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Thread: 19 year snow blower dead - I don't think anything new will last as long

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    South Dakota
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    15
    Dog eater snowblower! LOL. That made my day

  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    My dad had a Gravely and one of those dog eater snow blowers. Never heard them called that before, but it fits. During high school (50's) I used to earn $2 each plowing the neighbors driveways during some mean Syracuse winters. That thing could eat some snow. Mowed lawns during the summer with a big old front mounted mower unit on the Gravely too. It was a beast. I think the closest thing you can find today are the Italian made BCS machines, which are like the Mercedes of two wheeled garden tractors. Love to have one of them for my garden.
    Yeah me too! I remember seeing those online a while back. Just looked them up again. They look like a sweet little 2-wheeler. Sorry for the side track guys

  3. #33
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    Oct 2007
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    Coastal Southern Maine
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    350
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    A manufacture has to do something to cut the costs for the big box stores. Many products are 'cost reduced' to meet the demands of mass marketers.

    jtk
    It's easy to tell if the big box stores are selling a cost reduced product. It will have a slightly different model number. Same model number, then is is the same machine.

  4. #34
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    Sep 2007
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    Longview WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Drackman View Post
    It's easy to tell if the big box stores are selling a cost reduced product. It will have a slightly different model number. Same model number, then is is the same machine.
    Depending on the maker, it could also be a different designation in the serial number.

    This reminds me of an experience with some Snap-On tools. My friend had a ratchet that was identical to mine except for a G- at the beginning of the model number. The G- signified these were made for a government bid and were not subject to the standard Snap-On warrantees. Mine was obsolete and when it wore out a replacement ratchet mechanism wasn't available. It was a bit of a hassle, but it was eventually exchanged by Snap-On.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Depending on the maker, it could also be a different designation in the serial number.

    This reminds me of an experience with some Snap-On tools. My friend had a ratchet that was identical to mine except for a G- at the beginning of the model number. The G- signified these were made for a government bid and were not subject to the standard Snap-On warrantees. Mine was obsolete and when it wore out a replacement ratchet mechanism wasn't available. It was a bit of a hassle, but it was eventually exchanged by Snap-On.
    I suspect there are some laws that would get broken if items were built differently, but had the same model number. Snap-On modified the model number so it was clear it was not the same item as their regular item.

    I bet the only difference for Snap-On between government and regular was the warranty. The item itself was the same, but the reduced warranty meant meant less cost for Snap-On.

  6. #36
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Frank Drackman View Post
    It's easy to tell if the big box stores are selling a cost reduced product. It will have a slightly different model number. Same model number, then is is the same machine.
    The Ariens website doesn't show different model numbers, but companies don't always show everything online. I have not had a chance to stop by the power equipment dealer to note the part numbers for their Ariens snow blowers to compare against Home Depot and Lowes. I would have been there Monday evening had I not found the elusive part for my snow blower.

    One advantage with Home Depot and Lowes is there are various ways to get some serious discounts not available at the power equipment dealer. One can buy a Lowe's 10% coupon on Ebay. Home Depot gift cards are 10% off at a local gas station chain right now. I still like the power equipment dealer because they have been around for 100 years and I want them to stay around. I have purchased power equipment both from the dealer and some from Home Depot over the years.

  7. #37
    Snow? That's why half of the people in PA, and NJ now reside in NC. Our county is growing at the rate of 65 people a day, not including live births. Would the last person leaving NJ, please turn the lights off

  8. #38
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    People are still moving to Minneapolis in spite of the snow. Growth is not as fast as the southern states for sure.

    Anyhow, the part for my snow blower is out for delivery. It occurred to me that perhaps the bearing seized in the support housing which caused the part to break. It is probably a common bearing easy to get, but it just adds more time to get the bearing. MTD wanted $40 for a bearing and I bought one at an auto parts store for less than $10.

  9. #39
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    My part arrived last night. It is really old stock. The part has FMC Bolens on the plastic package. FMC sold Bolens in 1988! The part number is the one I need and it looks like the part on the snow blower. I didn't get a chance to replace the part last night.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
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    Darn it, I am going to be buying a new snow blower now instead of fixing mine. It turns out when the auger bearing support broke that the loose auger caused the impeller shaft to pull 3/4" out of the gear case. I assume the worm gear has pulled partially or completely off the shaft inside the gear case. It doesn't hardly seem worth $100 to $200 to have the gear case torn down especially if the gear case is shot. The gear case is NLA unless the place I got the other NLA part from has one.

    I stopped by my usual power equipment dealer earlier today and they are not carrying Simplicity this winter that I wanted to look at. The few other Simplicity dealers in the metro area are all closed on Sunday. I am also going to check Craigslist for a used one, but I suspect anything good is gone since we have had several major snow events in the past two weeks.

  11. #41
    It might be worth checking if it is just a shear pin or something similar.

    Or it might be more worth it to just say the h#ll with it, and go and get a snowblower you don't have to worry about for the next decade.

    Fortunately, no snow coming for the next week or so, just cold and clear

  12. #42
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    Oct 2006
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    Minneapolis, MN
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    It might be worth checking if it is just a shear pin or something similar.

    Or it might be more worth it to just say the h#ll with it, and go and get a snowblower you don't have to worry about for the next decade.
    I can literally see where the impeller shaft has come out of the back of the gear case by almost an inch. The auger shaft in the one side is about 3/4" in front of where it is supposed to be due to the gear case issue. I thought of one last thing to try before I get a new snow blower.

    I am going to call to see if the snowblower I want to buy is in stock shortly.

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