Ariens growls through slushy EOD

[@johntheroux2541]

I have a 25 year old Ariens snowblower 8 hp and has never failed me in all the years, keep it clean, change the oil and regular maintenance it really hasn’t cost me anything and she keeps on doing the job in our New England winter.

[@paulmysliborski4832]

Good stuff, Bruce! Always a great feeling knowing that your machine will start up right away due to proper maintenance! 👍🏻

[@ak907silvers6]

Alaska stole everyones snow this year! Just got dumped another 17 inches 3 days ago. We're at 112 inches of snowfall so far for the snow year. Im embarrassed to say im actually getting burned out haha. Ive done my driveway 25 + times so far since november. Im glad you got the beast out I hope you guys get some more snow!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Another place our snow is going!!! Sounds like you’ve got your hands full up there. What’s your normal snowfall total for this time of years? What’s the biggest snowfall you’ve had this year?

[@ak907silvers6]

@@blowingsnow4fun 23 inches was the biggest snowfall so far and it was wet and heavy. That was back in november. Our winter season snow average is around 84 inches.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@ak907silvers6 We rarely get storms that big, but we do get them infrequently. An average winter for us is about 50-70 inches. Most snowfall for us ever was 110 for one winter, with 33” on the ground at one time.( had to look that up to be sure)Do you have drift cutters on your machine? If not with storm totals like yours it would be helpful?

[@floobertuber]

Hey Bruce. I'm one of those "10 miles from the lake" types myself. The last few days were just awful. We got a mere 2" on Tuesday, wet & heavy. But then Friday we got a foot of the wet heavy stuff, followed overnight by another six inches of slightly-drier snow, accompanied by high winds. Quite the week. Winter had a slow start, but were I live, we're paying for it now! My semi-rural property is only about 1/4 acre, but has many obstacles and tight spaces that must be cleared to prevent drainage issues, plus a highly time-consuming and dangerous county road frontage. I spent around 8 very uncomfortable hours outside between Friday and Saturday! I'm sure this storm would've destroyed my old ST824 that was almost 40 years old. I gave that machine the best second-hand-owner care that I could, including regular oil/grease/belts/bearings/etc., but it was definitely wearing out. So I sold that last fall, and it got replaced by the Platinum SHO 24 I bought last summer... partly with the guidance of your videos! So at least the upgrade had good timing. Now we face the polar vortex once again.... but at least I'm not outside in it!!! Take care and stay safe, buddy.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

That’s great to hear that the Platinum SHO is serving you so well. I always tell people with it’s over the top power and features there is no amount of snow this machine can’t handle. We lost power for 4.5 hours last night at -2. Came back on this morning around 6:30 as a result of ice from this storm breaking a pole. Quite the storm… Fear no blizzard when you have an Ariens in the garage.

[@floobertuber]

@@blowingsnow4fun Sorry to hear you lost power. The Milwaukee news reported something like 80K lost power around there at one point or another. Nasty! The only gripe I have about the SHO is how my muscle memory is half-wrong now, because of changes to the controls. It's definitely gonna take me a while to adapt! On second thought, I have two other minor complaints: the gas tank (way too small) and fuel cap (recessed and way, WAY too slippery). But otherwise, I'm very happy. 🙂👍

[@blowingsnow4fun]

⁠ I agree, for a user that has a big property, a bigger tank would be nice. I’m guessing they went to a smaller tank because the average homeowner never ran the machine enough to empty the tank. This resulted in some gas staying in the tank for the whole season creating carb problems. I also had problems getting my cap to open. The problem I believe by the rubber gasket under the cap being dry. Take a q tip and apply some synthetic grease or super lube grease to that gasket. Then open and close it a bunch to work it in. It will open and close much easier.

