How to Fix Ariens Auto Turn

[@OldSoulMillennial]

amzn.to/3uvMJaT Poly Shoes I used on my Unit!

[@dewarner12]

Sorry to hear you have had so much trouble tracking straight with your Ariens. I have a 28" Deluxe SHO, and really like the AutoTurn feature. It has been a huge improvement over having to drag my previous snow blower around turns. Once all the adjustments were done including tire pressures, I have had no problems tracking straight on both my driveway as well as cutting paths thru my yard for my dogs. I did install the Ariens poly shoes to make blowing paths in the yard smoother, and they have really helped.

[@jimeckenrode1271]

I have an Ariens snow blower and it has the poly shoes and it works fantastic and turns the way it should. I agree with you .

[@gerrymcintosh4477]

I replaced my shoes when my snowblower was new. Never had a problem with auto turn. Often times, the auger housing is not bolted on evenly and has to be adjusted for the auto turn to work correctly. Best of luck with your machine. 🇨🇦💝👍

[@tomearly111]

Thanks for this. I ordered a new Ariens Deluxe 28" and also the poly runners off Amazon. I'm going to install them right from the get go. I'm also in North Jersey and was worried about the auto turn feature as my 20+ year old MTD/ Yard Machine 26" 10 hp. had solid axels and worked just fine.

[@jserra17]

I wanted to protect the fancy finish on my concrete patio, so I made shoes for my Ariens Delux 28 from a 5/8” thick HDPE plastic cutting board and also found the performance on my gravel driveway improved. High density polyethylene is pretty easy to cut on a band saw, but I don’t recommend trying to cut it on a table saw.

[@PainterD54]

I have poly shoes on one of my blowers and they do work fine. I'm thinking by just making my steel shoes longer like the poly shoes, they will work much better and last longer too.

[@kevintwiest9593]

I use the orange fiberglass stakes to mark the edge of my driveway, It makes it easier to stay out of the grass. Or in my case, my wife's flower garden!!!

[@charlesdarwin180]

Wowzers! I almost purchased an Ariens but this autoturn sounds like a real pain Who wants to deal with all that?

[@StlrNtn95]

I've had 0 problems with auto-turn. Usually the reason auto-turn can have a problem is either the skids were not adjusted properly or the auger housing was not adjusted properly. Both are really easy to fix.

[@charlesdarwin180]

@@StlrNtn95 Newer machines are better now. You actually hit the left lever if you're truning left or right lever if you are truning right.

[@StlrNtn95]

@@charlesdarwin180 I think that is only on the ones with tracks....

[@russellmaddock3492]

Great to see you found a way to improve your Ariens with auto steer. Be looking forward to your follow up reviews when you can test them in adverse conditions. Thanks for sharing.

[@876r876rf]

I just got a 28" sho, absolutely hate the auto turn feature. Love everything else. I've heard of this fix, I'll give it a shot

[@StlrNtn95]

I have not had any problems with auto-turn. Most of the time, if there is a problem, either the skids are not properly adjusted or the auger housing is not level. Both are really easy to fix. Tire pressure could also cause a problem but not as likely.

[@hcc7901]

I have poly-shoes on my MTD Gold. No auto steer. The wider blunt face of the poly-shoes makes it much more difficult to cut into a heavy snow bank. My "walk behind" becomes a "push behind". My little Ariens 5/20 with steel shoes will cut its way through anything. A true "walk behind". MTD Gold is up for sale.

[@blabaduplatinum1]

Hate my auto turn. Nonstop fighting the machine. I’ll try this out in time.

[@OldSoulMillennial]

This definitely improved things 80%

[@cjcairns8628]

I put poly shoes on in 2016 for the same reason. Have never looked back. I bought the Ariens poly shoes. They are wider than the ones you have

[@mccannms]

I have auto turn on my 30" Ariens. Love the feature, and never encountered a problem with it not tracking straight. I'll keep an eye out for it. I noticed there is a video put out by Ariens that shows how to adjust the auto turn - 1- release the skid shoes, 2- square the frame with the blower housing, then re-adjust and tighten the shoes. Video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHW5cqGjq8eirNU Hope that helps.

