Snow blower tune-up?

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

FLL, I wonder if your original problem with this snow blower involved the carb choke? It sounds like it may have been running a little too rich and the excess gas was collecting in the muffler. I presume you had to choke it to do a cold start but I wonder if you didn't get the choke fully open once you began using the machine? Just my .02 cents.

Here's another .02 cents; next time, buy an Ariens Sno-Thro! I've been using them for over 40 yrs and I've never had a complaint. THE BEST snow blower ever and it's made in America!

Also, whatever you buy, don't buy from Lowe's or Home Depot, buy from a real small equipment dealer. It seems like Lowe's and HD sell a lower grade variation of the brand names we're all familiar with.

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by Wolfeboro_Baja

Here's another .02 cents; next time, buy an Ariens Sno-Thro! I've been using them for over 40 yrs and I've never had a complaint. THE BEST snow blower ever and it's made in America!

Also, whatever you buy, don't buy from Lowe's or Home Depot, buy from a real small equipment dealer. It seems like Lowe's and HD sell a lower grade variation of the brand names we're all familiar with.

Excellent advice. Purchase from a place that repairs them.

SEARS.
All of Sears snow blowers have engines that are made in China. Sears made a deal with Briggs & Stratton for these "special" engines. Good luck with any parts or repairs.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

SEARS.
All of Sears snow blowers have engines that are made in China. Sears made a deal with Briggs & Stratton for these "special" engines. Good luck with any parts or repairs.

Have not researched Craftsmen recently but mine is about 10 years old and has a Techumseh that was manufactured here.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by Wolfeboro_Baja

FLL, I wonder if your original problem with this snow blower involved the carb choke? It sounds like it may have been running a little too rich and the excess gas was collecting in the muffler. I presume you had to choke it to do a cold start but I wonder if you didn't get the choke fully open once you began using the machine? Just my .02 cents.

Here's another .02 cents; next time, buy an Ariens Sno-Thro! I've been using them for over 40 yrs and I've never had a complaint. THE BEST snow blower ever and it's made in America!

Also, whatever you buy, don't buy from Lowe's or Home Depot, buy from a real small equipment dealer. It seems like Lowe's and HD sell a lower grade variation of the brand names we're all familiar with.

I bought an Ariens snowblower in 1974. Had it serviced "once in a while", maybe 3 or 4 times while I had it. Around 1995 or so, the carburetor got a bit gummed up so I had it rebuilt. In 2008, trying to start it, the pull rope broke. 34 years and that was the first time it failed me. I went out and bought a new machine that day (another Ariens) and gave my 1974 model to my son's inlaws. It is still going strong. My old one and my new one have Tecumseh engines, probably the factor that set them apart from other machines. Tecumseh has since gone out of business. I bought both from a dealer who fixes them...Nashua Outdoor Power Equipment. If my new one lasts 34 years, I won't have to worry about replacing it until I'm 97 years old!!!

[ITD]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

I bought an Ariens snowblower in 1974. Had it serviced "once in a while", maybe 3 or 4 times while I had it. Around 1995 or so, the carburetor got a bit gummed up so I had it rebuilt. In 2008, trying to start it, the pull rope broke. 34 years and that was the first time it failed me. I went out and bought a new machine that day (another Ariens) and gave my 1974 model to my son's inlaws. It is still going strong. My old one and my new one have Tecumseh engines, probably the factor that set them apart from other machines. Tecumseh has since gone out of business. I bought both from a dealer who fixes them...Nashua Outdoor Power Equipment. If my new one lasts 34 years, I won't have to worry about replacing it until I'm 97 years old!!!