[@floobertuber]

@@blowingsnow4fun That's a good suggestion on the cap seal. I have some fresh rubber & silicone-compatible plumbing grease here, so I may try that. I'm sure the metal engagement part of the cap will get looser with age, too. Unfortunately, the outside plastic part of the cap is another matter. It's just so slick and rounded. I wish they'd put "sharper teeth" on it. Oh well, if that's the worst thing that happens to me this year, I'm in good shape. I might try to make some sort of tool to help grab it better, or keep a strap wrench nearby.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@floobertuber Your not the only one with this complaint. I watch the snowblower repair forums, and gas caps are a complaint. It’s extreme, but I saw one guy posted he added self tapping square head screws to his cap to improve grip traction. Im pretty sure Ariens watches those forums, and it seems like an easy fix? The lube will help, but I did suggest to another guy to use a rubber jar opener in their pocket to use as a grip enhancer.Heres one on Amazon : NORPRO Non-Slip Rubber Jar Opener, 1 EA, White a.co/d/dtIdOee

[@turtle522]

Thanks for sharing. A new channel to watch this winter.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Turtle…. Glad you enjoyed the video! We haven’t had much snow here in Wi with El Niño. I try and put up a video every time I get the SHO out, so if you enjoy videos like these, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel.

[@turtle522]

@@blowingsnow4fun yes, I did subscribe. Thanks.

[@johns5504]

Good to see you up and at em. I got about the same for the maiden voyage of my Plat 28 rapidtrak. Lets hope we get a lil busier

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey John….lets hope!

[@A3Kr0n]

Always check your suspenders before operating heavy machinery.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

LOL….never even crossed my mind until I felt a breeze

[@johnbautch6947]

Nice to see the SHO just walk right through that slop. I'm just south of you in Oak Creek close to the lake. I got out of work Friday and it didn't look like much so I used my 22 inch compact and she fought the good fight, but it was working pretty hard. Saturday morning I took out the SHO and it didn't break a sweat. Nothing like you said about the "brute force" of the SHO is a lie. Keep the video's coming!!!!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey John…glad you enjoyed the video. Isn’t it a great feeling to have one of these double belted beasts in the garage? You just know whatever comes your way with snow, you have it covered. Thanks for the + comment.

[@snoopysrc]

​@blowingsnow4fun you gained a new sub

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@snoopysrc Hey Snoopy…. Welcome to the channel!

[@ShooterAK]

heck yeah, more snow blowing videos. thx for the upload!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey shooter….glad you enjoyed it. I try and post something every storm….worked so hard on this one I almost lost my pants LOL

[@deanmoore420]

Nice job great video. Enjoy watching.👍

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Dean…. Glad you liked the video. I try to put one up every snow storm, but they’ve been scarce this year. If you enjoy this type of stuff, please consider subscribing to the channel if you haven’t already.

[@flyjarrett]

Have you heard anything about the kits from Ariens to install the tracks on the snowblowers to replace the wheels? I’m intrigued, but not a fan of the price tag.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Yes I have. It’s not the rapid track assembly though, it the old style tracks that Ariens had years ago. It’s quite pricey for old tech, but a decent fix for someone who moves and needs the extra traction, but can’t afford a new rapid track.

[@evenito9455]

What is EOD snow?

[@flyjarrett]

End of driveway

[@evenito9455]

@@flyjarrett thanks bruh

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Thanks Jarrett!

[@flyjarrett]

My platinum 30 cut right through that mess.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Nice…glad to hear it

[@bradh74]

What is EOD? Looks like snow to me.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Brad….EOD is end of driveway, which is considered the most difficult test for any snowblower. Glad you asked if you weren’t sure!

[@bradh74]

@@blowingsnow4funMakes sense now.

[@richcram4319]

I've got the same SHO 24 , loaded with everything but the tire chains. Wife has the honors of running it as I have a swollen left foot & can't fit a boot on it right now 😢

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@richcram4319 Hey Rich. When you look at this machine it looks big. Then you grab the grips and see how well balanced and easy this thing handles. Bottom line is your wife’s a lucky woman, and I’m betting you might have trouble getting her to give up her new task of running the SHO. Where in the US are you?

[@richcram4319]

@@blowingsnow4fun central wis

[@jeffk5386]

Way too much machine for you to handle

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Jeff. The SHO is surprisingly easy to handle with auto turn. Actually considerably easier to handle than the two fixed axel older machines I run wit 8 hp Techumse engines.