Ariens 36" snowblower

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Well my snowblower let me down. Engine runs fine but the shift will not move out of 4th. Not to 5th or N or R. The machine would go forward and blow snow but at times was making a banging metal sound. Worked fine last spring. Belts are pretty new.

I tried to use it but it took too much energy to hold it back and down. It needs to be in 1st or 2nd to do this snow.

I do have a newer Craftsman 24" but that's for another day.

Ideas?
 
I'd put it in the garage and pull it apart. Maybe it's something simple. I'm assuming it's a friction disc, which would indicate to me that it's a stuck linkage. If it was something with real gears, the banging would have me worried...
 
Raise it up vertically from the rear, and place it on the auger. Helps if you have less than half a tank of gas. The curved plate on the bottom covers the mechanism for shifting. Take the cover off, and you should be able to trouble shoot. Its a remarkably simple yet effective mechanism.
 
this a great forum but snowblower specific ones are better, especially those related to your model + brand.
 
Mine is 5 years old. As stated by many, friction disc. These new Ariens aren't your daddys!

I've been very lucky in life with most machines but my Ariens has been rough. Leaking seal on the gear box; leaking carb; and somehow the auger axle is pulling (on right side only) away from the frame. Last one was a JD 328D that was 15 years and solid til it tanked. Grandfathers Ariens was like 17 years and kicking with like zero maintenance for 8 years or so.
 
My guess is it is bound up linkage.
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Look up Donyboy73 vids on youtube, he has a lot of stuff on snowblowers. Could be the rubber drive disc binding up on it's shaft. As others said, put the blower in the service position and take off the belly pan. The issue should be easily identifiable.
 
Like said above. First drain the fuel out of the tank so it doesn't drip everywhere and some may require draining the engine oil so that doesn't go everywhere, THEN tip the machine into the service position. Business end flat to the ground. Pull the belly pan and investigate.
 
What model?

Usually on these the axle that the friction disk slides back and forth on gets gummed up. Clean it real well and spray some silicone spray on the shaft.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
What model?

Usually on these the axle that the friction disk slides back and forth on gets gummed up. Clean it real well and spray some silicone spray on the shaft.


I think it's a ST1136. Older than I thought. Back to early 1980s.

Apparently the "ST" machines were built like a tank.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
What model?

Usually on these the axle that the friction disk slides back and forth on gets gummed up. Clean it real well and spray some silicone spray on the shaft.


I think it's a ST1136. Older than I thought. Back to early 1980s.

Apparently the "ST" machines were built like a tank.


Yeah definitely put it up on it's front and pull the bottom cover. You should be able to see what's going on with it. I actually had an Ariens 724 in last week that wouldn't go into reverse, and when I pulled the cover it was packed full of mouse nests.
 
The belt for the snow auger started to shred and some got stuck and jammed the drive mechanism. Now to determine why that belt started to shred. It was only 1 year old.
 
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Originally Posted by Donald
The belt for the snow auger started to shred and some got stuck and jammed the drive mechanism. Now to determine why that belt started to shred. It was only 1 year old.


1. pulley misalignment
2. Non-OEM belts

I've had very bad luck with any belts from Tractor Supply, Autozone, Home Depot, NAPA, etc. Even the kevlar ones. They last a year or two and then come apart. On a machine that large the belt has more load also. I'd definitely buy an OEM Ariens belt for that. You can find them on ebay or amazon.

Edit: Also a bad crank seal that gets oil on the belt can cause it to deteriorate faster.
 
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I have a local guy who fixes my OPE when I am pressed for time. A bearing holding the shaft going to auger was loose and a spring in that area broke. I suspect the spring was the main issue.
 
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