# Fuel Tank



## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Newer Ariens What are we going to do with these small fuel tanks.4" of snow and ran out of fuel. 24" platinum.First time using it.Thats crazy.Anybody modify the tank yet.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

How long time wise, I ran about 2 hrs on a new small tank


Noma 10/29
Cub cadet 5/26 conv to 8/26
Toro 8/24
Husqvarna st230p


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> How long time wise, I ran about 2 hrs on a new small tank
> 
> 
> Noma 10/29
> ...


Not that long.I think the engine is to big for the tank. My old yard man on tracks would not even use half a tank.It needs a bigger tank


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## Dannoman (Jan 16, 2018)

Time the tank will drain dry depends a lot on what type of snow you are blowing. If it's deep heavy stuff the tank will empty sooner than usual.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

What size eng do u have?


Noma 10/29
Cub cadet 5/26 conv to 8/26
Toro 8/24
Husqvarna st230p


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> What size eng do u have?
> 
> 
> Noma 10/29
> ...


369 cc


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Dannoman said:


> Time the tank will drain dry depends a lot on what type of snow you are blowing. If it's deep heavy stuff the tank will empty sooner than usual.


4" of snow


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

I have a .7gal tank and a 291cc is eng and I get about 2 hrs


Noma 10/29
Cub cadet 5/26 conv to 8/26
Toro 8/24
Husqvarna st230p


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

tonylumps said:


> Not that long.I think the engine is to big for the tank. My old yard man on tracks would not even use half a tank.It needs a bigger tank


I forget I have an HR meter on there So it was less than an hour.I think I will take that stupid screen out next time I fuel it.That may have been part of the problem


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

Tony is correct. The tank is too small in relation to the engine's fuel consumption on that machine.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

I'm not familiar with that machine.... is there another tank from a larger unit that will still fit? I'd look on ebay for a bigger tank if so..... lot's of guys part out machines on there....


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

The 2015 Ariens Platinum 30 SHO with the LCT 414 cc engine has a fuel tank spec'd at 3 liters (0.79 US gallons) but I could never put more than 2.5 liters (0.66 US gallons) in it. Running time was ridiculously small and it is not fun refuelling at the neighbours a few houses down the street while snowing. Several years ago I installed the tank from the Ariens Pro model with the 420 cc B&S engine. I can put over 6 liters (1.5 US gallons) in and never run out of gas now.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

The way the shroud raps around these tanks .It would be pretty hard to fit a generic fuel tank on these new machines .With my Older Yardman with a Tecumson the tank is pretty generic.Well I will look into this over the summer This winter is almost over here.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

It would be pretty hokey. But any chance of mounting an additional tank, high enough to still gravity feed? 

You might then skip using the internal tank, to avoid making things too risky (filling 1 tank, and overflowing the other one that's also connected, etc). Or I guess you could use use a valve to simply allow switching between the two tanks, without ever having both connected to each other. 

Or perhaps you could use something like an MSR bottle to have a secondary fuel supply mounted on the machine, so you could refuel in the driveway, at the neighbor's house, etc, without needing to get back to your big gas can. 

I realize that neither of these are a particularly good situation. But if swapping the "internal" tank is difficult, then perhaps these would be somewhat reasonable.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

I would be curious to see what tank and size they are using on the 2019 Powermore engines, It looks a LOT like the LCT tank but I think it is plastic. Will have to head to the store to see for sure but may be good for a swap if not too much modding required.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Don't laugh .But I have 4 Generators.The first 2 I bought were Yamaha 6600 and a Yamaha 2000 Inverter.2 great generators Both made in Japan I converted them to run on both Gas and propane.And they work Great.Than when I got sick I realized I needed an electric start.So after doing a lot of research I ended up with a Dual fuel Electric start Firman.This company based in China has manufactured over 10 million generators in the last 20 years. Great generators When Costco had them on sale I bought another one .What I am getting down to is That too bad propane does not like The cold.Or I would have converted this Ariens to propane.Our power goes out a lot and i got tired of storing and rotating 20 Gallons of gasoline. With propane it never goes bad.So Over the last few years i bought a number of 20 and 30 LB.bottles.In order for propane to work at 40 degrees or lower in any kind of engine you need it to generate more gas than a grill needs.2 bottles work great.But I could only mount one on a snowblower.Or else the Ariens would be running on Propane.I will figure out a way to either mount an auxillary tank or just a larger one


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Someone recently posted about converting their blower to propane, if that is a path you want to pursue.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I am not a fabricator by any stretch of the imagination. The advantage in using the B&S 6 liter tank on my 414 engine is that the layout of both engines is very similar. Fuel take off is in much the same place, left tank mounting is quite similar so just a little fabrication, right side tank mounting needs a bit more fabrication, the increased height of the tank on the machine is not an issue, there is standard shielding for the B&S tank to prevent snow and ice buildup on the governor linkage.

