# Brand New Ariens Platinum 24 Sho 3500 RPM Normal?



## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Hi, i am new to this forum and i owned a Ariens deluxe 24 prior to the platinum 24 sho. I am also a gear head and own my own car electronics company with more than 20 years experience. I also already moded the sho with an Led bar and a custom switch and led turn On notification for the led bar as well as led On notification for the OEM heated hand warmers.

So I recently bought the Platinum 24 Sho(2 weeks ago) and we got hit with the biggest snowstorm of the winter last friday (20 inches). So uppon using the snowblower which was quite a treat i noticed that the engine did bog down quite a bit from the snow drift that was very compacted and heavy. I checked the rpm and it reads 3500, in the manual it says it should run at 3600 rpm +- 100rpm, is there a way to set it higher and is it safe for the engine? Will it add more power??


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Hi, i am new to this forum and i own a Ariens deluxe 24 prior to the platinum 24 sho. I am also a gear head and own my own car electronics company with more than 20 years experience. I also already moded the sho with an Led bar and a custom switch and led turn On notification for the led bar as well as led On notification for the heated hand warmers.
> 
> So I recently bought the Platinum 24 Sho(2 weeks ago) and we got hit with the biggest snowstorm of the winter last friday (20 inches). So uppon using the snowblower which was quite a treat i noticed that the engine did bog down quite a bit from the snow drift that was very compacted and heavy. I checked the rpm and it reads 3500, in the manual it says it should run at 3600 rpm +- 100rpm, is there a way to set it higher and is it safe for the engine? Will it add more power??


Just use it the rings may have not seated good yet..It can take several hours sometimes.
The extra 100 RPM will not cure a bog.
Also your machine has a high impeller speed which consumes alot of power.
You can sneak in a little choke and see if it help the bog...if it does you can increase your main jet size.
I would use the machine for a few more hours before I become concerned as it will probably pick up on power 

What was the RPM pulling down to?


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## penna stogey (Nov 25, 2019)

First post needs a hearty welcome..Hearty Welcome from the Burg.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

I didn't have the rpm installed when i use the snowblower this weekend. I just checked it today so I don't know how low it gets. Ill probably install the rpm meter and do a run in the backyard just for reference this week and see the results.

I also read a post on this forum that someone bumped the rpm +200 and he said it made quite a difference!


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

penna stogey said:


> First post needs a hearty welcome..Hearty Welcome from the Burg.


Thank u Sir, I appreciate the welcome, Cheers


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

There are 3 holes the governor spring can go into, I believe stock is the center hole, I forget which way increases it but moving to the next hole will bring up the rpm slightly but I would wait until it's broken in before changing it up.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Dauntae said:


> There are 3 holes the governor spring can go into, I believe stock is the center hole, I forget which way increases it but moving to the next hole will bring up the rpm slightly but I would wait until it's broken in before changing it up.


Ok ill do that, and how long is the breaking in process??


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> I didn't have the rpm installed when i use the snowblower this weekend. I just checked it today so I don't know how low it gets. Ill probably install the rpm meter and do a run in the backyard just for reference this week and see the results.
> 
> I also read a post on this forum that someone bumped the rpm +200 and he said it made quite a difference!


You shouldn't need to increase the speed on that machine.. already has a high impeller speed and a large engine... I guess you always could later but I would be more interested in seeing if the power picks up while stock...it should be a beast..
You can always blow some snow if front of you to give it a real workout and increase your working time.
If you are comfortable with checking your valve clearance you could do that very early on..an exhaust valve with to small a clearance can rob you of power..the exhaust valve heats up during a good workout ..closes the clearance and then the valve isn't closed all the way...the power will return after sitting a short spell 



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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

Good advice here from Shovel and Dauntae. 

Another thing you'll want to check after the break-in period is your auger belt tension. This is the belt closest to the auger and is adjusted by moving the tension pulley (refer to your manual for details). 

The Platinum 24 SHO is a top notch machine.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Ok ill do that, and how long is the breaking in process??


