# Ariens 11526 Pro Snow Blower Model:926005



## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

I have a problem with my Ariens 11526 Pro Snow Blower Model:926005

I just replaced my drive and 2 auger belts on my Ariens 11526 Pro Snow Blower Model:926005. When I start it up it wants to move forward without the drive engaged. I took it for a walk around the back yard for 5 minutes figuring it would seat the belt enough to stop the slight pull on the wheels but it didn't. The cable has a lot of slack and I even loosened it just to rule it out. I can't even push it into place when putting it away because the wheels are slightly locked... If I rock it sometimes it loosens so I can move it a little. Any ideas on how I can make it idle at a stand still?

I have tripple checked the belt size and it should be ok.
Impeller Belt: 07200623
Traction Belt: 07236100
Friction Disc: 00170800

Thanks in advance,
Steve


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Does the blower tend to roll as well? 
You should just have a look at the pulleys area and see if you can slacken with the idler pulley. PS do not slacken too much as it doesn't take much to make a difference.

Good Luck


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

When engine is off and I try to push it won't move easy. I have to go back n fourth to get it to roll... seems like it's engaged very little. My thought was to take it out this weekend and run it in the back yard a little bit. Maybe the belt will stretch a little and all will be good. BUT that sounds to easy. I don't see any settings on the pulley
Thanks


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

You have the same belts as my Ariens without checking the numbers you supplied but my my model is 921006 which is the same as yours

After verifying you need: Traction Drive _*Belt*_, 1/4" X 27", _*set*_ of two matched, replaces _*Ariens*_ 7207400

From your last post it should be the idler pulley and not the engine nor the drive pulley but idler pulley for the traction pulley.

should not be set of two as shown above


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Ariens sent me the 2 pulley replacement for the impeller after I purchased it because the original 1 belt system had trouble with slipping. It's a beast now. I am sure the 3 belts are ok. I checked the manual, called a local dealer, called a rep and checked with one other dealer. The original 2 pulley system used Impeller Belt: 07200020 old
Now superseded with Impeller Belt: 07200623. new number. The drive belt 07236100. 
Forgot to mention the 2 pulley system was added.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

sjm1027 said:


> I have a problem with my Ariens 11526 Pro Snow Blower Model:926005
> 
> I just replaced my drive and 2 auger belts on my Ariens 11526 Pro Snow Blower Model:926005. When I start it up it wants to move forward without the drive engaged. I took it for a walk around the back yard for 5 minutes figuring it would seat the belt enough to stop the slight pull on the wheels but it didn't. The cable has a lot of slack and I even loosened it just to rule it out. I can't even push it into place when putting it away because the wheels are slightly locked... If I rock it sometimes it loosens so I can move it a little. Any ideas on how I can make it idle at a stand still?
> 
> ...


 Just so we're on the same page you state above your blower tend to creep forward when running, the only belt that have this occur is the friction disk pulley which is the small 1/4" X 27" belt.

The two other belts for the impeller and auger should be the same size.
So as you mentioned just use it some more and the creep should disappear.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Normex said:


> Just so we're on the same page you state above your blower tend to creep forward when running, the only belt that have this occur is the friction disk pulley which is the small 1/4" X 27" belt.
> 
> The two other belts for the impeller and auger should be the same size.
> So as you mentioned just use it some more and the creep should disappear.


Thanks, Appreciate your helping me think through this. I think spending 15 minutes outside with it will fix it.

One other question, do you ever have trouble with that crazy belt protector thing that goes over the impeller pulls? That thing is so hard to get in the perfect place. If anyone knows of a trick on how to line it up let me know.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

sjm1027 said:


> One other question, do you ever have trouble with that crazy belt protector thing that goes over the impeller pulls? That thing is so hard to get in the perfect place. If anyone knows of a trick on how to line it up let me know.


 Just to clarify further it cover all three pulleys, normally you just need to slacken the one bolt on each side then pull it free and after to reinstall it you just to wiggle it to its place using the bolts as guides then tighten them.
One more thing, you might want to see if that protector has the kit to prevent snow melt dropping on the friction disk. If no kit I just used the small stick foam weather stripping glued to the protector closest to engine.

