Look A Free Snow Blower

drivadesl · Oct 26, 2009

Stopped at a coworkers house a couple months back to borrow a fishtape. Saw this old snowblower sitting at the end of his drive, and being the lover of old machines, stopped to look. "Nice machine" I said, to which he replied: "You want it"? Turns out he couldn't get it to start, pulled the spark plug and there it sat. OK not in mint shape, rusty, but can't complain about the price. Its a 6HP Techumseh Snow Throw circa 1972. Pretty heavy, seems well made overall. Tires look OK, and nothing seems missing. Hope to get it running at some point, the electric start cranked her strong, so thats a good sign (NPI). Will start with rebuilding the carb, and tune up, fluid change, and see where that leads. My son is interested in learing more about engines, so this will be a good project for us both. Been looking for one of these for awhile, didn't want to spend a ton, so don't mind putting a few bucks into it if for no other reason than a father-son project.

Tul01 · Oct 26, 2009

Great find and good luck, some of my fondest memories are passing my dad tools and learning how stuff works. Looks like he's already planning to keep the driveway clear this winter

Brent

ToadHill · Oct 26, 2009

When my brother and I married and moved out of the house, me in 1966 and my brother in 1968 my dad lost his shovelers so he bought a Ariens blower just like yours. It's now with one of my brothers boys and it still runs just fine.

PILOON · Oct 27, 2009

That's an Ariens 6-24.
Great blower, made from real steel and not tin and uses real bearings (not nylon bushings)
The auger gears are brass and steel and can take a much abuse.
I once re-powered that same unit with a big heavy Wisconsin ACN that simply went chug chug and blew snow clear over to next door.

Being fairly light however you will probably wish to install a set of chains.

Have fun, and good find!

At the very worst you can easily repower with a Chinese 6 hp clone for about $100.

Thomas · Oct 27, 2009

You won't find any plastic on or in that old girl like some models today..good fine.

drivadesl · Oct 27, 2009

Thanks guys. Yup, thats one more reason to like the older machines, the build quality is there. I found a load of info on these machines so expect that parts should still be available. Anyone know where to get the best prices on Tecumseh parts??

Funny about my son, (he's 11 next month,) he told me last week that he wanted to work on the engine, not just hand me the tools while I did the work. Like to hear that, gets them away from the TV and video, and believe me that is not always easy.

bontai_Joe · Oct 27, 2009

Sounds like a great father/son project, and the bonus is the machine is worth the time and effort.

T_e_r_r_y · Oct 28, 2009

If you look down by the left handle bar where it is bolts to the body. There should be a model and serial number. Either a sticker or it is stamped into the metal. Go to ariens.com, enter the model number it will bring up a parts diagram. You can also order both manuals.
As stated before these machines will last loooooong time with proper care and maintance.
Parts are made by a number of after market suppliers. Check the fluid levels,proper air pressure in both tires,other wise it won't track straight. The front auger shaft and gear are pretty costly $135.00 last year for me. Older model 67-68.

Happy motoring with your son, A fun and learning time for all!!

Stay safe T.J.

Gil Case · Oct 28, 2009

I had an old Ariens like this one given to me, I was all set to rebuild it but decided to put the plug in and crank it a few times to see what was wrong with it. Dang thing started on the second pull, so I just cleaned it up a little bit, put some chains from Tractor Supply on it and it has run ever since. Did need a muffler after awhile. Parts are still available. Watch for the shear pins on the auger shaft, there is one on each side. They shear pretty easily, probably why the drive gears last so long.

drivadesl · Oct 30, 2009

I found the model and s/n no problem, so along with that I was quickly able to locate the Ariens site which had the operators and maintenance manual. Also downloaded a complete parts list and technicians manual (from another forum site) for the engine. Man thats nice to have all that info available for free, just like the machine.

I haven't tried to start it yet, to busy watching my team scratch their way to the WS. GO YANKS! Anyway, am very psyched to have another project, along with the other 7 that are in some form under way. Hey, if I ever finished with equipment, what would be left???? (family aside...) Great input on this guys, thanks a bunch!