# Old 6hp Ariens Sno-Throw: worth restoring?



## Redline Tech (Nov 6, 2004)

*Ariens Sno-Thros: these things ever die???*

Snoman or anyone else into these,

Hi, I'm new to this; my neighbor gave me a "junk" 6hp Ariens snow thrower (I need a thrower ASAP!). He said he broke a shear pin and just stopped using it. After much WD-40 and a plastic gas tank to replace the rusted steel one, I got it all running/fully functional. It is just really old and rusty (ugly) and don't know if this is worth fully restoring, yet I hear good things about Ariens here and there, and this machine seems to work excellent.

I don't know what year it is but it has a Tecumseh H60 engine, body ser. # 10ML60D-006242, 24" width, 5 speed w/reverse.

Questions:
1) How old is this thing and how reliable are they? Is a low-hours machine worth the investment in restoring? Or should I save up for a new one?
2) The engine runs good with no oil smoke, so all I'm thinking is small parts for now. What should I check/replace? Points? Gear, shaft or wheel bearings? The friction disk works fine for now-but is this old, slightly-cracked rubber part just waiting to fail? Is this critical?

Thanks for any help.

Russ


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

if it works well enough and it doesn't look to bad go ahead but you do need to replace your worn out parts you talk about. to have a blower to last you years you should restore it to give you some lasting performance


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## snoman (Feb 13, 2004)

Redline Tech
Sorry for the delay in responding but regarding your Ariens blower...Those are my favorite machines especially the 20 to 25 year old ones. Thicker steel and the design is awesome. First off, you have 2 things to deal with here, the motor (parts are easily accesible) and the blower (same thing) If you said the motor runs strong then that's great. If when you run the blower and you can feel lots of wind out of the discharge chute when the auger is engaged, then you are ready for some snow. (make sure that when you are checking the wind, careful nothing can be grabbed by the auger and shoot out the discharge chute while your hand is there).
The friction wheel is relatively easy to replace as so are the belts (as long as you are sorta mechanically inclined) just pay attention to detail. (mark stuff down or make a diagram)
As far as the motor, I don't think you have a spark tester, so if it starts well and runs strong then I wouldn't start tearing it down just yet or replacing the points/cond. You can set up a schedule to maybe do the carb in the near future if you feel it needs it.
As I said before, Ariens are my machine of choice over most others and as a matter of fact, a 6 hp Ariens is what I'm looking for right now for myself.
Hope this is helpful.

snoman


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## Redline Tech (Nov 6, 2004)

Thanks Snoman, I had a feeling this was a sort of heavily designed machine. It has very thick sheetmetal and I am stripping and repainting it now. The more I work on it, the more I like it and want to clean it up. Everyone thinks I'm nuts but they don't see what I see in a nice, well-made example of American machinery. It could outlast a new one.

Yes, I am a former auto mechanic so I don't fear tearing into new stuff. The engine runs so well I'm not touching that, except carb adjustments. spark looks good so far. Blades and stuff had minimal dings and blows lots of air; everything spins OK. A bit of scratching on the front end ring gear. Wheel hubs nice and greased inside, work well. I just need to replace the friction disk some day, maybe along with some new cutter gears.

I still don't know what year or model it is. Can you tell by the numbers?

Russ


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## bbnissan (Nov 7, 2004)

Just a little word of warning...

Ariens makes great equipment and parts are easy to find, but avoid ordering them straight from Ariens if you can help it. Ariens is notorious for being painfully slow at shipping orders (then again, so is Snapper).


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## snoman (Feb 13, 2004)

Redline Tech
If you can get me the model, type and serial number off the engine, I can probably give you a pretty close date of the motor. The numbers will be stamped on the starter housing/shroud. It may start with something like H60-65076d for example.
Plus when you get that puppy running, in about 6 inches of snow, it won't blow too great but if you bury the tunnel with maximum snow...watch that baby really work....your neighbors will be amazed and envious.


snoman


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## Redline Tech (Nov 6, 2004)

Snoman,

The guy across the street is going to be more than envious, he'll probably be kicking himself in the head for putting it out at the roadside with a "FREE" sign on it! I can't wait til it snows!

The stamped portion of the tag says "H60-75003B SERIAL 3171 04072". The red part is all faded but at the bottom I can read plug gap .030 and points gap .020. I downloaded the Tec manual and I appear to have a series 1 carburetor. If the first number of the serial is the year, is it a '73 or '83? Given the metal gas tank, I'd guess 70s perhaps? What do you think?

Russ

PS, I have a very large small engine power equipment dealer 30 min. away to get my parts, so I dont' have to deal with mfr. He has a bone yard too.


