Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hey Guys,
It's just starting to snow here.......I'll try to post some pictures of the snow cab....hopefully i'll get to use it tonight or tomorrow.
Frank D.

well you know ...

thats a very nice machine and the cab just makes it better.

only way it could be better is if it was in my driveway...i can arrange pickup if necessary

later chris

Frank:

Nice cab.  I even like the the cut out for the headlight.  Is there a plug in for the iPod??

Hi Frank!

Is that the battery start model I spy? Thats' "off the hook"Does it have an  Electric chute also?Bet you'd the only one on your block with one of those!!!

Marc

Thanks Chris,
Anyone here is welcome to borrow my snowblower from May to Sept.............

Tom,
The Ipod will definately be underneath the carrharts during all blowing, just like it is plugged into my racetunes during mowing.

At the risk of hijacking my own thread.....I like the new shuffles and Man, the new 30 gig PHOTO ipod for just 50 buck more then I just paid for my 20 gig "plain"??
I'm telling myself to be content with what I have.....but with the Apple store only 25 miles down the road, it is hard not to lust after a new, new one.  I kinda wish I didn't get my name lasered into the one I have....I'd be tempted to "ebay" it and upgrade........

Frank D.

Mark,
Yes. It is the "key start", the DLE, but without the electric chute. On this years models the only one with the electric chute is the 1336DLE, mine is the 1332DLE.
I really did not want the electric chute............I find the 2.5 turn crank easier, faster, and less prone to breaking.
The key start is nice, but the feature I really bought this one for is the traction control differential.......turns effortlessly on a dime.........this thing weighs over 330 lbs BEFORE the snowcab and 20 pound front counterweight..........it's gotta weigh about 365lb or so now..........I would not want it without the traction control differential.

Frank,
Where is the plastic do-hickey that broke off? Did you take it off to put the weights on?

Now those racetunes things will plug into my walkman? I'm an AM guy. That runs windows. Help me see the light.

Frank, nice cab man. Looks like it has that "tent" feeling? Bet you could stand in there in the summer and force a pretty good tan. LOL

I just won a 20gig IPod, gave it to me son, he is loving it. I'm like Rob, I am an AM listener mostly, especially while driving. When I want to rock or chill to some blues or soft 60/70's I open up the big Klipsch at home.

SUWEEEET!. Ya needs ta git some winshield wipers. Way to go Franky.

 I was wondering does it have any tendencie to fog up at all?

Very nice looking blower Frank.  It has the enclosed car feeling when I'm looking at the pictures, which I like.  I'm anxious to know wether it's comfortable to use and if it cuts down on the noise so you don't have to ruin the hearing when blowing.  What are those slots like, do you have to cut them to use them?  I also wonder if the headlight opening is removable because it can cut down on the beam, but I wouldn't want a bunch of snow coming in there either.  It just doesn't look right cutting it out.  I do believe that Ariens made a cab for the older style blowers just a few years ago that allowed for the headlight to be completely exposed, but with the design it can't happen with the model I have.  

Snowshovler, I am curious to know if you might know why Ariens lost the "big bolt" design.  I remember last years models having a big bolt that went into the shaft of the auger and held it in place.  It also had the brass washer around the whole thing.   I'm wondering if it is cheaper this way or better? 

By the way Frank, what did ever happen with the spellchecker in Mozilla Firefox?

nice

Ajace,
As you can tell from my misspelled posts, that spellchecker I downloaded did not seem to work.  The slots come "pre-slit" on the cab. Yes, there are a few types of cabs, made for the different types of Ariens.......there is a cab made for the type of light that "stuck out" on the older Ariens.  This light window seemed to work well and is big enough to let the light still shine.  I guess I never noticed a problem with noise, but I do not think the cab changes noise levels that much.  I did notice that right after starting, with the cab you cannot just reach down to adjust the choke, you have to step out of the cab and step around. No big deal though.

I did try out the snowcab tonight.  It worked well. The clear parts did not fog up or get snowy at all.  It will take a few more uses for me to do a full assessment., but so far so good.
The light window did not seem to block the light at all, I was still able to see what I was blowing down by the end of the driveway where it is dark.  It may cut down the lumens a small bit, but it was not noticeable.

What WAS noticeable was the fact that I stayed warm and dry, with a much lighter jacket and just a baseball  cap on.....no bundling up.

