# Deluxe 28 Only Right Wheel has Power – Is this Normal…?



## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

I just picked up a 4 year old Ariens Deluxe 28 model #921022. It looks brand new and runs great. I feel sort of foolish for asking this question but when I start it and engage the wheel drive, only the right wheel (referenced as if you were standing operating the machine) has power and the left wheel is just free spinning. When I turn off the machine I can easily push and pull it around on both wheels but when operating the machine, shouldn’t both wheels have power?


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

Pretty sure its a 2013 built in 2012 if so it prolly has a pin lock on the left wheel


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

Is the pin lock on the outside of the wheel or on the shaft inside the gear box area that's accessed by removing the belly pan? I'll take some photos tonight and post them.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

watch........


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## ed in cny (Nov 26, 2019)

Just a question does it have a lever under the left handle? If so you have a differential lock. Give it a squeeze and it may correct the problem. Not sure of the model so I can't be sure you have this or not. Good luck.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

1132le said:


> Pretty sure its a 2013 built in 2012 if so it prolly has a pin lock on the left wheel


Yup, prolly has Ariens 250cc Polar Force Engine By Briggs And Stratton and pin lock just as you said.


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

I do not have pin lock holes on the shaft outside of the wheel. I have metal clips that hold the wheels on. If I remove the clips, the right wheel slides right out easily. I did this and cleaned the spindle and shaft and greased it. I never could figure out how to remove the left wheel. I could remove the clip and couldn't get the wheel off. It would move back and forth a little bit but I couldn't get it to slide off. It sure felt like there was another clip holding it on, but I couldn't find anything that needed to be removed?

Yes, I do have the lever under the left handle so I do have the differential lock but it does not seem to work. Are there pins or anything I can check inside the gear box? The cable seems to be adjusted correctly, but I will take a better look this weekend when I can see better in daylight. I can take photos of anything if that would help diagnose my issue?? Thank you!


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Take a look at this video:


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Those wheels are keyed (ask me how I know lol) the key may be missing when you took the wheel off, oh I just seen you have the wheel lock lever, if that is not working right you can manually lock it with the belly pan off but may have to leave it locked, I had that on my ST1027LE but could not repair it so purchased a auto turn kit for it from Ariens


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

Zavie - GREAT VIDEO LINK!! Thank you. That's the exactly same set up as I have on my machine. I wish he also showed how to correctly adjust the spring that the cable from the handle lever attaches too. Does anybody have a good video link of this process?

I'm planning on pulling my belly pan off this weekend and taking a better look. I'm hoping that a good cleaning and some grease is all I'll need like in the video.

Dauntae - By manually, you mean using my fingers to snap or lock PART A and PART B together correct? And once they are locked together you can't unlocked them manually with your fingers?

As far as removing both the left and right wheels, do I just need to remove the outside clips and they should both just slide off the axle/shafts? Is there anything else I need to remove to get the wheels off? I'm not sure if mine has a key in the shaft or not??

Thanks for the help guys.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

For the wheels yes just remove the clips and slide off the wheels. As @Dauntae mentioned be careful not to lose those keys!
You are well on your way to becoming the forum expert on this repair.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

You will be able to unlock it but may have to pull the belly pan off, Mine was very rusted and no matter how clean and greased was unreliable at best and if I unlocked with handle it was very iffy if I could get it to re lock, Also one of the rims was rust welded to the axle and never managed to get it off so I ordered new wheels and the auto turn kit which came with a new axle.


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

Thanks for all the help Zavie and Dauntae! I'm going to take a look at it this weekend and see if I can figure it out. I wonder if the reason I can't remove one of the wheels is because it's rust welded to the axle as well...??


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

If you can get it to work properly the rust welded wheel can stay on as they are keyed also, I actually have a brand new lever I got when trying to fix mine but when I got the auto turn I just put it in a box for spare parts but not too many left with that lever.


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

I took a closer look this weekend. I was able to get both wheels off this weekend but the geared sleeve was rust welded to the left wheel. I could slide the wheel and sleeve off the axle as one piece but couldn't get the sleeve out of the wheel. Any ideas?

The right wheel (the drive wheel) came right off of the sleeve and the axle.

I greased the axle for both wheels and the sleeve for the right wheel.

