Keep your Ariens Auto Turn trouble free

[@paulmysliborski4832]

Great stuff, Bruce. It amazes me how many guys do zero maintenance to their machines, then act surprised when they won't start or work correctly. I will basically disassemble everything on the machine that could possibly have any salt water intrusion between the components. That also includes the skid shoes and shave plate (or scraper bar). After I am done greasing/spraying/lubing anything in sight, I will liberally spray the entire engine with CRC 656. (Including the starter, and all electrical connections.) Your Ariens looks like it just came off the showroom floor, Bruce. And I know it gets used a bunch. Cheers, my friend! Have a great summer!!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Paul… Good to hear from you. thx on the compliment on how my SHO looks! I hate spending all that money and then something looks crappy after a few years. I’m sure your machine looks great as well. I agree with your comment about guys not taking care of their machines. Then there pissed at Ariens, and there bad mouthing them for building a crappy machine. Leaves me scratching my head…what do you expect. You never clean the machine up, never do even the bare minimum preventative maintenance, only change the oil every 5 years, really …what do you expect? Oh well I’m pretty sure our machines will start first pull next fall…have a great summer.

[@dewarner12]

This was a helpful video, and seems like an important thing to do as soon as you buy an Ariens. I did this preventive maintenance when I got mine this winter.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Dudley. I agree it’s important maintenance, and it’s not difficult. I’ve done 2 machines so far, both 2019’s and neither one was bad. Mine which I would say has had above average use, and the other that I would say has had light usage. Both had light rust in the area, but were in no danger of being incapacitated by the corrosion. I have one more 2019 to work on, and hopefully that’s the same. While I think it’s important to do this ASAP, it’s definitely easier to do in moderate temperatures. Translation, if you buy your machine, and it’s 5 degrees out, wait until you get a 40 degree day or warmer to do it. I’d be interested in hearing what others find when they go to do this, and the age & usage level of their machine. I think it’s more important if you have a machine you definitely do this BEFORE you store it for the summer. IMHO the greatest damage potential here is being done on machines that have been exposed to salt water and allowed to sit inactive. Thanks for the + comment Dudley, and hopefully this saves everyone with an Ariens time, money, and aggravation in the future!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

So did you find any rust on the inner axel, or outer axel straight out of the factory? Just curious

[@floobertuber]

Excellent, detailed video. Good camera work with those close-ups, too! You have a new sub. 👍

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Floobertuber. Glad you found the video useful. Next video will probably be a little way away as we were in the mid 80’s here today. Thanks for subscribing.

[@floobertuber]

@@blowingsnow4fun Same here (SE Wisc.), it's sunny and 82F right now. Nevertheless snowblowers are on my mind! I was doing some periodic maintenance on my 1980 Ariens ST824, and I sheared a starter-motor mounting bolt off in the block. That plus a dozen other miscellaneous parts approaching "end of life" made me decide it was finally time to pick up a new model. No complaints though -- between my dad and myself, we got 43 tough winters out of that old workhorse! So last week, I went to my local power equipment dealer and bought a 24" Platinum SHO. I hear last winter, they were in pretty short supply (AX engine supply chain difficulties), so I felt lucky to get one this late into spring/summer. My wallet is a slightly sore, but at least I won't be without a great snowblower next season! Not to mention... I just saw about the Ariens layoffs that just happened in Brillion, which is not too far up the road from me. I can't imagine that's going to help snowblower availability for next winter, either. They seem to be cranking up their zero-turn mower production, too.

[@MikeMike-is2hl]

At the 20:00 minute mark, the 2 washers you mention act as spacers to keep the differential gear from rubbing on the bolts that hold the rake/shaft bushing.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Mike…. Thanks for the positive comment!

