DIY - Ariens Snowblower Friction Disc Repair 

I come back to your videos every year and at this moment I don't even have a snow blower...I can see from the comments that I'm not the only one that likes the way you teach and make people feel comfortable when they ask their questions...thank you for everything .

Thank you! So glad I watched your video before changing the friction disc. Your method on this one worked for mine. So easy since nothing had to be removed. For once a job was easier than I thought it would be!

Thank you donyboy. My Ariens snow blower was developing an issue just as you described in another video. After watching this video, I understood how the drive works. I found information to adjust the friction disc until my new disc arrives. Thanks for all the great videos.

THE best series of tutorials I've ever seen on RU-vid on snowblower repair. My Ariens snowblower started to act up yesterday, the wheels were just jumping ( a little bit of going then stopping then going ) and now the wheels will not turn unless I lift the back up off the ground so the wheels are not in contact with the snow. As soon as I put the snow blower down, the wheels stop turning... leading me to believe it *may* be a broken friction disc. I love how you never assume anyone knows a thing about repair and you include all-steps in your tutorial. - That's what make a great tutorial. I do the same thing on my channel. Anyway, I subbed, and liked the video, I hope other will also. Thank you .

Dony the Canadian snow blower mystical guru

Don… You are the best!! Your videos are great, and your step by step instructions are spot-on! A job we’ll done :)

I watched several of your videos. Thank you very much, I learned a lot from you. you explain things real clear.I have a problem with my Ariens ST824 not moving at all. At least I know where to go and look now.I used it all day yesterday due to heavy snow in the east coast 1-24-16.After I got done using the snow blower, I was going to store it back on the shed and the blower don't want to move at all.

Just found your videos. I refer to them all the time. Thank you for taking the time to make them.

Looks like it was re-powered, that old Ariens is still getting the job done, good vid.

@donyboy73 Great instructional video, I got ambitious, took my ancient 1977 Ariens Thrower belly pan off just to see how it worked and the wheel bushings were gone. Don's snowthrower reality show !

I am glad I have this same setup. THANK YOU for the video it saved me a lot of money.

Thank you for this. I was able to get my snow blower running again by cleaning off the rubber on the friction disc and the metal plate it connects to. Also adjusted the tension on the lever that engages the bottom metal disc (not sure what its called).

Thanks for getting back. I will try to help. No video but I will do what I can. The video I referred to was yours. Here is the problem w/making video.. Pls let me know of what. Basically, when I put it into gear (press the left hand lever), it engages and goes no problem. When I let go of the lever, the snowblower continues to go forward in a herky jerky fashion. I have to either disengage it it or get it into neutral. Getting a video would be tough since I am holding on for dear life .

@patsguy369 yes the disc is to turn the wheels, not the augers

nothing better than a ariens snowblower!

Ahh nevermind,, I went to use one of my snowblowers, and the one I was using made this loud scary noise.. and would not move, with flashlight in hand, I notice of of the wheels did not have it's secure pin in place, easy fix, lucky I had brought a back-up machine and used it's secure pin on my machine, Whew,,, almost lost a contract. DONY....sweetheart, baby, you're awesome vids saved the day,, and YES.. BOTH wheels have power. DonyBoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy keep banging out them vids

Exactly what I needed to know, thank you very much for keeping it simple!!

Hi. My 6 year old Ahrens snow blower stalls as soon as I press the blower handle down. Engine runs good. thank you!

Great video, pretty simple job. I have an old Toro 824, you can't kill that snow blower.

@Kuth70 thanks for watching

Great Video - good style. Replaced plate without a problem.

Easier to change than the newer models. 👍 🇨🇦

while the undercarrige is open its a good idea to lift and wiggle the wheels to test wear on the wheel bearings. When the bronze bearings become too sloppy the gears can jump during forward or backward drive under load. My Ariens was manufactured in 1974 and still works (semi-retired).

@icomeforu2 turn the fuel valve off, make sure the tank isn't too full because it will come out of the cap

@huckstered lol, thanks for watching

you might have to clean the shaft that the wheel slides on, i use straight gas and a rag the i apply a thin layer of lithium grease on the shaft. it also probably needs carb work

thank you donyboy you are a great help.keep up the good work.

