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## JRHAWK9

I added TWO weight kits to mine, as the bolts they supply will allow for this. Yeah, I believe they made a difference.


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## Blue Hill

JRHAWK9 said:


> I added TWO weight kits to mine, as the bolts they supply will allow for this. Yeah, I believe they made a difference.


How much extra weight did that give you on the front end Hawk? Do you run a cab on your machine?


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## JRHAWK9

I do run a cab, at times, not all the time. I really don't remember what it gave me.


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## Benny365

When I was at the local ariens dealer looking at the different models, I noticed a distinct difference between the deluxe and pro model in front end weight. The pro must have a considerably heavier engine because it seemed more balanced over the wheels than the deluxe.

I added a 15lb sandbag to the front of my deluxe just for example to see how it felt, I like the added weight to help keep the front end down and not ride up on hard pack snow, like a tire track.


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## Blue Hill

Benny365 said:


> When I was at the local ariens dealer looking at the different models, I noticed a distinct difference between the deluxe and pro model in front end weight. The pro must have a considerably heavier engine because it seemed more balanced over the wheels than the deluxe.
> 
> I added a 15lb sandbag to the front of my deluxe just for example to see how it felt, I like the added weight to help keep the front end down and not ride up on hard pack snow, like a tire track.


I'll have to try that. I notice mine wants to ride up over the hard pack. The weight of the cab on the back end contributes to that,I think.


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## Brucebotti

Does anyone have a pic of a unit with the weight kit?
Thanks,
Bruce


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## Blue Hill

Blue Hill said:


> How much extra weight did that give you on the front end Hawk? Do you run a cab on your machine?



Enhance snow blower balance. Get a cleaner surface. Be more comfortable. The Front Weight kit adds 10 lbs. to the front of your Sno-Thro to equalize weight distribution.
FEATURES:

Found it in the accessories catalog. 10 lbs. X 2 = 20 lbs. Where do the weights actually mount?


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## JRHAWK9

Blue Hill said:


> Enhance snow blower balance. Get a cleaner surface. Be more comfortable. The Front Weight kit adds 10 lbs. to the front of your Sno-Thro to equalize weight distribution.
> FEATURES:
> 
> Found it in the accessories catalog. 10 lbs. X 2 = 20 lbs. Where do the weights actually mount?


This is not an Ariens, but it mounts in the same location.


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## Blue Hill

Perfect. Thanks Hawk. I'll have to look through my scrap pile. I can likely build my own.


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## Benny365

you mounted yours under/inside the housing jrhawk9, All of the pictures I've seen have been on top of the housing


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## JRHAWK9

Benny365 said:


> you mounted yours under/inside the housing jrhawk9, All of the pictures I've seen have been on top of the housing


yep, that's where Arien's directed you to mount it. I also prefer it mounted there, as it's out of site this way.


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## Benny365

I went ahead and got a piece of 3/4" x 3" x 24" steel($14.00)

drilled and painted it, then mounted it up under the housing.

My thoughts....

It definitely helps keep the front down, I probably wouldn't go much more weight. the front end is good and heavy now.

it weighs approximately 15 lbs.


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## Blue Hill

Nice work Benny! It looks like factory job.


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## JRHAWK9

Benny365 said:


> I went ahead and got a piece of 3/4" x 3" x 24" steel($14.00)
> 
> drilled and painted it, then mounted it up under the housing.
> 
> My thoughts....
> 
> It definitely helps keep the front down, I probably wouldn't go much more weight. the front end is good and heavy now.
> 
> it weighs approximately 15 lbs.


I will second that...nice work!!


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## Garnetmica

Looks great! Well done!


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## driz

I wouldn't spend the cash they want for that weight. No way. You can go down to the scrap yard and go find a nice piece or 1/2" steel bar and double it or get 3/4 which is a little harder to find. All you need to do is cut it to length, drill and sand it. Put on a couple coats of paint and you have better than that $60 part for under $10. You can do it with nothing more than a hack saw (I don't use those anymore) and electric drill and some sandpaper. You can't screw it up because the locator holes are already in the machine for a template. You don't even need a drill press, just an electric drill. Just have it secured well so the drill doesn't grab and knock you silly when it starts to break through the far side. Nothing to it.