The alternative that I was thinking about is a 3 liter tank mounted higher than the original tank and connected via a 3 way valve with close, open, drain positions added to existing line between tank shut-off valve and the carb. The auxiliary tank would connect to the drain position on the new valve so as to fill the stock tank when stopped and engine shut off. The downside is the change of machine balance and the fabrication of a mount for auxiliary tank by the control panel and not to mention the probable ugliness of the setup and the inconvenience of the filling procedure. Also, the stock tank and fuel shut-off valve and cap are not to my liking.

I chose to go with the B&S tank and I am not sorry I did so. I have a welder now so I intend to improve the fabrication and replace my altered to fit original shielding with the B&S stock shielding.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> Someone recently posted about converting their blower to propane, if that is a path you want to pursue.


Believe me I already did 2 generators and still have another kit ready to go.They work great when the power goes out in warm weather.But when it is cold out a single 20 LB tank will not convert liquid to gas fast enough even with the heat of the generator blowing against.Now these generator ,Except the 2000 watt have 10 and 11 hp or 439 CC engines in them. It will work with 1 tank on the 2000 watt Inverter.It was a pita to make up the fittings to go 2 tanks to one unit. But you can buy the set up to go 1 tank to 2 units.At first I was pre heating the tank.before I realized 2 tanks would generate enough gas.! 20 LP would last almost as long as 5 gallons of Gasoline. But not quite.Now if it would snow in the summer it would work good.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Town said:


> I am not a fabricator by any stretch of the imagination. The advantage in using the B&S 6 liter tank on my 414 engine is that the layout of both engines is very similar. Fuel take off is in much the same place, left tank mounting is quite similar so just a little fabrication, right side tank mounting needs a bit more fabrication, the increased height of the tank on the machine is not an issue, there is standard shielding for the B&S tank to prevent snow and ice buildup on the governor linkage.
> 
> The alternative that I was thinking about is a 3 liter tank mounted higher than the original tank and connected via a 3 way valve with close, open, drain positions added to existing line between tank shut-off valve and the carb. The auxiliary tank would connect to the drain position on the new valve so as to fill the stock tank when stopped and engine shut off. The downside is the change of machine balance and the fabrication of a mount for auxiliary tank by the control panel and not to mention the probable ugliness of the setup and the inconvenience of the filling procedure. Also, the stock tank and fuel shut-off valve and cap are not to my liking.
> 
> I chose to go with the B&S tank and I am not sorry I did so. I have a welder now so I intend to improve the fabrication and replace my altered to fit original shielding with the B&S stock shielding.


Yes I wold like to mount just a larger tank to replace existng.A lot less plumbing I will look for a B&S tank


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

tonylumps said:


> Believe me I already did 2 generators and still have another kit ready to go.They work great when the power goes out in warm weather.But when it is cold out a single 20 LB tank will not convert liquid to gas fast enough even with the heat of the generator blowing against.


I have no horse in this race, but this fellow said he has his blower running from an 11lb propane tank:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...are_tid=134730&share_fid=1423955&share_type=t

Maybe it's different temperatures, etc, but in some cases it can apparently work.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

tonylumps said:


> Yes I wold like to mount just a larger tank to replace existng.A lot less plumbing I will look for a B&S tank


Here are some pics of my machine taken after tank replaced. The oil fill cap is much easier to access and remove with the 6 liter tank. The B&S tank cap is very simple and goes on and off easily and does not leak. The governor needs shielding to prevent snow and ice buildup but it does not need to be perfect. The B&S tank surround is very good and should be easy to fit, only issue is to mount the electric starter connection for cable and button is different from B&S mounting.

I have had this for 3 years or so now and no issues.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> I have no horse in this race, but this fellow said he has his blower running from an 11lb propane tank:
> https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...are_tid=134730&share_fid=1423955&share_type=t
> 
> Maybe it's different temperatures, etc, but in some cases it can apparently work.


