# I've Suffered Short & Stubby Long Enough...



## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

I've heard their giggles and put-downs. I know how they talk and whisper when they think I can't hear them. I've chatted with specialists that have assured me, the technology exists to make mine as big and long as all the other young players of today's game. I've seen the videos of those well-endowed individuals. No longer do I have to sit on the sidelines...

Yes, it's time to undergo the procedure to give me the large and long discharge chute I should have had from the factory originally! I'm looking forward to uttering to the folks standing around staring, "Ain't it magnificent! Look at how big it is! And yes, Miss Winter, It will clear a path up your driveway leaving you breathless!"

I've picked up a spare stubby discharge chute off eBay to scavenge the base saw-tooth ring gear. I've also found a NOS (New Old Stock) longer taller chute, also via eBay. It's base ring lacks the saw-tooth gearing. Both components are currently in-transit. The new chute will get its base ring removed and discarded. The old saw-tooth ring gear will get grafted onto the new magnificently bigger chute.

Also in the back of my head is to convert the vertical discharge deflector to a cable push/pull setup with remote operation from the flight deck.

Stay tuned for the trials, tribulations, and the ultimate conquest satiation of that fickle cold witch, Miss Winter...

We're starting with an early 1980's ST824, FYI.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Little blue pill is all you need.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Little blue pill is all you need.


No, starting and duration aren't a problem. One pull and a generous gas tank are already there. It's the size of the equipment which is in-need of remediation! ;-)


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Sounds like a bit of work in the hanger, and you will be ready for its maiden flight into the white, frigid abyss .....


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## db130 (Feb 16, 2013)

A reference picture of an early 1980s ST824 chute:










Looking forward to pics!


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I used the "holy grail" tall chute found on the later 924 series machines....mostly on the ST 32's and ST 36's. Strictly bolt on


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> I used the "holy grail" tall chute found on the later 924 series machines,
> mostly on the ST 32's and ST 36's. Strictly bolt on


Yep, but trying to get one's hand on an example of the inexpensive variety is difficult. Hence, the fabricobble route of my journey.

It's a pretty easy build effort with a properly equipped metal working home shop.


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## Ballroomblitz (Nov 20, 2015)

Interesting.....does long and skinny trump short with girth.....that seems to be the snow discharge chute ultimate question.

Maybe something in the middle where you get enough length and girth you get the best of both worlds!

Vertical discharge deflector to a cable push/pull setup with remote operation from the flight deck seems to be a good upgrade.....


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## Tseg (Jan 29, 2021)

Wow, that is short. But it is not the size of the chute, but the motion of the impeller.


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

I've fabbed up some chutes for ariens, with and without using a welder. This one was attached with bolts


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

As Jackmels has shown, there are several ways to go about it.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Deezlfan, that's a nice graft!

I was thinking of going all-in on the original chute by elongating it with discarded water heater tank metal. But then, there's plenty of spare chutes out there and limited amounts of my time.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> As Jackmels has shown, there are several ways to go about it.


The more I look at this graft and think about it, the more I like it!

Heat and warping stays away from the gear ring. I'm guessing it's easier to position the pieces together prior to tacking. There's a whole bunch of positive in this approach.

Thanks again for sharing!


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## Shaw351 (Nov 15, 2016)

Russell Stephan said:


> The more I look at this graft and think about it, the more I like it!
> 
> Heat and warping stays away from the gear ring. I'm guessing it's easier to position the pieces together prior to tacking. There's a whole bunch of positive in this approach.
> 
> Thanks again for sharing!


Russell, welcome to the club. Please read about the issues I encountered while building my beast 24" chute modifications, in the thread it has all the things that caused me grief. I did work them all out, and posted up pictures of everything. Started around post #35 with the chute, please ask if you need any help or guidance. I'll help in any way I can. 








Building A 24" SHO Ariens Bucket.


:huh: Yard Arbeit? Das ist ein schmutziges Wort in meinem Haus, du sprichst eine Fremdsprache! Darum habe ich eine junge Frau! :signlol: Ein Guter !!




www.snowblowerforum.com


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

Just make sure you get the chute angle that you desire before you weld. I can't weld myself so took mine to a friend and he did exactly as I asked. But I would have liked mine to be much more vertical than it landed up.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I wish I knew you wanted one of these.
I threw mine out a while back. When I got my 924 it had a manual deflector and in order to get the remote one I had to buy an entire chute.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Just make sure you get the chute angle that you desire before
> you weld. I can't weld myself so took mine to a friend and he did
> exactly as I asked. But I would have liked mine to be much more
> vertical than it landed up.


