# Platinum 24 - Stuck in gear, no reverse, shift fork disengaged (Solved)



## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

I made a thread a couple months ago regarding multiple issues with my first Platinum 24 (shredded belt, misaligned pulley assemblies, bent housing, etc) I had that machine replaced with a new P24.

Fast forward to the new P24's second use, and here I am with a machine that is stuck in the highest speed setting. Everything was working fine for about 30min. Then, in order to clear up some leftover rows of snow, I shifted into the 2nd highest speed setting and the rest was history. Won't shift into an other speed, won't shift into reverse.

I disconnected the hairpin at the end of the shift rod...the speed selector lever (L-shaped rod going into the housing) moves freely, no resistance at all. Any ideas what the problem could be?


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Just wanted to update the thread for the next person that comes along with this problem. Apparently, if the shift rod is not properly adjusted, there is a greater chance of completely disengaging the shift fork from the friction wheel carrier inside the housing. When this happens, you will find the two washers (as described later in the thread) sitting in the bottom of the housing.

Here is a general outline of the steps to fix this:
1) tip the unit up into the service position so it it resting on the front of the auger housing
2) remove the six bolts holding the lower face-plate of the housing
3) find the shift fork that is gold in color that is attached to the L-shaped shift rod on the outside of the housing #3
4) find the friction disc (smaller of the 2 discs inside the housing) that is attached to a carrier which slides left and right on a hex shaft #1
5) find the two loose washers; one will be a typical round washer #60, the other will be a square washer with a lip and small tab #46
6) the washers need to be placed on the posts coming off of each end of the friction wheel carrier #1 (follow the diagram very carefully to get the orientation correct)
7) slide the carrier back into the shift fork with the washers installed between the carrier posts and the shift fork (this was the tricky part)
8) Finally, to help prevent this from happening again, check the travel of the shift fork when moving the speed selector control from reverse to the highest speed setting. If the adjustment is off, the shift fork will lose the carrier and the unit will be stuck in one speed again. The travel can be adjusted by removing the hair pin #13 (second image) on the shift rod #9 (second image) and spinning the pivot #4 (second image) on the bottom of the shift rod either up or down.
9) Test everything to make sure reverse and the slowest forward speed work properly.

Note: To adjust the shift rod travel, the manual says to remove the hair pin and disconnect the rod from the shift lever, and then push the shift lever all the way down until it won't go an further (this puts the rod at the highest speed setting). Then, spin the bottom of the rod until it is aligned with the opening of the shift lever.....I didn't like how things were set up when following that procedure. 

It looks like the only way you can disengage the fork and lose the washers is if it shifts too far into the highest speed setting. What's worse is that there is actually a notch BEYOND the highest speed setting on the control that is very easy to accidently shift into, same thing goes for the reverse. There is an additionally notch beyond the reverse speed. Not sure why Ariens did that. So I followed the recommended procedure, but then backed off a few millimeters before setting the shift rod into place. Looking at the mechanism inside the housing, things look much more stable and and don't see home the washers could fall off, even if I do "overshift" into those pesky notches at the high speed and reverse settings.

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Another update 2/12/14-
I think I discovered the real problem causing the issue...

It happened twice more today in a 45min period. F-bombs were plentiful.

I started to re-think the cause and noticed that my shift fork looked ever so slightly bent. At first I couldn't see how this could make such a drastic difference considering it was actually quite difficult to disengage the fork/washers once things were put back together. Then I realized there was actually quite a bit of travel in the shift rod going into the housing...it was moving in/out of the housing by about 5-7mm. I didn't notice this at first because in the service position, gravity keeps the shift lever/rod hanging into the housing (towards the front of the machine). When I lifted (pulled) the rod out and away from the housing, the fork moved the 5-7mm and nearly lifted completely off the top of the square washer #46. This was the ONLY way I could get the washers to fall out and disengage without physically pulling them out.

So, after squeezing/bending the fork together a bit, there is nearly no travel when trying to pull the shift lever/rod out of the housing, thus keep the fork securely seated on the washers. Moral of the story, if your sift fork keeps disengaging, check to see that your fork isn't bent and resulting in a loose fit.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

With luck something is frozen and normal operation will only require a thaw, either natural or artificial.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

scipper77 said:


> *With luck* something is frozen and normal operation will only require a thaw, either natural or artificial.