Now you got me going .I think I will try it on my older one first .It is on tracks But the Ariens is so light in the front I would have to mount it forward I am going to try it Thanks Tony


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Town said:


> Here are some pics of my machine taken after tank replaced. The oil fill cap is much easier to access and remove with the 6 liter tank. The B&S tank cap is very simple and goes on and off easily and does not leak. The governor needs shielding to prevent snow and ice buildup but it does not need to be perfect. The B&S tank surround is very good and should be easy to fit, only issue is to mount the electric starter connection for cable and button is different from B&S mounting.
> 
> I have had this for 3 years or so now and no issues.


Nice jobWhat tank model is it I checked Ebay I got to confused with all of the tanks from B&S .Thanks Tony


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

tonylumps said:


> Nice jobWhat tank model is it I checked Ebay I got to confused with all of the tanks from B&S .Thanks Tony


The tank is from the Ariens Pro with a B&S Polar Force 2100 engine with 420cc and 21 lbs/ft of torque. The Part number is BR 799782 purchased in April 2016 and installed at that time. I paid CAD$126.95 taxes extra. The same gas tank has been used for a long time on the Ariens Pro models with the B&S 420 cc engine. Should be lots around.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> I have no horse in this race, but this fellow said he has his blower running from an 11lb propane tank:
> https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...are_tid=134730&share_fid=1423955&share_type=t
> 
> Maybe it's different temperatures, etc, but in some cases it can apparently work.


I just checked out Youtube on propane snowblowers They are not showing me how it works blowing sow in cold weather.Like i said When the Ambient Temp gets down below freezing Propane does not like it. All the videos were after the snow fall and warmer temp.


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## tonylumps (Jul 31, 2018)

Town said:


> The tank is from the Ariens Pro with a B&S Polar Force 2100 engine with 420cc and 21 lbs/ft of torque. The Part number is BR 799782 purchased in April 2016 and installed at that time. I paid CAD$126.95 taxes extra. The same gas tank has been used for a long time on the Ariens Pro models with the B&S 420 cc engine. Should be lots around.


Thanks will look for it and give it a try. Tony


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## SnowH8ter (Oct 8, 2018)

tonylumps said:


> I forget I have an HR meter on there So it was less than an hour.I think I will take that stupid screen out next time I fuel it.That may have been part of the problem



I've got the same basic engine on the Husky. Fuel tank is a half gallon and change. I can get almost two hrs churning through far deeper stuff. Still, would prefer a larger fuel supply. Is your fuel filler screen equipped with the level indicator bar?


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## SnowH8ter (Oct 8, 2018)

Town said:


> Here are some pics of my machine taken after tank replaced. The oil fill cap is much easier to access and remove with the 6 liter tank. The B&S tank cap is very simple and goes on and off easily and does not leak. The governor needs shielding to prevent snow and ice buildup but it does not need to be perfect. The B&S tank surround is very good and should be easy to fit, only issue is to mount the electric starter connection for cable and button is different from B&S mounting.
> 
> I have had this for 3 years or so now and no issues.



Very nice - you have me thinking.


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## bbwb (Oct 25, 2018)

Town said:


> Here are some pics of my machine taken after tank replaced. The oil fill cap is much easier to access and remove with the 6 liter tank. The B&S tank cap is very simple and goes on and off easily and does not leak. The governor needs shielding to prevent snow and ice buildup but it does not need to be perfect. The B&S tank surround is very good and should be easy to fit, only issue is to mount the electric starter connection for cable and button is different from B&S mounting.
> 
> I have had this for 3 years or so now and no issues.


I love the modification...now, how do I do this to a LCT 420 EFI? I too am ticked off at Ariens for being so dumb on putting a 2 quart tank on their biggest motor...DUMB Engineering! If I follow the red screen limiter, I get about 30 minutes of run time. If I overfill it to the top, I can get to about 45 minutes.
I have toyed with the idea of buying another metal tank and then having a welder cut the tanks apart and reweld into one larger tank.
I think the cc's of the motor explains what the engineers at Ariens are doing :wacko:


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

tonylumps said:


> I just checked out Youtube on propane snowblowers They are not showing me how it works blowing sow in cold weather.Like i said When the Ambient Temp gets down below freezing Propane does not like it. All the videos were after the snow fall and warmer temp.