That's a good question.. I have seen some Chevrolets that didn't really start running until about 100 thousand miles lol
I have driven a Hyundai with 30 miles on it that would accelerate like a champ.
These Chinese small engines we have are actually pretty decent but it can take a few hours as with any engine to seat the rings.
There are many schools of thought on how to do a break in..load the engine and unload seems to be the most accepted for a low hour engine..we want to generate heat.but we may have areas of the rings that are touching the wall and other areas that aren't..that higher friction area is already running hotter ..so we don't want to lug the engine.. you are broke in when the oil film on the cylinder wall is sealing the rings..this may take several hours or longer.

As a side note you can speed up the break in with the fuel method without a load.
Run full throttle... push primer bulb..the extra fuel washes the oil away giving the rings more contact area..it is cooling at the same time....a pump...let it clear out..then give it another pump in a few seconds...a cycle of ten or so... let it run a minute or two and repeat.. five sets of ten is good enough....it's just a way to get a head start with the break in...still needs to be worked however


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Honestly with how much oil these small engines hold, I'd go ahead and change the oil now. I'll bet it looks nice and sparkly! I put a new 8 hp B&S on my blower this season and changed oil after each of the first three "storms" we got here. Which was only something like 30-45 minutes of blowing time and each time the oil cleaned up a bit with less sparkles in it. Pretty much all these engines are splash lubricated so no filter to remove any of this fine metallic swarf and it will just have to get scrapped off by the oil ring on each revolution.


Paranoid.. maybe a little but for the cost of 1/2 a quart or so of dino oil, not a big deal.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Nickdatech said:
> 
> 
> > I didn't have the rpm installed when i use the snowblower this weekend. I just checked it today so I don't know how low it gets. Ill probably install the rpm meter and do a run in the backyard just for reference this week and see the results.
> ...


Yes im not quite that comfortable checking the valve clearance a this point, ill let that be for now. Another 5 inches of snow this morning and continuing to fall....


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

rod330 said:


> Good advice here from Shovel and Dauntae.
> 
> Another thing you'll want to check after the break-in period is your auger belt tension. This is the belt closest to the auger and is adjusted by moving the tension pulley (refer to your manual for details).
> 
> The Platinum 24 SHO is a top notch machine.


Thanks for the advice, ill definitely check that later on. How long is the breaking in period??


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

To increase the governed speed of your LCT engine there are two choices:

- move the governor spring from the 3rd hole to the 4th hole outermost hole) in the governor arm which will increase engine rpm by approx 200 rpm. 

- move the fixed mount for the governor spring away from the governor arm by a very small amount to get a variable rpm increase.

The governor arm and spring are mounted under the gas tank, so the snow shielding around the tank needs to be removed for access. The governor arm and spring mounting are close to the PTO "front" side of the engine. Attached are some pics of my 414cc engine. The first pic shows the stock setup for my machine that was 3,450 rpm instead of 3,600 or 3,700 rpm. The second pic shows the spring moved to the outer hole on the governor arm which brought my rpm to my target 3,700 rpm. 

LCT engines like to run fast so are spec'd to 3,850 +/- 50 rpm, so last year I adjusted the fixed end of spring to increase rpm to 3,900 rpm. I like that setting even better than 3,700 rpm. Produces lots of power to run a 6 bladed impeller and a 3.25" (SHO is 2.75" stock) engine pulley giving 1,447 impeller rpm and an impeller tip speed of 60 mph. 

I do not worry about an engine breakin period and LCT do not give any info for that. First oil change was within the month. Back in the day we used to follow the manufacturers guidelines for new and modified engines, but that was a long time ago. 

Good luck.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Town said:


> To increase the governed speed of your LCT engine there are two choices:
> 
> - move the governor spring from the 3rd hole to the 4th hole outermost hole) in the governor arm which will increase engine rpm by approx 200 rpm.
> 
> ...


Thanks Town! Thats an easy way to increase the rpm and power. I removed a few panels yesterday to see how everything looked and saws the governor arm under the gas tank but it only has 3 holes and its set in the middle hole. Do u recommend doing that rpm mod now since the engine is new? Others recommended that i wait a bit for proper engine break-in. I used it maybe a total of 3 hours so far as we had a big snowstorm last weekend(20 inches) and an additional 8 inches today.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Yes im not quite that comfortable checking the valve clearance a this point, ill let that be for now. Another 5 inches of snow this morning and continuing to fall....