I have no such thing. 

I really don't think anything is frozen. It feels as though the shift lever has nothing connected to it on the inside of the housing.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

Have you tried redoing the speed selector adjustment?


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

Did you change speed while the drive was engaged?


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

scipper77 said:


> Did you change speed while the drive was engaged?


I did change the speed with drive engaged. I believe it states somewhere in the manual that this is acceptable, but shifting from forward drive to reverse with stopping is not recommended.

I just opened up the bottom of the housing and found that the shift fork has become disengaged from the friction wheel carrier. On the bottom I found a round washer (#60), and a square shaped washer with a notch (#46), as seen in the parts diagram here: http://apache.ariens.com/manuals/04585200.PDF

I can't seem to figure out how these stay in place. There is nothing on the ends to prevent them from falling off. Are they just supposed to sit between the friction wheel carrier and the shift fork??? And which wash goes on top, which on bottom? From the image, it looks like the two ends are horizontal, but in real-life, there is a top and bottom rod on the friction wheel carrier.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

Fixed and updated...ready for more snow.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

I have the notch on top for speed. I use it and the machine really moves fast. I thought it was like a transport warp speed.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

docfletcher said:


> I have the notch on top for speed. I use it and the machine really moves fast. I thought it was like a transport warp speed.


I tested the speed to see if it was actually faster in the "fast" notch vs the "warp speed" notch...no difference for me. I might try and find a way to block off that highest notch (as well as the notch below reverse) because I don't want that fork coming loose ever again. After watching me essentially running up and down the driveway with the machine stuck in warp speed, I came inside to my wife recording a video and laughing hysterically. I'm sure at least one of my neighbors were doing the same.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

I just looked at the pro 28 and the highest notch is actually 6th gear. No other notch above that. There is no notch below the 2 notch's used for reverse. So maybe my dash is laid out a little different than yours?


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

On my Pro 32 I use my fastest gear all the time while blowing. I also use my fastest reverse gear. My blower has retainers which keep the friction wheel from going too far and I have my gear selector adjusted so that I bump these when I go into the fastest forward and reverse gears to maximize the speed of the blower. See below for a photo of my Pro 32 where you can see the retainers.


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

docfletcher said:


> I just looked at the pro 28 and the highest notch is actually 6th gear. No other notch above that. There is no notch below the 2 notch's used for reverse. So maybe my dash is laid out a little different than yours?



I agree....same with my Pro 32 Although I added another notch below, what was, the 1st notch, so technically I have 7 forwards speeds now with the one I added giving me an slower gear from what was stock.

Here's my dash with the additional forward gear:


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

Ok, I stand corrected....there are indeed 2 reverse gears and 6 forward gears according to the manual. I assumed the upper and lower most notches weren't actual speed settings because I didn't notice any change in those settings. Regardless, my particular setup is likely to benefit by backing off the shift rod as the washers were sitting very close to the edge of the fork at setting #6.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

"What do you mean backing off the shift rod" Do you mean not using the 6th speed for fear off a detrimental effect on the fork like it slipping off again?

JR, you mean you simply cut another notch to gain an extra speed, in this case a slower speed? Oh wow man, just today I was wishing I had a slower speed so I could employ a little finesse on some of the more problematic, precarious sections of driveway. 

I can see how the wheel moving to far could slip off the fork. the retainers you write about appear to be welds around the hex shaft. Did you put them on or are they factory?


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

docfletcher said:


> JR, you mean you simply cut another notch to gain an extra speed, in this case a slower speed? Oh wow man, just today I was wishing I had a slower speed so I could employ a little finesse on some of the more problematic, precarious sections of driveway.
> 
> I can see how the wheel moving to far could slip off the fork. the retainers you write about appear to be welds around the hex shaft. Did you put them on or are they factory?


Yep, I gained a another speed by using my die grinder to cut another notch in the panel. I then painted it black. It's slower than stock's slowest speed and is probably what you're looking for.

