# 1971 Ariens Sno Thro 7 HP 910962



## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Gents -- I have a 1971 Ariens Sno Thro #910962. Pulled it out of the shed this fall and during normal, pre-season checks found the aluminum spindle hub broken -- the tab that goes down near the wheel. Maybe I missed it in previous years, doesn't look like a new break in the casting. Found a cast steel donor hub on ebay, and proceeded to tear down the machine. I've got the entire drive box dissembled. Picked up new tires, tubes, bearings and bushings.Starting to work on clean up, repainting and sub-assemblies. Donor hub is reassembled with new bearings.

Are there any modifications that I should make before reassembly? I'm thinking drilling and putting in zerk (grease fittings) on the shift bushing assembly and the friction assembly pivot would be nice.

I considered installing grease fittings on the hub and the left-to-right thrust assembly but discarded those ideas.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

And one other thought... My timing on this project is way off. Wish I had started refurbishing this machine in the spring -- more daylight, more time to get things right.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Not much bench time last night. Second tire mounted and then touched up the rim paint.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Shiny hubs with new tubes and tires! Unfortunately, I didn't take any before pictures. Angle grinder with 3 inch wire brush did a great job of getting the rust off the rims.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Tire mounting jig + work product.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Drive box (chassis) primed. Finish coat hopefully this weekend. I scored a free quart can of oil based black enamel from ACE that will work nicely. Color doesn't matter. This isn't a restoration. It's a working piece of equipment.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Busted spindle hub. Aluminum casting failed. In the right of the picture you'll see the mounting tab broke off.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Said machine on January 1, 2015. Going strong.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Sweet! its looking great..
nice job on the restore..
keep the updates coming! 

Scot


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Here is the shift assembly (before painting). Worth drilling and putting in a grease fitting? If so, where to position it so it can be reached? Comments welcome.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Today was spent doing more cleaning and painting. Tore the auger apart for inspection -- rear bearing and outer shaft bushings to be replaced. Timken roller bearings and inner bushings replaced about 15 years ago when the seals were leaking. Re-assembly day is rapidly approaching.

Photos:
- cracked hub that started this project
- housing -- painting the inside
- sub-assemblies prepped and ready to go
- parts drying
- impeller inspected and touching up the bare spots


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Oh, and while Ariens no longer lists the T126 thrust bearing, it is still widely available for about $14. This one looked good and was smooth, so I cleaned and repacked it.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Another day on the bench putting together the drive box. Not quite done. The order of operations for assembly wasn't quite clear. It was two steps forward, one step back all day long. Lots of test fitting to get things right. Still have the pinion gear, chain and cotter pins to finish up.

Checked all the roll pins and had to replace the axle pin (severely worn), and the roll pins on the auger. The auger roll pins were cracked along their long axis, almost their entire length.

I'm thinking of replacing the 10-24 jam nuts that clamp the friction wheel shaft bearing holders in place with modern, nylon lock nuts. Some of the corners are rounded off the 10-24 jam nuts (meaning I'm not the first set of hands in the drive box). I don't think there will be any clearance issues. Comments?

I'm also wondering how any local repair shop could be willing to take on fixing one of these older Ariens 10,000 machines? To replace the drive wheel almost the entire drive box has to be disassembled. At current shop rates, will most folks just go to one of the big box stores and buy a new blower? Just a thought.


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## Fred9 (Dec 21, 2013)

Thanks for sharing your talent and hard work! 

Yes, 99% of us would buy a new machine. It's not just the shop rate but also finding a shop that is knowledgeable/ aka one you would trust. Plus you know this ancient blower is well built, that is, it's worth putting time and $ into it.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

In working on the drive box for a few minutes this morning before heading out to work, I noticed that the friction wheel pivot hole in the side of the drive box is slightly elongated, but not bad enough (yet) to weld up a set of hardened washers to reinforce the hole. I'll do that down the road when the original engine blows up and I'm forced to repower. I'll try to post a picture in a day or two.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Here is a picture of the friction wheel pivot hole in the drive box case. A little worn. Defer welding on a set of washers?


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Rakes are back in the housing with new bushings and bearings. Painted the working surface (remember -- its a repair, not a restoration). Jaw couping needs to be reinstalled.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Reconsidered the shaft pivot slop and got some local assistance to weld on a hardened washer. I've cut down the hollow spacer and then re-shimmed the shaft with a few thin thrust washers. Good to go for another decade.

Things are coming together, slowly...


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Wee hoo! Machine is back together! Still needs a little carb tweaking; I've got the high speed jet still too rich and the low speed out too far -- idle isn't smooth and hunting. Next weekend should clear that up.

