# Any tips to prevent the front of your blower from riding up?



## jimerb (Nov 16, 2019)

I've got a new beefy 30" Airens blower and it has tons of power to spare.

I have the scraper bar nice and low.

The only thing that causes me grief is that the blower rides up in the front instead of biting down into the snow.

That makes it so you have to backup and do it over and over again.

Any tips on getting your blower to bite down on the snow rather than ride up?

It has more than enough engine power to toss the snow. It just can't get a good bite.


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## ou2mame (Dec 23, 2019)

jimerb said:


> I've got a new beefy 30" Airens blower and it has tons of power to spare.
> 
> I have the scraper bar nice and low.
> 
> ...


I've seen weight kits for commercial blowers that puts more weight on the bucket. It also depends on the type of snow.. Obviously its not going to break up ice and hard packed snow like a snow plow would, so it could also just be a physical limitation of the blower.


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## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

i had the same issue with a toro, the snow cab weight kit sure helped a lot . in the case of a toro it's a 30 pound chunk of steel for a ariens it's only 10 pounds 
for your heres a link to it Front Weight Kit, For Use With All Ariens Snow Blowers


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## jimerb (Nov 16, 2019)

captchas said:


> i had the same issue with a toro, the snow cab weight kit sure helped a lot . in the case of a toro it's a 30 pound chunk of steel for a ariens it's only 10 pounds
> for your heres a link to it Front Weight Kit, For Use With All Ariens Snow Blowers


Nice! I didn't know these existed. $80 for a hunk of steel. LOL

It was a little cheaper on Lowes ($52) so i just ordered it. I see some people use two of them.

thanks.


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## Mortten (Jan 31, 2020)

Jacks Small Engines has it for $56


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## kd8tzc (Dec 6, 2020)

jimerb said:


> Nice! I didn't know these existed. $80 for a hunk of steel. LOL
> 
> It was a little cheaper on Lowes ($52) so i just ordered it. I see some people use two of them.
> 
> thanks.


I was going to say the same thing. Even $52 for 10 pounds seems a bit much. I wish I had the old barbells that I had when in HS. 

Interesting that we have two Avatars with flaming Snowblowers....


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## jimerb (Nov 16, 2019)

kd8tzc said:


> Interesting that we have two Avatars with flaming Snowblowers....


Cuts through the snow like butta'


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## Johnny G1 (Jan 28, 2020)

Ty a cement block on it for $3.00, Lol


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## kd8tzc (Dec 6, 2020)

@Johnny G1 , actually, I was thinking of just using a sand bag and placing it on the unit when I need it. That would be about 30 - 40 pounds. Just need to figure out where to place it so it stays in places and doesn't fall off the unit.


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## Husqvarna_10530SBE (Oct 9, 2015)

If you have carpentry skills, you could build something that bolts to the top of the auger housing and will hold a sand bag(s) in place. I've thought about doing it. Maybe a project to do after the holidays. Then when you are done clearing the driveway, you can spread the sand.


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## strtch5881 (Oct 6, 2018)

Wow, people that don't have tools and materials pay a lot for such a simple item.


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## jimerb (Nov 16, 2019)

Husqvarna_10530SBE said:


> If you have carpentry skills, you could build something that bolts to the top of the auger housing and will hold a sand bag(s) in place. I've thought about doing it. Maybe a project to do after the holidays. Then when you are done clearing the driveway, you can spread the sand.


Would be neat that if you had heavy packing snow you could dump it in a little cradle that otherwise holds the sandbag. Wet snow weighs a ton and you could use that if the snow was dense.


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## cpchriste (Jan 19, 2014)

Agree with adding weight.
In addition, if you have a hard surface to blow over rather than gravel, you can modify or buy other shoes that ride on a narrower surface of contact.
Old craftsman blowers had a steel roller 1/8 thick instead of skids. No riding up if there's almost nothing to ride on!


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Johnny G1 said:


> Ty a cement block on it for $3.00, Lol


i was gonna say......there must be cheaper alternatives. this happens with my wheeled honda 624 but not this bad. i try to get to berm before it freezes up


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Build a box with high sides, bolt it down, put a dumbbell in it or free weights.


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## Pauleastend63 (Nov 23, 2020)

Many of the newer models have the heavier duty, and slightly wider bucket skids......they are like a ski that tends to ride up on top of the snow. If you are on paved driveway consider getting thinner profile skids like the ones I have on my John Deere TRS27, they work great even compared to my J.D 828D which has the wider skids.

I found a few good pic's of the TRS27 skids online.....on the TRS the skids DO NOT go outwards and catch on harder snowbanks or climb and ride on top of the snow, they curl inwards towards the augers but they are much thinner profile with less "ski" front if you know what I mean.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Once upon a time, I used lead window weights on my old Craftsman to hold it down. I have not had issues since 1987 with my tracked Hondas. HS80K1TAS 1987-2017 HSS1332AATD 2017 to present.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