My thinking _exactly_! From both you and Shaw351, I was thinking about making the modified chute slightly more vertical. Nice to confirm others are or have had the same line of thinking.

Nice thing about doing your own welding. A couple of tacks followed by an hour of test fit-up and verification prior to the final permanent bead runs, is not a problem. And if it turns out to be a problem anyway, cut it out and do it again!

Thanks to the both of you for jumping in. Much appreciated!


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> I wish I knew you wanted one of these. I threw mine out a while back.


It's been in the back of my head for a number of years. The effort is purely phallic waving. There's no need to throw farther than that provided by a nice impeller wiper kit installation. But, like the initial post on this thread, I want the rest of the neighborhood to know, who's the snow blower King and talk about it! ;-)

And too, as all tinkerers know, "Why do you do that?"

"Because I can and I must!"

I usually do a dozen or more driveways of the neighbors in addition to a couple of miles of sidewalks when it snows 3" or more. Folks are always asking me, "Why do you do this?"

"I'm just a kid playing with is big boy Tonka Toy!"

The same motivation goes into experimentation, mechanical problem-solving, and the building.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

" I usually do a dozen or more driveways of the neighbors in addition to a couple of miles of sidewalks when it snows 3" or more "

How do you fill up when you run out of gas 2 miles out?

OMG .... That is one hell of an outing ... hope you dress warm ...


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> How do you fill up when you run out of gas 2 miles out?
> OMG .... That is one hell of an outing ... hope you dress warm ...


The sidewalks are a couple of loops around both sides of the street. I'm like at the cross of an "8" residential street wise. So, I'm never all that far from the house. In addition, I usually request a tank of lawn mower gas from the occasional folk that offer to pay for the neighborly help -- livin' off the fat of the land!

As for warmth, when banging out many driveways, the physical work keeps the heat up. What's important, however, is to wear slick ski bibs and a Nylon shell jacket so the powdery snow does not stick to cloth, melt, and make your outfit into a cold, wet, and frozen crusty coating. A two-wrap scarf and ski goggles keeps the neck and face from suffering blowing and fly-back snow.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

The donor stubby arrived today.


The size comparison:











The donor saw-tooth gearing ring which will be transplanted to the longer/taller discharge chute:









The taller chute and its base ring which will be removed and placed in the scrap bin.









Both chutes viewed from the impeller's point-of-view.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Make sure you revert to that photo prior to welding, in order you have the right gear position.....


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Make sure you revert to that photo prior to welding, in order you have the right gear position.....


Why I always work with spare donor parts when possible -- one can then always reference the original part unmolested.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Russell Stephan said:


> The sidewalks are a couple of loops around both sides of the street. I'm like at the cross of an "8" residential street wise. So, I'm never all that far from the house. In addition, I usually request a tank of lawn mower gas from the occasional folk that offer to pay for the neighborly help -- livin' off the fat of the land!
> 
> As for warmth, when banging out many driveways, the physical work keeps the heat up. What's important, however, is to wear slick ski bibs and a Nylon shell jacket so the powdery snow does not stick to cloth, melt, and make your outfit into a cold, wet, and frozen crusty coating. A two-wrap scarf and ski goggles keeps the neck and face from suffering blowing and fly-back snow.


You're a lot braver than I am.

I don't use additives in my fuel, but I am picky about how it's stored.
I can't even imagine taking fuel from other people's 1 - 5 gallon cans stored who knows where for who knows how long.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Rings removed. I also cut off the back-of-neck rotation mounting lug on the new taller chute. It will need to be repositioned once I have modified the vertical angle of the taller chute to my satisfaction. I will be building a weight supporting arm to utilize the back-of-neck lug to decrease the forces acting on the base ring gear mounting location.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

A wedge of material has been removed from the back of the longer chute so it will stand up straighter. The removed wedge is visible on the table to the left of the chute.

Next up is to sandblast the decades-old base saw-tooth gearing ring prior to MIG welding.

Funny! A can of Ariens orange/red spray paint gets captured in the background to the left of the chute deflector.


EDIT ADDITION:

In case anyone is wondering how I figured out just how much of a wedge to cut out of the back...

I placed the front edges of the chute sans base ring on the edge of the table. The chute was then tilted back and forth to various angles until I settled on a vertical orientation I liked. With a machinist's ruler set flat on the table, I slid it into the throat of the chute and marked the location with a Sharpie. I then transferred the mark to the outside back of the chute. Using masking tape, I ran two strips from each front corner of the chute to the mark on the back. The tape edge was marked with a Sharpie and the cut made.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

That chute looks to be to straight up to me ... jmho .... see what others say.


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## deezlfan (Nov 8, 2017)

*I LLLLLIKE it!








