# Handle height too low



## AJMEISTER (Jan 10, 2014)

Hi,

I have just joined this forum because I am having a fairly serious concern with my brand new SnowTek 24. 

I bought this snow blower 2 days ago because my current one is just not powerful enough and kept plugging up. I certainly solved that issue with this Sno Tek 24. But now I have another issue with this product. I am 6'4" tall and the handles are at least 3" too low, even lower than my other snow blower. As a result I had to stop many times to give my very sore back some rest. In addition since my weight is partially on the handles the front end gets too light resulting in pavement that still has a thick layer of snow on it no matter how low the skid shoes were adjusted. Also the blower was wandering a lot instead of going straight.

Unfortunately at this time the stores have very low inventory and there was no display model for me to check out first. I actually had to drive to a Home Depot 70 km away, rent a van etc. This unit was still in the box.

This is what I am thinking. Would maybe taller wheels raise the handles and shift more weight to the front? I actually strapped a salt bag to the front and it helped somewhat with the snow clearing results. All I have read so far talks about modifying the handles but that would prove very difficult with all the controls attached. Bigger wheels seems far easier. Has anybody tried this? Any problems this might create? BTW, Ariens customer service had no solution at all.

Any input would be much appreciated because right now this snow blower is not usable unless I somehow manage to ignore the intense back pain. Andreas


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

Bigger wheels should help. That will make it drive a bit faster so you might have issues with really deep snow. It might cause more wear on the drive train too.

I think the biggest issue might be the scraper bar might not sit low enough anymore. Will have to test and see.


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

Could be a good fix for your problem as long as you can find bigger tires. Try putting like a one inch hunk of wood under each tire to see how the height feels and looks.


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## ken53 (Nov 7, 2013)

Here is a link to a site that shows tire dimensions in an easy to read layout.

Snow Blower

Ken


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

if your handlebars are 3" too low you would need a 6 inch taller tire to make up that much.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

Welcome to the forum ajmeister. You have a tough problem. Like Carl said, you would need a much bigger wheel to help much and that's going to open up a real can of worms with your scraper bar and skids. If it were mine, I would seriously look into extending the handlebars and some, but maybe not all of the controls. That will make your front weight issue even more pronounced, but you can buy or make a front weight kit to get around that.
Good luck,
Larry


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## HH4 (Dec 18, 2013)

Saw this online some where awhile back. Might be something similar available to fit your machine.


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

I don't know if the Sno-Teks are like this, but my Ariens Pro 32 (as well as other models I'm sure) have additional holes in the chassis which allow you to reposition the handle bars further up. I know I repositioned mine on my Pro 32 as I'm 6'5". If you can do this it should show you in the owners manual, as it did mine.


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## kueh (Dec 29, 2013)

HH4 said:


> Saw this online some where awhile back. Might be something similar available to fit your machine.



Thanks. This has given me an idea of some height to my handles. First I have to remove the oem rubber/plastic grips on my old Gilson.


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## AJMEISTER (Jan 10, 2014)

*Problem solved*

Thank you so much for all the replies. 

After a lot of research I have decided to return the Sno Tek 24 and have found the last Ariens 24 Delux in this area. The Ariens has a handle height of 38" compared to the Sno Tek with only 35". I guess in the end the extra cash is worth it. Let's hope I won't have to buy another snow blower for a long time.

Thanks again for your support.

Andreas


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

The Deluxe may also have the dual position handle bars I mention above.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

AJMEISTER said:


> Thank you so much for all the replies.
> 
> After a lot of research I have decided to return the Sno Tek 24 and have found the last Ariens 24 Delux in this area. The Ariens has a handle height of 38" compared to the Sno Tek with only 35". I guess in the end the extra cash is worth it. Let's hope I won't have to buy another snow blower for a long time.
> 
> ...


Good call,

The bigger tires would mess up the ground speed to the point of choking unless you go to work on pulley ratios and belt length. 

Adding any meaningful full time weight to the front of a machine is a prescription for handle failure.

Pete


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## Snowmann (Dec 24, 2012)

If you get the axle, 2 spacers, and a set of 15" skins to re-mount on your wheels, you'll get a Sno-Tek 28 configuration which does have a higher handlebar height, and is slightly faster. Parts manuals will detail what's needed. Or swap it for a 28.

If it's not tracking straight, loosen the 4 bolts mounting the frame to the housing, press housing intake tunnel towards the ground while tipping the h-bars back slightly, then retighten. This will square up the housing to the frame (fully seat the housing mounts on the frame rails). Check tire air pressure and circumference, make sure they match, then adjust scraper and runners on flat surface.


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