A couple of things you have to watch out for when you start adding a lot of weight to the front end of your snowblower, are your handlebars strong enough?
You will be putting a lot more effort into tilting the machine back to tip it up when backing up and you are adding a lot more stress to the handlebar pipes or tubes, and you can either bend or break them.
Another thing is your axle bearings for the wheels or tracks. Are they strong enough for the extra weight and extra leverage that they will incur when tilting the machine to back it up?
Some machines use ball bearings, others use bushings and you will wear them out very quickly, so be careful that you don't wear them to the point you gouge a groove in the axle or wear/crack the mounting spots in the frame.
Another thing, is your auger housing built heavy duty, especially where it mounts to the "Tractor Frame"?
If not, you will end up cracking the frame of the auger or the main/tractor frame, wear out the bolt holes and even snap the bolts, even when they are tightened to the proper specs.
Then is your drive-train strong enough to handle the extra added weight?
The machine is going to be a lot heavier and that is going to take a lot more effort to move it, not only because it is heavier, but now you are going to have a lot more friction on the ground to take a lot more effort to make the machine move.
With the added weight and increased friction, you are going to wear out the skids and scraper bars a lot quicker, so you will be replacing them more often.
There are a lot of things to remember and look out for before you decide to start adding all that extra weight to the front end of the machine to help keep the front end down and help it from "Climbing" when in use.
We have welded many frames and auger housings, repaired, welded, replaced broken handlebars, besides replacing many axle bearings/bushing and axles, and friction driven discs, bearings, chains and everything else in the drive-trains due to the people adding a lot of front end weights. Then don't forget the worn skids and scraper bars, and sometimes the auger tines themselves because people wore them when they dragged on the ground because the skids and scrapers wore down to that point the augers hit the ground.
Just something to consider before doing that.
Yes it helps, but beware, you will be doing a lot more maintenance and repairs if you use them a lot, they will wear out faster.


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

> on the TRS the skids DO NOT go outwards and catch on harder snowbanks or climb and ride on top of the snow, they curl inwards towards the augers but they are much thinner profile with less "ski" front if you know what I mean.


I have the shoes turned in on my 10/32 Craftsman simply because that's the only way it fits through the basement door. It is not a problem in my case because I don't need the scraper bar down low but you certainly can't get a clean scrape on asphalt when they are turned in.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Remove the side panels so the auger sticks out further but beware, it drastically increases the danger. You could cut out 4" and make it removable to bolt it on again. I said 4" but do not at all know how much is necessary.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

All the responses ... interesting for sure.

On the rare occasion, many years ago in my very early years of snow blowing, at the EOD, the occasional ride up was due to the fact of trying to go through it at a higher speed than I should have. 

i.e., *Slow Down*, do not push down on the handle bars, and let the properly maintained snow blower do the work.

Except for the rare instance of a truly flawed structural design, I am confident that the manufactures have most machines attuned to the task at hand. I would say most consistent bucket ride up is operator incurred.

JMHO


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

I agree oneacer, that attacking EOD with too fast of a speed can be a cause of the blower riding up. 

That is the reason I modified my 28 SHO Ariens to add a slower 1st gear, which is now about the same speed as 1st on my 10000 series Ariens. 

I could not get the speed slow enough by just making adjustments on the rod length as shown in the manual.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@Ziggy,

I agree ... I see many machines that have a 1st gear which is still to fast ... The manufactures should make 1st gear a slow crawl gear .... Not so bad after you get through, as you can take smaller bites. For those who have a 1st gear still too fast, they just have to use the clutch a bit more often on their entry pass.

I love my two 10000 series, as well as my Yard-Man 7101 , all circa 70ish ... all have a nice crawler speed.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

oneacer said:


> I see many machines that have a 1st gear which is still to fast


One of the beauties of hydrostatic; any speed you want from zero on up...


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

2 things I've read: put a weight kit on the front of the auger housing or if you're mean then use your Ex-wife (that's a joke, so don't take it seriously). If the snow on the bottom is penetrable, then IMO it's a matter of speed and weight on the auger housing.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Last year I got a JD Ariens built 826D that has a super low crawling speed so low not only is it amazing but you have to look twice to see if it's moving.


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## laser3kw (Feb 11, 2018)

I am considering a "wheel bar" behind the drive axle. My pipe dream sees a Ski / shoe type thing attached to an adjustable arm maybe attached to the main frame or possible the handle hoop. Maybe it'll happen this year......


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

I believe ariens 2nd gen auto turn machines shifted the axle forward which caused more ride up then previous models. A little weight on the bucket will go a long way.


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## cma.energy (2 mo ago)

jimerb said:


> I've got a new beefy 30" Airens blower and it has tons of power to spare. I have the scraper bar nice and low. The only thing that causes me grief is that the blower rides up in the front instead of biting down into the snow. That makes it so you have to backup and do it over and over again. Any tips on getting your blower to bite down on the snow rather than ride up? It has more than enough engine power to toss the snow. It just can't get a good bite.


 Never buy an airen, It took 2 years not working and 2 years to get my money back, when it would not run in cold weather, warm weather it worked, above feezing, waited months for them to [TRY] and fix it in january when it was needed, poor service, and poor quality of the one i had


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## Ski-Patroller (Dec 29, 2021)

I have the same problem with my Cub Cadet some times. I mostly use it to clear berms left by the contractors skid steer rotaries, and open up any areas that I think they missed. Since we aren't at the cabin most of the time, the snow has a chance to consolidate. One other solution would be to add wheel weights like a farm tractor does. It would not put any more strain on the drive train or chassis. It would make it a bit harder to horse around when not powered. I had not thought about the wide skids being part of the problem, but it make sense. One other work around for me is to make the difficult cuts going down hill so lifting the handles and losing traction is not as big a problem.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

jimerb said:


> Nice! I didn't know these existed. $80 for a hunk of steel.  LOL
> 
> It was a little cheaper on Lowes ($52) so i just ordered it. I see some people use two of them.


Bear in mind that maybe nearly half of that is shipping. And in fairness to the manufacturers, it does cost money to stock and keep track of parts, not to mention making it. Your labor is free to you, but not to the manufacturer. Oh, and they need to make enough profit to maybe buy lunch or something. There's a lot more to the cost of an item than just the materials.


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## cma.energy (2 mo ago)

Make a decent product not just for the bottom line
And you would not have problems


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