Hey Chris…. I agree, and so do others. The channel has subscribers from Hawaii believe it or not. I have other subscribers who refer to watching others clear snow as “Snow blower porn” LOL. I hope I never hear of anyone having to check into the “Henry Ariens Clinic” as a result of watching my videos! Thanks for the + comment, and please consider subscribing if you haven’t already.
I had one like that when I lived in Waukesha Wisconsin. Then I retired and moved to Bowling Green Kentucky. Gave that to my son in Sussex Wisconsin. Nice watch from here.
Hey Joseph….my parents lived in Brookfield for 20 years, and my Dad blew plenty of snow out of his driveway with his 8hp Simplicity. Is your son still running your old machine?
Hello from New Brunswick, Canada. Have an Ariens Platinum 28 SHO RapidTrak and very please with the performance. I enjoy your videos (very informative), thanks for posting..
Hey AMD… Good to hear from Canada, as I love spend time fishing every summer quite a ways West of you near Ear Falls. Glad you find my videos useful. After watching my videos you’ve got to know I’m a fan of the 28 SHO. I don’t hear from too many viewers with 28 rapid tracks though. It’s good to hear your Ariens is preforming well. I looked and saw you get about 80” in an aver winter by you. What’s the temperature range like for you being close to the ocean? Well I have to go clean up some snow that we got last night. 3-4” of powder. Not sure if I’ll use the little boy( Toro PowerChrve) or the big boy (SHO) until I see what my EOD pile looks like as I did hear the plow come through last night. Thanks for the + comment, and for being a subscriber!
Good video Bruce , you can really see how that wind was kinda blowing every witch way. The light looks good, it puts out much more light. That was kinda heavy snow, I was out after 10 pm doing the clean up. Keep the videos coming, I love watching the Ariens SHO eat !!!!
Hi Mega. They were saying 6-10 here, and we got somewhere between 6&9. It was tough to measure as we had 40 mph winds which created some pretty nice drifts. As upgrades go, the LED headlight is easy, quick, and really improves performance in the dark.
I agree. Nobody builds them like they did 25 years ago, but that’s the same with everything ….not just snowthrowers. However, Ariens still has more metal in their machines than any other brand, they still offer plenty of power with easy starting. You can still get parts for machines made 30 years ago. Then they have free how to videos, and free downloads of detailed repair manuals for their newer machine. I know a guy that bought a large engine Chinese made blower from a big box store a couple-3 years ago. He has a heck of a time finding parts for that thing if he can find them, and it’s 3 years old! Thanks for the + comment, and if you like what you see on the channel, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing.
Wish my Ariens Tecumseh 9hp SnoKing snowblower would start like this on the first pull. Never has. Probably never will. Even on summer and fall start ups. Been using snowblowers since 1960’s.
Hey Mike…. I have 2 Tecumseh 80’s 8hp snow kings. They’ll start first pull when it’s warm, but when it’s cold no way. In my experience these Ariens AX engines turn over and spin really easy. Probably the easiest starting engine I’ve ever had, including my Honda’s.
Ariens SHO handled that snow like a boss! We got around 2.5" in the Chicago suburbs but the first inch was basically snow/sleet mix and the top 1.5" was normal snow. Clearing that initial sleet yesterday afternoon proved to be a task but clearing the lighter snow that fell overnight was a breeze
Hi Andy. The snow was wet here when it first started, then the temp dropped, and it became lighter. Did you need to spray your chute to clear that initial slush?
@Blowing Snow 4fun I did need to spray it. My craftsman 2 stage was plugging up a lot. I switched to the old faithful 2 stroke single stage Toro snowblower and to my surprise it handled the initial slop better than the 2 stage
@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv hey Andy…. I’m not shocked that your old two cycle Toro performed well. Those engines have excellent torque and can handle heavy snow really well. I have owned a number of Toro snow blowers and throwers over the years and I was always very satisfied with them. When I was shopping last in 2019, I narrowed it down to Toro and Ariens. I just couldn’t get past all the plastic on the new Toro 2 stages. The joystick chute control is really neat engineering, but there prone to breaking. Heck, the new ones even have plastic belly pans. My old toro 824 is all metal, and it will take just about anything g and keep working. I guess we have more snow or ice, or rain coming here next Weds & Thurs.
I agree Mike. I’ve had guys ask me if it gets full of snow seeing as it’s LED, and doesn’t generate enough heat to melt snow and ice. It’s like driving on a snowy day. If you don’t put any heat on your windshield, the snow doesn’t stick, it just blows off as you drive. This light is the same way. The light is so much brighter white, it really makes it easy to see detail in the snow ahead as you operate.I’m 5-11, and the old OEM light didn’t bother me, but it’s very interesting that for a taller guy, it takes the upward glare away. Thanks for the positive comment Mike, and if you like what you see on the channel, please consider subscribing.