@jkcamperspecial check the linkage from the shifter

Man I love your channel. Its been a Ron of help with my machines I have laying around. Thank you so much man !! Keep it up :)

Great video. I'll let you know how the fix goes.

This is a great video. This is closest to the problem I am facing. I have 1973 Ariens 7 HP snowblower. It starts just fine. I put it in gear and it stops running within 15-30 seconds. Also, if it does continue to run, it deos goes into gear. When I release the lever, the snowlblower continues to be in gear and continues to travel. From this video, it seems that they may be related. would greatly appreciate any thoughts!!!!?

DonyBoyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy You Sir are a credit to mankind, Your video's are top notch, and because of your very informative video's have saved me in the crunch many times. I vote DonyBoy to be on TV have his very own TV SHOW... ok, nuff with the brown nose'ing Dony, I replaced the broken sheer pin on the snowblower wheel, only afterwards I noticed that only one of the two wheels has power, is this normal, or should both wheels have power

this is a great video. I have what might be a dumb question. Can I do this without draining the gas and oil first? I think I probably have to drain them but if it is not necessary, I don't want to take the extra time right now. Thanks!

Thank you.

I have an older Ariens, model 10ML60D. At first I thought that I might need to replace the friction wheel and that's how I found your nice video. It now appears to me that I issues with the wheel hubs. I don't think that have ever been serviced and they seem to be working intermittently. The right wheel no longer engages at all. Searching around it appears that parts are no longer available. Question - How would you deal with non-functioning wheel hubs? Pin them permanently to the axel?

@Nickster7ROR yes a carb problem, look up my tecumseh carburetor repair videos

Thanks for sharing 😁👍👍👍👍👍

Hi,Great video. You should have cleaned your protective cover.

Yourvieo's have taught me a lot. Thanks. Not sure if this is the right place to ask but hopefully you'll see this. I have a 1965 Ariens ST624 and the transmission looks different. The shaft that the disc slides on is not open on one end but extends through both sides of the sheet metal body. Can you direct me to the repair procedure to replace the disc on that? Thanks again.

Very helpful mechanical videos. My grandpa has an ariens auger propelled, two stage blower with a tecumseh engine. The engine does not run when the choke is completely off, or if it is not running full throttle. Is this a carb. problem?

Wish I saw this video 2 years ago, when I replaced the friction wheel on my 2003 Ariens 824. It wasn't hard, but seemed much tricker than this.

great vid just bought a older 10/30 snapper looks to be this style worked great till i backed it off my truck not running an seems to have lost reverse??goes foward only wit shifter full ahead thinkin disc or something fell apart?wont get to it till next weekend any ideas?thanks for your time.

The new Ariens's Professional Machines use bushings for the auger and impeller shafts on their newest cast iron gear case. First they changed the Auger shafts to bushings and then the impeller shaft. Does it save that much money? Do the bushings, made of a yellow metal provide the same reliability and longevity? I doubt it. For how long will quality keep spiraling down? I doubt the Honda's are much if any better. I will try to find a parts diagram of the Honda's and Simplicity machines.

Hi donny, love your videos...what exactly is the friction disk for?....turning the wheels?..i've got an older Ariens that just does'nt blow as it once did..changed all the belts but that didn't help...thanks for your reply

@Liamautomechanic filmed it a while ago. still cold here, 0 celcius today

@danysniper22 hopefully this summer, i'll be fixing that ct 90 in my garage

a right angle air ratchet would work great

@tscholent thank you sir!

Great videos , big fan....I have a question on my Ariens724 snowblower, the wheels are locked and won't turn.. I lost a spring, not sure where is connected to blower, but the friction disk is stick to the wheel and won't separate... what does one do???

@goBUHuskies thank you

Hey don, can we see more videos on small motorcycles/mopeds etc? including riding them, thanks

Rats, forgot to ask... The shear pin that's under the belly of the Sblower the one for the wheel on the right side. I used the Sblower for like 30seconds on light fluffy snow and the shear pin snapped, This is twice this has happened. I not had time as I was on a job, now just back home after a tough 16 hours of Sblowering, I'll look at it and see what I can see. But you know I'll be checking your vids for the answer.