*


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

See the "EDIT ADDITION" text in the vertical chute photo for the process I used to get the wanted amount of wedge out of the back of the taller chute.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Regardless how you came to settle on that position, I personally would not have cut it for that straight up position. ... Just my thought.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)




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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Regardless how you came to settle on that position, I personally would not
> have cut it for that straight up position. ... Just my thought.


To each his own.

If there's a problem, I'll cut out the collar welds and add some wedge metal back in.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

@Russell Stephan, that looks very close to the angle on the Honda HS/HSS chutes. Hopefully will work well for you!


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

After grabbing something to eat and finishing the other life tasks on today's to-do list, I figured the saw-tooth base ring gear should make a pass through the sandblasting cabinet.

I cleaned up all the manufacturing stamping residual on the gear teeth with a file. One V groove had a weld splatter BB left over from the original chute/ring welding process. I popped that off with a chisel punch.

The forty year old ring gear is now more pristine than the day Ariens had it made!


The view of the chute base ring looking down from the top.










The view of the base ring looking up from the impeller's point-of-view.










A close-up of the condition of the forty year old gear teeth.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

No one's commented on the picture I posted...
What the crap


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> No one's commented on the picture I posted...
> What the crap


I was... But, I had no idea of where to start!

Where did you get that image? What game is it off of? Did the flying little man land in his net? Are you saying it's too much angle or not enough?


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Russell Stephan said:


> I was... But, I had no idea of where to start!
> 
> Where did you get that image? What game is it off of? Did the flying little man land in his net? Are you saying it's too much angle or not enough?


The problem is you don't know what it is.
It's human cannonball on the Atari 2600. Depending on the mode you could adjust the angle of the cannon.

I wasn't saying too much or too little....I was suggesting it's a similar issue.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> I was suggesting it's a similar issue.


Rather apropos.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> that looks very close to the angle on the Honda HS/HSS chutes.
> Hopefully will work well for you!


So, what's the deal with the banana angle of the tall Ariens chutes from the factory? Well, the angle kind of matches that of the stubby. But, I'm guessing it has more to do with the turning mechanism. See, these old chutes have a rather large discharge hole from the impeller. In order for the more modern taller chutes of the same diameter to be controlled from the nape-of-the-neck, that center-of-rotation needs to be at the center of that very large discharge port. And, the only way to get that to happen, is curve the chute out of the way making clearance for the rotational control pivot.


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

ChrisJ said:


> No one's commented on the picture I posted...
> What the crap


Sorry, just got here to see it 🤣


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

I want to know what the discharge pattern looks like without the chute. Then....


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Tony-chicago said:


> I want to know what the discharge pattern looks like without the chute. Then....


I understand your point.
But Russell is far from stupid.


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

No offense to anyone. Just wondering what the best shape would be. Blank pattern would be helpful to know. And I believe he is on the right path. And done great work so far


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Saw-tooth base ring gear and new taller chute fully joined!

The power of tack & test-fit... I used the unmolested stubby as a guide for locating the gear ring and marked the location with a Sharpie. I tacked at each chute opening ear and one at the back for a three-point temporary hold. Once bolted up to the blower, however, I was 8 gear teeth (one rotation of the worm gear) favoring the left side. The difference was a perfect 90° 3:00 o'clock to the right and a nice over-the-shoulder toss to the left. Grumble, grumble, grumble...

"It's not all that much off. I can live with it. Yeah, but every _single_ time you go to use it, you'll kick yourself in the fanny for it not being perfect..."

So, I cut out the tacks, ground everything down to flush, and advanced clockwise the chute opening half of 8 teeth, which is 4. The second test-fit was side-to-side perfectly symmetrical.

Next up? Cleaning and preparing the piece for painting. 

This photo is of the final test fit-up after welding fully. I did run a bead all away around the chute and the ring. Given the taller chute, the weld junction will be subject to increased leverage from vibration.









The problem with one-off welding... Only the last 25% is perfect due to getting everything dialed in and a seat-of-the-pants feel for the material characteristics involved.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> So, what's the deal with the banana angle of the tall Ariens chutes from the factory?


I knew I wasn't the only one...


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

In human cannonball if you point out too high he just falls back on the cannon.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I think your welding looks fine.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> I think your welding looks fine.


Oh, it's structurally solid all the way around... It's just not as pretty as that imaged couple of inches right there by the worm gear.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Paint color comparison... The plate on top is RUST-OLIUM High Performance Enamel orange. The bottom plate is RUST-OLIUM Husqvarna orange.













The Ariens factory paint on the chute displayed for comparison.