That’s a good strategy Mike. I wish I could remove my snow exactly like you do. Unfortunately , I have an odd entry to my driveway. When this subdivision was built in the 90’s they ran a continuous 1/2 gutter straight down the block which creates an odd dip to carry water away at the end of the driveways. They were supposed to come through later, and pour a regular curb, and make the approach to the driveways smooth. Of course that never happened. So it’s really tough to clean the end of my drive without leaving snow in the dip. I haven’t been able to figure a way to clean it by going Acrossed it without leaving even more snow. (& I haven’t seen anyone else in the neighborhood do it either). The best strategy has been to attack it the way I do in my videos. When I’m done with the driveway, I head for the backyard to clean the salt out in some fresh snow.
@@blowingsnow4fun I noticed your snowblower lift at that point , and I thought just have the weight bar mounted to the housing . But that you have that difficult raise at the end of your driveway , that answered my question . Might have to just shovel that part . I have the standard curb with 2 catchbasins / drains that I have to shovel after blowing . We live on the bottom of a hill , and if they are not kept clean , ice will develop up to and past my driveway . Always some cleanup after blowing . My Ariel’s snowblower arrived at my J. D. Dealer this afternoon , with delivery Monday midday . However , we have no snow in N. E . Wisconsin yet . Blame that on me for buying this snowblower . I got a good trade in for my J. D. 928 E . It was difficult to find some parts for that blower , so it is time to. Your SHO was just flying through that slop , much faster than your neighbors .
Hey Phil…. Guessing you found some use in my video? You’re welcome, & thanks for the + comment. If you like videos like this, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel.
I sprung for the "deluxe" cleanout tool w/ the built in brush. Pretty handy for cleaning off the machine when you're done using it. It also helps build the habit of reaching for the tool instead of the temptation to stick your fingers in there. ;) Although, it's been my experience that the newer Ariens don't really plug up, at least not easily. I think the power of these new OHV engine helps with that. In addition to Ariens upsizing their impellers.
@@blowingsnow4fun I'm trying to remember if my new Compact ever plugged or not, I know my old one did until I modded it. My new one, however, still just becomes a "slush pump" when it's too wet, tho. It just pushes it out instead of throwing it. It will eventually self-clear, but it's faster and easier on the machine to just help it out. I should point out, especially at my old place, it was common to have to snow blow through areas of standing water in the spring. Your area looks hilly enough that you may not have that issue. Anyway, the point is, if you get the one with the brush, at least you can use it for something else besides decoration. 😜
👍🏻on the reach for the clean-out comment!. If it’s within hand reach, most guys will grab it. Can you imagine how many fingers/ hands putting that clean-out tool there has saved? Hats off to all the manufacturers for not just throwing it anywhere on the machine to meet the requirements . Does the brush attract a lot of snow when it’s clipped in on top of the bucket?
@@blowingsnow4fun When I clip it to the bucket, I face the bristles toward the front, away from the chute, so I think that minimizes the chances of snow getting on it from the chute. I guess, then it's facing the snow you're running into, tho. For me, I don't notice a problem with that, however, I always remove it and brush off the blower when I'm done. It's possible that less snow would stay on that angled surface with a smaller cleanout tool, or no tool, on it. Also, this is a larger tool and it does vibrate against the paint and after 10 years I'm seeing wear marks in the paint. Maybe the regular tool would not do that. It's kind of a funny story. I originally bought it for my old compact which plugged in wet snow. I'd use a pipe to unplug it, but I'd have to stop, go to the garage, get the pipe, unplug it, then put the pipe somewhere, hoping I don't forget to put it away, lol. So I bought this and mounted it on my old blower. Well, somewhere in there I modded the old blower and that greatly reduced the plugging, so it was hardly needed after that. Then I got my new blower which came with the base tool, so I put the base tool on the old blower and the deluxe tool on the new blower, and about the only use it sees now is brushing off the blower when I'm done.
Interesting… there was a ER nurse that responded to one of my videos. She saw the. X-Ray on a guy that was blowing snow and his machine plugged. He didn’t shut the machine off, and he tried to clear the chute with a crow bar. The crow bar ended up lodged in his skull. She wanted to say how import it was to shut the machine off, and only use the plastic tool . Got my attention!!!
Hi…. That’s a good question. I clean the area in front of my mailbox so our mail lady can reach our mailbox in the winter. It’s not an issue now, but if we get a few big storms, it really makes their job much more difficult. (Some people do this, some don’t) The area I clear on the opposite side of the drive is so I have a spot to put our garbage and recycling carts on pick up day rather than putting them in our driveway. I think this is the first time you’ve left a comment? What part of the country are you from, & thanks for the + comment.
-- Wise of you to brush it down and throttle down before shutting down when you were finished. Curious if you use a space heater to melt the auger/impeller area once you get it inside. Probably not this time as it was pretty powdery snow. And the guy across the street, he looks like he knows what he's doing. Rust Belt (500 feet from Lake Michigan) Husqvarna ST224, 212cc is me.