Be sure to hook the tach up to see how much your RPM is falling.
You can blow that five inches in front of you and just keep going to increase the load



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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Nickdatech said:


> Thanks Town! Thats an easy way to increase the rpm and power. I removed a few panels yesterday to see how everything looked and saws the governor arm under the gas tank but it only has 3 holes and its set in the middle hole. Do u recommend doing that rpm mod now since the engine is new? Others recommended that i wait a bit for proper engine break-in. I used it maybe a total of 3 hours so far as we had a big snowstorm last weekend(20 inches) and an additional 8 inches today.


I could not stand the 3,450 rpm because it did not have enough power to blow the snow we get here. I bought my Platinum in mid January and changed the governor spring hole in February once I figured out the governor operation and how to access it. I don't bother with a break-in period, but others do.

I am not concerned with a break-in process for engines because new engine manufacturers (Ford/Lincoln, Jeep and Chevrolet) for new cars do not have a break-in procedure that is worth anything. My 2003 Craftsman blower with 11hp Tecumseh does not even mention a break-in process. The Ariens manual does not cover the LCT engine and refers to LCT for engine spec's. LCT does not cover break-in either, but does recommend changing the oil in a month after purchase/use. 

Good luck.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Nickdatech said:
> 
> 
> > Yes im not quite that comfortable checking the valve clearance a this point, ill let that be for now. Another 5 inches of snow this morning and continuing to fall....
> ...


Ok so i changed the governor hole to the last one before blowing that 8inches of snow that fell last night and today. It boosted the rpm to 3780. Now the 8inches didnt make the rpm drop at all but the snow is powdered snow and not heavy, the end of driveway snowplow pile however was alot heavier and made the rpm dropped to 3400/3500, is that normal?


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Nickdatech said:


> Ok so i changed the governor hole to the last one before blowing that 8inches of snow that fell last night and today. It boosted the rpm to 3780. Now the 8inches didnt make the rpm drop at all but the snow is powdered snow and not heavy, the end of driveway snowplow pile however was alot heavier and made the rpm dropped to 3400/3500, is that normal?


It depends mainly on the gear that you were using at the time. Sounds like you were using a high gear that would handle the 8" but not the heavier EOD snow at that speed. If that is the case then it is normal.

Did you try different gears for the EOD to better match engine power to the travel speed?


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Ok so i changed the governor hole to the last one before blowing that 8inches of snow that fell last night and today. It boosted the rpm to 3780. Now the 8inches didnt make the rpm drop at all but the snow is powdered snow and not heavy, the end of driveway snowplow pile however was alot heavier and made the rpm dropped to 3400/3500, is that normal?


That's governor droop which is normal.
The outermost hole will let the engine droop more before it opens the carb all the way although your no load high RPM is higher...the reason it increases your RPM as the hole isn't in perfect relation with the angle and due to reduced leverage on the spring it simulates a stiffer spring...the first hole for the linkage allows the least amount of droop..an engine is more apt to hunt in that hole..then we have the middle hole for stock..a balance of droop vs the possibility of hunting.
The percentage difference of droop across the holes can be a fair amount.
Governor droop is generally 10 to 15 percent.. with you in the outermost hole it may be a little more.. but let's go with 15 percent..when the engine is fully loaded just to the point of full governor..your engine speed would be 3213 RPM.
As we can see you weren't approaching that number so actually have plenty of power to spare.
I would give it a real good workout..lots of snow and see what the engine pulls down to... If your end of driveway was already deep and tough ... I would say that big engine is fine as it wasn't being pulled to full governor yet. 
Remember you have a high speed Impeller which requires alot of power.. so given the same task you will use more power than a typical machine... It looks as if that engine is fine from what I am reading

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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Shovel said:


> That's governor droop which is normal.
> The outermost hole will let the engine droop more before it opens the carb all the way although your no load high RPM is higher...the reason it increases your RPM as the hole isn't in perfect relation with the angle and due to reduced leverage on the spring it simulates a stiffer spring...the first hole for the linkage allows the least amount of droop..an engine is more apt to hunt in that hole..then we have the middle hole for stock..a balance of droop vs the possibility of hunting.
> The percentage difference of droop across the holes can be a fair amount.
> Governor droop is generally 10 to 15 percent.. with you in the outermost hole it may be a little more.. but let's go with 15 percent..when the engine is fully loaded just to the point of full governor..your engine speed would be 3213 RPM.
> ...


