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Fuel Tank

10K views 40 replies 14 participants last post by  Jesse11B 
#1 ·
Newer Ariens What are we going to do with these small fuel tanks.4" of snow and ran out of fuel. 24" platinum.First time using it.Thats crazy.Anybody modify the tank yet.
 
#12 ·
The 2015 Ariens Platinum 30 SHO with the LCT 414 cc engine has a fuel tank spec'd at 3 liters (0.79 US gallons) but I could never put more than 2.5 liters (0.66 US gallons) in it. Running time was ridiculously small and it is not fun refuelling at the neighbours a few houses down the street while snowing. Several years ago I installed the tank from the Ariens Pro model with the 420 cc B&S engine. I can put over 6 liters (1.5 US gallons) in and never run out of gas now.
 
#13 ·
The way the shroud raps around these tanks .It would be pretty hard to fit a generic fuel tank on these new machines .With my Older Yardman with a Tecumson the tank is pretty generic.Well I will look into this over the summer This winter is almost over here.
 
#14 ·
It would be pretty hokey. But any chance of mounting an additional tank, high enough to still gravity feed?

You might then skip using the internal tank, to avoid making things too risky (filling 1 tank, and overflowing the other one that's also connected, etc). Or I guess you could use use a valve to simply allow switching between the two tanks, without ever having both connected to each other.

Or perhaps you could use something like an MSR bottle to have a secondary fuel supply mounted on the machine, so you could refuel in the driveway, at the neighbor's house, etc, without needing to get back to your big gas can.

I realize that neither of these are a particularly good situation. But if swapping the "internal" tank is difficult, then perhaps these would be somewhat reasonable.
 
#15 ·
I would be curious to see what tank and size they are using on the 2019 Powermore engines, It looks a LOT like the LCT tank but I think it is plastic. Will have to head to the store to see for sure but may be good for a swap if not too much modding required.
 
#16 ·
Don't laugh .But I have 4 Generators.The first 2 I bought were Yamaha 6600 and a Yamaha 2000 Inverter.2 great generators Both made in Japan I converted them to run on both Gas and propane.And they work Great.Than when I got sick I realized I needed an electric start.So after doing a lot of research I ended up with a Dual fuel Electric start Firman.This company based in China has manufactured over 10 million generators in the last 20 years. Great generators When Costco had them on sale I bought another one .What I am getting down to is That too bad propane does not like The cold.Or I would have converted this Ariens to propane.Our power goes out a lot and i got tired of storing and rotating 20 Gallons of gasoline. With propane it never goes bad.So Over the last few years i bought a number of 20 and 30 LB.bottles.In order for propane to work at 40 degrees or lower in any kind of engine you need it to generate more gas than a grill needs.2 bottles work great.But I could only mount one on a snowblower.Or else the Ariens would be running on Propane.I will figure out a way to either mount an auxillary tank or just a larger one
 
#19 ·
Believe me I already did 2 generators and still have another kit ready to go.They work great when the power goes out in warm weather.But when it is cold out a single 20 LB tank will not convert liquid to gas fast enough even with the heat of the generator blowing against.Now these generator ,Except the 2000 watt have 10 and 11 hp or 439 CC engines in them. It will work with 1 tank on the 2000 watt Inverter.It was a pita to make up the fittings to go 2 tanks to one unit. But you can buy the set up to go 1 tank to 2 units.At first I was pre heating the tank.before I realized 2 tanks would generate enough gas.! 20 LP would last almost as long as 5 gallons of Gasoline. But not quite.Now if it would snow in the summer it would work good.
 
#18 ·
I am not a fabricator by any stretch of the imagination. The advantage in using the B&S 6 liter tank on my 414 engine is that the layout of both engines is very similar. Fuel take off is in much the same place, left tank mounting is quite similar so just a little fabrication, right side tank mounting needs a bit more fabrication, the increased height of the tank on the machine is not an issue, there is standard shielding for the B&S tank to prevent snow and ice buildup on the governor linkage.

