@@donyboy73 tanks you my snow blower is not with shear pins, the other kind gas/oil mix, where to put grease,oil etc for good maintenance( with your help /videos carburetor is ok) TK U
I really enjoy watching REAL techs (not parts replacers) work on things. I was raised to make things work because I was never near a parts store when I was younger. Most parts replacers don’t really know how something really functions to be able to do this. I get so much enjoyment from your videos. Thanks for being you
That particular machine is well taken care of, you can tell with the amount of grease. My dad an old retired farmer told me grease is cheap, parts are not. Great work Don, keep it up.
Ariens should have kept their 80's version locking hubs, I have that on my 1985 ST824, just have to know to grease the knob keyway. It works fantastic. The other locker in the 90-2000's with the pins on both wheels worked great too, just a little more work to pull the pin and slide the wheels forward or back. Helpful video Dony, I'm glad I still use old equipment.
This is why we use antiscease. Never know.p.s. the way you explain---- nothing is forgotten, you never expect your viewers to know the facts.!! I have no knowledge of this part but I can totally understand you and could do this because you care about us.😊
Great instructional video. For those of us handy enough (and beginners) mechanically, it made the disassembly and reassembly easy to follow. Not just for the defective part, but the maintenance of the usual items. Welding, of course is another learning curve and could be outsourced for those not equipped or able to do so. In the end you also solved a problem for the short term (long term too, for some) as well as educating us. Thank you.
Another great job, Don. I know the owner will be glad to have his snow blower working until the parts come in. Depending on how often this happens, he may want to have spare parts for you to use next time. Ask him and maybe order two and let him keep them for you if you don't want to hold them and keep track of them. Stay safe and warm and best wishes to you and your family for a great year.
I always thought that differential stearing would be nice to have but for the amount of times. I use my snowblower and the problems that can happen with it I'll stick to my solid axle. I really like all you videos.
I sort of like their old design where you can just manually lock it, or leave it open. I never saw one of those break. Granted, that was design with the idea of summer and winter use of multiple attachments, but I thought it was ok even on dedicated snow machine. I guess the pin axles I have now aren't bad either, tho.
I have a 1966 Ariens basically it was one wheel drive with the differential. Mine didn’t have that lock plate to lock in solid. So what I did was I drilled a 1/4” hole through the collar and the axle on the left side. I installed a lynch pin with a spring on it. I leave the pin in all winter so it’s 2 wheel drive take it out in the spring, so I can free wheel the snowblower around in the summer. I also put a blower paddle kit on it about 10 years ago. It blows wet, snow/water. Everything never plugs up. I put the same tires as in the video on mine they work awesome don’t need chains.
Great fix Don! If a welder isn’t available you can drill and tap for cap screws and throw in a dowel or two for food measure! I love machining, I’m not that good of a welder!
My neighbour has one of these. Always sees to be having an issue with it. I've been running circles around him with my little single stage Honda HS621 fr the last 15 years.
This is one of the reasons I steer clear of Ariens now. I don't know what's so hard about squeezing triggers to turn. I also think the reason they are back-ordered is because they are so problematic. Never had a problem with my Cub Cadet 3X HD 28" trigger steer system, had problems with the transmission recently where my tech had to replace almost $200 in parts (the disk drive mechanism) plus the labour but other than that it has performed very well. I get him to work on it as I have enough equipment I maintain myself plus I bought it brand new from him. If I could afford a Honda similar in size with battery electric start I would have bought it instead.
Like welding a diff 🤣. How do you service the auto turn? I know you did a breakdown video showing the worn gears? I just grease the zeros, shafts and sprockets. I could never find anything for the auto turn. I assumed it was “sealed”. During routine maintenance do you take it apart…pack it with grease, re-assemble and install?