Hey Mark…. I elevate the front of the bucket slightly with a piece of 5/8” plywood . Keeps the scraper bar away from the concrete which eliminates any rust marks, and encourages drainage of hole at rear base of impeller housing on Ariens. Then I do a visual inspection for ice/snow. If it looks like it could freeze up in there I have a small space heater I can put on a piece of wood in front of the bucket, but I rarely have to do that. I have an attached garage that’s pretty well insulated. When the warm machine is in there, with 1 or two warm vehicles, it stays pretty warm in the area I store the SHO. Yah Bob Acrossed the street knows how to blow snow. He has an older Ariens with about a 10 hp engine, and it’s a great machine. Unfortunately he’s moving in a few weeks. He’s was always willing to do my snow if I was out of town as I was willing to do his when he traveled for his job. I hope the the new owners are as good as he and his wife were? Thanks for the + comment, and if you like this type of video, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel. I’ll add new videos if we get any more snow this year, as we’re in kinda a snow drought this year!
Hi Jimmy…. I’m sure he wasn’t doing it on purpose, he’s not that kind of guy. He’s the kind of guy that goes down the block with his machine looking for someone who needs help.
Hey Hoover….i have a stock 24” SHO, and have never been able to plug it up. Impeller mods have been around for years, and some manufactures have offered models. My father had a Simplicity SnowAway in the early 70’ that had impeller blades that fight tightly into the impeller housing’made from 1/2” solid rubber. It would throw pure water going down the center of our alley 35’. I never saw that machine plug up, but about every 3-4 years it needed the impeller bearing replaced. The bearing was a big HD one that was $$$. The impeller bearing going was eventually why my father traded that machine on the Simplicity you see in some of my videos with a traditional impeller. Belt slippage under heavy load IMO is a culprit in machines plugging That’s why the double belt on the Ariens is such an important feature. With very little belt slip, Ariens machines create a blast of snow upon impeller engagement That blasts the entryway to the chute clear of most clogging. Thanks for the + comment. What part of the country are you located in?
I wish they offered a light upgrade kit for my Ariens 926053 with my specific serial number or should I say date of manufacture. According to Ariens they do not. 😢
Blowing snow too high in the air. Point the snow outlet more toward the ground. Keeps the snow from blowing all over you! You can make adjustments to the snow blower without stopping! You should be able to take your right hand off the handlebars, when your left hand is squeezing the lever. Use your right hand to make ajustments to the snowblowers outlet and snow deflector height adjustment. You can also change gears without stopping.
Hi Carl… in some instances, (such as late in the season), I blow the snow with the chute lower. During the season I prefer to throw it as far as i can safely even if I end up wearing a little. Several reasons. When I throw snow near the driveway, and we get multiple storms, the bank gets too high for me to comfortably throw snow over. Additionally, when that snow builds up from having the chute down, it builds up where the drive enters the street, & it affects my wife’s ability to see the roadway because of the piles.. Lastly, it’s way more fun seeing how far I can throw it! Thanks for the comment.
I live in Michigan. Last few winters we've had green Christmas. Had two snow storms and melted be both times in a week and a half/two weeks green grass again.
The snow blower tends to ride up at the end of the driveway. I’ve noticed that on the 2 videos I watched. Otherwise I’m looking at the same model to replace my current snowblower.
Hi Rider. I have two older 8hp Techumse powered blowers and the SHO. When you get in that dense snow at the EOD, they all tend to ride up. The SHO is heavier than my Simplicity, or my Toro, so it tends not to try to climb as much. If someone’s driven through it, or there’s frozen material in it it’s worse. When I’m coming up or going down the driveway I have to lift up on the handles, because of the goofy way they poured the street here. There’s a continuous gutter that runs Acrossed everyone’s driveway and creates a dip. The water heads for that dip, making that dip full of the heaviest snow. If I don’t lift up, it tends to leave that slush (which freezes & creates problems for my wife’s car). I’m not an original owner here, but in the 90’s when this subdivision was built, they had said this gutter thing was a temporary arrangement. Because of budget $ etc., they’ve never poured real curbs, and flushed out the end of the drives. Everyone in the neighborhood complains about it, but it’s never going to change. It’s even worse to shovel. Maybe a tracked machine would be better, but there’s one in the next block, and it leaves that slushy area there????? IDK. Good luck with your purchase. I would buy the exact same SHO if I had to redo it. I love the machine overall!
@@blowingsnow4fun thanks. as they say buy quality buy once. As for the end of your driveway I wouldn’t sweat it. Mine is very steep. Good thing this winter we don’t have much ice so I don’t have to push it up while clearing the snow. We got hit with major snow in the last month.
