# Ariens 824 New to me



## Happy_Jack (Oct 22, 2013)

New member/poster here,

Just picked up a couple snowblowers after trading away my old Craftsman 6/24 single stage. It was working fine and never let me down in the 5-6 years I owned/used it.. (It was given to me, I replaced the carburetor, changed the oil and never gave it any more thought)
I had been meaning to replace that old unit, but never made the move, but since I kept hearing how bad this winter was going to be, decided to make it happen.

First, I found an older John Deere, (late 1980's I believe) so i bought it, (see post under John Deere snowblowers) though I really wanted an Ariens..

SO, about 2 weeks AFTER I bought the John Deere, I found a 1990's Ariens 8-24 locally in VERY nice shape for short money..I contacted the guy, made the deal and bought this unit (pictures enclosed)

When i got it, I did the normal maintenance items (changed the engine oil, checked the auger gearbox oil, new spark plug, greased everything, drained out the old fuel, new fuel line, fresh gas with stabilizer added.

I fired it up, it ran great. shut it down, checked everything over, went to fire it again and the recoil rope broke right where it attaches to the recoil spool (rope is like new, but frayed/worn at the very far end)
I just cut it back, rewound the recoil and re-installed the rope with a knot instead of the piercing "staple" they used from the factory... Recoil works fine again, and I was glad it happened while in the shop tinkering instead of when the snow was flying and I needed it to run..

Anyway, I used it in the last storm we had here on the east coast about a week or two ago, performed VERY well, although it seemed bit light to me (riding up on the snow occasionally) overall i am very happy with this machine, the chute kept wandering and returning to center, but I found the adjustment/tension nut and resolved that issue easily.

Just wanted to know what the experts think of this version, and if it is a "keeper" or are they just cheapies, and am I better off moving up to a bigger "platinum" or "pro" series Ariens? 
(I guess that would be an obvious upgrade, but how are these overall?)

My driveway is fairly short (about 40 feet) but also about that wide, and when the wind blows, i need to throw it all the way across the driveway. I plan on putting on an "impeller kit" to improve the distance, but is there anything else to be aware of, monitor, or preventative maintenance specific to these models I should be aware of?

It will take an electric starter, (provisions are there) but I doubt i will need it, other than an impeller kit and ES, any other tweaks or improvements I can/should make on this one?

Engine code shows a date of 1995, and the guy said his dad bought this new in 1997 or so (seems about right) , but hardly used it, then his dad passed away and this sat for many years in the cellar. I doubt it has 10 hours on it...
Condition proves that this is likely true..I did nothing but wipe it with a rag and the maintenance items I mentioned before the pictures..

Thanks for any comments/recommendations.


----------



## WestminsterFJR (Dec 30, 2013)

looks brand new! great find.


----------



## Happy_Jack (Oct 22, 2013)

Thanks, yes it is basically a brand new machine. Even the muffler barely has any rust on it.. you can tell this one has very low hours.
Stumbled into a good deal on it (well under $200) and hope it gives me years of service. Not too fond of the plastic wheels, (but no rust I suppose) and I do have a set of chains I can put on it as I mentioned..
Also, there is no differential "lock out" this one is both wheels all the time, but is so light, it does not seem to be an issue.
Time will tell, but now I have "the bug" and although I now have two nice machines, I can't seem to stop looking for them..


----------



## mkd (Dec 31, 2013)

i just sold my 1985 924 (looks the same as yours but not quite as nice) and i got $250.00 for mine and it still ran first pull stone cold. make sure all the holes in the brass nut that holds the float bowl on are clean. all i ever did on mine in 28 yrs is clean and make sure the carb was adjusted well and some routine maintenance. one big item to grease is the drive throwout bearing. it is located under the plastic belt cover in front of the engine. as the left lever is pressed and released the linkage down below throws the throwout assembly fore and aft. if it's not greased the drive will want to continue when the lever is released because the shaft is dry. i used 30 w motor oil in a squirt can to lube . your lubing the right spot when you have to protect the belts from the dripping oil when you lube the shaft. here's the 924 i just sold!


----------



## Happy_Jack (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi MKD,

Thanks a lot for the tip. I will pull that cover off when i get home just to familiarize myself with it. 
That 924 looks like a beefier machine.. real steel wheels and a slightly different auger housing. I think for $250 you did ok and gave someone else a good deal too..
I am very familiar with Tecumseh engines, so know all about the Carbs, valves, carbon, etc.. Still good tips to keep in mind, and i like that this one has the fully adjustable carburetor and not the emissions carb. with fixed jets... seems like you can always tweak them to run JUST a little better when the adjustments are available..


----------



## mkd (Dec 31, 2013)

yeh the 921030 has the fixed jet carb! i'm 63 yrs old and it probably doesn't have to run 28 yrs like the 924 did. the maintenance i did on the 924 was all about the 20 yr. time period or even a tad later. new friction disc about 8 yrs ago, new auger shaft outer bearings 3 yrs ago, new scraper blade and drive belts last year. the gears that hold the reduction drive under the rear cover were binding some though, i fixed them last summer. the larger gear is located on a shouldered shaft that on one end bolts to the frame of the blower and the other end is supported by a steel bracket. the chain tension is adjusted by loosening both ends of the shaft ,tensioning the chain, and then tightening the shaft ends to hold everything in place. the width of the gear was too wide and was binding when i tightened the shaft in place. the shouldered bolt when tightened in place was clamping the gear and not letting it roll freely. i took the gear out and diamond honed the shoulders of the gear to reduce the dimension so it would freewheel when tightened in place. many years ago when the seals went out in the differential and it wouldn't hold grease anymore i used 000 grease that they put in the front sprockets of chain saw bars. it's got bentinite which is a clay base grease and it's really sticky, won't run out! john deere has the same grease for greasing combine heads and it comes in a tube. the unit you have seems to be about the middle of the road between my old and new snowblower. sounds like you got a real good deal.


----------



## Joshuamentor (Jan 25, 2014)

....one big item to grease is the drive throwout bearing. it is located under the plastic belt cover in front of the engine. as the left lever is pressed and released the linkage down below throws the throwout assembly fore and aft. if it's not greased the drive will want to continue when the lever is released because the shaft is dry. i used 30 w motor oil in a squirt can to lube . your lubing the right spot when you have to protect the belts from the dripping oil when you lube the shaft. 


Thanks for the tip on the drive shaft sticking! I bet you can guess what my st824 is doing

Josh


----------



## Ryan (Dec 13, 2013)

Those are GREAT machines. I get to use 2 of it's bigger and older brothers which do a great job and have held up well.


----------