I’d like to see you clean that all out and put the Ariens specified grease in there, in the right quantity. Then see if it still doesn’t work. To me that was far too rusty, dirty and gritty, and that grit acts just like ball bearings and let’s those two halves release too easily under a load. It would also help to show what a new unit looks like so we can see this supposed wear pattern that’s taken place. The dirt and rust here are sitting down in the valleys and keeping these parts from settling in properly and having the correct engagement.
Great video, I would think that this would be a weak spring issue letting the clutch slip , causing the part to wear out . I find these days quality is not the first priority .
So what's happening here is all the wear is compounding (like in a chain) and the total is enough to allow the small teeth to disengage and slip. The 8 fins in the center are designed to prevent this in straight operation. Turning rotates one of them, creates a gap and allows the small teeth to disengage. I believe there is an easy way to repair this: weld some small tacks on the top ridge of each 8 fins (only need to do one side) and then touch the plate to a belt sander just to smooth it out. That would take up the clearance and allow the system to work again using original design.
Interesting, thanks. I wonder if the diff could be made usable for a while longer by just clearing out all the grease inside so they don't slide as easily? I'd love to have an update, to this video or another one, showing what the teeth are supposed to look like/on new ones! How much is that differential and do you just get the two parts that mesh when repairing?
My old mtds and murray are always locked when I blow because I can't be pulling axle pins every time I need to turn. I only move the axle pin when needing to move blower when out of service
Never realized that's how the steerable snowblowers worked. I still don't understand why someone needs that feature since the snowblowers turn quite nicely when the ground is slippery.
Nice. I got a question, would regularly changing the spring inside the differential help preventing this? I mean, it might lose some strength along the way, so it would make it harder for the other parts to sleep. I guess it wouldn't help much, only delaying the inevitable, as if those parts are supposed to slip when turning the snowblower, then they will get rounded sooner or later, but I had to ask.
Another great job Don. Hey Don, how long do you think one of these parts would last if you just use it to do a few driveways and really look after your machine. How much does this part cost? Keep up the great work.
I wish you had a shop here in Saint Paul Minnesota. I been trying to get a MTD with a Tecumseh engine running, I just can't get the adjustment right. I've turned the fuel bowl 1 1/2 turn the idle 1 1/4 turn and it still won't idle correctly 😢
dony I have a ariens sno-tek 24 with a 208 cc motor my carb leaks badly. I ordered a needle valve and float kit using the model number but the needle valve was the wrong size it was much bigger than the original. I decided to say screw it and just order a replacement carb got the new carb and guess what it wasn't the correct part and before you ask yes I looked at the needle valve in the new one to see if it would fit the old one and it didn't I got all the information off the unit's tag and even crossed checked it with the owners manual before ordering the carb. I bought the machine new at H.D. several years back so I know everything is original.. I don't have a way to transport it to a shop or I would at this point. I'm now wondering what to do to get it repaired and have you ever run into a problem like this where you know you are using the correct info and keep getting incorrect part. valve kit and carb were ordered from different vendors.
Hey Donny, Great video. Perhaps a silly question, do you have to drain the engine oil when putting the snowblower up on the bucket to get access to the under belly; so oil does not get past the rings and hydro lock? Thanks
i worked at a corner service station in my youth , and this one pickup truck always squalled tires , no matter how easy he took the corner , when he made the sharp turn . a coworker said it had a welded diff . not a problem on a snow blower , but could be dangerous for a truck on wet roads . i hadn't thought of that truck in decades .
Hi DB, I have a Ariens Pro with the auto current system, other than proper maintain, is there anything that can be done with the auto turn differential that will prolong its life ?
I forgot to mention. But I will have to check it more seriously later, since this is not confirmed. Big question mark. I've read last fall, somewhere, that those differentials are meant to be operated DRY. i.e. no grease inside. From a discussion group about "General Transmissions", the manufacturer located in Texas.
hi, on my cub cadet lawn tractor i have a bercomac snowblower which has a gearbox with a chain, on the chain i put very thick mechanical saw oil, i put oil before each snowstorm, is this a good idea or is there a more effective product, i await your reply, thank you.