Hey Rider…yah the end of the driveway thing is weird by me. I’ve never lived anywhere where I didn’t have a gradual approach before. As I know your about to spend $ on a new blower, I wanted to make sure you knew that is a major contributing factor in how my machine handles the EOD pile. I agree with your assessment on buying quality. I was torn between the Toro and the Ariens when I bought last. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on a machine with plastic chute controls, and a plastic dash. This years Toro has a plastic belly pan. Some of the electric blowers from these overseas manufacturers even have plastic gears now. Anyways, you will not be disappointed in the performance or the features of the platinum SHO. After you fight your first big blizzard, let me know your thoughts on how your new machine functions!
@The Rider It this case it appears to be a driveway issue, but the observation of a snowblower "riding up" depends on how they build the machine. A more balanced machine will be easier to handle and turn, but will "ride up" more, whereas a more front heavy machine will dig in more, but be harder to maneuver. Some brands also offer weight kits to "tune" the blower to your personal liking. The only way to have the "best of both worlds" is to get a track machine, which typically have a "dig" mode, "float" mode, and "travel" mode, or get one of those old '90's Toros with the gear drive transmission that could actually change its own wheelbase.
Hey Rider… you are correct about the balance concept, but sometimes it is about accessories added such as an enclosure. I have an early 80’s Toro 824 that I’ve added a cab to. It threw the balance way off, and I had to add a sand bag clamp assembly on the bucket to keep the front end down. Total blower weight is also a factor, as even a tracked machine that doesn’t have sufficient mass will ride up over the snow in the right conditions. The Toro “Powershift” that you referenced worked great until the salt started rusting the traveling axel assembly, then many became problematic. (Personally I believe it was more a case of owners not wanting to hose the salt off, drop the belly pan every spring, and lube the internal chain &gear assembly that was critical to this system). I had a chance to try a neighbors, and it was a beast in the EOD pile with the axel in the back position. Length of machine can also make a difference. Allis Chalmers and Simplicity co-made a blower for about 5 years back in the early 70’s. The second stage (impeller had rubber paddles, and it was turned sideways compared to our current machines) made the machine longer. With the extra length of the machine, this created great leverage when you’d add just a little pressure on the handlebars. It was really easy to keep the front end on the ground no matter what. Only two problems with that design. They were so long they were tough to turn around, (needed a lot of space), and they took up quite a bit of room in the garage. My father had one with a 5hp Briggs on it that I used quite regularly. It was a good machine, and the predecessor of the blowers that now sport impeller kits. Currently, you are entirely correct in your comments about tracked machines being the best out there at keeping the bucket on the pavement in the dig mode. Thanks for the positive comment.
You ever think of installing an impeller mod to help throw snow further? You'd get less blowback and the machine seems to cut through the snow alot better.
Hi sunny. I’ve considered it, but the SHO impeller it throws really well. The blowback I generally get is from the swirling winds. We live 5 minutes from Lake Michigan and once the main energy of the storm passes the winds change direction constantly. I start a pass blowing East because the winds out of the west, and the wind direction shifts 2x’s before I get to the street LOL. I’m guessing you have an impeller mod on your machine? What model blower are you running, and what kind of impeller kit do you have? I’ve had/have lots of blowers, and I’ve never put an impeller kit in any of them?
The part number is 72104400, and the cost is $49.00 from the Ariens website with free shipping. It won’t let me copy the link to the Ariens website. Just Google ariens LED light kit, and the first link that pops up is the kit in the Ariens website.
No problem. You’ll enjoy the new light. Get the fuel tank down to below 1/4, and put it in the service position. It makes it much easier than the way I did it on my machine crawling around on the floor.
Hey Swizelstick…. I haven’t even seen one at the ariens dealer. None in my neighborhood that I know of. It looks like a real beast of a machine. Have you seen one in person? It has a beast of a price too at $4,700. That’s more than 2 24” Platinum SHO’s. But it’s a lot of snow blower!
watching this seeing another person clear snow is very soothing and calming. sort of a relaxation.
Hey Chris…. I agree, and so do others. The channel has subscribers from Hawaii believe it or not. I have other subscribers who refer to watching others clear snow as “Snow blower porn” LOL. I hope I never hear of anyone having to check into the “Henry Ariens Clinic” as a result of watching my videos! Thanks for the + comment, and please consider subscribing if you haven’t already.
I had one like that when I lived in Waukesha Wisconsin. Then I retired and moved to Bowling Green Kentucky. Gave that to my son in Sussex Wisconsin. Nice watch from here.
Hey Joseph….my parents lived in Brookfield for 20 years, and my Dad blew plenty of snow out of his driveway with his 8hp Simplicity. Is your son still running your old machine?
Hello from New Brunswick, Canada. Have an Ariens Platinum 28 SHO RapidTrak and very please with the performance. I enjoy your videos (very informative), thanks for posting..