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## CraZySteve

Nice Work Benny! I will be looking to get a piece of steel to get approx 15lbs of weight for my Pro28 as it does ride up sometimes when going up my driveway. There is no way I am paying Ariens $69 for a 10lb weight.


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## mswlogo

On my old murray I found the skids would ride up on snow like skies. 

If you flipped them over they had the same shape but were only the thickness of the metal plate. 

It basically switched them from skies to a skates. 

It worked perfect. Licked driveway clean with no extra weight. 

I might get skates machined for my new blower if bucket won't stay down rather than make the machine heavier.


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## Shryp

mswlogo said:


> On my old murray I found the skids would ride up on snow like skies.
> 
> If you flipped them over they had the same shape but were only the thickness of the metal plate.
> 
> It basically switched them from skies to a skates.
> 
> It worked perfect. Licked driveway clean with no extra weight.
> 
> I might get skates machined for my new blower if bucket won't stay down rather than make the machine heavier.


The old Toro 3521 manual I found online actually suggested that. I think running them upside down will wear then out faster though. Plus a lot of modern style snow skids are made 2 sides so you can flip them when they wear out so you can't run them upside down any more unless they are completely worn out.


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## Blue Hill

Benny365 said:


> I went ahead and got a piece of 3/4" x 3" x 24" steel($14.00)
> 
> drilled and painted it, then mounted it up under the housing.
> 
> My thoughts....
> 
> It definitely helps keep the front down, I probably wouldn't go much more weight. the front end is good and heavy now.
> 
> it weighs approximately 15 lbs.


I went ahead and took a piece of worn out grader blade 23" long and under-mounted it like yours and Hawk's Benny. It gave me just over 16 lbs. I made two of them in case I want some more weight, but I think 32 lbs. might be too much. All I need now is some more snow to try it out.
It doesn't look as nice as yours and Hawk's, but I used what I had on hand. It's a 100 mile round trip to the closest steel supply house.
I figure it this way, you can't see it unless you're laying on your back right in front of my auger, which is not a safe place to be if you're getting ready to start criticizing my handiwork.


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## cuz

Holy thread revival... but I have a question. It seems most of you are mounting weights to the inside of the bucket rather than on top. Why is that???

It would seem that if mounted inside then the whole weight is pulling on the small holes in the thin bucket steel and can stress it. If mounted on top, then the weight is supported across the entire bucket length and doesn’t stress the bolt holes. It seems to me that the top of the bucket would be a better place to locate the weight, wouldn’t it?

-Cuz


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## RIT333

I did one of mine under and the other over. Why - just for fun, I guess. The one that is under, I used some fender washers and no problems with the metal flexing. In looking at both of them, looks wise, they both have advantages. So, i would just say it is personal preference.


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## viper8315

Does anyone still have the instruction manual handy for the front weight kit? If so, could you take a picture of the parts list please? I'd like to see the sizing and part #s of the hardware that was used for a different project. Thanks...


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## jrcjr

Keep in mind that if your unit doesn't have a ready-built weight kit and you want hold-down force without the extra ballast, you can affix a rod or pipe pointing out over the front and affix a smaller weight to the end of the rod and still get the same effective hold-down force as a multiple of the distance from the axle (pivot point) to the location the weight kit would normally go. (All measurements made parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the axle.)

Or more simply: 
(actual distance of the weight from the pivot) 
-------------------------------------------------------------- = (The effective multiplier)
(distance from the normal weight location to the pivot)

If the normal location is 12 inches from the axle and you locate the weight 24 inches from the axle, your effective multiplier is 24/12 = 2 (twice the hold down force the ballast would normally generate)

So, instead of using a 10 pound weight and getting 20 pounds of force at double the distance above, you could put a 5 pound weight at double the distance to get the original 10 pounds of force. This would also allow you to create a tune-able system where you could slide a 5, or 10 pound weight along the pipe to give you the precise hold down force you need for any situation.


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## 1132le

i mounted mine to the end of the drift cutters 
i thought it pretty slick easy to remove


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## foggysail

Strange that Ariens moved the wheels forward to help turning and then sell weights to help keep the front end down. Reads like two screwups


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## Town

foggysail said:


> Strange that Ariens moved the wheels forward to help turning and then sell weights to help keep the front end down. Reads like two screwups


Ariens moved the axle position on other models to match the positioning on your machine the Ariens Pro models. It appears there were no complaints from Pro owners about AutoTurn. So Ariens moved the axle (to make bucket weight lighter) rather than make the plastic skid shoes standard. There are a lot of divergent views on how much weight to put on the bucket, but it is almost impossible to lighten the bucket. Ariens decided to make the standard bucket weight light which allows weight to be easily added to the bucket for those who like it that way. Everyone should then be happy, no screw ups just options.