My experience is the reverse of yours. The governor responds more quickly to the need to open the throttle when there is more tension on the spring. The governor will maintain engine rpm at the set level as the load increases by opening the throttle to full throttle. If the load continues to increase then the engine will slow since it cannot develop the necessary power to continue at the gear speed selected. 

For the op's engine speed to drop from 3,780 to 3,400 or so the engine is not powerful enough to maintain the throughput in the gear selected for 8" of light snow compared to more than 8" of heavy EOD snow. That is normal. So further experience with the machine will allow matching of gear selection to snow loading.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

I've got a Plat 24, and when new, ran it through old, hard 24" (deeper than bucket height) EOD that had also been wet. Didn't move fast, but could go through in 1st without bogging, and the biggest issue was not hitting houses because it threw far farther than I needed. Didn't screw with the stock speed - no point . . .


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Town said:


> My experience is the reverse of yours. The governor responds more quickly to the need to open the throttle when there is more tension on the spring. The governor will maintain engine rpm at the set level as the load increases by opening the throttle to full throttle. If the load continues to increase then the engine will slow since it cannot develop the necessary power to continue at the gear speed selected.
> 
> For the op's engine speed to drop from 3,780 to 3,400 or so the engine is not powerful enough to maintain the throughput in the gear selected for 8" of light snow compared to more than 8" of heavy EOD snow. That is normal. So further experience with the machine will allow matching of gear selection to snow loading.


The spring tension sets the speed the hole chooses the sensitivity.
Changing holes alters the leverage ratio to the spring.
Let's say a person had a soft spring but pulled it tight enough to pull the RPM up..the setup will be sensitive allowing for less RPM drop..but more apt to be hunting.
Let's go to the other extreme with a very very stiff spring for example...the spring is holding the butterfly open for 3600 RPM..when RPM falls it can't pull on the spring to increase the RPM..The RPM drops more before a correction is made.
Just imagine a piece of solid wire for example..it won't react..the engine RPM will fall dramatically.

Back to the hole for a minute... the further the hole from the pivot the less leverage on the spring..simulating a stiffer spring.

I think the OP RPMs reduced at the EOD but stated it wasn't dropping in the eight inch powder..I think the engine is fine. I cant look now as I am typing the post..but will check again after submitting this post

Edit:add
Found it.
The OP stated.


"Ok so i changed the governor hole to the last one before blowing that 8inches of snow that fell last night and today. It boosted the rpm to 3780. Now the 8inches didnt make the rpm drop at all but the snow is powdered snow and not heavy, the end of driveway snowplow pile however was alot heavier and made the rpm dropped to 3400/3500, is that normal?"

He is good. He had no drop at all in the eight inches ...and a little drop at EOD

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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

tadawson said:


> I've got a Plat 24, and when new, ran it through old, hard 24" (deeper than bucket height) EOD that had also been wet. Didn't move fast, but could go through in 1st without bogging, and the biggest issue was not hitting houses because it threw far farther than I needed. Didn't screw with the stock speed - no point . . .


Sounds like it will take about anything you throw at it...which is the point of choosing that model to begin with.
I still think the OP needs to point some snow in front of him and just keep going..the reworked snow will give it quite the workout..His engine is probably fine...the exhaust tone change of the engine is probably throwing him off as it is a large engine



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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Shovel said:


> The spring tension sets the speed the hole chooses the sensitivity.
> Changing holes alters the leverage ratio to the spring.
> Let's say a person had a soft spring but pulled it tight enough to pull the RPM up..the setup will be sensitive allowing for less RPM drop..but more apt to be hunting.
> Let's go to the other extreme with a very very stiff spring for example...the spring is holding the butterfly open for 3600 RPM..when RPM falls it can't pull on the spring to increase the RPM..The RPM drops more before a correction is made.
> ...


