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Snowblower Advice, Old Craftsman vs Older Ariens

3K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Koolmoose 
#1 ·
Hello all! First post here on this forum. I need a little help on some snow-blower issues and thought this would be my best bet.

So last fall, I moved into my first house. It has a 100 ft long level, paved driveway. Since I am still relatively young, I figured I'd be able to shovel it. Well, that didnt work. Our first storm was wet, heavy snow, and luckily my dad was able to plow for me, as I do not have a truck to plow with.

So this year, I decided to get myself a smaller, inexpensive snow-blower to keep my driveway clean. I went out and bought a Craftsman 22/5, 22" cut, 5 hp motor. It is a model "536.886540". Has the electric start (which is nice). It runs mint, and I'd rate it a 7.5 on the "cosmetic" side. Has some rust on the sides of the bucket, but the major parts are all solid. I paid $175 for it, and I put another $20 or so into it (changed the oil, new plug, extra shear pins). Got it all prepped and ready to go.

So this weekend, a friend of mine dropped off an older Ariens snow-blower in my driveway. He was supposed to give it to me last year, but he didn't, and I figured he got rid of it. I obviously wasn't expecting it, so I bought the Craftsman. He said it ran fine the last time he used it, but with the ethanol gas, the carb is now shot and needs either a re-build or a new carb. But on the plus side, he gave it to me for free.

The Ariens is a model 922003, 20" cut, 5 hp motor. From what I can tell, it looks like an early 70's model. Cosmetically, I'd rate it a 9.5. No rust on it, all original condition. Needs a good washing, but all the factory paint is there etc. However, I do not know how this one runs. I did put the cord (no electric start) and it has good compression, so that's a good start.

So this is where I need help. Part of me is thinking about fixing the Ariens and selling it, as the Craftsman is a little bigger and has the electric start. However, the Ariens looks like a more solid, heavy duty unit, even though it's a little smaller.

What do you guys suggest?
 
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#3 ·
It the Ariens run fairly recently, you might get away with just good carb cleaning. Might not have to rebuild or get new carb.
If you are handy, clean the carb on the Ariens and keep it, its build like a tank.
It will outlive the newer Craftsman and work for you for years.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the replies!

I came across an old thread on here (wont let me post a link), but a guy posted about the same snow-blower I have. Looks like he has the same model as me. I checked at lunch time, and I do have the same HS50-67008 motor as the guy. The other number on the metal tag is 2292B, which I am assuming is a serial number? I will order a re-build kit and try to get this old tank going.

The only thing I am a little nervous about is that one of the tires is flat. Not sure if it just needs air, or if I am going to need to put in a tube. If I need to do a new tube, I may swap the tires for the "X" style, as I heard they have better traction than the turf style that are on it now.
 
#5 ·
+1 on the advice to keep both machines, especially if you have the storage. With a 100 ft drive way a backup machine is not a bad idea. You should be able to get a new Chinese carb on Amazon for short money. Order spare belt (s), shear pins and a spare friction disc and you're good to go!
 
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