Maybe ask him about the conditions, he was participating in that thread.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

bbwb said:


> I too am ticked off at Ariens for being so dumb on putting a 2 quart tank on their biggest motor...DUMB Engineering!


Before I expended a lot of energy being ticked at Ariens I'd want to ask someone there (not just anyone, but someone who had a hand in the fuel tank size decision) "why" that size? Those folks have been making snow blowers for more years than I've been alive, and I'm 68, so I'll give 'em credit for a little bit of common sense. There may be external factors forcing that decision that we don't know about.

Maybe the EPA sticking there fingers in there, so fuel won't evaporate or something? Who knows what those loony tunes will do. Maybe there's some regulation in China (hard to think of it, they're not big on regs over there) about tank sizes and changing it here would of course be a PITA and add to costs. I'm just guessing here but given the number of Ariens products in commercial use I'd tend to think they'd want a bigger fuel tank but can't for some B.S. regulation reason.


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## SnoThro (Feb 20, 2016)

The answer to "why?" is as simple as engine profile. They just want a sleek looking product. Additionally Ariens doesn't make or spec the engines, LCT of China does. Ariens just buys a stock and bolts them on. LCT is a crappy company that sweeps problems under the rug, ignores dealer feedback, and straight up doesn't do engineering well. The first batch of these engines were even prone to dribble gasoline out of the fuel cap when filled. The tank lip was the problem but they just gave everyone a thicker gasket. Then you factor in junky petcocks, fuel tank sediment settling out in the carbs etc...and bleh.


Toro uses Loncin (another Chinese manufacturer) and has 1.2 Gallon tanks for engines over 302cc. 

Honda has 1.3 and 1.5 Gallon fuel tanks on their 270cc and 390cc engines.

Ariens Professionals with the 420cc engine (China-contracted out by Briggs) cease to have this problem as it comes with a 1.5 gallon tank.

Regulation has nothing to do with it, just poor design.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

bbwb said:


> I love the modification...now, how do I do this to a LCT 420 EFI? I too am ticked off at Ariens for being so dumb on putting a 2 quart tank on their biggest motor...DUMB Engineering! If I follow the red screen limiter, I get about 30 minutes of run time. If I overfill it to the top, I can get to about 45 minutes.
> I have toyed with the idea of buying another metal tank and then having a welder cut the tanks apart and reweld into one larger tank.
> I think the cc's of the motor explains what the engineers at Ariens are doing :wacko:


I think it would be easier to change the mounts on the 6 liter B&S tank to fit your engine. I would think the mounts for the LCT 420 cc engine would be the same as the 414 cc engine and the stock 420 cc gas tank mounts would be the same as the 414 cc gas tank mounts. The 6 liter tank is about the same measurements as the 3 liter LCT tank, just taller for the 6 liter, so it fits well.

The attached pis show the underside of the LCT 3 liter gas tank and the 414 cc engine mounts. By using the stock B&S 6 liter tank you can use the stock B&S tank shielding that will make the job look professional and stock looking. Decals would be extra.


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## nhplat24 (Jan 6, 2021)

tonylumps said:


> Thanks will look for it and give it a try. Tony





Town said:


> The tank is from the Ariens Pro with a B&S Polar Force 2100 engine with 420cc and 21 lbs/ft of torque. The Part number is BR 799782 purchased in April 2016 and installed at that time. I paid CAD$126.95 taxes extra. The same gas tank has been used for a long time on the Ariens Pro models with the B&S 420 cc engine. Should be lots around.


Took a leap of faith and ordered the 799782 tank (google search Briggs and Stratton fuel tank 799782) for my Ariens Platinum 24 SHO 921050 with the AX 369cc engine. There's probably a more recent part number to try; but I couldn't find it.