Again, your experience is the reverse of mine. By moving the spring to the outermost hole the spring is given more tension and leverage so the carb throttle is held with more force to the fully open position. When the engine starts the governor flyweights spin outward and cause the governor arm to turn until the spring and flyweight forces match and that is the governed speed. In the OP's example, the spring in the middle hole exerted less force and resulted in lower rpm of 3,500 rpm. The OP moved the spring to the outermost hole which extended the spring and increased leverage on the governor arm that then applied more force to open the throttle. So with more spring force and leverage the governor needed more engine speed to match the increased spring tension/leverage, so new governed speed is 3,780 rpm. The governor is much more responsive to engine speed with the higher forces and acts faster. If you look at post#14 where I posted pics of the governor arm and spring positions you will see what I am talking about.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

tadawson said:


> I've got a Plat 24, and when new, ran it through old, hard 24" (deeper than bucket height) EOD that had also been wet. Didn't move fast, but could go through in 1st without bogging, and the biggest issue was not hitting houses because it threw far farther than I needed. Didn't screw with the stock speed - no point . . .


So I take it that your point is to match the ground speed (through gear selection) to the snow conditions, and the OP will be happy with his new machine. Sounds good to me.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Town said:


> Again, your experience is the reverse of mine. By moving the spring to the outermost hole the spring is given more tension and leverage so the carb throttle is held with more force to the fully open position. When the engine starts the governor flyweights spin outward and cause the governor arm to turn until the spring and flyweight forces match and that is the governed speed. In the OP's example, the spring in the middle hole exerted less force and resulted in lower rpm of 3,500 rpm. The OP moved the spring to the outermost hole which extended the spring and increased leverage on the governor arm that then applied more force to open the throttle. So with more spring force and leverage the governor needed more engine speed to match the increased spring tension/leverage, so new governed speed is 3,780 rpm. The governor is much more responsive to engine speed with the higher forces and acts faster. If you look at post#14 where I posted pics of the governor arm and spring positions you will see what I am talking about.


The spring holds the throttle open the governor closes the throttle..Let's say the governor craps out..the engine will race as it only has the spring force.
The governor has more difficulty overcoming a stiffer spring.
The governor will exert x amount of force at say 2500 RPM and x amount at 3600 RPM...Too soft a spring that doesn't match those forces causes hunting.
Lets toss is a big spring just for the sake of it...just a random shelf spring.
We set to 3600 RPM no load...the butterfly is barely cracked open. The spring and governor have equal force giving us the 3600 RPM....Now lets load that engine..the governor loses force...the spring being so stiff isn't able to as well match the governor force..it lags behind..not letting the throttle open... as it had to be set more relaxed in the beginning.

(Photo is for a generator)
That is for a generator..the reason for so many holes is for almost precision droop adjustment . The speed alters the frequency..Our electronics are designed to operate at 60 cycles a second..so the generator needs to run at 3600 RPM...They want to keep no load and full load RPM at that 3600 mark..you can't so you shoot over a touch for the no load speed.
Changing holes changes the leverage ratio to the spring changing the droop..it also changes the RPM which you have to re adjust 












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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Ok so after reading all your posts i have a bit more understanding of what is happening even though Town and Shovel have opposite opinions on the governor's reaction... Again i am not a newbie with a snowblower, im 40 years old and been blowing snow since i was 15 years old. I also live in Quebec Canada so we have very hard winters with lots and lots of snow. 