[@timhyde1629]

We need a blowing and Mowing for FUN!! Love your video's , I hear Ariens has a new walk behind Razor :)

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Thanks Tim. If I see anything video worthy this summer, I’ll try to put one up on the site. The Razor looks kind of cool…seems very versatile. My son in law just picked up a Milwaukee Tool electric mower….very powerful for an electric, and loaded with innovation. You know Milwaukee…”Nothing but heavy duty!”

[@flyjarrett]

I think that Ariens is trying to fill the void with the walk behinds that Honda is leaving. The Razor looks like a tank.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@flyjarrett your probably right. I hope Ariens is working g on an electric walk behind as it spears that’s the way things are headed. 5 years ago, there wasn’t a battery walk behind mower in my neighborhood. Now it’s probably like 20% battery mowers with many replacing gas mowers when they develop problems for electric.

[@Denny_E_Lee7575]

Awesome tutorial thanks from Buffalo NY 👍

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Denny… glad you enjoyed the video and found it worth watching. Thanks for the + comment.

[@mikeadams2339]

Thankz. Good camera work on the washers i need that as a reminder.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Mike….First time I did this I struggled a little getting that outer axel to seat back into the differential, until I got some light in there and spotted that washer that was balling things up. Glad I was able to help!

[@johnmcalisterjr3913]

A little maintenance goes a long way.only takes a few minutes to save you hours of work in the future and when things break or don’t work properly is when you really need them.thanks for the advice

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey John.thx for the +comment. I completely agree!

[@roncaron-l1r]

Thank You Ron from Kapuskasing I have a 2019 Ariens Platinum 30 inch 414 cc

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey…. I think 2019 was a good year for Ariens snow blowers for whatever reason. That’s a very nice machine. The 414 is a very powerful engine, and the 30” width allows it to clear large driveways fast. Thanks for the positive comment, and if you like videos like this, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel.

[@flyjarrett]

Just put my Platinum 30 away for the winter. Two bolts snapped on me in the process. Simple preventive maintenance lasted a week while I waited for parts.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Jarrett, which bolts snapped. Wondering if it’s a wear issue, over torque, or just a cheap bolt?

[@flyjarrett]

@@blowingsnow4fun Is definitely wasn’t over torque, as I barely touched it. I think it was either soft bolts or possibly corrosion from dissimilar metals. The first one happened when I was doing the traction belt service. On my machine, there’s two bolts that are on the right side of the machine that hold a spacer that is around the traction belt pulley. I got them off OK when I installed the new belt, but one snapped in reassembly. I bought a new spacer and two bolts from Ariens, as Esch doesn’t stock hardware. The second one happened when I was greasing the auger and I noticed that one of the bolts that hold the auger bearing on the right side of the machine was loose. I tightened that one down, and checked the other two bolts to make sure they were tight. One of those other two snapped. Instead of waiting for another delivery from Ariens, I drilled it out and replaced it with stainless hardware that I purchased at ACE. After that, I was done tightening bolts.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

I believe you were done looking for loose bolts at that point. I know I over torque at times. I go from my two 80’s blowers where you can’t strip or break any bolts to the newer machines where it’s fairly easy to screw something up. A lot of fasteners now come from China… on everything! I broke 4 bolts I bought from a big box store (green sign) trying to join 2 pieces of angle iron. I wasn’t even putting a ton of pressure on them and they just broke. Not at the base of the head, or at the base of the nut, they just twisted off in random places. If it’s a critical application, I go to Ace. You’ll pay a little more, but they hold up in the long run. I never heard of a bolt near those spacers breaking off, but the ones that hold the auger bushings are notorious for loosening up, and stripping out. You have to proceed with caution with those. I check mine occasionally with a 1/4” ratchet. That keeps the pressure on them down, while still checking them. I’ve often thought if I find one of those 6 loose, I’ll add a little blue lock title before I re-tighten.

[@mikeswink1031]

@@blowingsnow4fun I retired from a welding shop , heave equipment . Most of the fasteners we used were China , and you could feel the difference . Weight wise . They stripped easily , broke , etc . Not good

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@mikeswink1031 No worries about you having the skills or the tools to complete the work then Mike. I get questions all the time, and sometimes I just don’t know what to say because I don’t know the persons mechanical abilities?