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## Beanhead (Oct 17, 2021)

Good work, The Ariens factory paint sure is expensive. I have an ariens zero turn mower as well as 24 SHO, so I have a can for touch up. I would not want to buy enough to paint a whole machine that's for sure. I like your work 👏


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

The first coat of paint, RUST-OLEUM, Husqvarna Orange.

I did not mask the factory original finish at all. It's nearly impossible to discern factory OEM paint from the rattle can shoot. Given the chute's finished surface use/abuse while in operation, I'll probably apply five or more coats of paint to the business face. The other areas can suffice with less.

The overlap of the chute/ring-gear will be paint-free and subject to corrosion. However, once the paint is dry, I'll lather the seam with used engine oil allowing it to puddle overnight and seep in. Then, the oil treatment will be followed up with grease pack and a heat gun to get as much protection in there as possible.











This is the nape-of-the-neck and where the OEM mounting/rotating tab was located. Once again, I did not mask the OEM painted surfaces.










The first coat of paint over the welded seam between the ring gear collar and the body of the chute.









The inside of the chute needed wire brushing and painting in the location of the removed nape-of-the-neck mounting bracket. The abrasive grinding disc removal caused the inside-the-chute paint to suffer excessive heat damage. Again, no masking of the OEM painted surfaces was done.


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## PhilThefarmer (Dec 21, 2020)

Ballroomblitz said:


> Interesting.....does long and skinny trump short with girth.....that seems to be the snow discharge chute ultimate question.
> 
> Maybe something in the middle where you get enough length and girth you get the best of both worlds!
> 
> Vertical discharge deflector to a cable push/pull setup with remote operation from the flight deck seems to be a good upgrade.....


look at toro 826 old style drum auger chute extension, there wide and tall, the pro of a shorter chute is there is less distance for the snow to exit the chute, very usefull with wet snow, the older chute also seems to give me more precision for close putting of the snow, the chute can articulate more., put taller chute can make it easier to clear obstacle, honestly I rather have the short chute on it


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I found the Allis Chalmers Orange to be great match....

Yeah, tall and large chutes can have pros and cons for each ... depends on your circumstances


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> depends on your circumstances, re: taller chute.


Absolutely! And those change. Which is _exactly_ why I kept the original stubby unmolested and turned to eBay for the subjects of my Frankenchute butchery! ;-)


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## PhilThefarmer (Dec 21, 2020)

I looked at the picture of the fully completed result, it looks good, but pls, close the 2 open part from the side at the base of it


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## PhilThefarmer (Dec 21, 2020)

here what I am talking about


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

The gap you're referring to is part of the Ariens original design. It's slightly more pronounced in my modification since I cut a wedge out of the back of the chute at the base so it would stand up in a more vertical orientation.

Once it gets used to throw some snow, we'll see whether or not remediation is necessary.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Russell Stephan said:


> The first coat of paint, RUST-OLEUM, Husqvarna Orange.
> 
> I did not mask the factory original finish at all. It's nearly impossible to discern factory OEM paint from the rattle can shoot. Given the chute's finished surface use/abuse while in operation, I'll probably apply five or more coats of paint to the business face. The other areas can suffice with less.
> 
> ...


I was welding a ring to a chute like this and paused quite a while considering whether to weld all around, like has been done here, or to retain the stitch welding detail as per the factory.
I kept the stitch weld, figuring it has something to do with that ring and chute able to continue turning at various ambient temperatures. Perhaps it reduces the stress on the saw-tooth part of the ring
I would be curious if you find it causes any problem with yours as time goes on. 
Nice Work. 
I'm also doubtful the length, etc. etc. honestly makes any difference, and have been cautioned as to any double or triple-entendere's by site administration. 
So in closing, the difference seems to matter more to those standing behind the chute, rather than those in front!😏


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

I'm surprised 15 people having attacked the OP over the open belt cover yet,


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

He commented he was going to run it like that .... i would not, but .....


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## PhilThefarmer (Dec 21, 2020)

ChrisJ said:


> I'm surprised 15 people having attacked the OP over the open belt cover yet,


I'm guessing he did not find a taller belt cover, because the engine seems to be sitting higher then the original, I guess that all he could do


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> I guess that all he could do


Joker: "And you didn't disappoint..."

There's only so many hours in the day and the to-do list is infinitely long. A custom belt guard or a cover modification of the current set-up is on that list.

And, it's bad luck to build more than one belt guard a year...


Salvaged curb-side water heater tank metal as the base stock for a belt guard on a Craftsman edger. The original guard was plastic which, of course, lasts all of the first ten minutes of use.









The small curved piece was formed in the mechanic's vise with a small hobbyist set of bending brake jaws -- many little bites of bends. The larger section was produced in the brake for the 20-ton press.