With that being said, i had a 2017 deluxe 24 which i ran for 2 winters and was really impressed compared to my 20 year old MTD. I gave the deluxe 24 to my dad because his cub cadet was to heavy for him in his old age. Now being the gear head that i am i went with the plat 24 sho which i wanted for the power. Uppon using it for the 1st few times i did see a difference in power compared the deluxe 24 but not that substantially, i was expecting the plat 24 to blow the deluxe 24 out of the water which is not the case so i thought maybe something was wrong and maybe being that the engine wasn't broken in yet of something made a difference in power.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Shovel said:


> Town said:
> 
> 
> > Again, your experience is the reverse of mine. By moving the spring to the outermost hole the spring is given more tension and leverage so the carb throttle is held with more force to the fully open position. When the engine starts the governor flyweights spin outward and cause the governor arm to turn until the spring and flyweight forces match and that is the governed speed. In the OP's example, the spring in the middle hole exerted less force and resulted in lower rpm of 3,500 rpm. The OP moved the spring to the outermost hole which extended the spring and increased leverage on the governor arm that then applied more force to open the throttle. So with more spring force and leverage the governor needed more engine speed to match the increased spring tension/leverage, so new governed speed is 3,780 rpm. The governor is much more responsive to engine speed with the higher forces and acts faster. If you look at post#14 where I posted pics of the governor arm and spring positions you will see what I am talking about.
> ...


Thanks again for the explanations and help. I guess in just not that knowledgeable about the governor... I thought higher rpm meant more power which is good and the LCT engine can go up to 3850 rpm. Not sure i understood the "hunting" meaning and does that just means the engine will bog down easier because i moved the governor spring to the outmost pin hole? 

Would you recommend i put back the spring to the middle pin hole??

Why is the default rpm set at 3500 or so if those engines are made to go at a higher rpm?


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Thanks again for the explanations and help. I guess in just not that knowledgeable about the governor... I thought higher rpm meant more power which is good and the LCT engine can go up to 3850 rpm. Not sure i understood the "hunting" meaning and does that just means the engine will bog down easier because i moved the governor spring to the outmost pin hole?
> 
> Would you recommend i put back the spring to the middle pin hole??
> 
> Why is the default rpm set at 3500 or so if those engines are made to go at a higher rpm?


Hunting is when the engine speeds up and down..(like just before you run out of fuel) or carb is a little plugged)
I can understand you wanting more power..my interest was in seeing if the power picked up in stock configuration... rather than possibly masking it by turning it up.
I run at 3450 RPM .
Yours was probably set to 3500 intentionally or they felt it was 'close enough'..not all engines are set to 3600 RPM..it's not unusual for them to be under 3600 as a speced RPM.
With that huge engine and fast Impeller speed it should really toss some snow and be kinda difficult to bog.
Just watch your tach for a while to see if it's really bogging or the exhaust tone is playing tricks on you...it's probably fine..but if something turns out to be wrong with be sure you put the spring back where it was before having the dealer look at it.




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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Shovel said:


> Sounds like it will take about anything you throw at it...which is the point of choosing that model to begin with.
> I still think the OP needs to point some snow in front of him and just keep going..the reworked snow will give it quite the workout..His engine is probably fine...the exhaust tone change of the engine is probably throwing him off as it is a large engine
> 
> 
> ...


I agree! When mine digs in and powers up, the tone definitely deepens a lot, but RPM does not sag . . . . it just keeps going, and that was 1 hour old! :grin:


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Town said:


> So I take it that your point is to match the ground speed (through gear selection) to the snow conditions, and the OP will be happy with his new machine. Sounds good to me.


Bingo!


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

tadawson said:


> I agree! When mine digs in and powers up, the tone definitely deepens a lot, but RPM does not sag . . . . it just keeps going, and that was 1 hour old! :grin:


Makes people look doesn't it...makes you want to keep er loaded up to please the lookers.



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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Nickdatech said:


> Thanks again for the explanations and help. I guess in just not that knowledgeable about the governor... I thought higher rpm meant more power which is good and the LCT engine can go up to 3850 rpm. Not sure i understood the "hunting" meaning and does that just means the engine will bog down easier because i moved the governor spring to the outmost pin hole?
> 
> Would you recommend i put back the spring to the middle pin hole??
> 
> Why is the default rpm set at 3500 or so if those engines are made to go at a higher rpm?


