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billywhiskers


Joined: Dec 31, 2010
Points: 14

Ariens a BIG disappointment
Original Message   Dec 31, 2010 12:49 pm
I'm kicking off my fourth season with my Ariens ST11528DLE snowblower. For years I put up with an inexpensive MTD which had something or other falling apart nearly every time I used it, all the while promising myself that next time I'd spend more money and get a quality machine. I heard an

awful lot of people saying that apart from the super expensive Hondas, the Ariens were the best. So when the time came I shelled out nearly $2500 for this 11.5 HP, 28" Ariens "Pro" model that I was sure would be like going from a Chevette to a Rolls Royce. I couldn't have been more wrong .

First off I will say that the thing does throw the snow a long ways compared to my old MTD. However in three full seasons and the first two storms of this season I've had the following problems with this expensive piece of crap: the metal engine cowling split apart from vibration and had to be replaced only a few weeks after I bought it. The replacement did the same thing so I got that one welded and reinforced. The headlight quit working and the wiring harness had to be replaced. Both of the engagament levers have split open at their pivot points and had to be welded. The tension spring on the wheel engagement cable broke. As if all of this isn't enough on a practically new machine, yesterday the electric starter wouldn't engage and I thought it must be frozen up. On closer inspection the starter has broken clear of the engine, and the ear with the bolt hole has broken off one side of the starter and the bolt is gone altogether. The starter body is just sort of hanging loosely by one bolt. Obviously this is off warranty by now and it looks like a costly repair.

Besides being extremely frustraing I find this sad. Ariens has had a very solid reputation and now it is clear that their priorirty has shifted from maintaining that reputation to cutting their production cost by using cheap materials and parts. For the unsuspecting buyer the feeling of pride of ownership is replaced by disappointment and hostility, and understandably so. If Ariens loses just one sale because of this product review my time in writing it will be made worthwhile.

This message was modified Jan 1, 2011 by billywhiskers
Replies: 7 - 16 of 52Next page of topicsPreviousNextNext page of topicsAllView as Outline
mml4


Snow is good,
Deep snow is better!


Joined: Dec 31, 2003
Points: 544

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #7   Dec 31, 2010 3:12 pm
billywhiskers wrote:
The engine is a Tecumseh SnowKIng 11.5 OHV . It looks like Ariens has switched over to all Briggs & Stratten on the new models. I did email the company about all of the problems I've had and they haven't even gotten back to me. I'll go see the dealer next week, it's a half hour drive. I'm hoping the newest problem will just be a matter of getting a new starter which I expect will be expensive enough. I don't think the engine block is damaged,  just a corner brken off the starter where the bolt goes through into the block. As far as the welding, the dealer welded the first broken engagement lever while awaiting a warranty replacment and all of the subsequent welding was done by a friend who has a machine shop. Up to this point I'm not out a lot of cash but that is not the point. I was looking reliability and the satisfaction and confidence of having a trouble-free machine. What I have for my $2500 is something every bit as poorly built as the $1300 MTD it replaced.   


Billy- What you report indicates a tremendous ammount of vibration.As you may know Tecumseh is currently out of production which accounts for Ariens going to Briggs. The OHV Tecumsehs that were produced at the end of Tecumsehs production were smooth runners and if properly installed should no way vibrate that much. I would check the engine mounting system. I bought my son a Simplicity (2004 unit bought new in 2005) and when going over it prior to the first season we found two of the four mounting bolts for the Briggs engine were snapped. You wouldn't have known from looking at them from the top as everything looked normal. It wasn't till we removed the bottom inspection cover that we saw the nuts were missing and upon removing the bolts that they were snapped in half. This condition would as you can imagine cause a great deal of vibration.

Ariens Pro units are built like tanks-The kind of metal  failure you are experiencing is just not normal.

Marc

This message was modified Dec 31, 2010 by mml4


SnapperV210P,Toro22177,TroyBilt42010Snowthrower,Craftsman Shredder,American Turbo Pressure Washer HondaGX200,Stihl011Saw,EchoPas260Trimmer Edger,EchoPB602Blower,EchoHCR150Hedge Clipper
Steve_Cebu


Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #8   Dec 31, 2010 6:48 pm
iLikeOrange wrote:
Thats  real helpfull input.  I'm sure Toro never has a problem eh?

Billy does the machine have a three year warranty?  have the previous repairs been covered?

You may (do)  have a bad unit. Don't be too hard on yourself though as you did your research but some things fall through the cracks. Kind of hard to predict if you'll end up with a lemon. Ariens are generally decent machines as are the other top three contenders.

O 



That is why I put a  wink there, just having fun, Toro is built well but I did say Ariens shouldn't have that many problems.  You are too serious.

