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Recent acquisition: Ariens S16H

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Discussion starter · #162 ·
Found some rust thru on the idler pulley, so I mixed up some JB Weld & spread it along the rusted & pitted areas. Let it cure overnight & sanded it down, then painted the pulley with gloss black POR15. Painted the pulley bracket too. The spindle housings will probably get a coat of POR15 as well.

Got the threads straightened out on one spindle shaft. My buddy is gonna run the shaft on his lathe & straighten out the threads on the other shaft. Gotta sand, sandblast or grind the underside of the Ariens deck & probably coat with POR15.

So close...

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Discussion starter · #164 ·
Both spindle housings cleaned, primed & painted gloss black. Washed, sanded & primed the upper part of the deck where the pulleys & belt go. Sanded again a day later.
Wirebrushed, cleaned, primed & painted the driveshaft adaptor for the snowblower attachment gloss black.
Installed the washer & locknut on the idler pulley.
Plenty more to do before it can mow again.
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Discussion starter · #166 · (Edited)
Painted the underside with gloss black POR15. Waited 24 hours & gave it a 2nd coat. Painted part of the topside where the pulleys & belt go & inside the tunnel where the gearbox mounts to. Had to bend the brush 90 degrees to fit in the confined space under the tunnel. Seems to have worked ok.
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Discussion starter · #169 ·
Installed the mostly new spindle onto the deck using original hardware. Installed one of the new pulleys & installed the new deck belt. Also installed the idler pulley assembly & metal plate under the deck that covers the gearbox pulley. Had to install 2 new bolts with nuts to replace 2 ogled out holes from self tapping screws. Installed 2 blades, 1 on the new spindle & the other on the center/gearbox spindle. Waiting on my buddy to redo the threads on the other spindle shaft so I can reassemble the other outer spindle assembly. Getting closer...

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Discussion starter · #171 ·
Buddy dropped off my other spindle shaft today. He sent pics of the repair process. He bought a grade 8 nut, cut it in half, set it in a vise at the end of the threads & used a pipe wrench to unscrew the shaft from the nut. After that he ran it on the lathe to remove the folded over threads.

So, I installed a new bearing in the housing using anti-seize, cleaned, greased & installed the spacer, shaft & 2nd bearing. New woodruff key was next. Had to file the groove slightly for the key to fit. Installed the assembly onto the deck, then the new pulley. Installed the belt onto the pulley, then the blade, dome washer, lock washer & bolt. Sprayed the entire underside of the deck with fluid film. Used a brush to work it in & spread it around. Previously painted the underside with gloss black POR-15.

Getting closer. Still have to install the height adjuster assembly, attachment brackets & pulley covers & grease the pto shaft. Then I can install the deck on the Ariens, just in time to remove it & install the snowthrower attachment.
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Discussion starter · #175 · (Edited)
After about 20 minutes of searching, I finally found the 3 clamps that secure the height adjuster assembly to the deck. Installed using the appropriate hardware & lubed generously with fluid film. Installed the subframe & quick attachment brackets. Lubed them up real good, too.

I noticed a bunch of rust & friction in the height adjustment rollers. Removed the shaft, washers & rollers. Sanded down the shaft & wirebrushed all washers. Seemed like 2 washers were missing, so I added 2 more. Cleaned the bore of the rollers with a brush & sprayed silicone lube inside. Sprayed acid on the shaft to stop the rust. Painted one side of the washers with black POR-15.

Tomorrow the washers get flipped over & painted. The shaft will get cleaned tomorrow & painted with POR-15 as well.
Once hardened, everything will get lubed up with fluid film, then reassembled. After that, I reattach the pulley covers, grease the driveshaft & install on the tractor.
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Discussion starter · #176 ·
Installed the pulley covers using original hardware. Missing 2 bolts. Worry about that later. Replaced the washers with new, larger washers.

Installed the deck on the tractor. Had to bend a larger hitch pin after a smaller one flew off when testing. Tried to level the deck, but doesn't seem to work. Had to drop the deck after getting it all hooked up so I could gain access to the adjuster. Locked up solid. Pulled the 2 cotter pins & clamped the adjuster in the vise. Ran the nut off with an air impact tool, wirebrushed the threads, oiled it up & reinstalled. Didn't seem to change much. Anyhoo, I ran a small zip tie on the end of the hitch pin to keep it from flying off.

Ran it around the yard a little bit. The grass was already short from mowing a couple days ago. Seemed to cut pretty well. It had better considering the money I spent on this project. $88 for the new spindle housing, $20 for 2 new pulleys, $28 for 4 bearings, $9 for a new belt. About $137 total, not including paint.

So far my free Ariens has cost me $316.48. Considering what these cost new, I'd say I came out ahead. Next I have to paint the front wheels, pull the rear wheel weights & paint the rear wheels, paint the drawbar which had the paint scraped off from pulling a dump trailer, a little fiberglass work & a paint job. Still gotta sand down & paint the snowblower, too.


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Discussion starter · #178 ·
Removed the mower deck, cleaned the small amout of grass & dirt that was on it & stowed it inside the shed for the winter.

Installed the snowblower on the front. Drove it out to the driveway & covered with a tarp. Gotta find the hitch pin for the pto shaft & install it. I think I dropped it in the area where the Ariens was parked. The shaft won't come off, it doesn't have enough room. The snowblower has to be moved forward about 6" before the driveshaft will clear the pto. The pin belongs there, so it will be installed as soon as I find it, along with a zip tie to keep it from launching into space when I use the snowblower.

Next step, tire chains...

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Discussion starter · #180 ·
Ran the Ariens in the snow for the 1st time this winter on January 26th. Cleared my driveway, the area by the mailbox & 3 neighbors' driveways without a hitch. 2 of the 3 neighbors have thanked me. One didn't for some reason. Probably ought to raise the skids a little. Pretty sure this thing was set up for a gravel driveway.
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TecumsehBriggs
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