[@FixItWithMe]

I couldn’t see some of the products u used even though u tried to show it. Can u provide a link? Thanks!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Nan… here are Amazon links to the products I generally use (most used in this video). Jet-Lube Arctic - Extreme Low... www.amazon.com/dp/B000LG8DLG?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Jet-Lube Marine Grade Anti-Seize... www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQLJCFQ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

[@criticalevent]

Is there room on that sleeve to tap it for a grease fitting?

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey critical event… Im not a machinist but I don’t think it’s possible. You need to be able to slide the outer axel shaft out through the holes in the sides of the blower to access& service some of the internal drive components. Any type of protrusion like a grease fitting on the axel sleeve would not allow this. Thanks for the question, as I think it’s definitely a creative idea.

[@criticalevent]

@@blowingsnow4fun Oh that's too bad, I did that on my Honda's augers because they would rust to the shaft, making it impossible to break a sheer pin when it needed to. Definitely something to look out for on any sleeved axle!

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@criticalevent ….on my Ariens, and on my older Simplicity SnowAway, the auger shaft has zerks on each side for just that reason. Unfortunately for the sake of durability, there pressed in zerks, not tapped. Ideally every year you pull the shear pins, grease the fittings, and spin the shaft to distribute the grease. If you don’t have the time or the desire to do that, you should at a minimum grease the auger shaft fittings. As you stated, failure to Cary this out results in a rust-welded auger shaft that will in turn destroy your gear box if you strike an object.

[@cassijoanna]

Great job sir! Dont listen to the haters 😂 their just jealous

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Cassijoanna…. I always do my best to provide the most . accurate info I can for KZbinrs at the time I make a video. That being said, I also try to keep an open mind, as I am not a professional mechanic. I attempt to be respectful of others ideas as I’m never in a position where I can’t learn something, but I do appreciate your supportive comments. I find people interested in snow blowers as a whole are very respectful, and well intentioned. Thanks for the + comment, and see if you can send some snow my way, so I can post more videos.

[@johnbautch6947]

Great video, It's kinda amazing how the snow and water works it's way into those shafts and starts to from rust. Your neighbors are lucky to have a good guy like you to help out when their down. I'm sure their machines will be ready for snow next season with no issues, thanks to your help. Thanks for the helpful tips on the kind of products to use. Do you coat the machine control springs and shafts with any rust preventive ?

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi John. Not every year, but probably every other. If it’s shiny, I put a coat of car wax on it. If it’s bare metal, it gets a light coat of super lube. If it’s a pivot point, I spray a little spray super lube on it, Tri-flow spray, or in a pinch WD40. Then I’ll move the handle a few times to work it in. I spray the springs if they look like there starting g to rust, or there creaking, I’ll spray them lightly, and wipe them off

[@l337pwnage]

Uh oh, you used the "g" word, might make it hard to get into the recommended section. ;) I never bought into the "kneeling is bad" argument, however, I cannot offer any personal insight other than I had no problem until I developed a condition that, more or less, took that ability away, and my condition is completely unrelated to any mechanical wear and tear people might attribute to kneeling. I've always believed in the philosophy of, "if you don't use it, you lose it." At work we were _very_ strongly encouraged to use pads, so I did, and it was way more comfortable, but I didn't see it as preventing anything but callouses. I see some people took issue with your grease customization, lol. I also do that in situations where it helps. Is it overkill? sure, but some people think any maintenance is overkill. Many people treat everything as disposable. They use something till it breaks, then replace it. Doing it annually is probably a bit much, even your biannual schedule, except for the fact that is the only way to grease the stock axle bushings and once those wear out the drive teeth will eventually misalign and start skipping. I always intended to install zirks on the axle bushings of my base machine, but, I've had it over 10 years and still haven't gotten around to it, lol. So, I guess I have to admit those stock bushings are pretty durable. ;) I do miss when Ariens used more ball bearings, tho. Those could handle amazing neglect and abuse.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Pwnage…. I completely agree about missing bearings. Machines like these blowers were made with bearings instead of bushings when the average owner actually preformed preventative maintenance. As you stated, frequently owners treat these machines like they’re a TV. As soon as there’s a problem, they buy a new one. I can tell from your comment, that you are a man who takes care of his tools, & power equipment, as I am. Welcome to the channel, and I hope I hear from you in the future.