I like the heavy bucket weight so I bought the Platinum rather than the Pro which I found way too light. Just a matter of choice.


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## foggysail

Town said:


> Ariens moved the axle position on other models to match the positioning on your machine the Ariens Pro models. It appears there were no complaints from Pro owners about AutoTurn. So Ariens moved the axle (to make bucket weight lighter) rather than make the plastic skid shoes standard. There are a lot of divergent views on how much weight to put on the bucket, but it is almost impossible to lighten the bucket. Ariens decided to make the standard bucket weight light which allows weight to be easily added to the bucket for those who like it that way. Everyone should then be happy, no screw ups just options.
> 
> I like the heavy bucket weight so I bought the Platinum rather than the Pro which I found way too light. Just a matter of choice.



That is strange, the Platinum’s bucket made with heavier metal? The Platinum sells for less than the Pro. But for whatever it’s worth, I just measured my 28” Pro’s bucket’s metal thickness which was 0.11”. I also measured the thickness of my 30 year old Bolens, it is an impressive 0.135” thick. Now of course, some thousands needs to be removed to accommodate for paint.

So how thick is your Platinum’s bucket?


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## Town

foggysail said:


> That is strange, the Platinum’s bucket made with heavier metal? The Platinum sells for less than the Pro. But for whatever it’s worth, I just measured my 28” Pro’s bucket’s metal thickness which was 0.11”. I also measured the thickness of my 30 year old Bolens, it is an impressive 0.135” thick. Now of course, some thousands needs to be removed to accommodate for paint.
> 
> So how thick is your Platinum’s bucket?


We are talking about different things. The Pro is built with thicker metal than the Platinum, so the actual weight of the Pro bucket will be heavier. My observation on a heavy bucket weight on the Platinum compared to the Pro is based upon balance (due to axle location) where considerably more of the Platinum machine weight is on the bucket and less on the wheels compared to the Pro. This is a weight distribution issue where most Ariens customers prefer less weight on the bucket. 

Sorry I was not more clear.


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## foggysail

OK, now I understand. :smile2:


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## GeorgePowell

I decided to put the weight on top for better distribution (l think) and if the bar comes loose or off with the vibration it will not get caught up in the auger .


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## GeorgePowell

Make your own for less than $25 , excluding paint . 1/2 in x 3 x 28 is about =+13 lbs . I bolted mine on top so if by some miracle a bolt breaks the bar will not fall into the auger. I used Kubota orange - looks not bad but l am color blind a bit hahaha. Sorry l can't spin the image .


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## Zavie

Here is a machine with weights on the drift cutters


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## FEF3

WOW awesome blower what year and make is it ? 


Zavie said:


> Here is a machine with weights on the drift cutters


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## farmer52

I used a 1-3/8" square bar stock (26" long). Cost me $15 plus stainless attaching hardware. Estimated weight about 11 pounds.


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## farmer52

Finally getting around to taking/posting pictures of my fabricated weight bar.


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## Bill I

I know it's an old thread but someone may search. And that's how I found it.

So, I had an idea - not implemented yet. I'm thinking of buying a 10 or 15 lb Hex Dumbbell Handweight for about $17-$23 on Amazon. I'll drill and tap a couple of holes and mount it on top of the frame so if it comes loose it won't fall into the auger.

It'll be added weight plus a grab bar/handle to help move it around in the garage. And $23 is a lot better than the $190 TORO wants for their weight kit.


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## 1132le

Benny365 said:


> For those of you that added it to your machine, did you notice a difference?
> 
> the ariens kit looks to be about 1/2" thick, I am contemplating getting a piece of 3/4Th x 4"W x 21"L. That should weigh approximately 18 lbs.
> 
> I have the 921035 deluxe 28+
> 
> thanks


ive got around 20lbs on my 921037 its great
also have the old axle postion auto turn laser straight on my junkie driveway
auto turn issues=== operator error


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