Personally I think it was way too rusty, gritty, and dirty in there. There was dirt and other bits impacted down in the valleys of those groves, keeping the two halves from engaging properly. This thing isn’t designed to have gobs of grease in there, and of the wrong weight, I’d of tried cleaning it and putting back to factory spec with however much and type of lubricant goes in there. This same exact thing happens to the freehub on a bicycle, if it gets dirty and or too much or wrong grease gets put in there and it will skip.
I have an older machine withjout a diff and have had zero issues turning. Most of the time I'm on snow anyways and I imagine it would lose traction with one wheel on ice so I don't miss that 'feature'
That's a matter of personal preference . The 2 wheel drive position gives better traction but makes it harder to turn. If your situation requires a lot of turns, use the single drive position. Unless you encounter a lot of traction problems, leave it there.
I hope Ariens has improved there differential design as that one is designed to wear out. Maybe it has been replaced with the right and left drive clutches.
Danny i have a ? If i don't have a welder can i not used a couple of screws,/tool n die, what r your thoughts
Yes small bolts with lock nuts, as long as it all fits back in gear assembly.
@@donyboy73 tanks you my snow blower is not with shear pins, the other kind gas/oil mix, where to put grease,oil etc for good maintenance( with your help /videos carburetor is ok) TK U
I really enjoy watching REAL techs (not parts replacers) work on things. I was raised to make things work because I was never near a parts store when I was younger. Most parts replacers don’t really know how something really functions to be able to do this. I get so much enjoyment from your videos. Thanks for being you
Best small engine repair channel! Thanks again sir.
That particular machine is well taken care of, you can tell with the amount of grease. My dad an old retired farmer told me grease is cheap, parts are not. Great work Don, keep it up.
Natural snow cooling for metal parts...another plus for living in Canada!
Ariens should have kept their 80's version locking hubs, I have that on my 1985 ST824, just have to know to grease the knob keyway. It works fantastic. The other locker in the 90-2000's with the pins on both wheels worked great too, just a little more work to pull the pin and slide the wheels forward or back. Helpful video Dony, I'm glad I still use old equipment.
My 2008 Ariens is a solid axle, much better!
Having it come apart so easily makes the job quite pleasant.
I regularly service it for him.
When I was a teenager, posi-traction was the thing. 😄 My buddies Chevy was great off the line. 😆
This is why we use antiscease. Never know.p.s. the way you explain---- nothing is forgotten, you never expect your viewers to know the facts.!! I have no knowledge of this part but I can totally understand you and could do this because you care about us.😊
You are a great problem solver young man. I learned so much watching this video
Great instructional video. For those of us handy enough (and beginners) mechanically, it made the disassembly and reassembly easy to follow. Not just for the defective part, but the maintenance of the usual items. Welding, of course is another learning curve and could be outsourced for those not equipped or able to do so. In the end you also solved a problem for the short term (long term too, for some) as well as educating us. Thank you.
Nicely ✔ done!! Detailed filming and narration. Thank you for sharing your expertise!!😊
Another great job, Don. I know the owner will be glad to have his snow blower working until the parts come in. Depending on how often this happens, he may want to have spare parts for you to use next time. Ask him and maybe order two and let him keep them for you if you don't want to hold them and keep track of them. Stay safe and warm and best wishes to you and your family for a great year.
So basically you are making it a locked differentental well at least you got it running again for the customer great job there Donnie boy 73
I always thought that differential stearing would be nice to have but for the amount of times. I use my snowblower and the problems that can happen with it I'll stick to my solid axle. I really like all you videos.
Totally agree with this comment! Nice to have but can not see replacing if it breaks. Solid axles just work.
Especially for smaller 24" models; that said, we might be too young, when I'm 75 maybe I'll dream of a snowblower with a differential!