Those retainers are stock, you have them too. They are just little clips that clip through holes in the shaft. I also think the OP has them too.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

docfletcher said:


> "What do you mean backing off the shift rod" Do you mean not using the 6th speed for fear off a detrimental effect on the fork like it slipping off again?


I have the shift rod set up so that when in speed setting 6, the friction wheel carrier still hasn't traveled entirely to its farthest position. This was done by adjusting the pivot nut (#4 in second diagram). Comparing the two setups, I can see how the shift fork and washers slid out of place when in the fastest speed. After the slight adjustment, the washers remain well seated at all speeds.


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## JRHAWK9 (Jan 6, 2013)

TheHolyCannoli said:


> I have the shift rod set up so that when in speed setting 6, the friction wheel carrier still hasn't traveled entirely to its farthest position. This was done by adjusting the pivot nut (#4 in second diagram). Comparing the two setups, I can see how the shift fork and washers slid out of place when in the fastest speed. After the slight adjustment, the washers remain well seated at all speeds.


Interesting, as I adjusted mine to get maximum speed in both forward and reverse. You can just very faintly hear the friction wheel "touch" the two retainer clips at both extremes. Like I said, I use my 6th gear a lot and it has stayed put so far.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

Well, this has been a education of sorts. It is very good information  

Cannoli, sounds like the fix is in for you. 

JR, I think your extra low speed is very crafty. I can't imagine why Ariens did not incorporate it.


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## scipper77 (Dec 4, 2013)

docfletcher said:


> Well, this has been a education of sorts. It is very good information
> 
> Cannoli, sounds like the fix is in for you.
> 
> JR, I think your extra low speed is very crafty. I can't imagine why Ariens did not incorporate it.


My guess it that when you are close to the center of the friction plate the wheel gets chewed up fast from the fact that the plate is rotating and not linear. Think of it this way... If you engaged the wheel dead center in the plate there would be plenty of friction but in theory the wheel wouldn't spin at all. As you approach the center the ratio of wear to driven speed increases exponentially with the ratio being infinity at the center point.


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

Well, it happened twice more today in a 45min period. F-bombs were plentiful.

I started to re-think the cause and noticed that my shift fork looked ever so slightly bent. At first I couldn't see how this could make such a drastic difference considering it was actually quite difficult to disengage the fork/washers once things were put back together. Then I realized there was actually quite a bit of travel in the shift rod going into the housing...it was moving in/out of the housing by about 5-7mm. I didn't notice this at first because in the service position, gravity keeps the shift lever/rod hanging into the housing (towards the front of the machine). When I lifted (pulled) the rod out and away from the housing, the fork moved the 5-7mm and nearly lifted completely off the top of the square washer #46. This was the ONLY way I could get the washers to fall out and disengage without physically pulling them out.

So, after squeezing/bending the fork together a bit, there is nearly no travel when trying to pull the shift lever/rod out of the housing, thus keep the fork securely seated on the washers. Moral of the story, if your sift fork keeps disengaging, check to see that your fork isn't bent and resulting in a loose fit.


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## docfletcher (Nov 28, 2013)

Well, it's nice to hear you have a handle on the problem and have most likely put it to bed.


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## midgetracer2222 (Feb 15, 2014)

TheHolyCannoli said:


> Well, it happened twice more today in a 45min period. F-bombs were plentiful.
> 
> I started to re-think the cause and noticed that my shift fork looked ever so slightly bent. At first I couldn't see how this could make such a drastic difference considering it was actually quite difficult to disengage the fork/washers once things were put back together. Then I realized there was actually quite a bit of travel in the shift rod going into the housing...it was moving in/out of the housing by about 5-7mm. I didn't notice this at first because in the service position, gravity keeps the shift lever/rod hanging into the housing (towards the front of the machine). When I lifted (pulled) the rod out and away from the housing, the fork moved the 5-7mm and nearly lifted completely off the top of the square washer #46. This was the ONLY way I could get the washers to fall out and disengage without physically pulling them out.
> 
> So, after squeezing/bending the fork together a bit, there is nearly no travel when trying to pull the shift lever/rod out of the housing, thus keep the fork securely seated on the washers. Moral of the story, if your sift fork keeps disengaging, check to see that your fork isn't bent and resulting in a loose fit.