The alternative that I was thinking about is a 3 liter tank mounted higher than the original tank and connected via a 3 way valve with close, open, drain positions added to existing line between tank shut-off valve and the carb. The auxiliary tank would connect to the drain position on the new valve so as to fill the stock tank when stopped and engine shut off. The downside is the change of machine balance and the fabrication of a mount for auxiliary tank by the control panel and not to mention the probable ugliness of the setup and the inconvenience of the filling procedure. Also, the stock tank and fuel shut-off valve and cap are not to my liking.

I chose to go with the B&S tank and I am not sorry I did so. I have a welder now so I intend to improve the fabrication and replace my altered to fit original shielding with the B&S stock shielding.
 
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#33 · (Edited)
The answer to "why?" is as simple as engine profile. They just want a sleek looking product. Additionally Ariens doesn't make or spec the engines, LCT of China does. Ariens just buys a stock and bolts them on. LCT is a crappy company that sweeps problems under the rug, ignores dealer feedback, and straight up doesn't do engineering well. The first batch of these engines were even prone to dribble gasoline out of the fuel cap when filled. The tank lip was the problem but they just gave everyone a thicker gasket. Then you factor in junky petcocks, fuel tank sediment settling out in the carbs etc...and bleh.


Toro uses Loncin (another Chinese manufacturer) and has 1.2 Gallon tanks for engines over 302cc.

Honda has 1.3 and 1.5 Gallon fuel tanks on their 270cc and 390cc engines.

Ariens Professionals with the 420cc engine (China-contracted out by Briggs) cease to have this problem as it comes with a 1.5 gallon tank.

Regulation has nothing to do with it, just poor design.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Fuel tank top view side-by-side.
Grey Still life photography Still life signaling device Symbol

Fuel tank bottom view showing hand made brackets cut out from 6" right angle braces.
Machine Baggage Gas Plastic

tools and file folder template
Tool Hammer Hand tool Household hardware Metalworking hand tool

View of front template in place with the holes for bolts for alignment
Automotive tire Machine Auto part Synthetic rubber Gear

Front plate in place Oil filler not obstructed.
Motor vehicle Automotive design Red Automotive tire Toy

Side view showing the tank doesn't get in the way of anything.
Automotive tire Tread Synthetic rubber Automotive wheel system Machine

Rear view. Original plate cut to lengthen it. New plate is behind it. Note the plate wraps around the top left side to fill the gap between the tank and the carburetor housing.
Motorcycle Motorcycle accessories Carbon Tread Automotive fuel system
 
#40 ·
Looks like the Deluxe 24 has a 254cc engine as opposed to the Platinum 24 369cc engine so maybe that gives you greater range with the same size fuel tank.

My previous 1998 ST828 had a 318cc with 4qt (3.8L) tank and I had no issues running out of gas; smaller engine, larger tank; but it didn't throw the snow as far. Maybe the Platinum 24 governor is kicking in more so the little bit larger engine is running a lot harder and thus consuming more gas (which is OK with me because it's doing a better job clearing the snow); but that combined with the larger engine and smaller tank creates a frustrating tipping point for me.

There's just something so maddening about running out of gas at the end of the driveway when you're almost done. "Running out of gas" just makes me feel like such an idiot. Having to hoof it back to the garage and haul the 5 gallon jug down the driveway and back again is my penance... made worse when it's icy and the weight of the gas can throws me off and it's dark so you can't see into the black tank while you're filling it and the gas goes everywhere... and made worse when I run out while doing the neighbors driveway even though I topped off before going over there. The new low profile gas cap is also annoying in this situation, having to take off my gloves, there's no where to put them so they fall in the snow. Funny what a chain of aggravations get triggered by one root cause, the "cruising range".
 
#41 ·

The above link will give you a selection of fuel tanks to pick from. Bulk head fittings and caps are sold elsewhere on their site. If you wanted to go with a larger tank you could rig one of these up to your machine.
 
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