@@OlivierCaron Very good point! Feeling that way already in my 50s lol
It's handy on the 45" walk behind I have.
I sort of like their old design where you can just manually lock it, or leave it open. I never saw one of those break. Granted, that was design with the idea of summer and winter use of multiple attachments, but I thought it was ok even on dedicated snow machine. I guess the pin axles I have now aren't bad either, tho.
Hey Don you just went from limited slip to posi track. All ready for the drag stip.😊👍
'Detroit Locker'
Posi track, Detroit Locker etc. still allow for wheel slip when cornering, what's been done here is equivalent to a 'spool'
@@michellatour150 Exactly!
Correct.@@michellatour150
The good old Lincoln Locker
I have a 1966 Ariens basically it was one wheel drive with the differential. Mine didn’t have that lock plate to lock in solid. So what I did was I drilled a 1/4” hole through the collar and the axle on the left side. I installed a lynch pin with a spring on it. I leave the pin in all winter so it’s 2 wheel drive take it out in the spring, so I can free wheel the snowblower around in the summer. I also put a blower paddle kit on it about 10 years ago. It blows wet, snow/water. Everything never plugs up. I put the same tires as in the video on mine they work awesome don’t need chains.
It’s been snowing every other day here in Detroit, making up for the snow free winter so far. Better than shoveling waiting for parts👍
Great video once again. I haven't had to do this but, i enjoy all of your insight and remedies/repairs that you do. Thanks
Very helpful video thanks for sharing take care
👍👍👍 Brilliant fix. Thanks Donny
I may not get it all but you stirred my interest
Very good video thank you for the video
Great video as always Donny
You are the man to go to for yard machinery.
always nice to see a donyboy video pop up.
Clever. Thanks for sharing this with us
Great fix Don! If a welder isn’t available you can drill and tap for cap screws and throw in a dowel or two for food measure! I love machining, I’m not that good of a welder!
Nice fix thanks
great job. way to get it done.
Thanks Dony
Excellent fix, great way to get get through while waiting on parts 👍
Great. Thank you 😊
Excellent video ty
Welding is so underrated, I welded my chute rotation rod that snapped in half, only took 3 tack welds!
My neighbour has one of these. Always sees to be having an issue with it. I've been running circles around him with my little single stage Honda HS621 fr the last 15 years.
This is one of the reasons I steer clear of Ariens now. I don't know what's so hard about squeezing triggers to turn. I also think the reason they are back-ordered is because they are so problematic. Never had a problem with my Cub Cadet 3X HD 28" trigger steer system, had problems with the transmission recently where my tech had to replace almost $200 in parts (the disk drive mechanism) plus the labour but other than that it has performed very well. I get him to work on it as I have enough equipment I maintain myself plus I bought it brand new from him. If I could afford a Honda similar in size with battery electric start I would have bought it instead.
Thanks for the information 😊
TY for Sharing
Another Good Job , I Would Leave It Like That 😎
I'm figuring it knocked off a quarter second off the quarter mile ET, welding it to a positraction.
👍😁👍
ThanX for showing.
You bet!
Greasy grimy gopher guts 😆 Great repair on that older machine dude
very informative. good job brother 👍
Another well made video. Nice to know you have this option especially with the difficulty in obtaining some parts.
Like welding a diff 🤣. How do you service the auto turn? I know you did a breakdown video showing the worn gears? I just grease the zeros, shafts and sprockets. I could never find anything for the auto turn. I assumed it was “sealed”. During routine maintenance do you take it apart…pack it with grease, re-assemble and install?
You could take it apart and spray a bit of lithium grease. However for homeowner use it's probably not worth doing.
Well done Don:)
Great idea, looks good.
I’d like to see you clean that all out and put the Ariens specified grease in there, in the right quantity. Then see if it still doesn’t work. To me that was far too rusty, dirty and gritty, and that grit acts just like ball bearings and let’s those two halves release too easily under a load. It would also help to show what a new unit looks like so we can see this supposed wear pattern that’s taken place. The dirt and rust here are sitting down in the valleys and keeping these parts from settling in properly and having the correct engagement.
