[Mjk1210]

So i had $65 burning a hole in my pocket so i figured I'd buy a 6th snowblower and got this There seem to be numbers stamped into the back of it on the trans cover. There arent visible numbers on or around the sticker on the business end. It seems to be a cast iron gear case. It seems pretty obvious that it was repowered by a 6hp. I'm guessing it came with a 10 hp because the auger is 32 inches wide. Does anyone have ideas about exactly what i have?
Thanks

 

[Ziggy65]

That is an Ariens 924 series machine, from the mid 1970's.
It would originally have had an 8HP Tecumseh engine.
They are often referred to as twin stick machines and are considered by many to be one of the best series of machines Ariens built.

This is a great site for more information on your machine.

The Ariens 1960's and 1970's Sno-Thro info site.

 

[Northeast Dave]

What you have right there is a lot of decisions to make...

 

[db130]

I've installed those Briggs Intek 205cc engines on a few snowblowers and they are perfectly fine for 21"-24" machines, but man, I would not have paired a 32" unit with that engine.

 

[db130]

The earlier 924 series 32" units had chrome handlebars, so maybe a 924013? Also, can you show us some extra photos of its chute crank setup? It looks like it's been moved over to the right side.

 

[Ziggy65]

The chute crank mech has definitely been moved to the right side, also interesting discs in place of the standard skid shoes.
If I had to guess a year, I would say it is a 1974 model.

 

[ChrisJ]

New tires and a Predator 420 or bigger would be nice on it.

 

[deezlfan]

Discs appear to be ...... I don't know. Wheels off one of those old lady grocery carts?

 

[Mjk1210]

Thanks for the replies. Here a re more pics.
I suspected 70s but of course wasnt sure. Whoever did the mod for the crank did a good job. But i don't see how it would have attached on the left either. And the rollers wheels for shoes seem like they would last forever since the don't drag and scrape away.
when the temps drop a little I'll spend some time out there and open it up. I'm not sure yet if i will keep this one or not. I repowered a 70s John Deere 826 last year and wanted to freshen it up a bit and keep it. But I'll admit this one may not go away just cuz it's so damn cool. And the 420 predator would probably be a good fit for this 32 inch auger. I almost cant wait for snow to see what it does with this motor before swapping....just out of curiosity. It starts on one pull so it will be a good motor should i need a 6hp for anything else.

I'm definitely a fan of these older units. Built like tanks.

 

[Mjk1210]

A couple questions after some moderate searching.
1. How easy or difficult will it really be to find parts if i decide to go thru and completely freshen this thing up?
2. So what year did the chrome handlebars go away?
3. The 420 predator was mentioned. Any other motors that are highly recommended for this size blower?
Thanks

 

[Oneacer]

Skids, belts, bearings, friction disc and cutting edge, etc. can still be had easily. I never have an issue finding wear items.

You will find those lawn tires are not up for snow duty, that's why back before they produced good snow XTrac tires like all the machines have today, they sold you the bouncing betty chains that vibrate the machine apart.

I have restored many older Ariens, and sold a few of the 924 series ... I still own a couple 10000 series ... great machines ... you don't see that kind of quality in today's plastic and tin units.

A 32-inch bucket is way overkill for any of the driveways I do ... Even my 30-inch Cubs will be up for sale in the future.

I would think a 357cc, like on one of my 30-inch Cub, or at least an 11HP, like on the other 30-inch would suffice.

 

[Mjk1210]

The turf tires were obviously something i noticed right away when the guy wheeled it around the corner of the house. Found these online so if i get everything else working well enough I'll get a pair. For $25 each i can't go wrong. Good to hear about wear items. The machine doesn't move under power but it's too hot outside to be out there messing with it and I'm in the middle of a bathroom gut and remodel anyway so I'll start working on this and my others in the collection after that. I have a lawn tractor to work on as well. It's gonna be a busy Autumn for me. Haha.

What is that button on the left wheel do exactly? Is that a positrac thing like the star on the john deere blowers? I should look for a manual online. So I'll do that next.

 

[Tony-chicago]

X-trac over snow hog if possible

 

[Oneacer]

"What is that button on the left wheel do exactly? Is that a posi-trac thing .."

Yes ...

Be careful, as those are larger tires .... you probably want to stick with the 16x6.50-8 size that are on there now, as that is the size that probably came with it.

Yeah, I would agree, XTrac over Sno-Hog if you can get a pair for not much more.

 

[Ziggy65]

Attached is a copy of the owners manual for your machine.
Should help with servicing and part #'s.
It is common to find the axle bushings and impeller bearing and some times auger bushings require replacement after almost 50 years of use. These items are readily available.

 

[tadawson]

.
.
.
What is that button on the left wheel do exactly? Is that a positrac thing like the star on the john deere blowers? I should look for a manual online. So I'll do that

I wouldn't consider it "positrac" since that typically imples some form of limited slip diff . . . What these old Ariens had was an open diff that did well in modest conditions, and with that knob, you turned it and pushed it in to lo the differential for use when conditions got bad (with the corresponding loss of ease of turning).

 

[Andreas]

Nice gem… Looks like they relocated the chute crank. Originally there was a welded bracket on the opposite side of the chute, in the area of rust there it looks like its been cut off. But the new setup looks good! The chrome handlebars were replaced in 1980, where the engine went from white to black, and handlebars from chrome to black tubing. On my -83 924 I always use snow chains when blowing snow, so the «turf tires» works great.

To find exact year, look at the engine. On the top of the Tecumseh engine you‘ll find the engine serial number. It’s on the forward part of the flat portion over the recoil starter. It’ll start with HM80, and the 5 last digits state time of production. My engine ended with 2307D, that means «year 2, day 307». As the engine was produced late year 2 (1972/1982/1992/2002) and the s/n stated 80’s machine, I concluded that the machine was fitted with the engine in 1983. As your machine is white, your engine is produced in 197x.

EDIT: Looks like you are missing the engine covers with the serial number on your machine though…

 

[Ziggy65]

The original Tecumseh engine has been replaced with a newer OHV 6HP engine.
I think the last year for the chrome handle bars was 74 or75.

 

[Andreas]

Yes you are correct, after -75ish the handlebars got white up to 1979

 

[Mjk1210]

Thanks for all the info guys! Appreciate it.