Hi,

This is just letting off a bit of steam, I guess.

I bought a new Ariens snowblower a few weeks ago.

Their middle of the line series, called "Deluxe" Series.
About $ 900.

Had one before which gave up on me finally.
Was about 30 years of age.
A real quality item.

Boy, have they cheapened them incredibly.

My biggest complaint is that my old one had a wheel differential.

These new ones, unless you go up to about $ 1,300 to their "Professional"
series don't.

You can either pin, with a clevis pin, both wheels, which makes it just
about impossible to turn as you have
to skid one wheel. Or, you can only pin one wheel to make it easy to turn,
but the unit always pulls, very heavily, to one side during normal
operation. Just about unusable for a guy of my age, either way.

Seems to me for a thousand bucks they could put a differential in there like
All their old units had, irrespective of the price.

How much can it possibly cost them ?

After trying to plow my driveway, it is obvious that this shouldn't be
something only for their top of the line series; that it is an ABSOLUTE
necessity for all their units.

The bean-counters must have had their way at Ariens; no reasonably competent
engineer would ever, ever design something like this and market it.

BTW: is there any way to modify it, easily, perhaps ?

Bob

"Robert11" wrote in message
...


The bean-counters must have had their way at Ariens; no reasonably
competent engineer would ever, ever design something like this and market
it.

I suspect they're under pressure to keep the prices low for at least part of
their product line, because they're competing against some really cheap crap
at the big discount stores. Certain price points generate negative reactions
from customers (although mostly the dumb ones). I'll bet $1000 is one of
those points. Call it $949.00 and it'll sell. $1001.00 and it won't.

/Robert11 wrote:
Hi,

This is just letting off a bit of steam, I guess.

I bought a new Ariens snowblower a few weeks ago.

Their middle of the line series, called "Deluxe" Series.
About $ 900.

Had one before which gave up on me finally.
Was about 30 years of age.
A real quality item.

Boy, have they cheapened them incredibly.

My biggest complaint is that my old one had a wheel differential.

These new ones, unless you go up to about $ 1,300 to their
"Professional" series don't.

You can either pin, with a clevis pin, both wheels, which makes it
just about impossible to turn as you have
to skid one wheel. Or, you can only pin one wheel to make it easy to
turn, but the unit always pulls, very heavily, to one side during
normal operation. Just about unusable for a guy of my age, either
way.
Seems to me for a thousand bucks they could put a differential in
there like All their old units had, irrespective of the price.

How much can it possibly cost them ?

How much did you pay for the one you bought 30 years ago? Now adjust
that for inflation. I suspect you will find it was more than $1,300.


After trying to plow my driveway, it is obvious that this shouldn't be
something only for their top of the line series; that it is an
ABSOLUTE necessity for all their units.

The bean-counters must have had their way at Ariens; no reasonably
competent engineer would ever, ever design something like this and
market it.

They build what sells and makes money. If more people wanted top
quality, that is what they would be selling. On the other hand if they
found that people bought the cheaper line and only a few paid for the better
quality, what would you produce?


BTW: is there any way to modify it, easily, perhaps ?

Bob

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Until 2 years ago I was using a 1974 John Deer that finally gave up the
ghost. I paid $100 for it in the early 80's. I had to spend $1800 to get a
similar quality machine.
"Pasar" wrote in message
...
"Robert11" wrote in
:

Hi,

This is just letting off a bit of steam, I guess.

I bought a new Ariens snowblower a few weeks ago.

Their middle of the line series, called "Deluxe" Series.
About $ 900.

Had one before which gave up on me finally.
Was about 30 years of age.
A real quality item.

Boy, have they cheapened them incredibly.

My biggest complaint is that my old one had a wheel differential.

These new ones, unless you go up to about $ 1,300 to their
"Professional" series don't.

You can either pin, with a clevis pin, both wheels, which makes it
just about impossible to turn as you have
to skid one wheel. Or, you can only pin one wheel to make it easy to
turn, but the unit always pulls, very heavily, to one side during
normal operation. Just about unusable for a guy of my age, either
way.