Great work Dony, I'm learning to Mig weld but you would be a great teacher for learning, maybe a vid on it, Thanks!
P.S. I have an eighty Amp gasless welder!
Haha I'm not a professional welder!
Great video, I would think that this would be a weak spring issue letting the clutch slip , causing the part to wear out . I find these days quality is not the first priority .
Thanks for the video! I've been wanting to bypass that for years. It's a good concept but I'm old fashioned I guess.
So what's happening here is all the wear is compounding (like in a chain) and the total is enough to allow the small teeth to disengage and slip. The 8 fins in the center are designed to prevent this in straight operation. Turning rotates one of them, creates a gap and allows the small teeth to disengage.
I believe there is an easy way to repair this: weld some small tacks on the top ridge of each 8 fins (only need to do one side) and then touch the plate to a belt sander just to smooth it out. That would take up the clearance and allow the system to work again using original design.
Interesting, thanks. I wonder if the diff could be made usable for a while longer by just clearing out all the grease inside so they don't slide as easily?
I'd love to have an update, to this video or another one, showing what the teeth are supposed to look like/on new ones!
How much is that differential and do you just get the two parts that mesh when repairing?
Excellent video.
Just wondering would stronger spring help or right size bushing do the same thing without need to weld? Anyway good video again..
no it wouldn't
Great job
It appears that perhaps a Thrust washer wore out allowing excessive clearance when turning. No washer behind E clip?
My old mtds and murray are always locked when I blow because I can't be pulling axle pins every time I need to turn. I only move the axle pin when needing to move blower when out of service
Nice job buddy 🙏
You're awesome bro
Don, tu es un bon homme. Merci
I use to clean parts like this thirty years ago… I got bladder cancer and the doctor know what I did thirty years ago.
Well lubricated is a big key
Nice Job
Never realized that's how the steerable snowblowers worked. I still don't understand why someone needs that feature since the snowblowers turn quite nicely when the ground is slippery.
Brilliant my friend. Please wear gloves with that parts cleaner 😀 Eric.
I’m trying to figure out your gloves, no gloves 😂. I’m old school and typically don’t wear gloves 🧤!
I enjoy your videos.
had a junky one i added washers so when its bolted together there is no room to move out seemed to work
You are "The Professor"
Nice. I got a question, would regularly changing the spring inside the differential help preventing this? I mean, it might lose some strength along the way, so it would make it harder for the other parts to sleep.
I guess it wouldn't help much, only delaying the inevitable, as if those parts are supposed to slip when turning the snowblower, then they will get rounded sooner or later, but I had to ask.
It wouldn't make any difference.
Nice!!
AS of 1 / 20 it is 15K views but ONLY 2k thumbs up............. common guys give him some 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Another great job Don. Hey Don, how long do you think one of these parts would last if you just use it to do a few driveways and really look after your machine. How much does this part cost? Keep up the great work.
30 years
Is Easy Steer always engaged on rough terrain that caused the wear? It seems like from complaints that it does.
I wish you had a shop here in Saint Paul Minnesota. I been trying to get a MTD with a Tecumseh engine running, I just can't get the adjustment right. I've turned the fuel bowl 1 1/2 turn the idle 1 1/4 turn and it still won't idle correctly 😢
My ariens is about 10 years old now. should I be opening that diff up and regreasing that thing?