[@bill-nj6fc]

sounds like a snowblower too just stay away from, auto turn whats nexts , on board coffee pot, what gimmic

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Bill…, Nothing further from the truth. All branded snow blowers have some form of differential in their axel assemblies for the last 5 years or so. I own 2 older fixed axel machines, and on concrete they’re like wrestling a bear to turn compared to the Ariens I own with AutoTurn. Ariens and Toro are the only current snowblower manufacturers that have a system that’s hands free. (Ariens even has it on their tracked machines that make them very easy to maneuver). Most others have a system of levers you have to squeeze to release one wheel during a turn. It’s a really innovative feature that makes it really easy to handle a big machine like the Platinum SHO. It’s just like anything else mechanical, to keep it working properly, you have to lube it every 2-3 seasons. Thanks for the + comment. What part of the country do you do your snow blowing, and what type of machine do you run?

[@clairkrause6656]

Good video, but I would like to add just one thing. Recommend putting on the belly pan BEFORE the wheels are reinstalled. It is a PIA to get the bolts installed in the belly pan if the wheels are already put back on. Those cheap imitation nuts that they use are very difficult to get all lined up and tightened. Poor design for the belly pan as far as I am concerned. It saves the manufacture a few pennies, and makes maintenance a PIA.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Clark…. I couldn’t agree more with you about the belly pan fasteners. My old 824 Toro, & Simplicity SnowAway have threaded holes built right into the metal which is far better IMHO. I asked a dealer about the newer Ariens system, and he told me it was in response to people stripping the old style. I’ll try leaving the wheels off next time I drop the pan for something. It’s a PIA, but maybe that will give me more room to get them started….thanks for the tip. If you like videos like these and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel.

[@percyfaith11]

Blew my mind until you told us that the camera screen was flipped.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Percy…. Sorry about that. Probably should have put some text on the screen explaining. The steps are all correct, the techniques are the same, just flipped.

[@jayrichman6266]

Why have the video in reverse view? It makes no sense. It would be better off having the video in the real view in some foreign language.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Jay… the video has 2K views, and your the first guy to mention the reverse view on the video. I don’t have enough subscribers (u need to have at least 1000) to get any $ from KZbin for my videos, so I can’t afford a special camera (use my phone) or another person to run it (wish I could). I tried this video 2xs previous to the take you saw. I kept getting parts of the job cut out of the frame, so then I reversed the camera so I could see the frame of the camera, and work within it. I do my best to shoot my videos using the regular camera view whenever possible, but sometimes it’s the only option.

[@steveh8724]

@@blowingsnow4fun Using you phone is fine, just don't use the camera that faces you when you're looking at the screen. Use the primary camera which is the one that faces AWAY from user. This camera will be higher quality and will not produce the reversed image. You can toggle back and forth between the two cameras depending on whether you WANT to do a selfie (will be reverse image, so the screen view is like looking in a mirror) or the main camera.

[@PaulMattsen-y4q]

Guys loves his grease

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey user…..On a snowblower I do. Winter power equipment. No worries about increased wear due to attracting dirt. (no air filter for that reason)….check. Most effective method to seal out salt water intrusion, and reduce friction (wear) which is the enemy of anything metal…. check. Cheap …check. Most expedient method to keep condensation off metal parts due to temperature change and humidity….check. What’s not to love LOL

[@greentjmtl]

Grease now or cry later. I took apart mine brand new and it was bone dry between the sleeve and shaft. I went a bit further and disassembled the entire axle and differential (the differential is decently greased inside) to make sure everything is well greased.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@greentjmtl …smart move. I don’t know why they don’t at least grease the points where there is metal to metal contact??? Glad you are on top of it, because some day it will have to come apart

[@richardknott2021]

Is the video reversed..