I can post a pic if you need.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Yes it covers a 3 pulleys. If you have the time and wouldn't mind sharing I would love to see your foam idea. I have had so many problems with the belts on this machine maybe adding this foam rig could help. I love seeing ideas from others just the same.
Thanks


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

As you can see in one pic the weather stripping is simply glued to the one side and the other shows you when installed it presses on the engine and fills the gap nicely.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Normex said:


> As you can see in one pic the weather stripping is simply glued to the one side and the other shows you when installed it presses on the engine and fills the gap nicely.


Great idea, not sure I can do that as I have a cage (No solid wall) against the plastic cover.

thumb_IMG_4205_1024_zpsj42vmw0i.jpg Photo by sjm1027 | Photobucket

Love the idea, simple and it works!!


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Ok the protector has its back on a cage so surely where I cannot see where it contacts the cage the plastic must be going down some.
From the pic I can't comment further without seeing the protector off but don't go in the trouble again to remove it.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

I'll check it out Saturday along with replacing friction wheel. And taking the beast for a long walk


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Sounds like there is no gap between the friction wheel and the friction drive disc. There is a spring that holds the friction drive disc away from the rubber tired friction wheel, perhaps it is broken or the disc cannot slide. The spring pulls the disc away from the wheel while the clutch cable pulls the disc toward the wheel.

Good luck.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Town said:


> Sounds like there is no gap between the friction wheel and the friction drive disc. There is a spring that holds the friction drive disc away from the rubber tired friction wheel, perhaps it is broken or the disc cannot slide. The spring pulls the disc away from the wheel while the clutch cable pulls the disc toward the wheel.
> 
> Good luck.


Heading out to do the friction disc. Not sure it needs one yet but will check. Good idea on the spring. I am afraid to change the friction disc until I get this problem under control. I'll report back later today.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> Heading out to do the friction disc. Not sure it needs one yet but will check. Good idea on the spring. I am afraid to change the friction disc until I get this problem under control. I'll report back later today.


Ok so the friction plate looked new. The drive wheel (All metal) was dirty so I cleaned that. I am good to go. Plower starts well so I am not going to change the spark plug. What determines when you change a spark plug? I have had this for years and it seems to run just fine? Should it ne changed for any reason? I have a new one ready to go, Just figure I will keep it as a spare. What is the gap for a new plug? 
So I think I am all set for the season, except the grease points. I have greased a few obvious places but there must be a list of places to grease?

Thanks again everyone
Steve


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

I went through all the cable settings, and went from slack to no slack and I get the same results. The machine will jerk a little and is slightly engaged. Anyone have any ideas as to how to let off on the friction wheel at all. Is there another setting other than cable settings?


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> I went through all the cable settings, and went from slack to no slack and I get the same results. The machine will jerk a little and is slightly engaged. *Anyone have any ideas as to how to let off on the friction wheel at all*. Is there another setting other than cable settings?


The friction wheel only moves side to side to change gearing. The drive is controlled by the friction disc. The spring pulls the disc away from the rubber tired friction wheel to get neutral. The clutch lever through the cable connected to the disc apply mechanism moves the disc into contact with the rubber tired friction wheel and then you have drive. It would appear that the disc is not being released, so perhaps seized or a broken spring. Can you push the disc away from the friction wheel manually?


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Town said:


> The friction wheel only moves side to side to change gearing. The drive is controlled by the friction disc. The spring pulls the disc away from the rubber tired friction wheel to get neutral. The clutch lever through the cable connected to the disc apply mechanism moves the disc into contact with the rubber tired friction wheel and then you have drive. It would appear that the disc is not being released, so perhaps seized or a broken spring. Can you push the disc away from the friction wheel manually?


I will have to give that a try later this week as I have put it away until next week. So if I can push the disk away from wheel what is that telling me, a broken spring? And if I can't push it what else can I try?

