# Ariens Hydro Pro 36



## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

This is a 2 week old machine as I type this. I added a set of LEDs on the dash and removed the OEM light. I don't care for it because like my now backup Ariens platinum 30 machine, the light just shines in my eyes.
I also added my custom wheels up front so like my back up machine the auto turn will work better and the wiper bar inside the shovel won't ever wear down.
One thing I like is it's well balanced. The engine is slid back on the frame making it light on the shovel. 

I have ran it down the driveway because of the wheels on it and it does handle nice. It should be a pleasure to use. I hope it's not too cold this year otherwise.

The machine looks really well built and I will test it out in less that 24 hours for real as we got snow coming for the first time this season. If I remember, I will write back with a follow up to this topic to let you know how it runs.


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## matto (Nov 5, 2016)

Very nice! 

Did you hardwire those LEDs to the line that powered the original light? Or did you add a battery?


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

matto said:


> Very nice!
> 
> Did you hardwire those LEDs to the line that powered the original light? Or did you add a battery?


I cut out the original light. Then I added 2 switches, a in line fuse and a bridge rectifier to convert AC off the machine to DC so the LED lights won't flicker.
I have a youtube channel and you can see how I wired it up here.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

To add to my reply, someone emailed me last week when it went up and wanted to see them shine at night, so I made a short 3 minute video in my garage to help him out. I wasn't sure if my camera was going to film at night or not. The lights are really bright (18w a piece) and they are cheap to buy. Maybe the entire project cost me $35 bucks.


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

Here is my review of the machine on youtube.






Also, I did contact Ariens company about the snow cab on how it fits on this machine. They explained how it fits. I didn't care for their method as the bars seem to block the headlights I put and the cab (to me) sits closer to the engine. It also seems a tad to short compared to my other machine which the cab is mounted.

Here are their pictures that they sent me on how to mount the snow cab.


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## mrfixit (Dec 3, 2016)

I like the wheels.
I thought of this on my new, first snow blower.
Details please on how you made them.

Why buy skids and replace the scraper bar?


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

mrfixit said:


> I like the wheels.
> I thought of this on my new, first snow blower.
> Details please on how you made them.
> 
> Why buy skids and replace the scraper bar?


I got the idea from my late Uncle. He was a smart cookie.

I use a sealed bearing and modify the skid by drilling a hole and bolting it up. The bearings are found on ebay or amazon. In my description I list exactly what it is. They been on the front for 3 years now and still work like the day I put them on.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Sweet new machine and well done LED light mod and vids, best of luck with it. Hope you have a chance to put her to work, we just got about an inch here so far we'll see tomorrow morning but I'm not getting too excited, will likely mix with rain.


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## matto (Nov 5, 2016)

Great light mod and video! 

A couple of things I'm curious about. 

1. Why did you make them separate switches? Do you ever want to turn them on and off independently?

2. if there wasn't a fuse for the original light, why do you need one now? 

3. Did you have to buy just the right AC - DC converter to match the light specs? How much power is coming out of the blower?


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## Ariens hydro pro (Jan 24, 2014)

matto said:


> Great light mod and video!
> 
> A couple of things I'm curious about.
> 
> ...


I'm assuming the machine generates 80 or 90 watts of power.

I done this light mod on my Platinum 30 machine first using 35w sealed beams. If I run both lights with the hand warmers the lights will dim slightly. That is why I added 2 switches to the new machine, (even though I went with LED lights I wired it with 2 switches automatically, in the event I needed to power off one of the lights).

Of course the LEDs draw much less than the sealed beams.

Because I added lights, a bridge, and a pair of switches, I thought to be safe and run a 5a in line fuse before the bridge. So if anything shorts out, it is something I did and I won't harm the machine in any way. (even if it did short out I don't know if I can burn something out or not) 
So I'm just playing safe with my wiring job and adding a fuse.

The bridge rectifier is a very simple part that converts AC to DC. As long as it's rated for more than you are going to draw, then your going to be safe. The one I installed is rated for 1000 volts at 50A. I'm using 12 volts at 3 amps so I'm safe.


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## mrfixit (Dec 3, 2016)

Thanks 
I'm going to do the bearings.


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