Sounds like it is best to 😊
dony I have a ariens sno-tek 24 with a 208 cc motor my carb leaks badly. I ordered a needle valve and float kit using the model number but the needle valve was the wrong size it was much bigger than the original. I decided to say screw it and just order a replacement carb got the new carb and guess what it wasn't the correct part and before you ask yes I looked at the needle valve in the new one to see if it would fit the old one and it didn't I got all the information off the unit's tag and even crossed checked it with the owners manual before ordering the carb. I bought the machine new at H.D. several years back so I know everything is original.. I don't have a way to transport it to a shop or I would at this point. I'm now wondering what to do to get it repaired and have you ever run into a problem like this where you know you are using the correct info and keep getting incorrect part. valve kit and carb were ordered from different vendors.
Hey Donny,
Great video.
Perhaps a silly question, do you have to drain the engine oil when putting the snowblower up on the bucket to get access to the under belly; so oil does not get past the rings and hydro lock?
Thanks
No you don't
i worked at a corner service station in my youth , and this one pickup truck always squalled tires , no matter how easy he took the corner , when he made the sharp turn . a coworker said it had a welded diff . not a problem on a snow blower , but could be dangerous for a truck on wet roads . i hadn't thought of that truck in decades .
Glad I was able to remind you!
Great work Don.
What did you mean about residences versus driveways? My driveway is what I plough at my residence.
sorry I meant commercial use vs homeowner
I drilled a hole through the whole assembly, added a 5/16 bolt
Nice job 👏 👍
Did you think about offering to leave one of the keyways off before putting the wheels back on so he would have some steering?
Leave them both out and push the machine.😀
He needs all the traction he can get!
Curious? Would a different grease or possibly less grease w/ a stronger spring have helped or prevented this problem? TY
not really, this is a homeowner machine that is used commercially.
Just like what we used to call a Lincoln Locker
Thanks Don, good solution. Its way better than waiting for parts.
Wow! Now you have a snowblower that can do rock crawling (Utah residents only).
I watch that on UA-cam!
Hi DB, I have a Ariens Pro with the auto current system, other than proper maintain, is there anything that can be done with the auto turn differential that will prolong its life ?
I forgot to mention. But I will have to check it more seriously later, since this is not confirmed. Big question mark. I've read last fall, somewhere, that those differentials are meant to be operated DRY. i.e. no grease inside. From a discussion group about "General Transmissions", the manufacturer located in Texas.
hi, on my cub cadet lawn tractor i have a bercomac snowblower which has a gearbox with a chain, on the chain i put very thick mechanical saw oil, i put oil before each snowstorm, is this a good idea or is there a more effective product, i await your reply, thank you.
This should work well!
Hey Donyboy73
Lincoln locker 🤗
You could try adding washers with the spring which will increase spring pressure and increase slip resistance until your new parts arrive.
The spring is weak,that’s all that’s wrong with it. The sharp point worn a little doesn’t matter.
Personally I think it was way too rusty, gritty, and dirty in there. There was dirt and other bits impacted down in the valleys of those groves, keeping the two halves from engaging properly. This thing isn’t designed to have gobs of grease in there, and of the wrong weight, I’d of tried cleaning it and putting back to factory spec with however much and type of lubricant goes in there. This same exact thing happens to the freehub on a bicycle, if it gets dirty and or too much or wrong grease gets put in there and it will skip.
I have an older machine withjout a diff and have had zero issues turning. Most of the time I'm on snow anyways and I imagine it would lose traction with one wheel on ice so I don't miss that 'feature'
I’ve got a nice Ariens compact 24, should I have it set to the single wheel drive position or to the 2 wheel drive position? Which ones better?
That's a matter of personal preference . The 2 wheel drive position gives better traction but makes it harder to turn. If your situation requires a lot of turns, use the single drive position. Unless you encounter a lot of traction problems, leave it there.
Looks like there might be room to put a bolt or two through it as opposed to taking it all apart.
Posy track 👍
Nice
I hope Ariens has improved there differential design as that one is designed to wear out. Maybe it has been replaced with the right and left drive clutches.
I hope so.
Love your videos. Always good content. What ever happened to the young guy you had working with you?
After covid people's life went back to normal lol
Don would a bigger spring be of help or is it just too far gone.