Thanks for your help
Steve


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> I will have to give that a try later this week as I have put it away until next week. So if I can push the disk away from wheel what is that telling me, a broken spring? And if I can't push it what else can I try?
> 
> Thanks for your help
> Steve


Attached are some pictures of my snowblower. The first shows the disc and wheel and on the left bottom side the cable that attaches the drive clutch lever to the shaft that moves the disc toward the wheel for drive and the spring attached to the shaft support that pulls the disc away from the wheel for neutral. A broken spring should be obvious and the disc will move easily to and from the wheel. The shaft that the cable is attached to is at the bottom of the support plate and pivots the disc toward the wheel using a shaft mounted at the top of the plate. That top shaft may be seized and not allowing the support plate to move the disc. There should be no resistance to the disc movement. The support plate includes a bearing for the drive shaft from the engine driven pulley to the disc. This allows the disc and support plate to move together but allow the disc to turn at reduced engine speed while the support plate is fixed.

The second and third pictures show the clutch position as a black plasic indicator piece located in a black square housing. I don't know if your machine has this feature. When the drive clutch is in neutral the plastic indicator is in the forward position (second picture). When the drive clutch is engaged the plastic indicator moves toward the back of the machine about a quarter inch and rests in the middle of the housing (third picture). This happens in the first small part of the lever movement so disc is in contact with the wheel. All the additional movement of the lever is to apply pressure to the drive. If you don't have the indicator on left side of your machine you should be able to see this movement easily through the underside acess panel (when removed) in the maintenance position.

Good luck.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Town said:


> Attached are some pictures of my snowblower. The first shows the disc and wheel and on the left bottom side the cable that attaches the drive clutch lever to the shaft that moves the disc toward the wheel for drive and the spring attached to the shaft support that pulls the disc away from the wheel for neutral. A broken spring should be obvious and the disc will move easily to and from the wheel. The shaft that the cable is attached to is at the bottom of the support plate and pivots the disc toward the wheel using a shaft mounted at the top of the plate. That top shaft may be seized and not allowing the support plate to move the disc. There should be no resistance to the disc movement. The support plate includes a bearing for the drive shaft from the engine driven pulley to the disc. This allows the disc and support plate to move together but allow the disc to turn at reduced engine speed while the support plate is fixed.
> 
> The second and third pictures show the clutch position as a black plasic indicator piece located in a black square housing. I don't know if your machine has this feature. When the drive clutch is in neutral the plastic indicator is in the forward position (second picture). When the drive clutch is engaged the plastic indicator moves toward the back of the machine about a quarter inch and rests in the middle of the housing (third picture). This happens in the first small part of the lever movement so disc is in contact with the wheel. All the additional movement of the lever is to apply pressure to the drive. If you don't have the indicator on left side of your machine you should be able to see this movement easily through the underside acess panel (when removed) in the maintenance position.
> 
> Good luck.



Thanks for taking the time. I had this pic I took yesterday of the problem area. 
The green arrow points to the spring your talking about in your message? At least I am guessing it is? I will have to see if the disk moves this week or Saturday BUT it does look like the spring is there. Do you agree this is the spring?
I think I have the plastic indicator your talking about and your right I just touch that leaver and it moves 1/4 inch and it is engaged as I squeeze the leaver I understand there is just going to be additional pressure. I did adjust that all up yesterday. The purple dashed arrow is attached to that leaver that engages both wheels to move together and seems to be fine too.
I will keep you informed. So if you agree that spring looks good then it could be seized. I am guessing it could be a bearing for the drive shaft I will have to identify that. I am only a beginner at this and with help from this group I got 90% of this thing overhauled. I was going to take it to a shop but they are backed up until Late January.  I need the darn thing in Massachusetts. 

