Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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brjl
Joined: Jan 2, 2009
Points: 23
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Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Original Message Jan 2, 2009 7:23 am |
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Bought this Ariens 11528DLE last year, in January. For some reason, the forward and reverse drive will stop working. The friction wheel is fine, and there is no adjustment for the belt. I brought it to the local Ariens dealer, and of course, they could not reproduce the problem. They were nice enough to look inside, clean the wheel that the friction wheel drives with brake cleaner. Next snow storm, same thing, one pass down the driveway, and it stops. The dealer says, never heard of this one, maybe water is getting inside. Paid lots of money for a machine that is touted as one of the best, I wish I could figure out why it is happening. Any suggestions??? Thanks Brian from NH
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brjl
Joined: Jan 2, 2009
Points: 23
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Re: Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Reply #7 Jan 9, 2009 12:54 am |
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Hello again, here is where I am with the machine. I contacted Ariens and they want my dealer to put a baffle on my machine, just like Bob1031. Of course, I will do this, even though it did not work for Bob1031. I have a feeling that this will be a big waste of time, but if I don't go along with it, Ariens will say they did what they could do. Mac, I keep the machine in an unheated shed, they same place that I have kept my John Deere snow blower for the past 15 years and with no problems. The John Deere has the same set up with the friction plate. There is absolutly no reason for this problem. Cables have been adjusted and friction plate cleaned a number of times. I just hope I can get some satisfaction from Ariens, but after reading Bob's post, I am not feeling too good about that. Brian NH
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pvrp
Joined: Nov 14, 2008
Points: 151
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Re: Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Reply #11 Jan 9, 2009 1:36 pm |
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My experience points to the first gear being too high which puts undo stress on the contact between the rubber and the plate, either while blowing snow or moving the machine on an incline. Any kind of water getting on the plate would just make things worse. I wonder if the new texture recently added by Ariens to the drive plate's surface has anything to do with this as I haven't had any problems with the completely smooth aluminum drive plate on my 10 year old Ariens (though its first gear is also lower). This and the fact that because first gear is too high when dealing with deep heavy snow you have to engage/disengage the drive constantly. Nobody with the tracked DLETs seems to have problems, and they have a 40% gear reduction on 1st gear compared to the DLEs. It may also be due to sloppy parts assembly. The drive plate on my old Ariens is mounted on a sliding cylinder with ball bearings at each end whereas the new plate is mounted on a swing plate that's just attached to the frame. Paul
This message was modified Jan 9, 2009 by pvrp
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brjl
Joined: Jan 2, 2009
Points: 23
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Re: Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Reply #13 Jan 9, 2009 2:28 pm |
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Mac, you hit the nail on the head, you would think that Ariens would be hard at work to fix this problem, but it doesnt seem so. You cant believe how recommended Ariens was when discussing a choice of snowblowers at work and on the internet. Best machine ever made. My dad had a 13 horse Ariens back in the 70's, and of couse, I got the most use out of it as part of my chores. That thing was a monster and nothing could stop it. I thought I made the right decision by choosing Ariens, but maybe not. Brian NH
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brjl
Joined: Jan 2, 2009
Points: 23
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Re: Ariens 11528DLE will not drive all of the time, help!
Reply #15 Jan 9, 2009 3:46 pm |
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I think that we'd have to give Ariens a chance to do something about it if there is indeed something to be done. I have not seen the issue mentioned for last year's models so it could be something new, and winter just started.
Paul
You are right Paul, I am giving them a chance, I guess the frustration of pushing the machine, after spending a lot of money for it, is hard to take. I can tell you, the dealer that is helping me with the problem is not the dealer I bought it from, but they willing to help me in any way they can, really good people and I know it is not their fault.
Brian NH
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