# My addiction continues ....



## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

So, I have to stop browsing the Facebook Marketplace .... Since I completed my last restore, I was looking for another possible project. Today I saw this nice 724 Ariens, 932 series, with no engine. Now normally, all my blowers I get for free, ... but I went and looked, no rust, everything looked great and in order, XTrac tires show no wear, and those alone are worth 40.00 all day. The guy wanted 45.00, I gave him 40.00.

I have a nice running 7HP Tecumseh just sitting in my shop, ready to go on that frame ... Nice summer project ...


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Oh, and if someone with a 932 series like this 724 could tell me what the front and rear engine pulley sizes are, that would be bell appreciated.

My 7HP Tecumseh I intend to put on this frame is a 3/4 diameter drive output shaft, but I would need the OD diameter of the drive and the auger pulleys that sit on this engine drive shaft for its proper intended operating ratio.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

LOL ... now I have to re-arrange things in my shop so I can park it in there .... this is definitely it for awhile now, or until I sell some stuff .....


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I just realized something, was this unit a dual shaft engine? I did not even entertain that issue being that it is a newer unit.

If so no biggie, as I will pull the tires, and part it out if so.

Or ..... I have an older Ariens tractor unit,.... hmmm, maybe a bucket swap .... Lol ... I'll figure something ... as I sated, the XTrac alone are worth the 40.00 I paid.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

might be best to look up the model number to see if it requires a dual shaft engine but it looks like most of the machine that come with dual shaft engine. you can verify by tying the drive lever and turn the drive system belt and see which way it goes


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Can't you tell if it was a dual shaft engine by turning the drive pulley to the right, if it moves backward it was a dual shaft engine?


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, spinning it right with a forward gear engaged moves it backwards ... oh well, if I dont recongiure it, I will just park it out of the way for now ... I dont need the tires right away, and it is a great condition, rust free machine ... maybe keep my eye out for another dual shaft engine. Shame how people can destroy an engine so quickly.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

too bad you didn't live closer. know someone who i am pretty sure has to 2 of those dual shaft engines sitting and i think they were fairly cheap. they are also very common on slightly older mtd's. you look for mtd's with with 3 nuts per side holding the bucket to the tractor. it only take removing 2 3/8" bolts from the belt cover to verify but every wheeled machine i have dealt with that had this tractor was dual shaft.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

As you say, the tires are are worth what you paid for the entire machine. It really does look to be in excellent condition.

These light duty 932 machines were not Ariens best. I agree with your plan to set it aside and see if a suitable engine comes along for a fair price. You could then flip it this winter for a decent profit. 
Or keep the X tracs and part it out for pure profit or an interesting trade. I imagine there would be interest in a good condition auger housing, augers and gear box as well tractor components, as there are a lot of these machines out there.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@Ziggy,

Yeah, it's in such great shape, I'm going to wax it and set it aside, ..... I'll keep my eye out for a dual shaft engine ..... I enjoy the hunt almost as much as restoring them .... this unit has no rust, well taken care of , that's what drew me to it .... I am in no rush .... 😊


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## paulm12 (May 22, 2015)

if you part it out, that tall chute could be put to good use elsewhere too....


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Ya know, ... just sitting here eating dinner, and I'm thinking to myself ......the auger is fine, and really, as far as the drive working off the cam shaft, all I really need to do is somehow have the gear selector move to the other side of the drive disc ... there is a bolted connection in the gear selector rod, halfway point .... wonder if I could separate it there and mod a pie I in .... I really don't even care about reverse, really hardly ever use it.

Just thinking out loud .....


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

You are also forgetting that the cam spins 1/2 as fast as the crank. This is where you run into issues repowering these. You will likely only have 1 maybe 2 usable gears and the rest will be too fast. I know worked on a repowered machine last fall and almost ran myself over when testing it out. Was definitely not expecting r1 to be so fast and d2 was too fast to blow snow.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Ahhhh .... did not think about that ... yeah, I'll wax it and park it out of the way for now ... I'll keep my eye out for an engine.....