Test fit-up is about perfect!









170°F for eight hours should fully cure the various coats of paint.










Certainly a lot more durable than factory! Safety wire keeps the hose clamp tail from being a boor at the party. The world needs more safety wire.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

My plastic welded cover looks like crap, but it does seem to work.
Unfortunately I ended up in a very tight spot.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Oneacer said:


> He commented he was going to run it like that .... i would not, but .....


My Honda HS80 wouldn't run in the snow without the belt cover for more than a few minutes. Major slippage.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

FrankenChute and now FrankenCover. The world really does need a ton more safety wire...

The material is either polycarbonate or acrylic. I salvaged a dozen 48"x48" interior signage sheets from a Best Buy store refurbish over the summer. The stitching is stainless steel safety wire.

This should suffice until I get around to building one in metal... That is, if I ever get around to it now. This example will probably be more than functionally adequate for the remainder of the machine's service life.


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## Tony-chicago (Feb 10, 2021)

Well done.

For me I get a bit klumsy in old age and back. So I need a fail-safe, idiot-proof, dorkasaurous, cover. In case my sore back makes me rest/stabilize my hand on the machine by accident. Don't get me started on resting your weight on the muffler.....


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

Black spray paint and done .....


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Black spray paint and done .....


I shot FrankenChute with its second coat of Husqvarna Orange today. And while I was painting, I _did_ hit FrankenCover with flat black. I wire-wheeled the entire thing to help the paint stick to the plastic.

Certainly looks a lot less garish.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

People are too amazed at mine throwing snow to notice the colors.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

So, is stitching FrankenCover with safety wire a one-off? Nope!

A long while back the flywheel cover on the Chevy pickup truck was lost. A generic plastic replacement can be had on-the-cheap. But, installing a new one whole requires dropping the Y-pipe. Yeah, no...

I cut the cover in half, drilled some holes in it, and stitched it together in-place with safety wire. And it functioned perfectly for years.

Recently, I replaced the Y-pipe during a manifold-back exhaust installation. I used the opportunity to install another cheap uncarved flywheel cover.

Safety wire is some mighty handy stuff.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

LOL ... I have a couple rolls ..... does come in handy, but you do carry it to another level with the stitching ...


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> but you do carry it to another level with the stitching ...


There's a bit of forethought in the flywheel cover stitching. There isn't much clearance between the cover and the flywheel on the inside. As a matter of fact, you can kind of see the starter gearing through the larger center pre-existing drain hole at the cover's lowest point.

Obviously, I didn't want the flywheel spinning against the safety wire on the inside of the cover. So, the long-running front-to-back wire runs are all on the outside of the cover. The crossover passes are side-to-side and well off away from the spinning flywheel.

After I had it back in-place, I thought about the one-piece long-running single length of wire... If it breaks anywhere along its length, the cover will unravel...

I _should_ have stitched each four-hole rectangles separately so that if one of the boxes suffered a wire break, the whole thing wouldn't unravel.

Always be thinking, "Is there a way to do it better?"


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Oh, and since we're on the topic of safety wire, the stuff makes great hose clamp material. In the last couple of years I've replaced nearly three dozen hose clamps on rubber air lines to garden hoses and everything in between.

Wire clamps on garden hoses and air lines are especially handy since there's no clamp tail or worm gear bump to catch on stuff as the hose is dragged around. I have a number of super long air rubber air lines given to me by a roofer. The lines were damaged and repaired with hose clamps until the roofer discovered the hose clamps catch on every roofing shingle they're dragged over. The roofer goes, "You want `em for free? I can't use `em."

With the hose clamp repair unions replaced with wire clamps, the hoses drag over roofing shingles and through the grass as if a single length again.

My take on building a ClampTite clone wire clamping tool using turnbuckles:


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Russell Stephan said:


> since we're on the topic of safety wire


If you've ever raced on a track, you become quite adept at safety wire! And drilling holes in bolts and nuts...


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> If you've ever raced on a track, you become quite adept at safety
> wire! And drilling holes in bolts and nuts...


Extremely handy stuff!

The bolts I will be using for anchoring the 20 lb. front-end ballast plates will be drilled and looped with safety wire. I don't want that slab of 1/2" plate steel rattling off its mounts and coming in contact with a busy auger.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

Russell Stephan said:


> Extremely handy stuff!
> 
> The bolts I will be using for anchoring the 20 lb. front-end ballast plates will be drilled and looped with safety wire. I don't want that slab of 1/2" plate steel rattling off its mounts and coming in contact with a busy auger.



Mine are bolted on top of the housing and honestly if you torque bolts correctly there shouldn't be any rattling off.

