# Three Decade Hybrid Ariens



## stanz (Mar 17, 2015)

I'm sure I'm not the only one to build something like this, but here goes:

It all started when I was looking for snow blowers to fix and resell because my wife lost her job. I responded to an ad on Craigslist for an Ariens that needed an engine. The seller wanted too much but he asked me if I had an aluminum gear case for an 824. I asked why he didn't just bolt a 60s bucket on the tractor and be done worrying about the gear case. He said that it couldn't be done! "I have 12 years experience as a small engine technician and I know what I'm talking about!" His words, not mine. 

Really? I thought ... I put the idea on the back burner and went on collecting blowers when I came upon a 1979 924040, big wheeled tractor. The gear case had split due to the PO hitting a rock. Nice, I wanted a big wheeled tractor and this one came with an 8HP Tecumseh!

Next I acquired a 1963 first series Sno-Thro with an engine that hardly ran, two bad tires, and a jammed up transmission. It was all coming together.

I pulled the blower section off the 79 and remove the pulley and pulley mount. I pulled the blower of the 63 and removed the Lovejoy, that was tough. Then I mounted the pulley from the 1979 on it and it fit perfectly. (see first picture)

The next thing I had to do was decide which chute assembly to use. The 63 style would require drilling two holes in the tractor for the control mount. The 78 style would require installing the 79 bracket onto the 63 blower section. I decided to use the later style and welded the bracket from the busted 78 blower section. 
(Picture two shows a test fit, it works fine.)

The belts lined up perfectly after adjusting the pulley a bit. You'll notice there's no engine. The 1978 8HP Tecumseh was weak and wouldn't maintain higher RPMs, even with a new carburetor.
(Picture three shows the view from above.

That's two decades so far, 1960s and 1970s. I was going to mount a brand new Predator engine. I went as far as removing the bolts from the 8HP Tecumseh and opening up the holes for the 5HP, already in place on the tractor, just painted over. I stumbled onto a 1987 Briggs while buying two more Ariens. Since it ran good I changed my plan and decided to go with the old iron.

Doh!  The Briggs holes aren't even close to lining up with the Tecumseh ones. As you can see in picture four, the engine is actually a bit wider than the mounting platform. No big deal for me, I simply made a template and drilled new mounting holes. I've done this before when a replaced the Tecumseh on my Snapper 10301 with a Chonda 15HP engine. I've also done this to tractors so I'm pretty good at transferring the holes and having it all line up.

The last picture shows the engine sitting on the tractor from the side. It's not bolted in the picture but it is secured now.

I have one last problem to solve: the pulley I bought on ebay isn't quite 1", it's .985 so it won't slide onto the engine. Either I have to ream it out or find another pulley because the Briggs shaft is exactly 1".

The next update will be when I get it running with new belts.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

you've got a bit of time in on this project but it looks like its coming together, oh what hp is the briggs motor


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

The key to mount 10m bucket to a 924000 series is to get the keyed shaft pre 65 gearbox bucket from a 10000 as opposed to the later spline shaft 10000 boxes...This way you can use the cheap input shaft hubs to mount different sized pulleys. The shaft hubs are available in 3/4, 7/8, and 1", I believe...from there the rest is just logistics


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## HillnGullyRider (Feb 9, 2014)

Here is another little fun fact: The mounting width for full sized framed blower bucket tab weldments* is the same for all full sized series, from 10M right through 926000. The thing that changes is the upper weldments height and angle. But if you are a handy fabricator you could transfer early to late or late to early.

*- There are just a few exceptions; the 932104 and 105 use full sized buckets but the weldments are for a compact series width, and there may be a few others. So clearly you are not the first with this mix and match idea, Ariens themselves have played this game before.


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## stanz (Mar 17, 2015)

Briggs is an 8hp. I pulled the pulley off the Tecumseh and it slid right on. Two trips to Napa to get the right belts. No chance to test yet, I had other stuff to do.


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## Blue Hill (Mar 31, 2013)

Nice project Stanz. I always like a guy whose trigger is someone telling him it can't be done. 

So, do we call you Dr. Arienstein from here on out?


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## stanz (Mar 17, 2015)

Dr. Arienstein is done, It's Alive!

I had a few minutes to button up all the last details and fire it up. All of the controls from the 1979 tractor work, the throttle cable was too short but I had a spare from a 10000 series handlebar setup. I drilled out the rivets, enlarged the holes and it works like the stock control. 

The chute control was a little tricky to get lined up, I welded the bracket on 1/8" too low, a washer took care of that. Ignition key hooked up just like the stock motor.

Once I remembered I had installed the key, it started right up. One issue with the 1962 blower section is that it turns so easy that even with the belt flopping around it turns a bit. The belt guides didn't help, I hope it slips easier once the belt is broken in.

The original belt cover has a Russian fit, it's Godunuv. The belts are hidden from fingers. I'm leaving the rake exposed even though I have the side covers and front bar. I find it eats into packed snow easier this way.

I still need to tie wrap the cables to the handlebar, but that's about it. With the exception of the two different oranges it looks stock. Final pics below along with an action shot (first pic). I dug into one of my plow packed snow banks at work, no problem, and it throws PLENTY far enough.


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## stanz (Mar 17, 2015)

This is the current state of the build with a small tired tractor from a newer 524. Better balance than the larger tractor. I used it tonight to tear into some snowbanks.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Do you find with the protruding auger rakes it eats in to the EOD better? I was thinking of taking an older machine from the 70s and cutting the auger housing sides exposing the rakes.


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## stanz (Mar 17, 2015)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Do you find with the protruding auger rakes it eats in to the EOD better? I was thinking of taking an older machine from the 70s and cutting the auger housing sides exposing the rakes.


 That's probably the best feature of the machine. I work for a church with a sidewalk right next to the road. The town plows half of the road onto our sidewalk. I end up with 3X whatever the snowfall was and it's had packed at the curb. This little unit literally chews its way forward into the snow. If I can find another bucket with the removable side panels I'm going to build another for my home. 



There are only two issues with the machine: 

1) It doesn't throw snow as far as a modern unit, you know 1980s Ariens or Snapper. 

2) The bucket is a bit too low for deep snow, I need to install drift cutters on it. 



An old 5hp Tecumseh is plenty of power, even eating into snowbanks.


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