Had to fabricate mounting brackets between the engine and the four mount points. Cut up some Stanley 4" L brackets and bent them to fit.
Had to fabricate the shroud between the tank and engine to protect the governor because I didn't know and couldn't find the part number to order. First made a template using file folder material. The front of the engine has unused, threaded holes so I bought a couple bolts and a 6 x 18 piece of 22 gage weld steel from Lowes. Cut it with tin snips. I did spent a bit of time bending and fitting. Used a similar approach on the rear of the engine using two unused; but threaded mounts on the fuel tank. Lowes has several choices of black spray paint for metal, I tried the stuff for engines. The steel plates attach securely, they don't vibrate or cause additional noise.
The fuel tank has a mount for the fuel shut off. Bought new fuel line since the originals are too short.
The original fuel filter insert in the gas cap also fits the new tank.
Somehow managed to break the red fuel shutoff knob in the process removing it so I had to replace it.
The new tank came with a gas cap; alas it's the low profile type which is still hard to do with gloves on.
The over-flow for the tank drains to the rear of the engine, onto the recoil starter which might not be good; but the pro models seem to have the same issue.
No issues getting at the oil filler cap.
The tank is taller so there might be some blocking of the headlight beam; but it doesn't bother me, the discharge shoot is a much larger obstacle. The tank is wider and hangs out over the electric start motor; but it's not in the way at all. The tank doesn't get in the way of the recoil start rope at the back of the engine.
Altogether, just under $100 in parts; the tank itself is the big item.

I didn't post photos because the black parts don't photograph well enough to show detail beyond what has previously been posted.
I didn't include "run times" with the new tank because every snow storm is different. Suffice it to say that the original tank is 3L (3.2Q) and the 799782 tank is (I think) 6L (5.9q). Double the fuel capacity solves my sanity issues with this machine.

I'm posting this because:

I am very very happy and want to thank those who contributed before me.
It's been a couple years, we are still talking about this and I just wanted to post an update that the fix posted a couple years ago still works. I am not a metal fabricator; I don't work on small engines as a profession, etc. etc. If you like to tinker around, you can do this. This is a "safe" project to try. I didn't have to cut or break anything. At any point I could give up and go back to the original tank.


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## bbwb (Oct 25, 2018)

Boy if you could post some pictures I would love to see how you did this...description is good, but pictures would help.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

The last snow was pretty heavy and I did my driveway and three of the neighbors, still had almost half a tank left. It's fine as is for my purposes but driveways around here are not overly long.


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## nhplat24 (Jan 6, 2021)

bbwb said:


> Boy if you could post some pictures I would love to see how you did this...description is good, but pictures would help.


Fuel tank top view side-by-side.







Fuel tank bottom view showing hand made brackets cut out from 6" right angle braces.







tools and file folder template







View of front template in place with the holes for bolts for alignment







Front plate in place Oil filler not obstructed.







Side view showing the tank doesn't get in the way of anything.







Rear view. Original plate cut to lengthen it. New plate is behind it. Note the plate wraps around the top left side to fill the gap between the tank and the carburetor housing.


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## nhplat24 (Jan 6, 2021)

[trying to delete duplicate posting.... it only lets me edit]


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## nhplat24 (Jan 6, 2021)

WVguy said:


> The last snow was pretty heavy and I did my driveway and three of the neighbors, still had almost half a tank left. It's fine as is for my purposes but driveways around here are not overly long.


Looks like the Deluxe 24 has a 254cc engine as opposed to the Platinum 24 369cc engine so maybe that gives you greater range with the same size fuel tank.

My previous 1998 ST828 had a 318cc with 4qt (3.8L) tank and I had no issues running out of gas; smaller engine, larger tank; but it didn't throw the snow as far. Maybe the Platinum 24 governor is kicking in more so the little bit larger engine is running a lot harder and thus consuming more gas (which is OK with me because it's doing a better job clearing the snow); but that combined with the larger engine and smaller tank creates a frustrating tipping point for me. 

There's just something so maddening about running out of gas at the end of the driveway when you're almost done. "Running out of gas" just makes me feel like such an idiot. Having to hoof it back to the garage and haul the 5 gallon jug down the driveway and back again is my penance... made worse when it's icy and the weight of the gas can throws me off and it's dark so you can't see into the black tank while you're filling it and the gas goes everywhere... and made worse when I run out while doing the neighbors driveway even though I topped off before going over there. The new low profile gas cap is also annoying in this situation, having to take off my gloves, there's no where to put them so they fall in the snow. Funny what a chain of aggravations get triggered by one root cause, the "cruising range".


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## Jesse11B (Jan 27, 2020)

__





CARB/EPA Fuel Tanks & Carbon Canisters | U.S. Plastic Corp.


The small off-road equipment industry typically uses these products for the lawn care, agriculture, and construction industries. Beginnin...




www.usplastic.com





The above link will give you a selection of fuel tanks to pick from. Bulk head fittings and caps are sold elsewhere on their site. If you wanted to go with a larger tank you could rig one of these up to your machine.


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