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr6/sjm1027/friction_plate_zpspy6ecgat.jpg

Thanks
Steve


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> Thanks for taking the time. I had this pic I took yesterday of the problem area.
> The green arrow points to the spring your talking about in your message? At least I am guessing it is? I will have to see if the disk moves this week or Saturday BUT it does look like the spring is there. Do you agree this is the spring?
> I think I have the plastic indicator your talking about and your right I just touch that leaver and it moves 1/4 inch and it is engaged as I squeeze the leaver I understand there is just going to be additional pressure. I did adjust that all up yesterday. The purple dashed arrow is attached to that leaver that engages both wheels to move together and seems to be fine too.
> I will keep you informed. So if you agree that spring looks good then it could be seized. I am guessing it could be a bearing for the drive shaft I will have to identify that. I am only a beginner at this and with help from this group I got 90% of this thing overhauled. I was going to take it to a shop but they are backed up until Late January.  I need the darn thing in Massachusetts.
> ...


The return spring on my machine is mounted forward of the black square so it is not the same setup as yours. Look at my second and third pics and you will see the return spring chassis attachment (as a fine line in a slotted opening) on the auger side of the black square so it is a straight pull on the drive plate to neutral away from the rubber tired wheel. Your comparable location has a bolt. The bolt may anchor a fulcrum to reverse the direction of pull to allow a return spring to be anchored at the rear of your machine. 

More pics of the green and purple "spring/cable" connections around the drive plate and the rear of the chassis would be helpful.

Good luck.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Town said:


> The return spring on my machine is mounted forward of the black square so it is not the same setup as yours. Look at my second and third pics and you will see the return spring chassis attachment (as a fine line in a slotted opening) on the auger side of the black square so it is a straight pull on the drive plate to neutral away from the rubber tired wheel. Your comparable location has a bolt. The bolt may anchor a fulcrum to reverse the direction of pull to allow a return spring to be anchored at the rear of your machine.
> 
> More pics of the green and purple "spring/cable" connections around the drive plate and the rear of the chassis would be helpful.
> 
> Good luck.


Sure, I will get more pics in a few days.Stay tuned
Thanks


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Steven from your picture everything seems ok but your friction wheel (all metal that v belt runs on) looks dirty, did you clean it with a clean rag and alcohol? And more pictures will surely help some.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> ........
> I think I have the plastic indicator your talking about and your right I just touch that leaver and it moves 1/4 inch and it is engaged as I squeeze the leaver I understand there is just going to be additional pressure. ...........
> Steve


I got distracted and forgot to address this aspect. Since the indicator is moving from the neutral position a quarter inch to engage the drive the return spring and sliding surfaces must be working correctly. When the trans is in neutral there must be a gap between the driven plate and the rubber tired wheel which is closed when the drive clutch lever is applied and the black pointer moves a quarter inch. You can check when you start the machine if the pointer moves the quarter inch to engage the clutch on its own. Perhaps due to centrifugal force of spinning drive plate overcoming the return spring force, but it is just speculation.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

Town said:


> I got distracted and forgot to address this aspect. Since the indicator is moving from the neutral position a quarter inch to engage the drive the return spring and sliding surfaces must be working correctly. When the trans is in neutral there must be a gap between the driven plate and the rubber tired wheel which is closed when the drive clutch lever is applied and the black pointer moves a quarter inch. You can check when you start the machine if the pointer moves the quarter inch to engage the clutch on its own. Perhaps due to centrifugal force of spinning drive plate overcoming the return spring force, but it is just speculation.


I thought of something today. Talking to a buddy at work I remembered one fix I did was to add a piece of 1/4 inch fuel line over a screw that pushed the disk towards the friction wheel. I bet if I take that fuel line off the screw to allow the plate to move approx. 1/8" forward and away from friction wheel. I have posted a pic to show you the screw I slipped the hose over. (green Arrow)

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr6/sjm1027/screw_zpsnsfhcmlc.jpg

What do you think? The fix was something I saw on a video that helped align the bullies on the drive belt. It did help a little but I believe this is causing my problem. I will get time this weekend to give it a try.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> I thought of something today. Talking to a buddy at work I remembered one fix I did was to add a piece of 1/4 inch fuel line over a screw that pushed the disk towards the friction wheel. I bet if I take that fuel line off the screw to allow the plate to move approx. 1/8" forward and away from friction wheel.......
> 
> What do you think? .........


Sounds like you have found your problem, and removing that hose will allow proper movement of the drive plate. However, there is still something wrong.

