# Ariens ST1032 Restoration



## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

Hello from a new member here. I've enjoyed reading the other thread about the Ariens ST1032 restoration so I'm going to share mine with everyone. I first got the bug to find one of these monsters when I saw one for sale in person over the Summer for $700 (but I didn't want to pay near that much). I went to buy a Craftsman tractor for the Kohler Magnum engine off Cragislist and the guy had two Ariens ST1032 snowblowers in his collection and I saw them right away and had to have one. The one that I got was the worse of the two, but it wasn't something that I couldn't fix. It has lots of peeling paint, a crack in the sheet metal housing, it's missing the carburetor, bad wheel bearing and impeller bearing, incorrect muffler, and a few other small parts are missing like the belt cover and a bent impeller pulley/sheave. I ended up traded this ST1032 for a nice running late 1960's 6HP Arines Sno-Thro that my dad I picked out of the garbage years ago, plus $50.

I got all the missing parts I needed, used, locally for $50, $11 for a Chinese replacement carburetor, $17 for the bearings, and my welder is repairing the crack, sandblasting the housing and chute and priming it for $40. I got 5 cans of Rustoleum Chevrolet Orange (thanks to this site for the info on matching Ariens Orange) for $22 and then $10 into stainless nuts and bolts. 

Right now I have it completely disassembled and I just picked up the parts from the sandblaster/welder and they're all repaired, sandblasted, and primed. As soon as my Rustoleum Chevy orange paint arrives I'll be painting it. I'll have a little over $200 total into this project (plus the old Ariens I had that I wasn't using) once all is said and done. It's a little more than I wanted to spend, but I like doing things right and I don't think I'd be able to find a nicely put together ST1032 for that price. I'll keep everyone updated and thanks for the wealth of knowledge on this great forum!


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Welcome to the forum JP :white^_^arial^_^0^_

Don't forget the photos along the way !!


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

Will look forward to seeing it when you are done.


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## ctdave (Sep 11, 2015)

welcome, i am new here also. great info and help here. i am almost done with my restore of a 10000 series machine. for me its not about how much I spent, its a hobby, and knowing that I will have great machines that will last another generation.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

jpswift1 said:


> ... my welder is repairing the crack, sandblasting the housing and chute and priming it for $40.


That is a great price!...at least around here it is.

Go for it! Good luck with everything. You guys are making me want an old school U.S. Iron rig to restore. I grew up in Detroit, we always said and still do call the older vehicles Detroit Iron.


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

Hi, Thanks for the welcome everyone! I picked up the freshly painted parts from my sandblaster friends today. They do great work and their prices and quality of work are the best around.....and they've been doing it for 40 something years. Great folks! Hopefully my orange spray paint will be in tomorrow or Friday so I can get it all sprayed while it's warm here. I'll be sure to have more pictures as I make more progress.


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## guilateen02 (Nov 23, 2014)

I actually like that matte orange color. Too bad the tractor will be glossy. Could of put a sealer on that and call it a day. Sort of like the stealth look.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Nice project! Sounds like you really got a deal on that weld, sandblasting and priming job. I look forward to the pics of the finished product. The impeller drain hole seems very small. I'm not sure if these have impeller freeze up issues, you may want to consider enlarging it. Best of luck with it and please keep us posted.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

jpswift1 said:


> I picked up the freshly painted parts from my sandblaster friends today.


Wow... where can I get some friends like that?

The only place I could find anywhere near me that looked like they'd do "retail" sandblasting (meaning deal with an individual and not a company) ignored several emails I sent them, and I later found out from a few people they're awful to deal with.

That looks really nice. I assume the paint that's on there now is primer?


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

ELaw said:


> Wow... where can I get some friends like that?
> 
> The only place I could find anywhere near me that looked like they'd do "retail" sandblasting (meaning deal with an individual and not a company) ignored several emails I sent them, and I later found out from a few people they're awful to deal with.
> 
> That looks really nice. I assume the paint that's on there now is primer?


_*ELaw*_,
I still have not gotten my parts back (so I can not say how thing went).
But for one of my YS828, I was quoted $100-150 to sandblast the corroeded areas (and/or strip paint as needed) and powder coat the auger housing, auger housing sides, auger housing extension, impeller, 2 augers, chute and chute deflector.
When I dropped them off they said it might be more in the neighborhood of $150 because of all the corrosion. We will see.


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

I got the auger/impeller housing and the chute and head all painted today. Tomorrow it will get a coat of clear. The Rustoleum Chevy Orange (not Chevy orange-red) matched the Ariens orange PERFECTLY! The last picture is a chip of the original Ariens orange paint that was flaking off the unit before I had it sandblasted next to the cap of the Rustoleum. Thanks to this helpful forum I now have a perfect paint match at a MUCH lower price than the Ariens brand spray paint. :wavetowel2:


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## Clearview60 (Jan 1, 2014)

Looking good! Great start to the project!