Hey AMD… Good to hear from Canada, as I love spend time fishing every summer quite a ways West of you near Ear Falls. Glad you find my videos useful. After watching my videos you’ve got to know I’m a fan of the 28 SHO. I don’t hear from too many viewers with 28 rapid tracks though. It’s good to hear your Ariens is preforming well. I looked and saw you get about 80” in an aver winter by you. What’s the temperature range like for you being close to the ocean? Well I have to go clean up some snow that we got last night. 3-4” of powder. Not sure if I’ll use the little boy( Toro PowerChrve) or the big boy (SHO) until I see what my EOD pile looks like as I did hear the plow come through last night. Thanks for the + comment, and for being a subscriber!
Good video Bruce , you can really see how that wind was kinda blowing every witch way. The light looks good, it puts out much more light. That was kinda heavy snow, I was out after 10 pm doing the clean up. Keep the videos coming, I love watching the Ariens SHO eat !!!!
I love my LED light too! Sounds like you got more snow than we did here in MI. And that light is a very easy upgrade to do.
Hi Mega. They were saying 6-10 here, and we got somewhere between 6&9. It was tough to measure as we had 40 mph winds which created some pretty nice drifts. As upgrades go, the LED headlight is easy, quick, and really improves performance in the dark.
Ariens makes such wonderful machines.
I agree. Nobody builds them like they did 25 years ago, but that’s the same with everything ….not just snowthrowers. However, Ariens still has more metal in their machines than any other brand, they still offer plenty of power with easy starting. You can still get parts for machines made 30 years ago. Then they have free how to videos, and free downloads of detailed repair manuals for their newer machine. I know a guy that bought a large engine Chinese made blower from a big box store a couple-3 years ago. He has a heck of a time finding parts for that thing if he can find them, and it’s 3 years old! Thanks for the + comment, and if you like what you see on the channel, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing.
Wish my Ariens Tecumseh 9hp SnoKing snowblower would start like this on the first pull. Never has. Probably never will. Even on summer and fall start ups. Been using snowblowers since 1960’s.
Hey Mike…. I have 2 Tecumseh 80’s 8hp snow kings. They’ll start first pull when it’s warm, but when it’s cold no way. In my experience these Ariens AX engines turn over and spin really easy. Probably the easiest starting engine I’ve ever had, including my Honda’s.
By the way…. IMHO Tecumseh engines were excellent power plants for snow blowers.
Ariens SHO handled that snow like a boss! We got around 2.5" in the Chicago suburbs but the first inch was basically snow/sleet mix and the top 1.5" was normal snow. Clearing that initial sleet yesterday afternoon proved to be a task but clearing the lighter snow that fell overnight was a breeze
Hi Andy. The snow was wet here when it first started, then the temp dropped, and it became lighter. Did you need to spray your chute to clear that initial slush?
@Blowing Snow 4fun I did need to spray it. My craftsman 2 stage was plugging up a lot. I switched to the old faithful 2 stroke single stage Toro snowblower and to my surprise it handled the initial slop better than the 2 stage
@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv hey Andy…. I’m not shocked that your old two cycle Toro performed well. Those engines have excellent torque and can handle heavy snow really well. I have owned a number of Toro snow blowers and throwers over the years and I was always very satisfied with them. When I was shopping last in 2019, I narrowed it down to Toro and Ariens. I just couldn’t get past all the plastic on the new Toro 2 stages. The joystick chute control is really neat engineering, but there prone to breaking. Heck, the new ones even have plastic belly pans. My old toro 824 is all metal, and it will take just about anything g and keep working. I guess we have more snow or ice, or rain coming here next Weds & Thurs.
@Blowing Snow 4fun hopefully some snow but I'm seeing some weather outlooks that have northern IL/southern WI getting some freezing rain
I’m seeing the same… hopefully it’s snow or rain. They can keep that freezing rain.
That light iz such an improvement. At 6feet 5 I was getting Blinded with the old one.
I agree Mike. I’ve had guys ask me if it gets full of snow seeing as it’s LED, and doesn’t generate enough heat to melt snow and ice. It’s like driving on a snowy day. If you don’t put any heat on your windshield, the snow doesn’t stick, it just blows off as you drive. This light is the same way. The light is so much brighter white, it really makes it easy to see detail in the snow ahead as you operate.I’m 5-11, and the old OEM light didn’t bother me, but it’s very interesting that for a taller guy, it takes the upward glare away. Thanks for the positive comment Mike, and if you like what you see on the channel, please consider subscribing.
I like clearing the road first , then the driveway . Cleans the salt , dirt out of the augers , chute .