I used lock washers on mine but even without then I doubt there would be an issue.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

FrankenCover with its one application of flat black. I will have to hit a couple of corners the next time the weather cooperates. A few areas did not get full coverage due to its hanging orientation.

Notice the peakablue at the lower right front top edge.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

An interesting taller chute modification found crawling the `net today.










The full link to the source photo is:



https://www.doityourself.com/forum/outdoor-gasoline-electric-powered-equipment-small-engines/518533-hi-all-ariens-st824s-question.html


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Painting of the modified chute complete. It's been polished out with buffing compound.

Now, the inside seam is lathered with used motor oil since there's no paint that could get down in there after the weld bead was applied to the outside. After a few more applications of motor oil, axle grease will be applied as a crack filler and helped along with a heat gun.


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## ChrisJ (Nov 27, 2014)

You're putting way too much effort into cosmetics.

My machine is 3.. no, 4 different colors now. You don't want to baby them too much.
Eve one of my rims is dark grey and the other light grey.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Taller chute metal seams packed with grease and installed. Now, if the coming blizzard dumps a butt ton of snow, we'll see how she performs!


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

The taller chute got a four hour workout today. Paired with wipers on all four impeller paddles, it was a volume and distance tossing wonder!

One little issue, however... My straight up repositioning of the chute works everywhere except with it directed full right. The cupped end of the impeller paddles blast some ejecta not captured by the side of the chute. It isn't much compared to the main discharge stream. And, it mostly goes straight up with a little zeroed in on the operator. But, if the wind is blowing in the right direction, it's quite the dusting.

The machine is equipped with close-tolerance wipers. Clogging will never be an issue. To mitigate the ejecta, I'll probably fabricate a 4" to 6" enclosure skirt at the base of the chute. Rather than weld it in-place, I will probable use round head square shank bolts.

EDIT ADDITION: Come to think of it... I can utilize the old stubby chute body! It gave up its base geared ring already. Might as well use the already-rounded metal for the skirt!

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Four hours at sub-zero temperatures. And the only reason I paused was because a shear pin failed on the auger due to a neighbor with more potholes than driveway.

Ice clumps in my hair and white snow for a necktie.










The knit hat is more hard frozen helmet at this point. Oddly, I wasn't all that uncomfortable.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

I have had three different height chutes on my 1971. The original... 11", the 15"(?) from the 8/24's and the 23" from a 12/36's. The chute assembly in the photo is the 23" on the bottom with the original chute cut to fit on top... just to help steer the snow direction better. Does it work... I guess so... But I do not... believe the 23" gives the best distance.... I think the 15"(?) does. It just seems to have the correct angle for distance. But there is another area to think about when doing all of these launching chute projects. Height is also very important... at least in my situation it is. I needed help with height to help get snow over and on top of snow banks because of lack of area. This is why I decided to stay with the 23" chute with the extension. If I had a normal and easy property to clear, I would have the 13" chute on. A problem with the 23" chute... is the depth of material on the lower bottom third where the stubby chutes had more body depth. This lack of depth causes blow back to the operators face. This is reason I have bellows on each side of mine. When I turn to either the right or left side... these stop the snow from blowing in to my face. Also... with the sprocket type turning assembly, it makes turning the chute so... much quicker. Three and three quarter turns(?) compared to 17(?) with the worm style assembly. The sprocket type also allows the turning degree of the chute to be a little further on each side which unfortunately... contributes the snow being thrown in to your face problem. Just my two cents...


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Height is also very important... at least in my situation it is. I needed help with
> height to help get snow over and on top of snow banks because of lack of area.
> This is why I decided to stay with the 23" chute with the extension.


I concur.

Today, the wind was blowing rather strongly. With height, I could launch fluffy snow over cars, fences, and even garages.

So far, I like the longer chute! I'll like it even more with the planned skirt or side guards like your example.


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## Auger1 (Dec 4, 2020)

Kielbasa said:


> View attachment 205628
> 
> I have had three different height chutes on my 1971. The original... 11", the 15"(?) from the 8/24's and the 23" from a 12/36's. The chute assembly in the photo is the 23" on the bottom with the original chute cut to fit on top... just to help steer the snow direction better. Does it work... I guess so... But I do not... believe the 23" gives the best distance.... I think the 15"(?) does. It just seems to have the correct angle for distance. But there is another area to think about when doing all of these launching chute projects. Height is also very important... at least in my situation it is. I needed help with height to help get snow over and on top of snow banks because of lack of area. This is why I decided to stay with the 23" chute with the extension. If I had a normal and easy property to clear, I would have the 13" chute on. A problem with the 23" chute... is the depth of material on the lower bottom third where the stubby chutes had more body depth. This lack of depth causes blow back to the operators face. This is reason I have bellows on each side of mine.  When I turn to either the right or left side... these stop the snow from blowing in to my face. Also... with the sprocket type turning assembly, it makes turning the chute so... much quicker. Three and three quarter turns(?) compared to 17(?) with the worm style assembly. The sprocket type also allows the turning degree of the chute to be a little further on each side which unfortunately... contributes the snow being thrown in to your face problem. Just my two cents...