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## SNOWJOB1125 (Apr 4, 2015)

the ST 1032 we have @ work is an absolute beast...its from 94' i believe and it isnt fancy ( just a headlight and a pair of drift cutters) but man does that thing chomp thru snow...i dont even think the thing has had a tune up since it was bought. i became obsessed with snowblowers after seeing that thing work during winter...awesome machine


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

Good news and bad news. I started doing some assembly and then working on the engine. Two head bolts snapped off, the head has snapped off fins and the blower housing bolts are busted off in the head and the head gasket is bad. I ordered a new head gasket, I'm working on finding a replacement head, and a few new bolts too. I got one of the snapped off bolts out of the cylinder and then drilled the other. I finally got it out and went to tap and clean out the threads in the cylinder and my tap broke. I'm going to have to get that removed next. Both wheel bearings are REALLY shot and will need to be replaced and the replacement ones seem pretty pricey and I can't find a cheaper replacement that I can cross reference the part number with Ariens 05417700. Does anyone know of any cheaper alternatives because these are around $15 per bearing. 

The good news is the cylinder looks nice inside and even though it's costing me a little more than the $200 something dollars I originally thought, it's going back together well and looking pretty nice.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Take some measurements of the bearings, a lot of times you can get inexpensive replacements using that.


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

SNOWJOB1125 said:


> the ST 1032 we have @ work is an absolute beast...its from 94' i believe and it isnt fancy ( just a headlight and a pair of drift cutters) but man does that thing chomp thru snow...i dont even think the thing has had a tune up since it was bought. i became obsessed with snowblowers after seeing that thing work during winter...awesome machine


That's great! Hearing this gives me some extra motivation to get this project done. I became obsessed with these when I saw one for sale in person and couldn't believe the size of it. It really dwarfs the common "big" snowblowers around here that are 26"-28" cut. We get hit HARD with snow here in Buffalo and I figured the 1032 would be right at home here.



hsblowersfan said:


> Take some measurements of the bearings, a lot of times you can get inexpensive replacements using that.


Good idea. That's how my local bearing supplier (Buffalo Bearings) does things. They're great people to deal with and always find even the most strange odd ball bearings so this shouldn't be too hard for them.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

jpswift1 said:


> Good idea. That's how my local bearing supplier (Buffalo Bearings) does things. They're great people to deal with and always find even the most strange odd ball bearings so this shouldn't be too hard for them.


The side bearings for my Yamaha YS828 are $14, but with measurements I found the for less than $2.


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## SNOWJOB1125 (Apr 4, 2015)

yes the mouth on it looks abnormally large...i saw it chew threw easilly a six foot snowbank to get to a set of stairs...since then ive been trying to compare every snowblower i have to it....ill get a picture of it today


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## SNOWJOB1125 (Apr 4, 2015)

the old beast


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## nervous (Nov 15, 2015)

Yer all makin' me miss mine...


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## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

nervous said:


> Yer all makin' me miss mine...


What did you replace it with? And how do they compare?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Everyone loves their Ariens but tell me when are you going to give a little to that poor run down 5hp Estate in the corner ?? :icon_whistling::icon_whistling:


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

That's a Brute 5/23. It's a Canadian built unit and it's pretty tough. It doesn't need anything actually. It's the "daily driver" for lighter snowfalls here. 

On the Ariens, I just ground all the rust off the augers and am painting them and took the handles to the sandblaster. I also got all new stainless steel nuts and bolts. I still can't believe we haven't got snow here in Buffalo yet, but that's fine with me since it just gives me more time to finish this rebuild.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Don't feel too bad.
I've got over $400 into my 1999 ST824 that I got basically for free. Although, that includes new tire chains and a remote chute control kit so maybe I shouldn't include those. Without those, call it $250 and $80 or so of that was for a genuine Tecumseh carb because I kept chasing what I thought was a carb problem that turned out to be a valve clearance (or lack of) problem. Oh, and I'm also including the money I spent on a Treysit sirometer tachometer which was $25 or so.

But overall, I've dumped $400 into the project.

Since you've got it apart, I'd check the valve clearances now while it's easy. I did .008 for intake and .010 for exhaust. Mine were both under .006 when I pulled the valve cover off and the machine ran awesome until it hot good and hot. Hopefully, this year if I ever get to try it the problems will finally be gone.


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## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

*ELaw*: I am sorry for being a bum, but I have to get two big projects done at work before I head up the hill again. I will take photos next weekend. But as a consolation prize, here are the things I was talking about. First look at the Parts Manual diagram items 14 (Chute Crank Bracket) and 71 (Trim), then look at the craigslist photos for the machine I bought (not very helpful). 