Thats an easy job compared to my 6hp Ariens. On mine you need to remove the whole drive assembly to change the disc.

Hi Donyboy73, Thank you very much for sharing ! I really retrieved much info from it and you make it so simple. What type of grease do you recommend for auger grease fitting? Cheers ! Raymond Denis

Yes but you will gain low speed in reverse at the expense of the top gear. You will be shifting the fiction wheel assembly slightly to the left.

no i haven't heard of that

Hey, there, I am a fan of your videos and wondering if you can help me. I undertook the task of completely rebuilding my Ariens snowblower, model 924048( it had been sitting in a garage for about 30 years) from the ground up. I am not so sure how to put it back together as it is my first time working on a snowblower. I have all the diagrams but they don't really tell me where or how to put stuff back together. I am wondering if you have any suggestions or any videos on rebuilding, mostly the reduction drive, and transmission or axel assembly thanks. 

Great Videos dude!!!

@donyboy73 thanks for the reply! took it apart lubed the hex shaft that the chain case slides on so its nice an smooth cleaned disc an plate with brakeclean.by the way all belts an friction disc are new.with engine off clutch engauged wheels dont turn but in reverse doesnt spin in reverse direction but freewheels when i roll wheels fowards is that normal or may be chain case issue?now goes foward in all detents normal.did i mess it up rollin it backwards down my ramps maybe?

hey donyboy. i changed a disc today on a 20 " ariens. i believe its a 1975 model. the disc only has 3 bolts holding in on and smaller than that one you got there. changing it was not too bad, but after i was done something felt different. this model only has one squeeze lever to engage the drive. its on the right side. when i squeeze the hand lever now it travels in much further than it did before. the gear selector seems harder to move also. it did not want to roll in neutral, it was tight. i loosened up the adjuster till it would roll. then i tried it out, and the drive lever is traveling in much further than before i changed the disc. it seemed to be slipping when i tried to resist it. i tightened the adjuster back in some and it was grabbing better. just not sure why it seems different now? the old disc was in very bad shape. it was hard to hold the drive lever in. i had to use a lot of pressure to keep it moving. it started losing power to the wheels so i changed it today. before changing it would start in any gear. now it seems to be locked out " drive lever will not squeeze in when it is neutral " idk what do you think? i am sorry for the long post. please help! i am, and have been a subscriber. your videos are the best! thank you. o and it seems only the left drive wheel is grabbing. when i hold the lever in with it not running, the left wheel is locked but right wheel seems to be free. is this normal? it has 2 new drive belts and they seem tight.

When adjusting the friction disk should it be set to slip a little in case I hit ice and force it to much or is that the sheer pins job on the wheels?

@donyboy73 aye, the weather, is not so bad , here,these times, about + 6 today, rain, a bit warmer,

QUICK QUESTION about friction disc, I have seen the same BUT the disc has 4 small holes surrounding a larger one in the middle, have you seen such and have a part number for such??

Hey Dony I keep playing the Ariens video over and over to see if it could help me with my Ariens blower. I Removed the axled to change the bushing, Putting it back on I notice a spring that was hooked on one end and not the other. Ive looked and looked but i have no idea what its purpose is or where its suppose to be connected to. Ive tried running the blower but it barely moves then comes to a stop. Could you please help me. its a 1972 given to me and id like to keep it going Thanks

not to hard a job. ive done lots. anyone can do it. good video.

That is 100% true

May i add that its sad people overlook the longevity of these old machines compared to the brand new ones.

Good vid, there don,

That thing is an absolute tank... in a good way. Nice little Honda mini-bike (70cc?) in the background... what year?

looks like it, the engine is newer than 77

I have a Ariens snowblower and my brother has the same model when I tried to get shear pins with the part numbers there are two sizes one is correct the other is .020 bigger. They are 1128's. Have you heard of this? We live in different states and have the same problem.