Getting the shift adjusting to where it should be was a rob-peter-to-pay-paul process. Took some fiddling with shift rod and connecting link lengths to get the friction disk aligned so that first and reverse were equally offset.

Boy, does it roll smooth! New axle bushings made a huge difference.

Big thanks to Liz at Milford Power in getting together the parts I needed.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Seeing this was a repair on a working machine and a good job done on it getting back to a good functioning machine and not a restoration, Just curious why you went with the old style tires when both snow hog and the X-Trac tires are readily available with so much better traction.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Tires? These are 4.1 x 3.50 x 6 stud tires -- with tubes. I haven't had an issue with studded tires -- normally run chains, but need to pick up a new pair, properly sized. The old set are almost worn through. I guess I could have mounted up a set of tubeless tires and run tubes in them; thought about that idea and discard it.

The studded tires were $16/each. Tubes Ran me $5/each.

Carlisle Snow Hog tires would have been about $35/each. Would it really been worth the extra $38?


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

yes. the traction difference is amazing


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

What size snow hogs would you run on these rims? Any issues with mounting and running a tube in a tubeless tire? 

At this point, I'm not going to swap them out. But I can consider it down the road if a set of donor wheels falls from the sky into my garage...

Is this what I should have used?

4.10-6 Carlisle Snow Hog Tire (2 Ply)

The Show Hog tire from Carlisle was specially designed for use on snow blowers and snow throwers. The Snow Hog has an aggressive traction driven tread design that features a broad shoulder that provides excellent grip and maneuverability on snow, turf and mud. Snow Hog tires have a classic X pattern tread that is often used on riding mowers, garden tractors, snow throwers, tillers, ATVs, and UTVs. Find the Carlisle Snow Hog Tire and many other snow blower tires in our online tire store today! 
Manufacturer: Carlisle Tire
Manufacturers Part Number: 5170051
Ply Rating: 2 Ply
Mounted Diameter: 12.8 Inches
Mounted Width: 4 Inches
Recommended Rim Width: 3.25 Inches
Max Load Capacity at 10mph: 290 lbs
Max Pressure: 24 psi
Tire Weight: 3.2 lbs
Tire Type: Tubeless Tire (this tire can be used with a tube, but does not require one)
Applications: Snow Blower, Snow Thrower, Tractor, Utility Carts
NHS - Non Highway Service

Looks like I need to read this:

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...ussion/39298-4-10-3-5-6-tire-replacement.html


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

I have never had a problem with my original 1971 Ariens tires:










No chains, no new tires needed or wanted.

Scot


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

I had no choice. Old tires were cracked. Tubes shot -- no longer holding air. Rims rusting. Cleaning up the rims, mounting new tires and tubes was the only reasonable decision. I couldn't bring myself to drop more cash on tires than I did -- the studded tires had worked well for years and years. $15/each for new studded tires was okay. $35/tire for snow hogs hit my pain point.

I going to look at pricing new chains.

My mounting jig worked like a champ. Very inexpensive tool to put together. Already had tire irons on hand.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

13 5 6 x tracs are what i run on mine. difference is incredible and price difference is negligible. as long as you wire wheel and paint the rims before installation or use a little bead sealer tubeless will hold air fine.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Getting the drive plate off the shaft -- not mine:

Ariens snowblower drive plate bearing replacement


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## Zac5 (Jan 1, 2013)

Hello BuzzyBee,

Great job on the Ariens!

Referring to post #13 on this thread, any chance you could share (to the best of your recollection) the order of the components in the drive chassis box that you removed in order to remove that friction disk? 

I have two 1969 Ariens 10000 series machines and a 1973 10000 series as well. On the 69's one friction disk is fine but I’d like to replace the disk on the second one. DonyBoy73 has a video on replacing the friction disk on an older Ariens but the machine he shows is a post 10000 series model after 1974 where the hex shaft is open ended on one side for much easier friction disk replacement.

Thanks!


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## KLyons (Apr 23, 2016)

Buzzybee,Great job and thanks a lot for taking good pictures as you went along . It really helped out in the reassembly of my 1973 10000 series 7/24.


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## buzzybee (Nov 1, 2017)

Zac5 said:


> Hello BuzzyBee,
> Referring to post #13 on this thread, any chance you could share (to the best of your recollection) the order of the components in the drive chassis box that you removed in order to remove that friction disk?


I pulled everything out of the drive box. Everything. I did a complete inspection, replaced all bushings and bearings.

If all you want to do is get the friction disk out, then disconnect the spring and just pull the hex shaft. Then the friction disk will come right out.

Also, check the Ariens manual -- it has a short procedure to get the friction disk and hex shaft out.

Holler if you need more info.


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