"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England."  "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
aa335


Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #9   Dec 31, 2010 6:50 pm
Steve_Cebu wrote:
That is why I put a  wink there, just having fun, Toro is built well but I did say Ariens shouldn't have that many problems.  You are too serious.

I think O has a headache and not in the mood.  :)
Steve_Cebu


Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #10   Dec 31, 2010 6:52 pm
aa335 wrote:
I think O has a headache and not in the mood.  :)


Well no more dates for him then. LOL!

"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England."  "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
billywhiskers


Joined: Dec 31, 2010
Points: 14

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #11   Dec 31, 2010 7:23 pm
I had a 10HP Tecumseh SnowKing on my old MTD and I found it had a lot of vibration also. In fact I've seen an awful lot of blowers with Tecumseh engines and they mostly seem to show a lot of vibration damage, cowlings cracked, or sheet metal screws worked loose....the muffler even worked itself loose on my old MTD.  The engine on the Ariens runs smoothly enough at full throttle, but when it starts to force in deep snow there is just as much vibration as the old non-OHV 10HP engine.
goatman68


Location: Wisconsin
Joined: Nov 8, 2009
Points: 19

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #12   Jan 1, 2011 9:53 am
I am on my second season with my Ariens ST1332LE, which has the Tecumseh OHV engine. I like the machine but it sure takes me for a ride and I am beat when done....... The engine is lacking in power and on our last storm I ended up setting the governor speed up and that seemed to help. I do get some vibration when the engine is under a HEAVY load. All in all though I do like the machine and I am doing a driveway that is over 600' long................... 

Simplicity 990430 24"  (vintage 1968)

Ariens ST1332LE 32"

borat


Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #13   Jan 1, 2011 10:23 am
Well Billy. 

From the vibrations your machine is producing, something is definitely out of the ordinary.  All engines will produce more vibration when under a good load.  Nothing extraordinary but noticeable nonetheless.  The metal fatigue issues your machine is experiencing, likely are caused by a higher frequency vibration caused at higher engine rpms.

 I owned a new 1984 Suzuki ATV that had a solid mounted engine (not rubber mounted)  and it was notorious for cracking the front cargo rack.  There was nothing wrong with the engine but at high rpms you could feel buzzing in the handlebar of the machine.  I'm certain that the high rpm buzzing is what was cracking the rack.

I also have a KLR650 big single motorcycle that gets real buzzy at around 5500 rpm.  I mounted a set of PIAA riding lights on the bike's frame and the brackets on the lights housing would last about one year then crack and drop the light.  These PIAA lights are expensive and well built and all steel shell construction but could not hold up to the high frequency vibrations.  

Does your engine transmit vibration to the handles at high rpms while not under load?  

I can't say for sure, but from the evidence you've provided, I'd be willing to bet that sooner or later, that engine will cause metal fatigue problems elsewhere on the machine.  I'd be looking for a replacement engine with Ariens sharing the cost before the chassis develops serious problems. 
iLikeOrange


Joined: Nov 18, 2005
Points: 120

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #14   Jan 1, 2011 11:28 am
Steve_Cebu wrote:
That is why I put a  wink there, just having fun, Toro is built well but I did say Ariens shouldn't have that many problems.  You are too serious.


My bad I missed the wink totally.

Steve_Cebu


Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #15   Jan 1, 2011 1:40 pm
iLikeOrange wrote:
My bad I missed the wink totally.


No snow for you then!

"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England."  "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
billywhiskers


Joined: Dec 31, 2010
Points: 14

Re: Ariens a BIG disappointment
Reply #16   Jan 1, 2011 7:55 pm
Borat wrote: " Does your engine transmit vibration to the handles at high rpms while not under load? "

Well no, not that I've noticed. And as I mentioned, I don't notice any more vibration on this snowblower than on the the MTD it replaced, or on the much older Craftsman blower I had before that. Both of those had 10HP Tecumsehs and both of those engines shook themselves apart over time. The Ariens has a bigger engine and OHV and I was sure that it woud be a much smoother engine but it isn't particularily smooth under load. Nice and smooth before the governor kicks in and then it shudders in exactly the same way as the other two Tecumseh equipped blowers I've owned. ( and this Ariens cost about double what I paid for the MTD)  I don't know if the Briggs and Strattens are any better in that regard. I also bought an Ariens 27 ton log splitter last summer with a Subaru engine on it and although it's early days that seems like a really solidly built, smooth running little engine and it remains smooth under load.

I'm womdering if a Briggs & Stratten engine would fit on my Ariens blower without modification to the chassis.  Over the years I've owned several pieces of equipment with B&S engines ( lawn tractors, push mowers, a tiller ) and to me they're always seemed like better quality than the Tecumsehs. But I'm not an expert and that's just my impression.

This message was modified Jan 1, 2011 by billywhiskers
Replies: 7 - 16 of 52Next page of topicsPreviousNextNext page of topicsAllView as Outline
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