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

OK. I had trouble with my 1 year old Ariens 8526LE throwing snow 3 weeks ago. I did everything in the manual to try and fix it. When I took the casing off to look at the belts I noticed the belt that controls the auger was shredded. So I took it to the dealer I bought it from. It took him 3 weeks and 3 phone calls from me. He told me it is ready and that a rock was caught in the impeller. Well before I brought it to him I made sure the auger was spinning, which it was. I also looked down the shoot to see if the impeller was spinning, and it was. So if there was a rock caught in the impellar it wouldn't spin, right? Also could this cause the belt to shred? I am going there this Saturday to pick it up and let him have a piece of my mind. I also want to make sure it isn't a bigger problem, like pulleys out of line causing the belt to shred. I still have 2 years on the warranty and want to make sure this isn't a lemon.

Couple of things come to mind:

1. He might not have meant he found a rock. Just that  in his opinion the observed damage was caused by a jammed auger/impeller that could have been caused by a rock.

2. I have jammed snow blowers with frozen newspapers, wood, rocks and other miscellaneous stuff. Normally there is a squealing sound and you can let go of the lever before a shear bolt goes but not always.

Let me give a little more information on what happened the day the snowblower stopped working. We had about 8 inches here in MA and I went out to clear my driveway. Well I noticed the machine wasn't throwing the snow that far. At times I would have to stand with the snowblower in one spot and keep the auger engaged to clear the shute. Then I would proceed. I just thought it could have been due to the heavy snow. Then I shut off the machine and cleaned off my car. I started it up again and once I got into the snow it would not shoot the snow at all. I would have to clear out the shute and start it up again. Then BAM the same thing. So I read the manual. It said to check the tension on the clutch/brake wire. I did this. Then it said to check the shear pins. They were both fine. So I opened up the casing to check the belt. It looks like someone took a sharp knife and rub it back and forth on the belt to shred it. The belt was not broken. So I started it up to make sure the auger was moving, it was, then I looked at the impeller and it was also moving. I don't remember hearing any noise that would suggest anything was stuck in the machine. I just have a feeling that the service man doesn't know what the problem is and he is blaming it on a rock. Because if you look in the warranty it states that belts are covered for 2 years.

 The thing that would burn me is the 3 week waiting period. It should not take that long to change a belt especially when you bought the machine from him.

Yes MAYBE a rock at one point ripped up your belt and then fell out. I would ask him nicely why it took 3 weeks to fix the machine.

If I were put LAST on the list  for repair, I  would be hunting for another repair shop. Sometimes they put landscapers ahead of you.

I made sure I caught my Dodge repair shop in a lie before I called corporate. My 2004 Dodge Ram truck was sitting in diner parking lot 1/8 mile down the road from the shop as they had no room to park it at the dealer. (I was watching them for hours) and they said they worked on it and could not find the problem (3rd time). The truck never left that diner parking lot. I called corporate immediately and Dodge  fixed my intermittant horn honking and intermittant engine stall in ONE day. No problems since. They made sure NOT to send me a customer satisfaction questionaire. lol

Yup the 3 week waiting period does p*ss me off and it will be mentioned. The other thing that really makes me mad is that the previous 2 times I called him he said he would call when it was ready. But when I called today he said it is ready you can come pick it up. Well where the hell was the phone call !!! I will be changing my service shop. But since I bought it from him you would think I would get better service. Now I will probably be at the back of the line at the new service shop since I did not purchase it there. I plan on having some words with the owner of the current shop this Saturday.

where in mass are you ? what was the name of the shop ?

Is it possible the line from the clutch was a little loose, so that it was never engaging fully causing it to wear out quicker?

just goes to show, no matter what the product, dealer purchase doesnt always mean good service, although in the dealers defense, im sure this time of year he is busy, and if he does like i do in my business, excluding emergencies, (and as reputable dealers, of all kinds do, no matter the locale) service is usually a first come first served basis. so if work is backlogged, its going to take a while. Add to that warranty issues arnt a cash crop so to speak, & warranty work doesnt pay the dealer well, in many cases they're going to lean towards cash sales first.

The exact same thing happened to me and my new Ariens 11528LE  on the first heavy snowfall of this year.  My OPE told me it was because the idler got out of line with the sheaves.  It only took him 1 hour to pick it up , fix it and return it.

Maybe your dealer is feeding you a line of Bull in order to get out of a warranty claim.     

Sounds like you have the same dealer as me. I bought an Ariens 926 this year and noticed that it was leaking gas out the carb. After I cleaned the bowl, made sure the float worked and the carb was still leaking gas I gave him a call. He said he couldn't get to it in a week; and it's been three and a half weeks since then with no snowblower. I should have known he was a scoundrel when he charged me $25 to deliver the thing six miles when I bought it. Oh, your dealer doesn't happen to be on Rt. 62 in Acton does he...........

I live out by Leominster and purchased the snowblower at a dealer on Central St/Rt 12 in Leominster.

1. BBGarage: The line from the clutch was a little loose, but would this cause a belt to wear out after 1 years use? I tightened it like the manual said after the problem started, but it was too late by then as the belt was junk.

2. Spottedpony: I hear what you are saying about it being a busy time of year. But I called him the week of Xmas and he told me it should be ready by Xmas and he would call when it was ready. Then I called the Thursday after Xmas and he said it was in the shop and should be ready the next day and he would call when it was ready. I called yesterday and he gave the line about the stone in the impellar and that it was ready and I could come pick it up. Well where the hell was the phone call !!!!!! I just felt like I was getting the run around from day one.

3. Toolpig: I suspect that something like this is happening with my machine. Is there any way I can easily find out if the idler is out of line with the sheaves? Also did your belt stop working immediatley? I ran my machine all last winter without  a problem, or at least it seemed that way.

Also when I first dropped it off he told me that belts were not covered under the warranty. Well I went back and looked at the warranty and here is what it states:

"Normal maintenance items including, but not limited to, belts, idlers, cables, friction wheels, tires, wheels, and electrical components are warranted for a two year period from the date of purchase unless a shorter period would apply based on how the product is used, then the shorter period will apply. "

So I am going to ask him

1. Did you actually find a stone stuck in the impellar, or is this just your theory? If it is just his theory then I believe the belt should be covered under warranty because he has not proven that this is actually the cause. It is just a theory. I am going to ask how he knows something else is not wrong?

2. If he did find a stone in the impellar I am going to ask "So that means the impellar was not moving at all?". If he says "yes" then I know he is a liar because as I said above, before I took the machine to the shop I made sure the auger and impellar were spinning.

Do you guys have any other questions you can think of I should ask? I really appreciate your responses.