The LCT engine is spec'd by Ariens to operate at 3,600 rpm, but LCT spec'd the same engine for 3,850rpm. It is generally presumed that the engine will last longer at the lower rpm. I think the reason your engine (and mine initially) ran at less than 3,600 rpm is due to the governor spring mounting at the fixed end which is the lip on the engine cooling shrouding is not a precision standard location. Production tolerances likely allow small differences in spring length and so the governed rpm. As noted earlier you can move the fixed spring location by moving the tab away from the governor as I did to increase rpm from 3,700 rpm in outer hole to 3,900 rpm with a slight nudge of that fixed tab. I liked the 3,700 rpm and even more the 3,900 rpm. It allowed my machine to throw snow farther, but more importantly with higher ground speed to increase throughput.

Since you do not seem to be happy with the performance of your machine at 3,500 rpm and no improvement at 3,780 rpm while in the appropriate gear then perhaps return the governor spring to its stock position. Then you can discuss the performance with your dealer since it should way outperform a deluxe 24 with 254 cc engine. 

Your machine does not appear to be hunting which is the constant change in rpm going up and down. Hunting is the symptom of a problem usually with fuel mixture but can be a governor problem if there is slack in the mechanism. Since the problem causing hunting will reduce power it could well lead to bogging. You would notice your engine hunting right away, it is one of the most annoying problems. 

Good luck


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Just to clarify a few things, i am satisfied with the performance of the plat 24 but i was just wondering if it was normal that the rpm went down under heavy load and what wasn't normal. I didnt have an rpm meter for the deluxe 24 so i couldn't compare results. I do see quite a big power difference between both but i thought going through EOD left by the snowplow with heavy snow that it would go through without drooping at all but thats on me, i guess you can overload any machine....

I also find that the speed gearing in the plat 24 is way faster than the deluxe 24 so i have to adjust on that when going through heavy snow.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Nickdatech said:


> Just to clarify a few things, i am satisfied with the performance of the plat 24 but i was just wondering if it was normal that the rpm went down under heavy load and what wasn't normal. I didnt have an rpm meter for the deluxe 24 so i couldn't compare results. I do see quite a big power difference between both but i thought going through EOD left by the snowplow with heavy snow that it would go through without drooping at all but thats on me, i guess you can overload any machine....
> 
> I also find that the speed gearing in the plat 24 is way faster than the deluxe 24 so i have to adjust on that when going through heavy snow.


Glad to hear that you like your machine.

The gearing can be slowed down, by optimizing the shifter adjustment to favour the reverse stop. That would be the pin on right side of hex shaft. That is the way I set-up my machine.

Put your machine in the maintenance position (making sure gas does not leak from cap) and move the shifter through R2 and 6. Does the friction wheel assembly touch both stops? In my case it does not, so I adjusted the shifter rod to rest against the reverse stop (right side pin) which resulted in the friction wheel housing not reaching the left side stop pin. You still have all 6 gears and 2 reverse but forward speed is reduced in all gears and reverse 2 gears are faster.

If you just want a slower 1st gear then you can add a new 1st gear that is a little slower than your existing 1st (7 forward gears). The procedure is described in a thread on here. Basically you move the gear selector slightly into the Neutral wide band and fix there while checking the friction wheel position on the drive plate to ensure it is on the left side of center. You can check the speed is correct before committing to cutting the slot for the lever to rest in. This may be outside your comfort zone with a new machine under warranty. I have not done this since I like the 1st speed as a slow walking pace and not a "shuffle your feet" pace.

Good luck.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Here is the thread where a new lower 1st gear was set-up on a 1 year old 28 SHO: https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/153541-slowing-down-platinum-24-sho.html Looks like it would work the same on a Platinum 24 SHO if the R2 optimized gear selection is still too fast in 1st gear. 

Just another option. Good luck.


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## Nickdatech (Feb 9, 2020)

Ok so after putting quite a few hour on it, it seems it picked up on power quite a bit... Not sure why or how, maybe the break in process is done!? Anyhow i did switch to Shell Nitoplus gas that is ethanol free if that makes a difference. Lets just say i have some neighbors that looks at me like i turbo charged my blower!!! 

Ps i left the governor spring at the 3rd governor hole, i was quite busy so i did want to put it back to factory for the break in process just didn't get a chance to do it but i think ill just let it be.