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

yeah that mostly pisses people off when you do something like that get it running good when its free


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## snoman (Feb 13, 2004)

Redline Tech
I would put my money that it's a '73 model. 
That's one thing I like about older Ariens...people don't think they're worth anything but from all the ones I brought back to life...they're worth plenty.
Especially when they get a dump of snow maybe with 3' drifts.Plus it's nice to show people on limited budgets what kind of machine you can get them if they are not particular on fancy paint jobs and pretty options.
Keep me informed how the restore is going.

snoman


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

yeah i'm getting ready to restore my old 1982 murray 8. fronts rusted but not too much. runs like a champ but thats usuall to old stuff if kept well.


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## Redline Tech (Nov 6, 2004)

OK, more Ariens stuff:

Apparently after bringing this early '70s sno-thro back to glory, word's spread that I'm starting an Ariens retirement home. I also now have a '78 8HP/24", and a 70-something, 7HP/24". I have them all working. The 8HP needed starter brushes and minor maintenance, while the 7HP needed nothing more than its petcock unclogged, new spark plug, drive belt, and a new head gasket.

My new question is: on the mid-'70s 7hp one, the axles seem to be flopping around in the hubs, and I heard this problem is common. This machine also looks like it has the most hours on it as well. Is this cheap to fix and therefore worth the trouble? OR, is this an indication that the unit is nearing the end of its life? Your HO, Mr. Sno?

Does anybody know where I can see a list of models Ariens made over the years? Preferably with illustrations? It's driving me nuts trying to figure out what year these are, especially if I go to the junk yard looking for compatible components. Does anyone have any '70s models parts/maintenance/repair manuals? Any literature on these would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Russ


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## snoman (Feb 13, 2004)

Russ

Go to this site http://www.ariens.com/ and I don't think it will have the years listed but if you click on "parts radar" you can find break downs and part numbers of your models. 
As far as the floppy axle goes, it sounds like just the axle bushing, relatively easy to replace. I've done my share.

snoman


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## Redline Tech (Nov 6, 2004)

Thanks, I didn't know about the radar thing. I've been looking for diagrams and parts literature.

I ordered some bushings from an Ariens dealer. He looked up the numbers and found that the oldest (6hp) is a '63/64 model! It's 10 years older than I thought. I thought it was a '73! The 7hp I just got is a '73/74. The '64 is actually in better shape and runs best. I think I'll keep restoring that one and use the other two as work horses. Especially since I born in '63, I'm starting to get attached to the old girl. I wonder how much it would cost to rechrome the handlebars?... Stay tuned...  

Russ
Redline Tech


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## tch_mn (Oct 17, 2005)

*Me too*

This is an intersting thread, I picked up a 70's, 7 hp, 24" cut arien snowblower a few weeks ago. I did just a quick restore job...new paint, flames on the front, looks pretty cool. Engine seems to run good now. Just had to replace the carb's float and adjust. I am excited to see if it is really going to thro snow now. When I engage the auger it seems like something is off balance, the augers and everything move, just seems like it should be smoother, and suggestions? :thumbsup:


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## dmdj232 (Dec 6, 2005)

Redline Tech said:


> Snoman,
> 
> The guy across the street is going to be more than envious, he'll probably be kicking himself in the head for putting it out at the roadside with a "FREE" sign on it! I can't wait til it snows!
> 
> ...


 where did you find the manual to download?


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## igorot80 (Dec 19, 2007)

*Old Snow Thrower*

I checked my old Snow-thrower and found out that the machine was made in 66-67!!! I bought it 3 years ago and was running fine until last winter when in the middle of throwing snow out of my driveway, it suddenly quit. Since there was no more snow after that, i decided that i would do the repairs before the winter comes. But when I tried to start it this year, no go. Everytime I pull the starter, it just goes around and no start. Even the electric starter would not turn. Can anyone help?


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## igorot80 (Dec 19, 2007)

*Ariens 10M6*

Oooops, by the way, it is an Ariens 10M6.


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## GT_4 (Dec 10, 2007)

igorot80 said:


> I checked my old Snow-thrower and found out that the machine was made in 66-67!!! I bought it 3 years ago and was running fine until last winter when in the middle of throwing snow out of my driveway, it suddenly quit. Since there was no more snow after that, i decided that i would do the repairs before the winter comes. But when I tried to start it this year, no go. Everytime I pull the starter, it just goes around and no start. Even the electric starter would not turn. Can anyone help?



Sounds like a carburator job is needed here. Did you leave gas in it since it died on you the last time you used it? If you did, then it's probably that. 
Try to crank it a couple of times, then, remove your spark plug and check if the plug is still in good condition, check gap or better yet, get a new plug. check if the spark plug which is actually installed on your machine is dry or wet with gas. If it's dry then it most likely the carb. if not also check for sparks 
Let us know
GT_4 :dude:


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## igorot80 (Dec 19, 2007)

Thanks, GT_4!!! I did leave gas in it since the last time it died (did not know better). I did everything you said to do and now the engine is running. In fact, I used it for about an hour yesterday. Now my only problem is the electric starter. It was working fine until last year when the thrower suddenly died. There is continuity in the wires and the switch is ok, however it is not turning.