Nice work on that old Ariens, I am impressed with it. One thing I found when messing with chutes is it seems like I take one step forward and end up two steps back. Seems there's a fine art to making a machine throw snow further.


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

Kielbasa said:


> View attachment 205628
> 
> I have had three different height chutes on my 1971. The original... 11", the 15"(?) from the 8/24's and the 23" from a 12/36's. The chute assembly in the photo is the 23" on the bottom with the original chute cut to fit on top... just to help steer the snow direction better. Does it work... I guess so... But I do not... believe the 23" gives the best distance.... I think the 15"(?) does. It just seems to have the correct angle for distance. But there is another area to think about when doing all of these launching chute projects. Height is also very important... at least in my situation it is. I needed help with height to help get snow over and on top of snow banks because of lack of area. This is why I decided to stay with the 23" chute with the extension. If I had a normal and easy property to clear, I would have the 13" chute on. A problem with the 23" chute... is the depth of material on the lower bottom third where the stubby chutes had more body depth. This lack of depth causes blow back to the operators face. This is reason I have bellows on each side of mine. When I turn to either the right or left side... these stop the snow from blowing in to my face. Also... with the sprocket type turning assembly, it makes turning the chute so... much quicker. Three and three quarter turns(?) compared to 17(?) with the worm style assembly. The sprocket type also allows the turning degree of the chute to be a little further on each side which unfortunately... contributes the snow being thrown in to your face problem. Just my two cents...


Nice looking retromod👍.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Another nice benefit of the taller chute which I did not anticipate... I can reach to change the discharge pitch without leaving the operator controls. Granted, I've got quite the wingspan naturally so your mileage may vary.

Still, it's a nice little treat!


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

JJG723 said:


> Nice looking retromod👍.


Thank JJG723. All this machine has had done do it are modifications that make operating it a lot easier. I know the look of the chute isn't the most attractive, but I'm constantly rolling ideas around in my head to improve that.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Gee, I wonder why the shear pin did its job? The chunk of concrete is wedged in there solid.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Shear pin replaced and chunk of concrete extracted. While in there I used the pneumatic grease gun to shoot some goo to the auger shaft.

Somehow or another, I think this section of 6" diameter sewer PVC in the photo is going to solve my ejecta issue...

It's so nice when those find-on-the-side-of-the-road scores end up being useful!


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

But, before we go at the PVC solution, let's do some operational testing runs with Vinyl flashing?


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

I think temperatures are near 40°F today. It certainly feels tropical compared to the last half a week or so. There's no snow on pavement or concrete. But, I did run the Vinyl guarded chute through a whole bunch of shoveled piles on the sides of driveways. The snow is the consistency of dense wet ice ball snowball packing... The wiper-equipped impeller with the taller chute handled it without so much as a hiccup. 95% of the ejecta problem has been remedied. There was a bit of spayed mist due to the wet of the snow. And, for a full-stop right deployment of the chute, laminar flow of the whole stream is just not as smooth as other directions.

In short, the enclosed skirt seems to work.

Now, to cut up the sewer PVC pipe and form it with the heat gun.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

50°F, it got up to 50°F today.

I wasn't planning on completing the PVC sewer line chute skirt. But, once one gets on a roll in the shop, it's rather hard to stop. This is especially true when things are working out.

The top of the photo is actually for the base of the chute. The stand-offs on each side keep the skirt sitting high enough off the geared ring base. The cutout is so the chute direction worm gear has room.

I have no idea of what the venturi effect will do with that gap at the base -- help, hinder, or wash.











A better view of the cutout for the worm gear clearance.










With the skirt in-place demonstrating the one side stand-off and the notch for the worm gear.









The other side's stand-off and the worm gear notch again.









Holding the skirt in-place with a bungie cord, checking on fit and various clearances.

I'll mount a couple of retaining strap rings or such at the upper and lower sections of the skirt. Then, two Velcro straps of medium duty will keep the skirt in-place.

The forming of the PVC was done with a heat gun. Pressing force was supplied by the 20-ton press squeezing the softened plastic between a couple of 2x4's.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

Here's a video of the ejecta problem... Fast forward to 3:22. Notice that slight secondary rooster tail? The operator corrects the issue rather quickly with a little left input to the discharge chute from full-stop right.

