Salt corrosion and no maintenance kills machines. If you keep after them, you will get 30 or more years out of an 'Ariens blower. I usually lift off the chute and grease the flange that the chute sits on as well as oiling the hinge, as you mentioned. Never Seize is the messiest stuff known to mankind, but it is essential to prevent salt corrosion. I wish Ariens would anti-seize the connection between the blower wheel and the blower shaft at the factory. I run a 2004 10HP 26 inch unit with a Tecumseh OHV Snow King engine. It has been a great machine overall for me in Syracuse NY. It replaced a 1980 vintage 7HP 24 inch unit that was working fine when traded in. Both machines required replacement of the bearing in the rear of the blower housing and the 7HP unit needed a teardown to free up the sliding bearing housing where the drive disc moves up/down to mesh with the rubber drive wheel. The manual does not cover lubricating that drive bearing housing. Change the oil, lube the drive and the auger shaft and clean the carb when necessary and you will have a dependable workhorse blower. No ethanol fuel is worth the trouble to find and use. Thanks for the tip on Amsoil small engine oils. I have been using Opti 4 oil, which is good, but a bit more expensive than the Amsoil. I think I will try the Amsoil next.
Awesome response, and it proves you are an amazing viewer. Your observations are spot on. As for AMSOIL I highly recommend their products. Have a safe New York State winter. I grew up in the Niagara Region
There is a plug in the auger tube about 5 in down from the gearbox drive end. At least that’s how the deluxe 24 augers are. I just put spray grease on the bushing end of the auger shafts. They have plastic inserts in them anyways so they don’t need much grease. And yes, the grease fittings are total dog shit on these. Pulled one out of my auger with grease gun so I had to replace that auger cause it’s next to impossible to press in a new grease fitting with the auger on the machine.
@ I tried to re tap it and installed a new grease fitting. After splitting the machine in half and removing the whole auger assembly. Was pretty hard to do without tools to hold the auger still in the fitting really wasn’t in there very good anyways so I got discussed and just ordered a new auger and replaced it. Problem solved. So the moral of the story is that those fittings are just pressed in there and if you have a grease tip that doesn’t let go very easily you will pull them out. So I went and got a fitting for my grease gun on the end that has the lever that clips it on and then let’s go when you squeeze it.
Jim you are doing a good Job
Thanks man
Thanks
Keep her like new
Plan on it
Yessir
Salt corrosion and no maintenance kills machines. If you keep after them, you will get 30 or more years out of an 'Ariens blower. I usually lift off the chute and grease the flange that the chute sits on as well as oiling the hinge, as you mentioned. Never Seize is the messiest stuff known to mankind, but it is essential to prevent salt corrosion. I wish Ariens would anti-seize the connection between the blower wheel and the blower shaft at the factory. I run a 2004 10HP 26 inch unit with a Tecumseh OHV Snow King engine. It has been a great machine overall for me in Syracuse NY. It replaced a 1980 vintage 7HP 24 inch unit that was working fine when traded in. Both machines required replacement of the bearing in the rear of the blower housing and the 7HP unit needed a teardown to free up the sliding bearing housing where the drive disc moves up/down to mesh with the rubber drive wheel. The manual does not cover lubricating that drive bearing housing. Change the oil, lube the drive and the auger shaft and clean the carb when necessary and you will have a dependable workhorse blower. No ethanol fuel is worth the trouble to find and use.
Thanks for the tip on Amsoil small engine oils. I have been using Opti 4 oil, which is good, but a bit more expensive than the Amsoil. I think I will try the Amsoil next.
Awesome response, and it proves you are an amazing viewer. Your observations are spot on. As for AMSOIL I highly recommend their products. Have a safe New York State winter. I grew up in the Niagara Region
Do the units with auto turn have an axle over the axle on the one side. Guessing you might want to pull that off and use some anti seize on it too.
I squirt grease into the space but you are correct i will pull it apart and have a look
I wonder if Fumoto makes drain plug for this
Yup 3/8" npt with adapter should be nice
F110N is the part number, Amazon has China models as well. You will need the appropriate coupler but easily done
Wow thank you so much.
Cheers mate 🙏
my pleasure
There is a plug in the auger tube about 5 in down from the gearbox drive end. At least that’s how the deluxe 24 augers are. I just put spray grease on the bushing end of the auger shafts. They have plastic inserts in them anyways so they don’t need much grease. And yes, the grease fittings are total dog shit on these. Pulled one out of my auger with grease gun so I had to replace that auger cause it’s next to impossible to press in a new grease fitting with the auger on the machine.
You can use a 1/4-28 grease fitting if you tap the hole
@ I tried to re tap it and installed a new grease fitting. After splitting the machine in half and removing the whole auger assembly. Was pretty hard to do without tools to hold the auger still in the fitting really wasn’t in there very good anyways so I got discussed and just ordered a new auger and replaced it. Problem solved. So the moral of the story is that those fittings are just pressed in there and if you have a grease tip that doesn’t let go very easily you will pull them out. So I went and got a fitting for my grease gun on the end that has the lever that clips it on and then let’s go when you squeeze it.
Well good luck