I am having the same problem with my 824. After getting the drive disc carrier back in to the shifter forks, I would start it up and it would work for a brief period then the machine would start going in reverse regardless of what forward gear I would put it in. I noticed the shifter rod would move in and out a good bit where it went into the housing and the other end of the rod by the shifter forks had come out of the tab that it rests in. On my shifter rod, between the tab it goes through on the outside of the back of the machine and the housing cover, I noticed a small plastic bushing. I looked at a parts schematic and it appears that there should be a shoulder bushing there. If that is the case, then the shoulder broke off of this bushing and is allowing the shifter rod to back out, therefore allowing the drive disc carrier to disengage from the shifter forks. As a temporary fix, after putting the rod back into the tab and again getting the drive disc carrier back in to the shifter forks, I placed a hose clamp around the shifter rod between the tab on the back of the machine and the sheetmetal housing on the back of the machine. It is keeping the rod from backing out so I could finish removing snow. I ordered the new shoulder bushing. Could someone post a picture of where the shifter rod goes into the back of the housing so I can see the correct orientation of the bushing when I go to install it?
Thank you


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## blowngt (Feb 16, 2014)

was this unit bought at a dealer or home depot if you dont mind me asking


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## TheHolyCannoli (Nov 19, 2013)

blowngt said:


> was this unit bought at a dealer or home depot if you dont mind me asking


If you were asking me, I purchased online from Home Depot, however, it was assembled and delivered by the local Ariens authorized dealer/service center.


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## mikestorm (Nov 27, 2014)

Just wanted to thank the OP (TheHolyCannoli) for his very thorough instructions. My Platinum 30 had the exact same problem this morning (Thanksgiving morning!). Stuck in high gear/forward. Turning the machine off and manually pushing forward while slightly elevating the blower housing, I could hear something rattling around inside the gear housing.

Bear in mind this was a brand new thrower. Had less than *15 minutes of use* before the problem occurred (reverse did work for the first few runs up/down the driveway). Googling eventually led me here. Due to the OPs instructions, the entire affair took 15 minutes, start to finish, to rectify.

I noticed the fork was a bit bent as well. I bent it back, so we'll see.


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## renokevin (Jan 4, 2015)

*Thank you*

Thank you very much for taking the time to post the issue and fix for this problem. Happened to me yesterday afternoon and was able to fix today with minimal issues due to the detailed instructions. You saved me a lot of time and headache - thanks again.

Kevin


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## eddie1976 (Dec 21, 2014)

I just got an Ariens and I'm glad this thread is available. You never know when you will need it as a few have found out.


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## DrPaul84 (Feb 1, 2015)

Just had this happen to mine after using it twice, glad to find this thread as i would have been lost without it! Funny that its exactly as you described with those 2 washers just laying loose. Also one of my forks was bent so i bent it back into place. used the machine this morning and was glad to be able to go slowly, and also in reverse  . Thanks again


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## Ccharette (Feb 3, 2015)

My 921035 starting doing this today, luckily I had just finished the driveway. I put it in fast reverse, which I never had tried prior to today and that was the end of reverse. The machine jumped forward and now is stuck in fast forward only. Very disappointed, only 14 months old, only used a few times. I just gave away my older Ariens, that was a mistake.


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## Ccharette (Feb 3, 2015)

Thanks for the diagram. I put it back together, like you said a little tricky but its done. I can not believe that something like this would happen to such a new machine. I am disappointed in the craftsmanship, been an Ariens owner for at least 20 years and never would have imagined that this would happen.


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## Kr4sh (Dec 30, 2015)

Extremely frustrating. I'm facing this exact issue. I just used my Deluxe 28 for the first time today and noticed that I was only able to operate at the fastest speed with no reverse. I opened the case and the round & square washers were laying at the bottom. My shift fork appears to have an arm that is slightly bent. The edges of the fork are also a little chewed up.