I also checked out the locking mechanism for engaging the left wheel and could find anything broke. I gave it a good dose of Kroil. I think I need to adjust the tension on the cable. Here's a photo... it doesn't look to rusted or gummed up???

Question, how do I remove both sides of the auger from the shaft on each side of the gear box to give the shaft a good greasing? Do I have to remove the bolts and bracket from the side of the bucket as well as the shear pins?


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

I never got that axle out of the rim lol still have it but ended up getting new wheels and tires to put into the auto turn axle. Yours looks much better shape than mine was.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

There is no pin lock on this machine.

I have this SAME model (it was 1 year old when I got it and it was in pristine condition - there was still paint on the bottom of the skid shoes). It works great for me. I got it because I didn’t want to deal with the auto-turn nightmares at that time. A couple of suggestions:

1. Squeeze-handle under left grip. 
Yes, it controls the differential that engages/disengages power to the left wheel (there is ALWAYS power to the right wheel). When it is engaged, there is power to both wheels. When you squeeze it, it disengages so the left wheel turns freely with no power to the left wheel. Only squeeze the handle if you want to make a wide turn to the RIGHT or to turn the machine to the RIGHT 180 degrees. Be sure to keep the handle squeezed the entire time you are turning the machine until you want power to BOTH wheels, then release the handle. 
2. TIP: After releasing the handle, make sure you have power to the left wheel. If no power, squeeze and release the handle a couple of times. I find that many times, if I squeeze/release several times, that it will engage. Or while manually pulling the machine backwards alternating side to side while squeezing/releasing the handle will get the differential to engage. 
3. Don’t get discouraged because I mainly use the feature going in/out of the garage. On snow covered pavement, the machine will often slide enough that you don’t need to use it.
4. Take the belly pan off and tip the machine up into the service position to watch the differential in action. Each time you squeeze the handle, you should see the notches of the differential open and advance. 
5. Lubrcating auger/shaft. There are 2 grease fittings. Remove the 2 shear pins before attempting to lubricate. You don’t do anything to the housing attachments. When the pins have been removed, you should be able to freely spin each side of the auger. If one or both sides won’t spin, it’s probably rusted to the shaft because of failure to grease. If ok, attach a grease gun to each fitting (zerk), inject grease and spin each side of auger to distribute until you see grease come out the holes for the shear pin or at the housing. Repeat the process with the other fitting. Then re-install shear pins.
6. BEST advice ever. Use ONLY non-ethanol fuel. I also add Stabil Marine and Sea Foam. Keep this combination in the tank the entire year. After using, turn the fuel shut-off to OFF and let the engine run until it dies. Here is where you can find non-ethanol fuel in your area:
https://www.pure-gas.org
Good luck.

Where are you located? You might want to add that to your profile.


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

White Out said:


> I also checked out the locking mechanism for engaging the left wheel and could find anything broke. I gave it a good dose of Kroil. I think I need to adjust the tension on the cable. Here's a photo... it doesn't look to rusted or gummed up???


Kroil is a good but make sure none of it drips down onto the drive plate or rubber friction disc. If it does, clean it off immediately with kerosene or similar solvent. 

The locking mechanism and shaft needs to be greased on an annual basis. It may not look rusted but they are notorious for hanging up so it must be lubricated often. White lithium grease or Fluid Film will do fine. See attached for cable adjustment. Reach your hand inside to test the cable slack above the black spring. Make 100% sure both the upper and lower jam nuts are tight after the adjustment.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

molikotigo said:


> has power and the left wheel is just free spinning. When I turn off the machine I can easily push and pull it around on both wheels but when operating the machine, shouldn’t both wheels have power?


On this particular setup it has a lever that locks and unlocks the left wheel, it’s like moving the lock pin that many have to unlock a wheel but instead of pulling out a pin you just pull a lever on the handle bars so you can easily spin it around to change direction then you hit the lever and re lock the wheel


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

Read my suggestions in my post above (Post #17).


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

I know this is a little late but THANK YOU to CO Snow, Dauntae, and rod330 for the very helpful information... I've been working too much. I did adjust the cable and it's now working and I can engage and disengage the differential with the lever under the left handle. I might have to squeeze it more than once for it to actually engage or disengage, but it seems to be working.