What steps do you take to prevent gas from leaking out of the carb when you tip the snowblower up on it's end.

Ever taken apart an old Bolens snowblower? I can't see what to undo to get the spring-loaded friction-disc assembly out to change it.

Was the date on that old disc 10/1977? Built to last. The blower must've outlasted its original engine because that Tecumseh looks a lot newer than 77.

Hey Don, I have an Ariens model 924050, serial # 073843, the drive plate assembly was frozen, not moving up and down on the shaft, I got that lubricated and working well. Problem is, I can't seem to get the control on handlebar to move it up and down. It seems the clutch fork is not connected, but, I can not see where the clutch fork attachment point is supposed to be, or how that mechanism is supposed to work. I assume removing the axle would give me a better view. Can you shed some light on this for me? I'd appreciate the help! Thanks

more than likely not unless it used to be faster

do you have Anything on the shift fork not pushing the friction plate into the friction wheel, adjusting bolt does not help ?

@gdc241 go to my channel and look up tecumseh carburetor repair and in some of those vids i show a seat. the decompressor id to make it easier to start the saw. it shuts itself when it starts up

@donyboy73, I have a 2006 model Ariens 825 snowblower that needs this same part, however the shaft runs straight across to another bearing. It seems like the whole assembly needs to come apart to replace the friction disc. Do you have any tips on changing these? Also the disc is much smaller than the one on this video. Thanks!

should you drain the oil before tipping it up like that?

you don't make money by buying tools, you make a living by using what you have..

Good video, but would be nice to clean the cover you put back on.

Donny,I have a Craftsman Snowking 11hp. I replaced the hex shaft bearings but the drive chain and lower sprocket look out of alignment. Any idea's?

Hello, the entire shaft that the friction disc is on is "seized" and will not move on my snowblower. It is old, from 1966. Do you have any idea what can be stopping it from turning? I have been getting it to turn, but it is VERY hard. Thank you.

I have an Ariens Snow blower ST824 Model # 924050 wheels will not turn either forward or reverse the friction disk looks fine does it need adjusting or replace. Or is it something else. Thanks for your help.

u should have cleaned all the shit on the inspection plate u know better HAHHAHAH FOR REAL THO

Hi Don i have arien snowblower model #932105 my reverse only works sometimes and the speeds 1-6 is all mixed up do you think this is my friction disk? I also didn't see any videos on that on your channel .

I have an older ariens(5520). I replaced the friction disc, It does not have to nut adjustment to bring friction plate down, machine runs away when not engaged and is hard to shift as rubber is up against plate all the time, I did adjust drive cable no change. any ideas?

You have an old one or new? One set is for the 10,000 series and older.

can u post a video so i can see?

Is there a way to adjust the friction plate?

I own an Ariens 932105 that during use the augers stopped turning. I checked both shear pins which are both intact. Is there a belt I need to replace or at least check. Looking for your advise.......thank you

Don, my 926102 will not go forward or backward. Also the right wheel is locked and will not release. Where do I start???

I have an older ariens 7524. It has two belts driven by two pulleys that are not mounted on the same shaft. I can not find for the life of me A SINGLE picture on the internet of the belt setup. Any help? I have the manual, but it is pretty useless. The idler spring is very weak and not putting any more than .25lb of tension of the pulley and I am trying to figure out if it should be more or maybe I set it up wrong. Thanks

my ariens snow blower won't shift out of N what would cause that. and i getit to start but shuts off after like two or three mins.

hey i have a parts areins sno thro i want to take the friction disc off for my areins st824 and the bolts wont come off the disc what should i do

You should really look to get some air tools, they make life a whole lot easier.

i have a model # 924073 ariens snowblower 10hp 32inch cut the snow comes out the shute but does not go that far and when i look inside the front of the unit all snow is packed on the blades maybe the belt is slipping????how hard is it to change the 2 belts i havent seen any videos. can someone help me thanks

i have an old ariens snowblower i can't get it ti shift gears the shifter is stuck . and it won't stay running

Do you have the worm gear and shaft for the shute control on a Ariens ST724? Scrap yard picked one and its missing a few things..