The cause of the ejecta? It's the base "L" of the paddle. It bats snow and other crud, not up-and-out but up-and-back.


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## harry398 (Jun 22, 2021)

Russell.
good luck with experiment your doing, but i will tell you...that sorta stovepipe thing....I think the honda's tried something like that...but alot less and shorter...and got alot of clogging.

I do like Kielbasa's side extentions..could make a cheap experiment with screwing a cut long piece from a mudflap and see how that affects the flow of snow...


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## harry398 (Jun 22, 2021)

Kielbasa said:


> View attachment 205628
> 
> I have had three different height chutes on my 1971. The original... 11", the 15"(?) from the 8/24's and the 23" from a 12/36's. The chute assembly in the photo is the 23" on the bottom with the original chute cut to fit on top... just to help steer the snow direction better. Does it work... I guess so... But I do not... believe the 23" gives the best distance.... I think the 15"(?) does. It just seems to have the correct angle for distance. But there is another area to think about when doing all of these launching chute projects. Height is also very important... at least in my situation it is. I needed help with height to help get snow over and on top of snow banks because of lack of area. This is why I decided to stay with the 23" chute with the extension. If I had a normal and easy property to clear, I would have the 13" chute on. A problem with the 23" chute... is the depth of material on the lower bottom third where the stubby chutes had more body depth. This lack of depth causes blow back to the operators face. This is reason I have bellows on each side of mine. When I turn to either the right or left side... these stop the snow from blowing in to my face. Also... with the sprocket type turning assembly, it makes turning the chute so... much quicker. Three and three quarter turns(?) compared to 17(?) with the worm style assembly. The sprocket type also allows the turning degree of the chute to be a little further on each side which unfortunately... contributes the snow being thrown in to your face problem. Just my two cents...



you have a good looking machine there mr K. color matching drift breakers- and ariens panel... and super polished handlebars....

I like that side ext. on the chute.......sure looks like that keeps the dusty stuff a little less to ya........


what is that, your basement? how do you get the machine out? not those steps......i hope...


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> good luck with experiment your doing, but i will tell you...that sorta stovepipe thing...
> I think the honda's tried something like that...but alot less and shorter...and got alot
> of clogging.


There's almost zero snow that comes to the front of the chute. The "stovepipe" thing is only to get the "L" paddle ejecta to go up and out rather than back at the operator during full-stop right position of the discharge chute.

Clogging? I have yet to hear of a properly wipered blower clogging. Plus, as mentioned above, I ran it today with the Vinyl mock-up model in serious wet and sloppy piles.

But, if I have issues, I'll certainly continue to report them.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

harry398 said:


> you have a good looking machine there mr K. color matching drift breakers- and ariens panel... and super polished handlebars....
> 
> I like that side ext. on the chute.......sure looks like that keeps the dusty stuff a little less to ya........
> 
> ...


Hello Harry398, thank you very much for the compliment. I am a kitchen cabinet and counter top designer and installer, so I used solid surface material to design the dashboard and drift bars. The dashboard is 1/2" thickness where the drift bars were laminated to 1". I really never need the drift bars, but I made them incase I ever did. They basically serve me as a guard... so to speak where they keep away from getting too close to the augers. The handle bars are chromed and get a polishing or waxing ever year. I know the chute looks a bit choppy looking, but I do have a few ideas on how to redesign all of that, but whether I get to it, who knows. As far as where the machine is, yes it is stored in the basement. We don't use those stairs, but we have to use the hatchway (pretty damn high rise) cement stairs. Every season, up and down those stairs. 🤬 And yes... a real back breaker. But decades ago, I made custom planks to help... get her up and down a bit easier. Not a 100% fix, but it does cut down on the back breaking job.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> Four hours at sub-zero temperatures. And the only reason I paused was because a shear
> pin failed on the auger due to a neighbor with more potholes than driveway.


I counted up the driveways I cleared during the 2022 Christmas storm -- 42.


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## harry398 (Jun 22, 2021)

thats reliable then Russell.

you should be proud of your work.


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

> thats reliable then Russell.


The machine and modifications seem to be coming along nicely.




> you should be proud of your work.


As I tell the neighbors that gawk in wonder and ask why? "I'm just a big kid playing with his Tonka toys!"


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## Russell Stephan (Feb 9, 2021)

The Velco straps arrived via Amazon this evening. The ejecta skirt is now solidly in-place. It can easily be removed quickly if necessary. Although, with a proper impeller wiper installation, clogging is exceedingly unlikely.

Now, to come up with a paint scheme.


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