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## rwh963 (Nov 21, 2019)

That is my daily driver the past two winters. Has worked well enough for me.


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

ya most people overlook that detail. it is part of why i sold off the craftsman 5/23. i liked how solid it was and the way the handle/controls were but the engine just didn't have the power i wanted and it was a dual shaft machine. pretty sure mtd machines may be the only machines that can easily be converted to single shaft engine and be made to work as it should. the pulley on the newer mtd's drive plate is larger than on the old machines. you have to swap out the entire plate that the pulley bolts to but it is a pretty easy job. the parts needed to do the conversion on a mtd are also very common.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

UPDATE ..... After cleaning and waxing it up, this machine is actually just about brand new ... I am going to install a Tecumseh 7HP single shaft that I have on it. This 932 series is a great simple drive system to perform it on. I did some figuring, and realize I can swing the outside shift lever rod bottom to the right of center instead of the left. Inside I moved the pull spring rod for the drive pulley to the other side of its bracket, which allows the friction disc to slide farther to the left for the forward speeds. I will be making a spacer plate of sorts for behind the friction disc, which will place it out farther for faster forward speed, as it wants to come off its forks if I allow it to go that far without one. I will be putting a shaft stop farther down the hex friction disc shaft, where I pulled the reverse roll pin stop point. I will be installing a very small pulley off the main engine shaft for the drive system to give it a slower revolution for speeds.

Anyways, Ill keep this post informed of my progress.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

crazzywolfie said:


> You are also forgetting that the cam spins 1/2 as fast as the crank.


So change the pulley size?


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## crazzywolfie (Jun 2, 2014)

tabora said:


> So change the pulley size?


you can give it a try but most of those machines already come with pretty large pulleys if remember correctly. it is more so an issue with the reduction gear ratio.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@crazzy,

I'll let you know how I make out. Because of the simplicity of this transmission setup on this 932 series, and the way it is configured with so many adjustable points, I feel pretty confident I can make it work without any major modding work. What a nice machine to work on.


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## kemlyn (Oct 16, 2018)

Something tells me that machine was run without oil or they filled it with oil day once and never changing it and ran it until it ceased. The bucket and body look almost flawless and rust free. What a shame to burn up and engine so quickly.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

@kemlyn,

I totally agree... I figured that, or they put in a straight W30 in the winter, big no, no..... Or some other wrong oil. 

It does still amaze me what people do, or don't do ......


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Could someone who has an Ariens 724 such as this one let me know what the outside diameter of the auger main engine shaft 1/2 inch v-belt pulley is. 

I will be getting the smallest I can for the drive 3/8 inch v-belt drive pulley, probably a 3/4" fixed bore by 1.75" O.D. pulley, to slow it down some, but would like to give it the proper size auger pulley it came with.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Update ....

Dry run of the engine install on it ... flawless. Even ordered an orange mitten pull handle ...lol  

I did have to go from the box muffler to the pipe out pancake, as the box exhaust literally sat behind, and blowing directly into the chute support post. no biggie.... just have to close up the heater box where the old exhaust came out, and trim it for the new exhaust pipe out .

The new 1.75 inch drive pulley and the auger pulley fit great in the alignment of pulleys, and the crankshaft was the proper length ... just have to get some new size belts, which I believe I already have hanging on the wall.

Ill keep you posted on the conversion from 2 shaft to one shaft as I go, and document it.

What a nice simple machine to work on.


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Is that forward pulley absolutely aligned with the bottom? So far so good. Looks great.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, bad angle photo ....


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Update ......

I actually had the wrong photo for the pulleys posted ... here is the right one, lines up great.

Also got the new exhaust on, even the muffler is the same color paint as the wheels ... 

I got to seal the old muffler hole on the heater box and install the new opening.... was going to paint it today, but started to rain ....