While there may be a slight misalignment of the engine pulley with the driven pulley on your machine in neutral it is better aligned in drive which is where it counts. The belt will accommodate the small amount of misalignment when not under load. I don't think that pulley should be moving and it should stay in alignment regardless of being in neutral or drive. 

I have not looked at how Ariens accommodates the lost motion of the drive plate moving to engage the friction wheel. On other machines the driven pulley is fixed at the bulkhead by a screw that engages the short drive shaft that enters the bearing and a "hex type" shaft engages the drive plate so the drive plate movement is allowed for with that "hex shaft" movement through the bearing. Perhaps on your machine something is sticking and moving the pulley out of alignment.

Good luck.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

I found this movie on youtube. 9 minutes into this movie you'll see the fix for aligning the belts. I think it's just the way the machine is built and not something that moved if you listen to his comments. Let me know what your take is after you watch. Great video and Dan is a great guy too, very helpful.






Steve


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> I found this movie on youtube. 9 minutes into this movie you'll see the fix for aligning the belts. I think it's just the way the machine is built and not something that moved if you listen to his comments. Let me know what your take is after you watch. Great video and Dan is a great guy too, very helpful.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-PQISVTk_I
> 
> Steve


That video is very well done to show and explain the two problem areas with your machine. The fix with the change from single to dual auger belts is professional and what might be expected of a manufacturer. The fix for the poor alignment of the driven pulley on the wheel drive system is not what I would expect of a manufacturer. That is bizarre.

The lost motion on the drive plate from neutral to engaged is taken up by the driven pulley moving. So the belt is out of alignment in neutral and in alignment when the drive is engaged. The piece of rubber tubing on that chassis bolt reduces the misalignment of the driven pulley by 1/8" according to the video. That distance is dependent upon the length of the rubber tube. The longer the tube the less travel on the drive plate. I think your rubber tube is too long and keeping the driven plate in contact with the rubber tired wheel. So you need to shorten that rubber tube so the driven plate can move away from the rubber tired wheel about 1/8" or so.

I will check my machine to see if it has the same engineering for lost motion for the drive clutch apply mechanism.

Good luck.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I looked at my machine and the drive clutch operates quite differently to anything I have seen before. It is a very simple, innovative and efficient engineering approach. The drive plate is incorporated into the driven pulley and the unit is mounted through a bearing to the chassis to pivot a quarter inch to provide neutral and drive. The belt stays in alignment because the driven-pulley/drive-plate unit pivots a quarter inch to move toward the rubber tired wheel so the angle of the pulley straightens vertically when drive is engaged.

Thinking about the 11526 pro rubber tube solution from Ariens, I think I would be worried the rubber tube might move down the threaded bolt with vibration and cause the drive to be engaged continuously. I think a means of securing the stop in place is required. The rubber tube could be secured in place with a tie strap at the lower end or doing away with the rubber tube and putting two nuts on the bolt and locking them together or a metal tube secured with lock nuts at either end. The bolt through the chassis that is used for the rubber tube could possibly be shortened so the two locknuts could be positioned at the end of the bolt to set drive plate clearance. The other option is to see if the current Ariens design could be retrofitted.

Good luck.


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

The tube I added is longer than he shows because I thought I was doing a good thing by making it to cover the bolt. I will trim this weekend. I see what you mean the longer the tube the more the push back. I'll try the trim and try technique. I do have a tie wrap close to body but a stop would make it foolproof. 
Thanks


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## sjm1027 (Oct 14, 2015)

sjm1027 said:


> The tube I added is longer than he shows because I thought I was doing a good thing by making it to cover the bolt. I will trim this weekend. I see what you mean the longer the tube the more the push back. I'll try the trim and try technique. I do have a tie wrap close to body but a stop would make it foolproof.
> Thanks


Well I checked this tube over the bolt today. I wasn't about to break this thing open again. Not much room to do much but the only think I could do was to take the piece of fuel line off the bolt and guess what? Yes she is sitting nice and steady and this case is closed. Blower is ready for the winter. 
Thanks for your help 
Steve


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