# my ariens repower experience



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

still unsure of the year of the 24 "snothro, but it think its late 60's early 70's.
my choice of engine to replace the blown 4 hp tech was a powerfist ( predator?) 208cc non winterized ohv. 
the engine has the same footprint as the tech, same shaft height/length/dia, so that seemed easy enough, but the studs in the tractor body were to short to mount the engine. with some suggestion from this forum, i opted to go a bit different route ( which could come back and bite me), i cut the existing studs off, about 1/4 inch above the body and welded extensions on. 
next it was on to the pto end of things. the original pulley was a straight forward intall on the 3/4" shaft. next it was on to the belt keepers/fingers, my 5/16 bolts just didnt feel right in the holes.....metric size 8mm did the trick. 
moved on to the known issue with the chute rod. pondered that for awhile and asked about it here. a helpfull member here got me on track with a gentle " get creative", so after clearancing the left side oil fill cap , i just did what needed to be done for my purposes......3/8 socket ujoint, a couple of eye bolts and some more welding. i also welded the shaft bracket to the tractor body, so now to tilt the bucket forward for a belt change, i will need to remove the chute. rotation is smooth and easy, but not without issues....at full rotation to the left, it contacts the heat shield on the muffler, at full rotation to the right, the corner of the metal fuel tank is exposed to the snow and "debris" discharge. easy fix with a couple of 1/4" bolts in the square cog holes to limit rotation. ( still get just past 90 to the left, and maybe 100 to the right.) 
my next issue had nothing to do with the repower but an issue none the less. mounting the the bucket to the tractor was a bit of a headache. i can only assume that the mounting tabs on the bucket were supposed to be threaded ? if so, on this unit they were stripped and beat out oval. nuts and bolts worked but just not as easy as it sounds. 
the only other issue that may arise is with the lever that engages the engine clutch hits the casted mount for the fuel tank, it still goes to a straight up position , just wont know if it will jump out under load until it snows. 

sorry for the long post, just hoping my repower experience may help someone in the future.


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## bwright1818 (Dec 2, 2014)

Since I can't weld, it sounds like a task I am going to try to stay away from! Nice work, though!


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

Thanks for the write-up nwcove. The 208cc Powerfist is the Princess Auto (sold in Canada) version of the 212cc HF Predator yes? I wonder if there are any real differences.


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## Rob711 (Feb 5, 2015)

Pics!!! I'd like to see the chute linkage, I thought of using sockets and universals but got used clean ariens ones from a guy on here. You going to make heat shields or box on your engine? I'm debating it on my 212 predator, I used it last winter on the same vintage machine with no problems so I'll prob hold off


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

bwright1818 said:


> Since I can't weld, it sounds like a task I am going to try to stay away from! Nice work, though!


While being able to weld is nice and gives you some more options in this kind of situation, it is definitely not necessary! You just need to be a bit creative.

Many years ago I did a similar job, installing a 10HP Honda motor in place of a 4HP Tec on a mid-1960's Ariens. If I remember right, the only tools I needed were a hacksaw and a drill. In that case, the engine-mounting studs did not line up, so I just sawed them off and drilled holes in the right locations, and used bolts and nuts.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

i will post some pics of my cobbled up job asap. i did bolt on the drift cutter/ lightbar/service position thingy i fabbed up , and stood the blower up to see if my eyeball geometry was close. the blower is very stable tilted up on its snout with the add on.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Those 2 mounting tabs on the top of the bucket are suppose to have little snap in holders that hold nuts for the bolts. The bottom hooks just rest on that rod.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

That's true on the later Ariens models, but on the earlier ones the bolts thread directly into the tabs on the bucket section. At least until the threads strip... don't ask how I know that! :facepalm_zpsdj194qh

I have no idea when they switched from the one setup to the other... I had a mid 1960's model that didn't have the nuts+clips, and I have a mid 1980's model that does.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

ELaw said:


> That's true on the later Ariens models, but on the earlier ones the bolts thread directly into the tabs on the bucket section. At least until the threads strip... don't ask how I know that! :facepalm_zpsdj194qh
> 
> I have no idea when they switched from the one setup to the other... I had a mid 1960's model that didn't have the nuts+clips, and I have a mid 1980's model that does.


thats what it looked like on this bucket, i pondered re-threading as the tabs are quite beefy, but went with nuts n bolts ( the right hand side was a bit of a challenge tho)


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

Pics!!! I'd like to see the chute linkage, I thought of using sockets and universals but got used clean ariens ones from a guy on here. You going to make heat shields or box on your engine? I'm debating it on my 212 predator, I used it last winter on the same vintage machine with no problems so I'll prob hold off 



gunna hold off on making a heater box just to see how it goes, am planning on buying an engine cover from princess auto tho. ( just a bag with a drawstring to keep the weather off the engine)


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