Seems to me for a thousand bucks they could put a differential in
there like All their old units had, irrespective of the price.

How much can it possibly cost them ?

After trying to plow my driveway, it is obvious that this shouldn't be
something only for their top of the line series; that it is an
ABSOLUTE necessity for all their units.

The bean-counters must have had their way at Ariens; no reasonably
competent engineer would ever, ever design something like this and
market it.

BTW: is there any way to modify it, easily, perhaps ?

Bob



Yeah, my 30+ year old Ariens just had to be put down. I bought a
TroyBilt.
It's made with a lot of plastic and thin metal. With tax and delivery it
was $1,000. I bought from a local lawnmower service shop that does
repairs.

Pasar wrote:
....


Yeah, my 30+ year old Ariens just had to be put down. I bought a
TroyBilt. It's made with a lot of plastic and thin metal. With tax
and delivery it was $1,000. I bought from a local lawnmower service
shop that does repairs.

MTD bought TroyBilt and most of their products are just re-badged MTD
junk.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

While we're on the re-badging subject, who really makes the husqvarna
snowblowers?

Dave

wrote:
While we're on the re-badging subject, who really makes the husqvarna
snowblowers?

Dave

They appear to be a Swedish company and still in existence producing at
least most of their own products. Hard to tell sometimes however.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:

Pasar wrote:
...

Yeah, my 30+ year old Ariens just had to be put down.


They'll have to put me down before I'll give up on my 1965 Airens. I'll
keep it going even if I have to make parts for it. I bought it used for
a song around 1975 from the family of a deceased guy who'd stripped the
spark plug hole and left it sitting unused in his garage for about five
years.

A new head for the Tecumseh 120 volt electric start "Snow King" engine
was cheaper than getting a Heli-Coiled stuck in the stripped one and was
all it needed to restore it to like new condition.

Since then all I've needed to do to keep it going has been to replace
the belt and rubber drive wheel a couple of times and weld some 1/2"
thick steel strips onto the bottom of the front skids when they "got
holey". Oh yeah, I had to make some new friction bands for those clever
overunning clutches in the wheel hubs which make like the differential
the OP wishes he had.

I've got a 90 foot long sloping driveway here in Red Sox Nation and the
Airens has never let me down through all the years.

I playfully call it "The Widow Maker" 'cause it comes from an time
before those effen' white shoed lawyers forced the manufacturers of home
power equipment to gussy them up with all sorts of safety gadgets to
prevent stupid damn fools from getting themselves into trouble and then
blaming the makers. My Airens was built to be operated by someone who
thinks about what he's doing before he does it.

If we ever live long enough to make it down to Florida I swear I'm
shipping the Airens down there with us, spraying it with gold paint and
bolting it down on a concrete pad right in front of our home. G

Jeff


I bought a
TroyBilt. It's made with a lot of plastic and thin metal. With tax
and delivery it was $1,000. I bought from a local lawnmower service
shop that does repairs.


MTD bought TroyBilt and most of their products are just re-badged MTD
junk.



--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 21:39:50 +0000, Joseph Meehan wrote:

wrote:
While we're on the re-badging subject, who really makes the husqvarna
snowblowers?

Dave

They appear to be a Swedish company and still in existence producing at
least most of their own products. Hard to tell sometimes however.

I really don't know who makes them. But I do know my 11 HP Husqvarna
snowblower has a Tecumseh engine.
And I do know my buddy's Husqvarna garden tractor is Briggs & Stratton
powered.
I'm not saying these are bad engines, I'm saying they power their
chainsaws differently than some of their other outdoor equipment.

.......

I've got a 90 foot long sloping driveway here in Red Sox Nation and the
Airens has never let me down through all the years.

I playfully call it "The Widow Maker" 'cause it comes from an time
before those effen' white shoed lawyers forced the manufacturers of home
power equipment to gussy them up with all sorts of safety gadgets to
prevent stupid damn fools from getting themselves into trouble and then
blaming the makers. My Airens was built to be operated by someone who
thinks about what he's doing before he does it.