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## Shovel (Mar 26, 2019)

Nickdatech said:


> Ok so after putting quite a few hour on it, it seems it picked up on power quite a bit... Not sure why or how, maybe the break in process is done!? Anyhow i did switch to Shell Nitoplus gas that us ethanol free if that make a difference. Lets just say i have some neighbors that looks at me like i turbo charge my blower!!!
> 
> Ps i left it at the 3rd governor hole, i was quite busy so i did want to put it back to factory for the break in process just didn't get a chance to do it but i think ill just let it be.


I figured it just needed a few hours use on it...It's good to hear good news.



Sent from my LM-Q710.FG using Tapatalk


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## dman2 (Sep 22, 2019)

I would keep the engine rpm stock on the SHO, here is why:

The SHO is already a high performance snowblower (It has a large impeller spinning fast). Increase rpm will increase its output, but make your engine works a lot harder. Your engine only get weaker at a higher rpm, because of more load and less torque. Peak torque is like at 3200 rpm. Yes, it does more works at 3700 rpm, but it get tired quick, too. So, when you hit a heavy load, expect the engine rpm to drop sooner.

The governor was set to be balanced. Too much governor sensitivity will make the engine hunts. You don't want to mess with the governor unless there is something wrong with it.

It had mostly to do with the condition of the snow and how you used it. You might see gain or lost depend on your setup and those conditions.


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## harry398 (Jun 22, 2021)

Town said:


> To increase the governed speed of your LCT engine there are two choices:
> 
> - move the governor spring from the 3rd hole to the 4th hole outermost hole) in the governor arm which will increase engine rpm by approx 200 rpm.
> 
> ...



very useful info. 

thank you Town.


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## T. L. Kott (Jul 14, 2021)

My buddy built a 302 engine in a Comet Gt right before High School Drags at Martin Dragway in Michigan. He "broke in" the motor by driving it to Detroit, and back to Kalamazoo, with open headers and made the High School Drag Races the next day. Breaking in a motor is subjective to the situation at the time and a number of factors. I have a Platinum 24" SHO. With a new machine I would do what the manual says concerning motor break-in [for warranty purposes]. Other than that do what these guys say as they have collective experience in these matters. I really like mine. Got to love the hand-warmers and I wanted a machine that could clear a bus stop next to a main plowed road that had heavy, wet, or hard-packed snow thrown onto the sidewalks. So far so good. It is a bit heavy to try and manhandle though. Haven't found anybody [yet] that makes a small enough thrower to manhandle, and that really throws the snow. I had a Toro, [or was it a Troy-built?] that had a 5 horse on it that just would not quit. After a few years of really hammering the packed, wet snow on the main road it finally gave out [the engine] but I beat it to death.


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## undecided (Jan 9, 2022)

Town said:


> so last year I adjusted the fixed end of spring to increase rpm to 3,900 rpm. I like that setting even better than 3,700 rpm.


What kind of adjustment did you make?


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

undecided said:


> What kind of adjustment did you make?


The engine when new ran at 3,450 rpm (instead of spec'd 3,600), so I adjusted the spring on the governor arm to the outermost hole (increases spring tension and improves angle) and the engine rpm increased to 3,700 (which is also spec 3,600 + 100). The other end of the spring is attached to a tab on the engine cover that guides air over the fins. I bent that tab away from the governor arm a small amount; I tapped the metal with a punch and hammer lightly from the direction of the governor arm since difficult to bend because of the access. That increased the rpm to 3,900. The rpm was measured with a "laser" hand held device using a white tab on the engine crank pulley. Later a tach/hour meter was installed and engine confirmed at 3,900 but some variability by a few (30 or so) rpm when at full throttle but no load.


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## undecided (Jan 9, 2022)

Town said:


> The other end of the spring is attached to a tab on the engine cover that guides air over the fins. I bent that tab away from the governor arm a small amount; I tapped the metal with a punch and hammer lightly from the direction of the governor arm since difficult to bend because of the access. That increased the rpm to 3,900.


Thanks, the above is what I was looking for. Basically what you did is increase the spring tension if I understand it right.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

undecided said:


> Thanks, the above is what I was looking for. Basically what you did is increase the spring tension if I understand it right.


Yes increased tension.


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