[@3344-c9y]

"Polymer" is a "nicer" word for what looks like basic ABS plastic. They still should work for a while better than steel. Do you find with the wide slots these are difficult to stay tight on the machine without loosening?

[@OldSoulMillennial]

When set to the proper torque, they hold just fine. Had them loosed up once since the install. Increased the torque and haven't had an issue since. No regrets

[@3344-c9y]

@@OldSoulMillennial tks. Makes sense. Looks like PU not ABS by their description. Gonna try 'em

[@bobss7]

I have the 30" Platinum with auto turn and blow my driveway with the scraper right on the pavement so no snow is left behind. I have no problems with the auto turn.

[@PainterD54]

Yes they will wear out faster than the steel ones do (duh) I have welded an extra 1/4" steel to bottom of my shoes to make them last longer, then I discovered the poly shoes, so I tried them on mine. I have two seasons on mine and they look pretty good yet.

[@RTimes1987]

I don't like the autosteer feature at all for anowfall on top of frozen patches. Every uneven frozen area in the driveway causes the machine to buck toward the obstacle. I've adjusted the machine properly and changed shoes. For anything but an absolute smooth surface you fight the machine too much. $20 to try polyshoes is worth a shot to see if it can be better.

[@lay6386]

there is 2 hold in each side of tire, you can test with it to stop the auto turn

[@hoover1412]

Cut out the bottom of the stock steel shoes and out a roller blade wheel. It rollers so smoothly you can operate the machine with your finger. They sell something like this on Amazon etc. rolling is less friction than even the poly skid and they never wear out. I used wheels off an old pair of roller blade that were being tossed

[@TheOtherBill]

I did this 2 seasons ago, I purchased all stainless hardware and a new set of wheels (4) and bearings (8). Total cost was about $20 and it took me an hour for the first side and 15 minutes for the other one. Everything still looks like new and it works great. I also saved the extra wheels and bearings so I should be good for 10-15 years. I notched the center of the steel shoe and mounted the wheel so it pokes through about 1/8".

[@3344-c9y]

Pics avail? Interested. Tks!

[@TheOtherBill]

@@3344-c9y kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6mrkqCgmMaLb9k

[@gerrymcintosh4477]

I’ve heard you have to adjust the auger housing and not the shoes unless they are out. Having said this, I installed poly shoes on my unit and never had a problem with the power steering. Good luck, wish you well. 🇨🇦💝👍🙏

[@anthonyjordan2922]

Thanks so much for the info.

[@PSG159er]

I bought this kit and installed it last year and the damn Mother Nature hasn’t given any snow to test it out. I will report back when I get some actual snow.

[@deanriver9388]

My Ariens auto turn works great with steal shoes

[@allaunier8143]

Excellent. Apparently, based on your analysis, you may have a BSME as I do. You demo does prove the ease with which your Ariens now tracks with the However, your concern about the wear is mine as well. My driveway appears to be as long as yours, so this article interests me. Granted the driveway is not as abrasive as it is when dry, however plastic doesn't wear like steel, so service life is a concern. The Ariens Poly Skid Shoes look quite different on their web site, with different mounting hardware, and sell for $44. Can you tell us where you purchased your set and what you paid for them.

[@OldSoulMillennial]

Link in description for the shoes I used. Currently cost $20 bucks.

[@feelinglikevinyl781]

Nice video. I have one of these machines as well and the worst possible scenario for auto turn: blacktop with lots of aggregate, nothing is level, and about a 20 degree grade to the top of the driveway. What helped me: 15 pounds of weight on the chute because of the hill, poly skids, and going slow, never above second gear. Its very livable now as long as I don't go too fast. For those that want to get rid of auto turn forever weld the two plates in the gearbox that slip to create auto turn: instant live axle. Or you could shim the plates like this fella did in the following video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZTTpnWFdtZmpMk

[@larryw5429]

Another useless design feature that wasn't necessary. Just take a couple cans of man and have a posi traction axel!

[@OldSoulMillennial]

Couldn't agree more