I think it could stand to be a bit wider in the cab area, I'm not a really huge guy, and at times my elbow would hit the inside side of the cab.  I will measure the inside width tomorrow.
I think anyone who wore a XXL size coat would find it a bit small, although I think you could adjust...(read bend) the frame a bit if you had to.  The frame seems quite strong and rigid, not like cheap tubing at all.

It will take a bit to get used to......it's different being enclosed...but so far I think it was a good move.   I'll keep  you all posted.

Robmints- Ariens sent me two replacement brackets free of charge ...got them last Friday as you predicted......it goes on right below the front weight....I just have not gotten the change to put it back on yet.  As to the racetunes, yea, a walkman will work fine with them.....any 1/8 inch plug will work.....racetunes are both AM and FM.

Marshall- WOW!, you won an ipod!   Awesome!, Boy, does your son owe you bigtime!!  Tell him to go to www.ipodlounge to learn all he wants/needs to know. How did you win it??

Frank D.

Very sweet looking Frank! 

If I didn't think it would fly away while in the back of the truck, I'd get one too.!

Gotta love that machine though.  I know I sure do! I admit I was tempted by the 36" machine though. In reality, it was a bit of a bear to load into the truck, as I put 2 machines in there and turning it sideways was difficult. So............I settled for the small 32"er!

Ken

Company I work for had a sales production contest. Frank, you're right, he's in hog heaven. I remember my first Sony Discman, won that too, was with Sony Corp. at the time. I think it was the first one in this state, LOL.

I'd rather have cash. LOL

Impressive Frank!

Like the weight in the front also!

Hmmmm.....

C

Hey guys,
I just got in from clearing another few inches of wet snow.
I measured the width of the snow cab......it was about 27 inches or so, but I spread it to about 29 inches and it seemed to make a big difference in comfort in the elbow area. you would not think 2 more inches of elbow room would make a difference, but it does.  If a person needed to they could spread the cab even wider.

Frank D.

Maybe the headlight and the windows are made of different materials.  I believe that I'll be getting one next year.  I never thought about the engine controls being blocked, maybe I could just bend down.  By the way, how long did it take to install? 

Frank, is that black piece at the top of the chute the weights or is that the removal tool that you were talking about? Do you see much difference with the added weights? How much does that run?

Hi guys,

Ajace- the headlight window and the regular windows are the same vinyl material. The light shines through it just fine.   I do not consider the "not being able to get to the throttle and choke and plunger thing" a real problem.  You only mess with them when you start it, and it is only one step around the cab to the side.  I usually turn the choke open, (when it is cold) , throttle it up and push the primer bulb 3 times, then turn the key to start it.  After a second or so of running, I turn the choke back, get behind the cab, and go.  It is not a problem.

The black thing on the front top of the unit is the 20 pound weight.  It does seem to help, the wheels do not spin as much any more.  Right behind it is the bracket for the shovel/stick they give you to clear out any clogs the chute may have.   That bracket broke a clip on it, so Ariens sent me another one that I have to put on.....once I do, the shovel/stick will be held on it by the bracket.  Basically, the weight just installs in front of both the bracket and the shovel/stick.

Cost on the snow cab, frame, and weight...all one kit....was $160 plus tax.  It took me about an hour to put it together and install it......now that I've done it, I could do it again in one half the time.  The instructions were not the best...thankfully the picture helped more then anything else.   If I were to put another one on, it would be much easier to first install the two brackets that attach to the handles, then install the lower "u shaped" frame, then put on the back frame "bigger u shaped thing" and then the two front straight pieces, then the top roof frame.    MUCH EASIER then putting the whole frame together on the floor and then installing it.

After that, just snap on the orange cab....(nine easy snaps), then install the front weight.   DONE.

I hope this helps.

Frank D.

It will be nice to hear how the cab performs in "fluffy white with lots of wind" conditions. I always seem to turn white whenever I forget which way the wind is blowing and make a turn without changing the chute direction soon enough.

Nibbler,
This morning I woke up to strong winds and fluffy snow......I had 18" drifts in the driveway in spots.  Some of my driveway was still clear from last night, but for the most part, the whole thing needed a clearing out.
The snow cab worked great.

One snow cab.....$160.
Not getting a faceful of stinging snow.......priceless.

Frank D.

You're the lucky's man in the world awesome cab

Walby

Thank you Walby........

You being from Plattsburg, you must get TONS of snow.
Last summer I was up at the thousand islands....looked all over for Ariens dealers, but was suprised I did not find any....
Today it was 56 degrees here....tomorrow it is supposed to be snowy again and in the teens.....

Frank D.