BTW, I assumed (because the Chute Crank Bracket is under the muffler cover and my muffler cover is vibrating like crazy and is missing a bolt) that the Chute Crank Bracket also attaches to and supports the muffler, but not so. From looking at the Parts Manual, the Chute Crank Bracket only serves a single function - to route the Chute Crank Cable.

AND, I just learned something new, apparently the function of the holes in the Chute Crank Bracket is NOT to thread the Chute Crank Cable _through _but is to thread item 15 Cable Tie through such that the Chute Crank Cable is tied to the Chute Crank Bracket by the Cable Tie and the function of the item 71 Trim is to protect the Chute Crank Cable from rubbing against the metal of the Chute Crank Bracket itself. 

Who knew? 

Thanks for helping me learn something about my machine! 

I need to cable tie my Chute Crank Cable to the bracket because right now it is hanging loose. I am glad that I didin't disconnect everything to try to run the Chute Crank Cable through the bracket! 

BTW, on my machine there IS some line which IS threaded through one of the holes in the Chute Crank Bracket. Otherwise I would have lost that bracket long ago. But, we will have to wait for next weekend to figure out what that line is...


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

ChrisJ said:


> Don't feel too bad.
> I've got over $400 into my 1999 ST824 that I got basically for free. Although, that includes new tire chains and a remote chute control kit so maybe I shouldn't include those. Without those, call it $250 and $80 or so of that was for a genuine Tecumseh carb because I kept chasing what I thought was a carb problem that turned out to be a valve clearance (or lack of) problem. Oh, and I'm also including the money I spent on a Treysit sirometer tachometer which was $25 or so.
> 
> But overall, I've dumped $400 into the project.
> ...


Thanks for the tips. I'll do that. And I feel a lot better now knowing there are more crazies out there like me that restore snowblowers.......this is quite the support group we have here! 

E350, I love your 1032 and I have to ask you something. I don't plan on running my tire chains, so would you say that upgrading to the Carlisle Snow Hog style tires would be a good upgrade for my machine? Thanks.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

jpswift1 said:


> Would you say that the Carlisle Snow Hog style tires would be a good upgrade for my machine?


Carlise Snow Hogs style would be a good upgrade, but Carlise X-Trac style tires would be even better (this is what most snowblowers come with lately).


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## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

*jpswift1*: With the Snow Hogs I have almost as much traction as chains, but I need to use the lockout hub slightly more often. The lugs on the Snow Hogs are so deep that the chains sit down between them. 

I think if you want to go without chains, those X-Trac tires recommended by *hsblowersfan* look like they would be the best. 

Let us all know what you do and how it works out.


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

Thanks for the tips on the tires guys. I think I'll go with the X-Tracs if I can find them at a good price.


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

I found a crack in my one handle so I took it, along with all of the other control parts (that will be painted black to match the original color) to my sandblaster/welder. I just got the handles back, all welded and ground down flush, sandblasted and primed for $20......great people. I also got the rest of the stainless steel mounting hardware as well. Slowly but surely making progress here.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

someone told me those beads on xtracs are super tough. guess what? he was right. getting the first side over the rim is easy but the other side is super tough. they are some of the toughest tires ive had to deal with, so if you do upgrade be prepared for a fight. i gave up on mine so im just going to bring them in to my auto class and have someone there do them. i have put on snow hogs before with some screwdrivers but the rubber was softer on those for some reason, maybe because they were slightly used(from an mtd pos) but the xtracs im having trouble with are brand new


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

43128 said:


> someone told me those beads on xtracs are super tough. guess what? he was right. getting the first side over the rim is easy but the other side is super tough. they are some of the toughest tires ive had to deal with, so if you do upgrade be prepared for a fight. i gave up on mine so im just going to bring them in to my auto class and have someone there do them. i have put on snow hogs before with some screwdrivers but the rubber was softer on those for some reason, maybe because they were slightly used(from an mtd pos) but the xtracs im having trouble with are brand new


If you plan on replacing more tires you may want to consider getting a mini-tire changer. It should be much easier with one of them. 

Mini-Tire Changer


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

didnt know they made a mini version


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

43128 said:


> didnt know they made a mini version


We all learn something new every now and then 
That is part of the beauty of belonging to this great community k:


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

I hope the tires go on easily. I ended up getting a brand new pair of 16x6.50-8 Carlisle Snow-Hogs for my 1032 for just over $50 shipped.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

jpswift1 said:


> I found a crack in my one handle so I took it, along with all of the other control parts (that will be painted black to match the original color) to my sandblaster/welder.


I have a lot of respect for Ariens and their engineers, but I really think the handles are a bit underdesigned on this model.

