Ariens Professional Two-Stage (28") 11.5-HP Snow Blower

I had 4 snow-blowers in my garage before they went for sale (all for $200), from Sears to Toro. One had a seized motor, another had a smoking engine. None of them have lasted me as long as my Ariens 11.5 HP & 7 years without a problem. It looks and works like it came out of the box.

In October 2008 I purchased an Ariens 11.5/28" Model 926016 from Patterson Sales in Miramichi NB. Canada. I always wanted an Ariens because of their reputation. Since I bought the blower I've had nothing but problems with the cables freezing up. I keep it in the Garage at all times and am not hard on my equipment. Presently it is at the dealers yet again and they tell me they are going to put updated cables on this time. Since Patterson Sales & Service is no longer in Bathuest, I get my service at Big River Sports, Bathurst NB. I don't have a problem with the Dealer, I have a problem with the manufacturer. Why didn't you put upgraded cables in when you made it?

I am very disappointed in your product and won't be recommending it to family & friends.

The following is what I wrote as a review on Ariens' Web site for the snow blower purchased in 2008. It still has not been posted though they have posted others submitted later. "PROS: The snow blower throws wet snow well. It is easy to maneuver. The hand warmers keep your hands warm. CONS: Machine came with skid shoes that didn't allow to adjust for proper clearance on graveled surfaces according to manual, therefore causing damage to the blower. Have had substantial problems with the Dual Handle Interlock System not working right. Ariens doesn't know what's wrong. The rubber bumpers fall out of the clutch handles, affecting the clutch adjustment. Ariens has not resolved the problem. The hand warmer switch has no rubber boot. The engine lacks sufficient power at times and can be hard to start if hot. Dealer support and general customer service is unacceptable."

In addition, I found that there was no visible lubrication on the final drive gears although there was some visible grease on other parts. After waiting for over two years, Ariens still has not properly addressed the problem I mentioned above concerning the rubber bumpers falling out of the clutch handles. As a last resort, I glued them in and one still has fallen out. They have sent me more bumpers though. (A person may not notice that the bumpers are missing unless they look closely at the clutch handles.) I checked the drive axle bearings and found that they are made out of a plastic material. The traction clutch was not adjusted correctly from the factory or Dealer and even after the Dealer adjusted it, it still wasn't adjusted to Ariens' specifications in the Owner's Manual. One plastic covered cable was chafed through to bare metal in one area because of a shipping problem. (If you get one, make sure the paint hasn't been chafed off, exposing bare metal in areas like this one was.)

Concerning the skid shoe problem, I mentioned above. After my own investigation into the problem, Ariens eventually sent me some that allowed me to properly adjust the clearance so now gravel throwing is not really a problem. The expensive machine was damaged though which I do not like because the factory supplied ones did not allow a high enough adjustment. During some snow conditions, snow is thrown forward from the augur housing on the left side at least three feet. Some of which is not picked up and may get thrown on and stick to a vertical surface if you happen to be positioned in a certain way. I did fix the Dual Handle Interlock problem mentioned above finally, it appears, by tightening one of the associated parts.

I used to laugh at the idea of heated grips- I've got gloves and working will keep me warm.

Well, not under all conditions. When it gets very cold and windy, or your gloves get wet, it can be a miserable time.

When I got my Ariens I learned that it was equipped with enough electricity to run their heated grip kit. I installed a set I bought; this is the best thing that has come along for snow throwers.

I live at a bit over 6000' elevation in an area that, despite being in southern California, can get heavy snow (3' in a storm).

My driveway is about 120' long and steep, and naturally when the snow is deep the plow leaves a small mountain of it at the foot of my driveway. When the blower was on wheels, I had two main problems. First, it rolled too easily and if I stopped going uphill on my driveway it would roll back on me. In general it was hard to control on a steep slope.

Second, when the auger teeth would bite into the hard berm left by the plow the blower would pitch backward. Since I'm not very big (and not very young), my shoulders would take a real beating trying to control the thing.

After the installation of the tracks (which was easy), I can stop going uphill and the blower just sits there, it no longer rolls back.

Even better, because of the track angle foot pedal, the blower no longer pitches back when it bites into ice. It also has better traction in heavy snow. The fairly hefty price for the track kit was well worth it for me.

The downside is that it's now more work to turn the blower, but since I spent 20 years with a Craftsman blower on tracks that really doesn't bother me, despite the fact that the Ariens weighs half again what the Craftsman did. I also find that I need to use the track angle pedal to lift the auger housing pretty much whenever I back up. Not a big problem.

One hint. Since I did the installation alone, I had to make a little stretcher to help me get the tracks over the bogies. I used a roughly 8" long (eye-to-eye) turnbuckle with a little wood block with a notch bolted to each eyebolt.

To stretch the track, I just put the contraption between the shafts (I had to do each track separately) and turned it until I could engage the track tension adjustment nuts. The lashup looked ridiculous, but worked fine.

Incidentally, the blower itself has been pretty good. The no-adjustment carburetor isn't great at 6000', and since my blower lives under a tarp sometimes a bit of moisture can get into the cables that control the chute and the deflector. Once it freezes the chute can't be adjusted unless I warm the cables with a heat gun.

To anyone who is trying to decide on an Ariens, there is one way it is VASTLY better than the Craftsman. It can throw snow (especially powder) easily twice as far. Since I live on a hillside, and part of my driveway snow has to be thrown uphill, it makes a huge difference.

It never ceases to amaze me how far it will throw snow. In general, a good blower and the tracks were a worthwhile addition due to my steep driveway and heavy snow.

With this weekend snow storm I got to try out my new snow blower and the MeltBuddy.

Both worked great- the MeltBuddy took about 5 minutes to install.

FOUR thumbs up for the two boys who invented the unit!