That’s a good strategy Mike. I wish I could remove my snow exactly like you do. Unfortunately , I have an odd entry to my driveway. When this subdivision was built in the 90’s they ran a continuous 1/2 gutter straight down the block which creates an odd dip to carry water away at the end of the driveways. They were supposed to come through later, and pour a regular curb, and make the approach to the driveways smooth. Of course that never happened. So it’s really tough to clean the end of my drive without leaving snow in the dip. I haven’t been able to figure a way to clean it by going Acrossed it without leaving even more snow. (& I haven’t seen anyone else in the neighborhood do it either). The best strategy has been to attack it the way I do in my videos. When I’m done with the driveway, I head for the backyard to clean the salt out in some fresh snow.
@@blowingsnow4fun I noticed your snowblower lift at that point , and I thought just have the weight bar mounted to the housing . But that you have that difficult raise at the end of your driveway , that answered my question . Might have to just shovel that part . I have the standard curb with 2 catchbasins / drains that I have to shovel after blowing . We live on the bottom of a hill , and if they are not kept clean , ice will develop up to and past my driveway . Always some cleanup after blowing .
My Ariel’s snowblower arrived at my J. D. Dealer this afternoon , with delivery Monday midday . However , we have no snow in N. E . Wisconsin yet . Blame that on me for buying this snowblower . I got a good trade in for my J. D. 928 E . It was difficult to find some parts for that blower , so it is time to.
Your SHO was just flying through that slop , much faster than your neighbors .
Thanks ! owner: 2022 Platinum 24" SHO/EFI
Hey Phil…. Guessing you found some use in my video? You’re welcome, & thanks for the + comment. If you like videos like this, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel.
I sprung for the "deluxe" cleanout tool w/ the built in brush. Pretty handy for cleaning off the machine when you're done using it. It also helps build the habit of reaching for the tool instead of the temptation to stick your fingers in there. ;) Although, it's been my experience that the newer Ariens don't really plug up, at least not easily. I think the power of these new OHV engine helps with that. In addition to Ariens upsizing their impellers.
I’ve never had the SHO cute plug. Maybe I’ve been lucky so far?
@@blowingsnow4fun I'm trying to remember if my new Compact ever plugged or not, I know my old one did until I modded it. My new one, however, still just becomes a "slush pump" when it's too wet, tho. It just pushes it out instead of throwing it. It will eventually self-clear, but it's faster and easier on the machine to just help it out.
I should point out, especially at my old place, it was common to have to snow blow through areas of standing water in the spring. Your area looks hilly enough that you may not have that issue.
Anyway, the point is, if you get the one with the brush, at least you can use it for something else besides decoration. 😜
👍🏻on the reach for the clean-out comment!. If it’s within hand reach, most guys will grab it. Can you imagine how many fingers/ hands putting that clean-out tool there has saved? Hats off to all the manufacturers for not just throwing it anywhere on the machine to meet the requirements . Does the brush attract a lot of snow when it’s clipped in on top of the bucket?
@@blowingsnow4fun When I clip it to the bucket, I face the bristles toward the front, away from the chute, so I think that minimizes the chances of snow getting on it from the chute. I guess, then it's facing the snow you're running into, tho.
For me, I don't notice a problem with that, however, I always remove it and brush off the blower when I'm done.
It's possible that less snow would stay on that angled surface with a smaller cleanout tool, or no tool, on it.
Also, this is a larger tool and it does vibrate against the paint and after 10 years I'm seeing wear marks in the paint. Maybe the regular tool would not do that.
It's kind of a funny story. I originally bought it for my old compact which plugged in wet snow. I'd use a pipe to unplug it, but I'd have to stop, go to the garage, get the pipe, unplug it, then put the pipe somewhere, hoping I don't forget to put it away, lol. So I bought this and mounted it on my old blower.
Well, somewhere in there I modded the old blower and that greatly reduced the plugging, so it was hardly needed after that.
Then I got my new blower which came with the base tool, so I put the base tool on the old blower and the deluxe tool on the new blower, and about the only use it sees now is brushing off the blower when I'm done.
Interesting… there was a ER nurse that responded to one of my videos. She saw the. X-Ray on a guy that was blowing snow and his machine plugged. He didn’t shut the machine off, and he tried to clear the chute with a crow bar. The crow bar ended up lodged in his skull. She wanted to say how import it was to shut the machine off, and only use the plastic tool . Got my attention!!!
Is that a thing cleaning the street in front of your house? We don’t do that except for maybe the mailbox in our neighborhood.
Hi…. That’s a good question. I clean the area in front of my mailbox so our mail lady can reach our mailbox in the winter. It’s not an issue now, but if we get a few big storms, it really makes their job much more difficult. (Some people do this, some don’t) The area I clear on the opposite side of the drive is so I have a spot to put our garbage and recycling carts on pick up day rather than putting them in our driveway. I think this is the first time you’ve left a comment? What part of the country are you from, & thanks for the + comment.
-- Wise of you to brush it down and throttle down before shutting down when you were finished. Curious if you use a space heater to melt the auger/impeller area once you get it inside. Probably not this time as it was pretty powdery snow.
And the guy across the street, he looks like he knows what he's doing.
