Ariens 1128 snowblower

by john
(connecticut)

I hope the new cast iron case auger gears are stonger than what I have used. I have been through 2 sets, with each set only lasting about 2 years of regular use. (with about 3 jams per year)

My old honda 5 hp I had for 8 years with the same set of gears with much more frequent jams (we went from a pebble stone driveway to a pave drive way)(It was too underpowered)

It is also not an easy task to replace the gears. As an amature it took me 6 hours. Mostly because it took a bit of nerve to break some welds. fortunatly I had long enough rods to push out pins.

I love the heated handles, saves putting wet soggy gloves on the exhaust to warm up.