Heh, blizzard of 78 made a ton o cash withmy dad's early 60's craftsman,
18 inch ~3 horse 'widow maker'

It had a full speed spinning pair or bars right out front with at least
1 inch long 1/4 inch bolts sticking straight out every 2 inches or so.
Single speed, no dead man. You could chip brush with the SOB. It left 18
inch diamter bulls eyes in the snowbank.

Reason I made so much money is all the Ariens or Toros snapped their
shear pins in a second. The craftsman would just tunnel through .

Dragged that poor beast to the dump just a few years ago, probably ran
fine....

I guess it is a sign of the times. I have been buying myself some new power
tools lately and was surprised to see Bosch, Milwaukee, Dewalt and others
made in Mexico, Malaysia, etc for certain tools. I suppose there is no
technical reason that the tools can be just as good built in other places
and these manufactures claim they are but I guess just time will tell. I
first noticed this when I got a new Milwaukee circular saw for my birthday
and was surprised and very sad to see made in Mexico on the name plate and
especially ironic with the Milwaukee name. I have a Bosch jigsaw on my
Christmas wish list and it shows made in Switzerland on the nameplate at
Lowes so I hope that is what I get. I have an old 3.5 HP Ariens snow blower
in the garage that needs some carburetor work. It is probably thirty years
old and built like a tank. --- Steve


"Robert11" wrote in message
...
Hi,

This is just letting off a bit of steam, I guess.

I bought a new Ariens snowblower a few weeks ago.

Their middle of the line series, called "Deluxe" Series.
About $ 900.

Had one before which gave up on me finally.
Was about 30 years of age.
A real quality item.

Boy, have they cheapened them incredibly.

My biggest complaint is that my old one had a wheel differential.

These new ones, unless you go up to about $ 1,300 to their "Professional"
series don't.

You can either pin, with a clevis pin, both wheels, which makes it just
about impossible to turn as you have
to skid one wheel. Or, you can only pin one wheel to make it easy to
turn, but the unit always pulls, very heavily, to one side during normal
operation. Just about unusable for a guy of my age, either way.

Seems to me for a thousand bucks they could put a differential in there
like All their old units had, irrespective of the price.

How much can it possibly cost them ?

After trying to plow my driveway, it is obvious that this shouldn't be
something only for their top of the line series; that it is an ABSOLUTE
necessity for all their units.

The bean-counters must have had their way at Ariens; no reasonably
competent engineer would ever, ever design something like this and market
it.

BTW: is there any way to modify it, easily, perhaps ?

Bob

You paid 900 for a mid line and got what you paid for, a 900$ machine.
What did your 30 yr old machine cost 3 -500? in todays dollars that
might be 1500-2500. Pay an equivalent, then see if you are unhappy with
quality.

yourname wrote:
......


I've got a 90 foot long sloping driveway here in Red Sox Nation and
the Airens has never let me down through all the years.

I playfully call it "The Widow Maker" 'cause it comes from an time
before those effen' white shoed lawyers forced the manufacturers of
home power equipment to gussy them up with all sorts of safety gadgets
to prevent stupid damn fools from getting themselves into trouble and
then blaming the makers. My Airens was built to be operated by someone
who thinks about what he's doing before he does it.






Heh, blizzard of 78 made a ton o cash withmy dad's early 60's craftsman,
18 inch ~3 horse 'widow maker'

I still remember waiting 'till the end of that week and getting on the
first flight to the west coast leaving Logan airport. Happy to get out I
wuz. The place I was working for at the time made things like delivery
nozzles for the heating fuel oil industry and the boss decided that we
were an "essential industry" so we had to drag our asses into work all
week anyway. G

It had a full speed spinning pair or bars right out front with at least
1 inch long 1/4 inch bolts sticking straight out every 2 inches or so.
Single speed, no dead man. You could chip brush with the SOB. It left 18
inch diamter bulls eyes in the snowbank.

IIRC I had one like that before I got the Airens (and a new SWMBO). I
left that Craftsman with the first wife and kids. I seem to remember it
having no rubber tires on the wheels, they were just sheet steel disks
about 1/8" thick with little toes bent off them, alternating in and out.
It had a grey paint finish.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."