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## trouts2 (Mar 11, 2008)

What ever happened to the restore over time? Has the 10ML60D worked out to be a good machine?
Trouts2


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## Lenkruse (Nov 28, 2008)

*Ariens SnoThrow axle bushing repair*



snoman said:


> Russ
> 
> Go to this site http://www.ariens.com/ and I don't think it will have the years listed but if you click on "parts radar" you can find break downs and part numbers of your models.
> As far as the floppy axle goes, it sounds like just the axle bushing, relatively easy to replace. I've done my share.
> ...


I have a 1970 model Ariens SnoThrow that sounds a lot like the machines in this thread. It is really old and not too pretty but works great. I don't even remember where I got it but found it in the barn back in the corner. It had no spark, but after installing a new coil it started and ran great. I had to replace the high speed bearing in the snow thrower head, because I noticed a lot of vibrations. Everything works well now except the right axle bushing is really worn out. I can't figure out how to get the axle off to replace the bushing. The parts diagram that I downloaded from Ariens shows that the axle is one axle inside another. It looks to me like I have to split those two to get the wheel flange off so I can slip the old bushing off and replace it. Any tips on this? Thanks.

Len


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## trouts2 (Mar 11, 2008)

You did not give your model so it could be with or without differential. I've only pulled the axle on a non-differential older 10M4. 

The axle is supported by flange bearings suppoertd by a flange support that is mounted screws with screwdriver heads. The heads are only accessable from the inside of the tractor housing so parts have to be removed first to get access to the flange support out.

1.The Areins logo cup on the outside of the wheel hub pulls off.
2. A cotter pin holds the wheel hub in place. Remove the cotter pin and the wheel hub slips off. It's locked in place with a long thin key which will probably be rusted.
3. The shaft cannot slide out as the drive gear is held in place by a roll pin. On the other side of the tractor base opposite the drive gear is another roll pin close to the tractor wall. The two roll pins have to be knocked out to remove the shaft and allow the shaft to slide from the drive gear. The drive gear also had a driftwood key and probably rusted.
4. With the hubs off, the roll pins knocked out the shaft can be removed with tapping on the drive gear to get it off it's driftwood key. At this point the shaft can slide out exposing all the screw heads for the bearings.
5. The bearings just bang out Their about 3-7 dollars. There's are different bearings specified for differential and non-differental wheels.
David
http://www.kedawei.com/snowblower.htm


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## rbtrary (Dec 23, 2008)

*Older Airens 32 in auger*

Hello, I have an older Airens SNo Thro model 910954 w/32 in auger and a 7hp Techumseh. I'm looking for repair and maintenance info for it. I'm guessing it's from the 70's. It seems very well built but looks like it's seen many winters.


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## mux (Jan 10, 2009)

I just got a 10M6D from my father in law. it runs great and threw better than other machines i have used.

a couple weeks ago the throwing just stopped. checking everything over I found the fan spinning freely. Few days later it warmed up so went out to find model numbers and to see how the fan was attached to get an idea of how difficult this might be. 

Im guessing that i need new roll pins...???

How much of a chore is this and how much disassembly will i need to do???

Im also not seeing the pins on the fan when i spin it around..... what should i be looking for???


thanks
Jim


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## timbo (Aug 11, 2005)

yep i too have a couple of those older ones a 68-70 and a70-73 model both run and blow excelent and both need the friction wheel... easy change ? if you know any thing about mechanics,,, just remember to put all the parts back as u took them out/ off


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## harrytante (Feb 16, 2010)

*is it worth restoring?*

i have an ariens snow thrower 10m-l60d. it is a 1963. yours is a 1962. the d on the end of mine stands for deluxe, because it is the first year to accept attachments. there is no available model number, but if you go check out mylargescale.com you can look at your owners manual, and get part numbers.


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## harrytante (Feb 16, 2010)

you will never get the roll pins by the impeller out, so if you break the machine in half [like your changing the belt], and take thenuts off of the bearings on the sides the whole thing is easy to just pull out of the front of the auger shroud.you probably just broke the roll pin inside the gear box. it may sound rough, but i just did it last week, and it was surprisingly easy. you just have to get the augers off so that you can get the case open,pull the auger shaft out, and the round gear will pull right out clean up the broken peices of roll pin. take out one of the oil plugs, and you can put it right back together by inserting the roll pin through thr oil plug hole.


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