Tecumseh is still in business, they just stopped making small engines. Their main business was always refrigerator compressors. They got their pants sued off by an engineer who figured out that their horsepower ratings were inflated. It was pretty large settlement sounded like the last straw for them. If you notice now many motors don't use hp ratings now, they list gross torque. Part of the issue with HP ratings, (and I'm sure torque ratings too) is that atmospheric pressure can affect output. Atmospheric pressure can be a function of altitude, temperature and weather. There is also a variation in manufacturing that can cause differences. This guy got a lot of money, I think he should have just got a refund for his engine. Part of the problem with the litigious society we live in with most of our legislators coming from the law field.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by ITD

Tecumseh is still in business, they just stopped making small engines. Their main business was always refrigerator compressors. They got their pants sued off by an engineer who figured out that their horsepower ratings were inflated. It was pretty large settlement sounded like the last straw for them. If you notice now many motors don't use hp ratings now, they list gross torque. Part of the issue with HP ratings, (and I'm sure torque ratings too) is that atmospheric pressure can affect output. Atmospheric pressure can be a function of altitude, temperature and weather. There is also a variation in manufacturing that can cause differences. This guy got a lot of money, I think he should have just got a refund for his engine. Part of the problem with the litigious society we live in with most of our legislators coming from the law field.

Thanks for the correction/clarification. A friend recently asked me to help her purchase a snowblower. I told her thet the only one I know of that used Tecumseh engines is Ariens. The salesperson told us that Tecumseh was out of business, but I must have misunderstood him. All they had left for Ariens was the 32 or 36" wide models, way too much for her to handle. On their recommendation, she ended up with a Simplicity machine that has performed flawlessly so far, and she's had a chance to use it a lot this year!

[loony]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Gourmand

I bought an Ariens snowblower in 1974. Had it serviced "once in a while", maybe 3 or 4 times while I had it. Around 1995 or so, the carburetor got a bit gummed up so I had it rebuilt. In 2008, trying to start it, the pull rope broke. 34 years and that was the first time it failed me. I went out and bought a new machine that day (another Ariens) and gave my 1974 model to my son's inlaws. It is still going strong. My old one and my new one have Tecumseh engines, probably the factor that set them apart from other machines. Tecumseh has since gone out of business. I bought both from a dealer who fixes them...Nashua Outdoor Power Equipment. If my new one lasts 34 years, I won't have to worry about replacing it until I'm 97 years old!!!

I also have a vintage 1973 ariens snow blower. still going strong on it is on it 2nd (used) engine. Mine has a single belt for the auger and drive wheels with a lever mid way up the handle to disengage it. It also has the advanced drive wheel dead-man clutch on the handle bar instead of the opposite (car-like) clutch on earlier models. This blower is really dangerous but goes through anything!!!

I found that in recent years I have to drain the carburetor bowl and gas tank to store it or I'd find rust and have trouble the following season. Must be the ethanol.

[chipj29]

Originally Posted by Wolfeboro_Baja

FLL, I wonder if your original problem with this snow blower involved the carb choke? It sounds like it may have been running a little too rich and the excess gas was collecting in the muffler. I presume you had to choke it to do a cold start but I wonder if you didn't get the choke fully open once you began using the machine? Just my .02 cents.

Here's another .02 cents; next time, buy an Ariens Sno-Thro! I've been using them for over 40 yrs and I've never had a complaint. THE BEST snow blower ever and it's made in America!

Also, whatever you buy, don't buy from Lowe's or Home Depot, buy from a real small equipment dealer. It seems like Lowe's and HD sell a lower grade variation of the brand names we're all familiar with.

This is not always true, as is the case with the Ariens snowblowers. They are the same from what I was told. The small engine shop that I go to sells Ariens. He told me they are the same as the ones sold at HD. The big difference is that when he does warranty work, he does the work on the machines that he sells first. But it at HD/Lowes and you end up at the bottom of the list, and it may take quite a bit of time to get it fixed.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by chipj29

This is not always true, as is the case with the Ariens snowblowers. They are the same from what I was told. The small engine shop that I go to sells Ariens. He told me they are the same as the ones sold at HD. The big difference is that when he does warranty work, he does the work on the machines that he sells first. But it at HD/Lowes and you end up at the bottom of the list, and it may take quite a bit of time to get it fixed.

Exactly correct. If the part numbers match, then the machines are exactly the same. If service matters, buy from a local shop that repairs them. It will make a difference when you have a problem you need addressed quickly.

[SIKSUKR]

I recently inquired about buying a new Ariens. HD had the exact same model numbers and technical numbers. They are the same. What did surprise me is my local dealer (Stills) had almost the same price.