CO Snow - everything in your list I've done, I've always greased the auger/shaft with the grease fittings but I've never taken out the shear pins and spun the augers on the shaft. I'll do that this spring when I service it. My machine has never had any ethanol ran through it that I know of and have always ran the good high premium in it. I do always wonder at the pump when the guy before me fills up with 10% Ethanol and then I fill a tank with the non-Ethanol if there is residual 10% Ethanol fuel in the hose that makes it into my tank initially??? Probably very little if any but I'm always wondering...

rod330 - any special method or process to grease the differential locking mechanism and shaft that you mentioned? You also mentoned white lithium grease or fluid film... would just a regular marine grease work? And do I just lightly cover everything inside and out?

We've had over 50" of snow so far this year and are over 24" above normal so my machine has gotten a lot more use than normal so far this winter.... so far so good and she's running strong. With both wheels engaged and the ArmorSKids, I can hammer through my long gravel driveway no problem.

Thanks again!!


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Thank you for this post, Many times someone comes here with a issue and gets good advice and we never hear from them again and we never find out if they resolved the issue. Glad it worked out for you and it's working well for you.


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## rod330 (Oct 9, 2015)

White Out said:


> rod330 - any special method or process to grease the differential locking mechanism and shaft that you mentioned? You also mentoned white lithium grease or fluid film... would just a regular marine grease work? And do I just lightly cover everything inside and out?


For the differential locking mechanism, stand the machine up to the service position and remove the belly pan. Place an old towel under the mechanism and give it a liberal dose of Fluid Film. Use the trigger handle lock to help expose the spline shaft where the teeth engage and disengage as you squirt the oil. Also rotate the wheels to ensure you're getting all sides of the spline axle as you apply the Fluid Film. Give it a little time to soak in and apply a light coat of Fluid Film to the rest of the axle and the large axle spring. The reason for the towel is to prevent oil from dripping onto the rubber friction disk or drive plate. If that does happen, just clean them with kerosene or even gasoline.

Grease will certainly work but I prefer a high quality penetrating oil such as Fluid Film to effectively make its way into the spline surfaces and the ratcheting teeth. Fluid Film is somewhat costly but worth it. 

Now, here's what I do for the hex shaped axle where the rubber friction disc travels. Put the traction drive lever in the fastest reverse position and clean the hex axle with kerosene. Put the traction lever in the fastest forward position to expose and clean the remaining part of the axle. They apply a light coating of White Lithium grease to the hex axle as you rotate the tires. I apply it with an old toothbrush but your index finger works just as well. Lastly, put the traction lever back to the fastest reverse position and finish applying the grease to the rest of the hex axle. 

White Lithium grease is best in my opinion since it will easily withstand freezing temperatures and moisture.

Lastly, for the external wheel axles, use a wire brush on a drill or die grinder to get rid of any surface rust. Emery cloth or a Scotch Brite pad also works but is more time consuming. Then apply a liberal coat of Permatex Anti-Seize. You can also put a coating under the axle key and inside the wheel hub. This makes getting your wheels off for future maintenance a much easier task.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

White Out said:


> My machine has never had any ethanol ran through it that I know of and have always ran the good high premium in it. I do always wonder at the pump when the guy before me fills up with 10% Ethanol and then I fill a tank with the non-Ethanol if there is residual 10% Ethanol fuel in the hose that makes it into my tank initially??? Probably very little if any but I'm always wondering...


BEWARE: Premium fuel does not equal non-ethanol fuel. In other words, premium fuel can contain ethanol. 

I purchase my non-ethanol fuel from a dedicated pump with its own nozzle/hose so no contamination.


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## White Out (Aug 12, 2015)

Dauntae - No problem. This site is awesome and it's because of the helpful guys like you.

rod330 - Thank you! I'll use your lubricating method this spring when I fully service it! Thanks for the very clear instructions!

CO Snow - No dedicated non-ethanol pumps here, but I have one station where I can get 91 Premium Octane non-ethanol that I use in ALL my small engines.

Thanks to all again!


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## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

White Out said:


> CO Snow - No dedicated non-ethanol pumps here, but I have one station where I can get 91 Premium Octane non-ethanol that I use in ALL my small engines.


ethanol is fine just dont let it sit in carb for months at a time and dont use old (couple of months) gas in gas can, high octane is good and fuel filters(on my todo list) are good idea


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