Now the engine comes back off, and I finalize my swapping the drive mechanism to the opposite side for proper gear shifter speeds as per the lever. And a final wax job along with some poly skids .... lol, I have a good collection of steel skids, some brand new, and some like the ones off this machine like brand new. After you go Poly, you never want steel again.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I finally had a chance to get back at this 724 model 932 series, swapping from a 2 shaft to single shaft engine.
I swapped the lever mirror image to operate the shifter in the gear positions properly, which required placing a spacer behind the friction disc in order to build it out, so it can throw farther without coming off the friction disc slide forks. I also removed the stop roll pin in the friction axle, meant to prevent the slide fork from coming apart, with a shaft collar to stop it now.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Update .....

Finished it today .... runs great .... as you can see, I put a spacer to push out the friction disc, so it would not fall off its forks ,,, also installed a collar on the friction octagon slide shaft for a stop. Because of the drive plate spring being so close, even after putting it on the other side of its bracket, I left 5 forward gear speeds and 2 reverse, locking out the gear one forward, as it would have been in the center of the drive plate. No issue at all, as 5 speeds forward is plenty,... goes from crawl to walking fast in forward, as the 1 3/4 pulley worked great. You can also note that I mirror imaged the drive lower shaft bracket from the left to the right, thus compensating for the original reverse action of the cam pulley, which is now run off the single crank shaft.

The only thing I have to do is make a belt cover.


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Ingenious re- engineering, very nice work. 

Clean little machine should bring a decent price this fall/winter.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

And it works? Fine? You are a heck of a good mechanic. Now come to NJ to show me how to flip mine. Please.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Yeah, .... Before I started, I had a plan in my head laid out, and just followed through on it.

I wanted something strong and lightweight for the friction disc spacer, so I used a nice thick type of poly from an old cutting board, capped with a piece of aluminum stock, both cut and drilled with the dimensions of the friction wheel.I

Found the small 1 3/4 inch pulley, for the 3/4 crankshaft at Tractor Supply, which worked flawless in corresponding the proper speed ratio from moving off the cam over to the crank.

I am definitely keeping this unit at least this winter, as I have to put it through it's paces.

It was fortunate that someone gave me the 7HP Tecumseh last year .... I knew I could make it work on that unit .... Very happy with how it came out.

Now I need a lot of snow this winter, as I have a lot of new toys to play with ...... 😊😀😁


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Making the belt cover ....

I did not have a large enough piece of stock, so I did have some larger joist hangers, good material, and tweaked them .... Now I will fill in the side and add a front piece .... prime and paint it black to match the engine, and it will be better than a new one .....


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

Please update us on how well that pancake muffler works in the snow. I have found they tend to be very noisy on some of my summertime machines. Very little noise reduction on the 8hp Briggs in my Troy Bilt chipper. Hearing protectors a must.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I always wear ear protection, and recommend that everyone wear it. You only get one pair of ears.

It is the same as all my other equipment. Actually sounds quieter to me.


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## quexpress (Dec 25, 2013)

Oneacer said:


> Making the belt cover ....
> 
> I did not have a large enough piece of stock, so I did have some larger joist hangers, good material, and tweaked them .... Now I will fill in the side and add a front piece .... prime and paint it black to match the engine, and it will be better than a new one .....
> 
> ...


Very interesting! I'm anxious to see the result!


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I have not been working on it lately, a bit busy on other things, but did manage to complete the sides of the belt cover, as well as getting some upper retaining bolts. Now just have to find time to fashion a front cover, then off to paint.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Finished the belt cover, now primed it for paint.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I guess now I have to order the clean out tool, since I already have the bracket on the bucket ....


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## Ziggy65 (Jan 18, 2020)

Cover came out great!
Looks like not only do you have back up snow blowers but back up wheel barrows as well


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

LOL ... Yeah, all free, and I repaired them all .... My neighbors come to me when they need to borrow a wheel barrel ... Never can have enough of some things .... hehheehhe


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Well, all done with putting an engine on this new Ariens, from a dual shaft system to a single shaft. Plus made the belt cover.

This is a keeper and going into my own fleet. Now onto my next project ...


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