Rust Belt (500 feet from Lake Michigan) Husqvarna ST224, 212cc is me.
Hey Mark…. I elevate the front of the bucket slightly with a piece of 5/8” plywood . Keeps the scraper bar away from the concrete which eliminates any rust marks, and encourages drainage of hole at rear base of impeller housing on Ariens. Then I do a visual inspection for ice/snow. If it looks like it could freeze up in there I have a small space heater I can put on a piece of wood in front of the bucket, but I rarely have to do that. I have an attached garage that’s pretty well insulated. When the warm machine is in there, with 1 or two warm vehicles, it stays pretty warm in the area I store the SHO. Yah Bob Acrossed the street knows how to blow snow. He has an older Ariens with about a 10 hp engine, and it’s a great machine. Unfortunately he’s moving in a few weeks. He’s was always willing to do my snow if I was out of town as I was willing to do his when he traveled for his job. I hope the the new owners are as good as he and his wife were? Thanks for the + comment, and if you like this type of video, and haven’t already, please consider subscribing to the channel. I’ll add new videos if we get any more snow this year, as we’re in kinda a snow drought this year!
It was nice of that neighbor across the street to blow his snow sky high so it went onto the neighbors freshly done driveway.
Hi Jimmy…. I’m sure he wasn’t doing it on purpose, he’s not that kind of guy. He’s the kind of guy that goes down the block with his machine looking for someone who needs help.
I have a platinum SHO 24”, I did an impeller modification too and it throws snow a mile and will never clog even with slush
Hey Hoover….i have a stock 24” SHO, and have never been able to plug it up. Impeller mods have been around for years, and some manufactures have offered models. My father had a Simplicity SnowAway in the early 70’ that had impeller blades that fight tightly into the impeller housing’made from 1/2” solid rubber. It would throw pure water going down the center of our alley 35’. I never saw that machine plug up, but about every 3-4 years it needed the impeller bearing replaced. The bearing was a big HD one that was $$$. The impeller bearing going was eventually why my father traded that machine on the Simplicity you see in some of my videos with a traditional impeller. Belt slippage under heavy load IMO is a culprit in machines plugging That’s why the double belt on the Ariens is such an important feature. With very little belt slip, Ariens machines create a blast of snow upon impeller engagement
That blasts the entryway to the chute clear of most clogging. Thanks for the + comment. What part of the country are you located in?
@@blowingsnow4fun northeast US
I wish they offered a light upgrade kit for my Ariens 926053 with my specific serial number or should I say date of manufacture. According to Ariens they do not. 😢
Hey JRF… is that the round headlight?
Blowing snow too high in the air. Point the snow outlet more toward the ground.
Keeps the snow from blowing all over you!
You can make adjustments to the snow blower without stopping!
You should be able to take your right hand off the handlebars, when your left hand is squeezing the lever.
Use your right hand to make ajustments to the snowblowers outlet and snow deflector height adjustment.
You can also change gears without stopping.
Hi Carl… in some instances, (such as late in the season), I blow the snow with the chute lower. During the season I prefer to throw it as far as i can safely even if I end up wearing a little. Several reasons. When I throw snow near the driveway, and we get multiple storms, the bank gets too high for me to comfortably throw snow over. Additionally, when that snow builds up from having the chute down, it builds up where the drive enters the street, & it affects my wife’s ability to see the roadway because of the piles.. Lastly, it’s way more fun seeing how far I can throw it! Thanks for the comment.
Sir what state do you call home just courious. By the way love your channel huge fan.😅
Hey Mike…. I live in SE Wisconsin.
Really good to hear you enjoy the channel. Where do you do your snow removal
I live in Michigan. Last few winters we've had green Christmas. Had two snow storms and melted be both times in a week and a half/two weeks green grass again.
What does SE stans for? I'm here in the united states.
I usually shevol snow.
Sorry Mike …brain fart. SE Wisconsin a couple of miles from Lake Michigan
The snow blower tends to ride up at the end of the driveway. I’ve noticed that on the 2 videos I watched. Otherwise I’m looking at the same model to replace my current snowblower.
Hi Rider. I have two older 8hp Techumse powered blowers and the SHO. When you get in that dense snow at the EOD, they all tend to ride up. The SHO is heavier than my Simplicity, or my Toro, so it tends not to try to climb as much. If someone’s driven through it, or there’s frozen material in it it’s worse. When I’m coming up or going down the driveway I have to lift up on the handles, because of the goofy way they poured the street here. There’s a continuous gutter that runs Acrossed everyone’s driveway and creates a dip. The water heads for that dip, making that dip full of the heaviest snow. If I don’t lift up, it tends to leave that slush (which freezes & creates problems for my wife’s car). I’m not an original owner here, but in the 90’s when this subdivision was built, they had said this gutter thing was a temporary arrangement. Because of budget $ etc., they’ve never poured real curbs, and flushed out the end of the drives. Everyone in the neighborhood complains about it, but it’s never going to change. It’s even worse to shovel. Maybe a tracked machine would be better, but there’s one in the next block, and it leaves that slushy area there????? IDK. Good luck with your purchase. I would buy the exact same SHO if I had to redo it. I love the machine overall!