I can't make heads or tails of the stupid parts diagram to figure out if the square washer goes on the top or the bottom. Does the little tab face towards the open part of the fork? Or towards the inside of the fork?

I currently have the square washer on the bottom fork with the tab facing outward towards the open part of the fork. Does this look correct? This must be wrong because it seems like two round washers would serve the same purpose with the way that I have it setup.

Weird that the top / bottom forks aren't symmetrical.

Any info would be really appreciated.


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## Kr4sh (Dec 30, 2015)

Kr4sh said:


> Extremely frustrating. I'm facing this exact issue. I just used my Deluxe 28 for the first time today and noticed that I was only able to operate at the fastest speed with no reverse. I opened the case and the round & square washers were laying at the bottom. My shift fork appears to have an arm that is slightly bent. The edges of the fork are also a little chewed up.
> 
> I can't make heads or tails of the stupid parts diagram to figure out if the square washer goes on the top or the bottom. Does the little tab face towards the open part of the fork? Or towards the inside of the fork?
> 
> ...


:wavetowel2: Solved this. Just wanted to follow up for the next person with this issue. I spoke with someone at Ariens and was told that the round washer goes on the bottom fork and the square washer goes on the top fork with the tab facing the inside of the fork. Refer to the attached photos to understand what I mean by top/bottom.

The root cause of this issue was one of the arms on my shift fork being slightly bent up. I bent the fork arm back into place and slightly bent the top and bottom forks to make a more tight fit when attached to the bearing on the main shaft. There should be no movement when attempting to pull the shifter shaft straight out of the housing (previously there was a few mm of slop). Before bending the fork, turning the shifter shaft to the extreme bottom would result in the washers falling off. After bending the fork I can move the shifter shaft to the extremes and the washers stay in place.

My machine is a Deluxe 28 purchased in 2015. Attached photos show the fixed fork with washers in place.


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## sony1998 (Dec 18, 2014)

I'm not familiar enough with the site rules but does anyone thing this should be a sticky???? Seems to be a problem on not just one machine but on this thread alone 5 machines. Should Mary/Ariens chime in on this with s fix??? Just a few thoughts. Mark


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## mever (Feb 3, 2016)

My 20 year old is ": stuck" with this same problem/. These pictures will be helpful when I open it up. At this point the shifter lever on the dash wont move at all, stuck in fastest forward gear. No reverse . And I've been using daily this winter. Hope this solves it, but when I was in there the other day I didnt see the washers, but I wasnt looking either. If the washers are in place, what else should I look for? Should I disengage the shift rod from the back first and see if that matters?


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## mever (Feb 3, 2016)

*No Joy*

Opened it up, no loose washers and on the forks as far as I could see. Tried tapping the friction wheel and is carrier lightly with wood block and rubber mallet after disengaging the connecting rod to the console /dash . Tried moving it by hand. Tried cussing. Even ignored it for a minute but its just jammed in there. 
Model 932-026 ST 524
SN 010189 About 25 years old? Runs great but stuck in high gear, real high. ( Outside edge of drive wheel contact point of friction wheel. Only thing I can think of is i cannot see a stop tab on the friction wheel axis outside edge, maybe F wheel jumped it and is jammed on it? Dont want to go that far in dismantling the friction wheel dead winter here in UTAH, but I guess its that, the shop, or running w it. Literally!
Anybody watch this thread that can help still?


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## DonPal (Dec 18, 2016)

Just experienced similar stuck in gear action on an 11 year old 28 inch 926 series model but it's worse than any above experienced because the Shifter fork welds at the Speed Selector Lever connection failed and the Shifter fork and washers dropped out.
The warning is that it was caused by a mouse that built a huge nest filling the cavity which included shreds of plastic. In addition trapped moisture from the mouse excretions rusted the surfaces preventing smooth movement of the friction disc across the shaft when shifting gears. The extra friction was bending the fork to the point the welds failed in fatigue.

Looking to either replace the lever/fork weldment or get access to reweld it in the correct position. Anyone with experience doing one or the other repair?

ps; the supplied pictures were very helpful since I had broken parts and could only see how things were suppose to be from the pictures.
pss:I have only been a member for a few minutes


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