As I related before, when I got this machine both handles had broken at the rear bolt holes and had been welded. I installed some brand-new ones, but if I push down on the handles evenly, they deflect over an inch before the bucket starts to lift off the ground. That kind of flexing can't be good long-term.

It doesn't help that to get the unit in and out of its parking space in the garage, I really have to horse it around. There's not enough clearance to just roll it.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

EDIT: Okay, I'm a moron. 20 days later I'm reading this and realized I posted it in the wrong thread! My ST1032 thread and this one have very similar names, and thinking has never been my strong suit... :smiley-confused009:

Hey someone had asked before about what electronic components I'm using with the alternator upgrade.

The alternator I'm using (if the ebay seller is correct) is Tecumseh p/n 611113 which is supposed to put out 36 watts. It comes from the factory with one lead of the coil (there's just one winding) grounded and a diode in the other lead.

In order to hopefully get a little more juice out of it, I lifted the grounded end of the coil and instead of a single diode, I'm using a bridge rectifier, filter cap, and a buck regulator module to bring the ~30 volts that come out of the bridge/cap back to the proper level.

Basically I have a 3-phase plan. Phase I is the alternator/rectifier/regulator and LED lights. That's almost done.

Phase II is motorizing the chute rotation and deflector. I bought two motors, and have a joystick and relays to control them. For one motor I fabbed up a linkage arm and I think it'll be suitable for the deflector. The other one was for the rotation but I think it's a bit on the small side so I'm on the hunt for a larger one.

Phase III will be adding a battery, replacing the 120V starter with a 12V one, and related items like a solenoid. I'm thinking of using an AGM battery which can operate in any position, and mounting it on top of the bucket so it can double as a weight for the front.

Anyhow back to the specific question that was asked... the bridge rectifier I'm using is Digikey part number GBPC1502FS-ND, and the cap is Digikey p/n 493-8716-ND. Together they cost about 10 bucks.

The buck regulator module is this:


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## LongIslandJoe (Jan 25, 2016)

*I have the same issue with my Ariens*

Hello, I own a ST1032, model 924084 and both handles cracked in the exact location, from stress cracks due to the deflection as you described. I agree that the handles are not designed correctly, for proper lift and maneuvering. I am reluctant to purchase new lower RH & LH handles (Priced at $107.00 each), replacing them will result in the same issue. I am planning to weld the break and then weld a piece of bar or pencil rod on an angle to create a truss from the back of the front bolt to the angled part of the handle bar. I am curious what you did in your refurbishing of your snow blower.



ELaw said:


> I have a lot of respect for Ariens and their engineers, but I really think the handles are a bit underdesigned on this model.
> 
> As I related before, when I got this machine both handles had broken at the rear bolt holes and had been welded. I installed some brand-new ones, but if I push down on the handles evenly, they deflect over an inch before the bucket starts to lift off the ground. That kind of flexing can't be good long-term.
> 
> It doesn't help that to get the unit in and out of its parking space in the garage, I really have to horse it around. There's not enough clearance to just roll it.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

LongIslandJoe said:


> I am curious what you did in your refurbishing of your snow blower.


Check this thread, you'll find all the info that you are looking for

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/69882-st1032-restoration.html


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## jpswift1 (Dec 3, 2015)

After taking this entire machine apart for this rebuild, I really wonder why Ariens skimped out on the handles. Both of mine were cracked, there was one previous repair done to mine and I had the other side welded before I had it sandblasted. They should have used solid rod in that section of the handles to keep this from happening.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

To answer the handles question, I found someone selling a pair of brand-new ones for $100 plus shipping so I bought and installed them.

Right now that's it, but I keep thinking about ways to brace them. What I'm considering is drilling some holes on the sides of the tractor body at the bottom rear, and running some straight pieces from there to the handles, probably about a foot up from where they meet the tractor.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

jpswift1 said:


> After taking this entire machine apart for this rebuild, I really wonder why Ariens skimped out on the handles. Both of mine were cracked, there was one previous repair done to mine and I had the other side welded before I had it sandblasted. They should have used solid rod in that section of the handles to keep this from happening.


I'm guessing they just didn't think about it. As that series was designed, "spec creep" probably caused them to get heavier, and since they mostly sell 24" machines they designed the handles for that and just used the same ones on the 32".

Was there ever a 36" model in that series? If so I'd expect it to have the problem even worse.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

ELaw said:


> Was there ever a 36" model in that series? If so I'd expect it to have the problem even worse.


Yes, there is a 36" in this series. I own an ST1236.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to the forum LongIslandJoe


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## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

Here you go. One of the previous owners must have added the 1/4" thick x 1.5" x ~7" long angle steel to beef up the handles. I thought they were oem. They make the handles bullet proof.


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