@@blowingsnow4fun thanks. as they say buy quality buy once. As for the end of your driveway I wouldn’t sweat it. Mine is very steep. Good thing this winter we don’t have much ice so I don’t have to push it up while clearing the snow. We got hit with major snow in the last month.
Hey Rider…yah the end of the driveway thing is weird by me. I’ve never lived anywhere where I didn’t have a gradual approach before. As I know your about to spend $ on a new blower, I wanted to make sure you knew that is a major contributing factor in how my machine handles the EOD pile. I agree with your assessment on buying quality. I was torn between the Toro and the Ariens when I bought last. I just couldn’t pull the trigger on a machine with plastic chute controls, and a plastic dash. This years Toro has a plastic belly pan. Some of the electric blowers from these overseas manufacturers even have plastic gears now. Anyways, you will not be disappointed in the performance or the features of the platinum SHO. After you fight your first big blizzard, let me know your thoughts on how your new machine functions!
@The Rider It this case it appears to be a driveway issue, but the observation of a snowblower "riding up" depends on how they build the machine. A more balanced machine will be easier to handle and turn, but will "ride up" more, whereas a more front heavy machine will dig in more, but be harder to maneuver.
Some brands also offer weight kits to "tune" the blower to your personal liking.
The only way to have the "best of both worlds" is to get a track machine, which typically have a "dig" mode, "float" mode, and "travel" mode, or get one of those old '90's Toros with the gear drive transmission that could actually change its own wheelbase.
Hey Rider… you are correct about the balance concept, but sometimes it is about accessories added such as an enclosure. I have an early 80’s Toro 824 that I’ve added a cab to. It threw the balance way off, and I had to add a sand bag clamp assembly on the bucket to keep the front end down. Total blower weight is also a factor, as even a tracked machine that doesn’t have sufficient mass will ride up over the snow in the right conditions. The Toro “Powershift” that you referenced worked great until the salt started rusting the traveling axel assembly, then many became problematic. (Personally I believe it was more a case of owners not wanting to hose the salt off, drop the belly pan every spring, and lube the internal chain &gear assembly that was critical to this system). I had a chance to try a neighbors, and it was a beast in the EOD pile with the axel in the back position. Length of machine can also make a difference. Allis Chalmers and Simplicity co-made a blower for about 5 years back in the early 70’s. The second stage (impeller had rubber paddles, and it was turned sideways compared to our current machines) made the machine longer. With the extra length of the machine, this created great leverage when you’d add just a little pressure on the handlebars. It was really easy to keep the front end on the ground no matter what. Only two problems with that design. They were so long they were tough to turn around, (needed a lot of space), and they took up quite a bit of room in the garage. My father had one with a 5hp Briggs on it that I used quite regularly. It was a good machine, and the predecessor of the blowers that now sport impeller kits. Currently, you are entirely correct in your comments about tracked machines being the best out there at keeping the bucket on the pavement in the dig mode. Thanks for the positive comment.
You ever think of installing an impeller mod to help throw snow further? You'd get less blowback and the machine seems to cut through the snow alot better.
Hi sunny. I’ve considered it, but the SHO impeller it throws really well. The blowback I generally get is from the swirling winds. We live 5 minutes from Lake Michigan and once the main energy of the storm passes the winds change direction constantly. I start a pass blowing East because the winds out of the west, and the wind direction shifts 2x’s before I get to the street LOL. I’m guessing you have an impeller mod on your machine? What model blower are you running, and what kind of impeller kit do you have? I’ve had/have lots of blowers, and I’ve never put an impeller kit in any of them?
Do you have a link to the kit?
The part number is 72104400, and the cost is $49.00 from the Ariens website with free shipping. It won’t let me copy the link to the Ariens website. Just Google ariens LED light kit, and the first link that pops up is the kit in the Ariens website.
@@blowingsnow4fun thank you!
No problem. You’ll enjoy the new light. Get the fuel tank down to below 1/4, and put it in the service position. It makes it much easier than the way I did it on my machine crawling around on the floor.
You should see the Kraken!
Hey Swizelstick…. I haven’t even seen one at the ariens dealer. None in my neighborhood that I know of. It looks like a real beast of a machine. Have you seen one in person? It has a beast of a price too at $4,700. That’s more than 2 24” Platinum SHO’s. But it’s a lot of snow blower!
I like your Ariens SHO mind is 30inch2019 414 cc Ariens like it ty Ron 75 yeaes old
Hi user. 369cc on mine. I do notice that is used more gas than my old 8hp Techumse snow kings. How’s your 414 on gas?