# New homeowner & first snowblower 2014 Ariens Platinum 30



## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)

Tons of information here, glad to be part of the group. I remember my dad buying a snowblower 12-15 years ago and he did his research. He ended up with an Ariens Professional 24 with Tecumseh engine. That thing hasn't had a problem since he bought it and has plowed through many snowstorms. The blizzard Nemo last year dumped at least 5 ft in front of his house and when he woke up the plows never even made a pass down the street. The town messed up big that storm and lots of people were stuck and many streets never saw a plow. The Ariens did the driveway, and then my dad started doing the street. He was tired of waiting for a plow and that machine put in some work. Anyway now that I have a home and yard to take care of the snowblower was a must buy and I purchased a brand new 2014 Platinum 30 yesterday. This thing looks like it can handle whatever nature is going to through at us this year. Originally looked at the Deluxe 28 but we have a pretty big driveway so the extra size will help but I really like the chute, handwarmers, and the 414cc engine. We shall see how the Ariens AX compares to the B&S over time but I don't seem worried. They seem to put out a great product. Fired right up yesterday and seems awesome. WIsh there was some snow to test it on. Went over the whole machine and all seems well. I'll take pictures and post them soon. Chute turns with ease, although seems to not lock in place on one of the gears or notches. And there is one area on front below the controls ( where it has Ariens logo - gray and orange plate) that seems to be lifting from seam. Tough to explain but picture will show. All in all looks like a great machine. Anyone have experience with this model yet? Might possibly go back to the store just to see how the other chute or front plate look and compare. I am definitely not nervous about snow this year.


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## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)




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## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)




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## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)




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## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)

This picture kind of shows where the plate is separated in two places. One is in the middle the other on the left side looking down


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

Welcome to SBF Topdog! You'll find lots of help here. I have a P24 so it should be similar. There are instructions in your manual for adjusting the chute control, but have you tried turning the handle just a hair in the other direction when you've got the chute pointing where you want to shoot. It seems to kind of lock it in place. If your control panel is the same as mine, the logo is located on a plastic insert. Are you seeing the join between the metal and the plastic? I certainly know how you feel when you say you're waiting for some snow to try it out.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

TOPDOG said:


> View attachment 3913
> 
> 
> This picture kind of shows where the plate is separated in two places. One is in the middle the other on the left side looking down


Nope, that's not just the join.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

I had to turn them around. I apologize in advance Top She's a beauty!


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

jtclays said:


> I had to turn them around. I apologize in advance Top She's a beauty!


Wait, what? I thought he was hanging his new blower from the ceiling to save on storage space...


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## TOPDOG (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for fixing the pictures I can't figure it out haha. Anyway that piece is just held on by two bolts. I took it off and brought to the dealer and they gave me another piece from another blower and they'll get a replacement piece for that one. Easy fix and bolted the new dash piece on today.


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## powerwrench (Aug 29, 2013)

good choice with the snowblower and welcome. if ole reliable were to kick the bucket witch it shouldnt but if she did id go with the same brand.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

What did you find out with the chute control TD? Does it lock?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Shryp said:


> Wait, what? I thought he was hanging his new blower from the ceiling to save on storage space...


Silly me.. I thought he bought an Austrailian model.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Top, stop tilting the camera, my OCD can't take it!
Glad you got it straight. Ariens dealers seem to follow through, which is good.
I could tell many stories of a JD dealer near me that failed every time, but we don't have enough bandwidth for that


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## Runner50 (Jan 21, 2013)

Nice choice TOPDOG. I'm new around here myself, but have been reading up on the wealth of information shared by members.
Not to beat a dead horse, but one thing I'm still not clear on is how snug the shear pins should be. I've read here the consensus seems to be the nut shouldn't be snugged down on the auger shaft & allow some very slight up & down play. I happened to stop in an Ariens dealer yesterday & looked at the shear pins on the floor models & the nuts on the pins were in fact snug on the shaft....no play at all. I asked the salesman about it & he pulled the manual from the model I looked at. It stated to snug the shear pins at 5.8-12 lbf. So that contradicts what the consensus is here, which leaves me totally up in the air what is proper. Not to go against the grain here, but it's kind of hard to ignore what the factory says to do & how they ship new blowers.
TOPDOG, would you please check your shear pins to see if there's any play in them or if they're snug.
Color me .


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Runner50 said:


> Nice choice TOPDOG. I'm new around here myself, but have been reading up on the wealth of information shared by members.
> Not to beat a dead horse, but one thing I'm still not clear on is how snug the shear pins should be. I've read here the consensus seems to be the nut shouldn't be snugged down on the auger shaft & allow some very slight up & down play. I happened to stop in an Ariens dealer yesterday & looked at the shear pins on the floor models & the nuts on the pins were in fact snug on the shaft....no play at all. I asked the salesman about it & he pulled the manual from the model I looked at. It stated to snug the shear pins at 5.8-12 lbf. So that contradicts what the consensus is here, which leaves me totally up in the air what is proper. Not to go against the grain here, but it's kind of hard to ignore what the factory says to do & how they ship new blowers.
> TOPDOG, would you please check your shear pins to see if there's any play in them or if they're snug.
> Color me .


We

The only function of a shear pin is to simply keep the augers turning with the shaft till an obstruction occurs. At that point they should "shear" off so the gear box doesn't get trashed. Now, if they are snugged too tight they can't shear. This is one point where I don't care what anybody may say, I install the bolt and wrench down the lock nut till it contacts the auger and then about another 1/4-1/2 turn. That auger *must* be able to move independently from the shaft.


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## Runner50 (Jan 21, 2013)

micah68kj said:


> We
> 
> The only function of a shear pin is to simply keep the augers turning with the shaft till an obstruction occurs. At that point they should "shear" off so the gear box doesn't get trashed. Now, if they are snugged too tight they can't shear. This is one point where I don't care what anybody may say, I install the bolt and wrench down the lock nut till it contacts the auger and then about another 1/4-1/2 turn. That auger *must* be able to move independently from the shaft.


So in other words, you don't have any up & down play at all when you're done snugging it down, which seems to go against the consensus here & what I saw at the dealer yesterday. 
To those who feel that a little play should be there, can you elaborate why you feel that is necessary.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

The shear pin can be snug and not actually able to move around while still allowing the auger to move independently of the shaft should it shear. I wouldn't have a problem not giving it that extra bit of turn at the end. That's just me. I believe I may have misunderstod your question. Point is, the auger *must* be able to move independently of the auger shaft when the shear pins are in place. They are not supposed to be tight.


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## Runner50 (Jan 21, 2013)

OK thanks micah. Like I said, from reading other past threads here on this subject, it seemed most guys said to leave just a bit of up & down play on the pin when you're done. In other words, don't have the nut contacting the auger shaft at all. That contradicted what I saw at the dealer yesterday & hence my confusion. I'll just go with what I saw at the dealer (& the manual the salesman pulled) which is also in line with what you do.
Just the same, I'd still like to hear from those who say to leave that slight up & down play & what their reasoning is behind it.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Bottom line... Don't tighten shear pins down so tight that the augers move with the auger shaft. On the other hand you dont want those pins sliding up and down in their holes either. Just *snug* them down to where the nut touches the metal of the auger. It ain't rocket science.


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## Runner50 (Jan 21, 2013)

Got it & that's what I'll do. Thanks again for your input.


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## Runner50 (Jan 21, 2013)

In re-reading my posts again, I meant to refer to the nut (snug or not) against the auger, not the auger shaft, as I was saying. Sorry if that caused any confusion.


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