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Richard…. I don’t have anyone to man the camera here, and I shoot all my videos on my phone, so if I put it in selfie mode, I can see if I’m capturing the work on video. Unfortunately, that does flip, or reverse the image. I’m going to redo the auto turn maintainance procedure this spring (my plan), and I have a friend who’s offered me the use of his GoPro with the head strap. Sooo, stay tuned to the channel, and there should be an unflipped version coming, if this one’s hard to use.

[@richardknott2021]

@ you have a great channel..

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@ Thanks Richard….i appreciate your kind words. I do enjoy making the videos, and interacting with snowblower folk like yourself. If you ever need info about anything snowblower, reach out & I’ll do my best to help.

[@jimeckenrode1271]

I ould only watch 8 minutes of this video. You talk to much. I will watch Donyboy video instead.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hi Jim sorry you found my video too talkative. DonnyBoy does an excellent job with his channel, and his videos. If after watching his video, you need a more detailed explanation, please stop back in, and view the last 4 minutes of my video. Thanks for being respectful with your comments.

[@mikeswink1031]

I just ordered a 30 inch Ariens Platinum sho. now for the snow to come !

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Mike…. That’s a great machine you’re getting. The 30” SHO will clear s wide of long driveway very quickly. Let me know how it performs in the first big snow you get. Thanks for the + comment.

[@mikeswink1031]

@@blowingsnow4fun I wonder why the Ariel’s or the dealer do not put anti seize / grease on the drive axle , or at least a light coating . Your video really shows how to improve the performance . Marine grade grease , anti seize seems to be the trick to keep corrosion off .

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@mikeswink1031 Hi Mike… not only why doesn’t Ariens do a better job protecting these parts from the factory, but why this procedure doesn’t even appear in the service manuals?

[@mikeswink1031]

@@blowingsnow4fun Is this worth asking the dealer ( John Deere ) where I purchased this through about this ? Or should I just do this ? Being not in the owner’s manual , my John Deere dealer might not know either . They just recently started selling Ariens , within the last 5 years os so . I currently own a John Deere 928 E snowblower 2010 model . Hard to get parts now . I think in 2013 , maybe earlier JD stopped production of these .

[@blowingsnow4fun]

@@mikeswink1031 hi Mike…. I don’t think you need to be supper fussy and do this right away unless you really want to. My 2019 went two years before I found out about this maintenance, and it was fine. If you have a heated garage then you’re good, but it’s always easier to do this type of work when your hands aren’t freezing to the wrenches. Personally I like doing my routine maintenance, like this, myself as I know it’s done right. If you have average mechanical skills you’ll be able to handle this and save yourself $150-200 bucks. I monitor my channel all year round, even though I only post videos near winter, so if you have questions, reach out & I’ll do my best to help you.

[@steveh8724]

Why did you film this in selfie mode? Everything is backwards! Oh, I see you replied to an earlier comment saying you just used your phone. No problem, just don't use it in SELFIE mode with the camera that faces the user. Use the OTHER camera that points away from the user and is higher quality (higher resolution, better lens) and does not produce a reversed image.

[@blowingsnow4fun]

Hey Steve ….apologies for that. I use my phone as I don’t have a dedicated camera, (or camera person). Using selfie mode is the only way I’ve been able to figure so I can see what I’m filming. It gets old fast taping a 30 minute repair, and you can’t see half the stuff I’m doing. When (&if) I ever get to the 1000 subscriber threshold, first thing I’m going to get is a good camera , second is a laptop I can edit on. Until then it’s a bare bones operation😔