A few weeks ago I went hunting on Craigslist for a decent two-stage snow thrower (they're technically snow throwers rather than snow blowers because they first collect the snow by means of slower-turning augers than feed into the collection pipe and that then gets thrown out the chute by means of a high speed impeller). Anyhow, I stumbled upon this gem of an ad that was already a month old and though i knew the unit had likely been sold already, added "Yes- I'm interested if you still have" to the heading in my reply and it turns out the guy had a hundred emails, but had to go away on business right after he placed the ad and mine was the first one (and most current response) that caught his eye.
Here's the body of his ad (might belong in the best of Craigslist -- lol) Needless to say, his wife was not amused:
"Allow me to introduce you to "The Beast." I bought this item used about four years ago, and it continues to be a total stalwart workhorse for me. Starts up on first or second pull, and seriously throws snow like it's angry about something. Oh, I'm not gonna lie about it. It's one of the ugliest monstrosities you'll ever see. It's old, shows the wear, and as of this past off-season, requires its left tire to be patched or replaced. In a lot of ways, it's like my mother in-law. She's the ugliest bitch you'll ever meet, and simply will not DIE. It also is like my mother-in-law in that it leaks a bit too. The carburetor has had a tiny leak since the day I bought it. But the reality is - they just don't make them like this thing anymore. It's SOLID and you can tell just from feeling it that it's built the way these machines are supposed to be built.
The $80 is firm, and requires you to come out my way to pick her up. She's big and heavy, so have a pickup and a ramp if you plan on taking her. If you're handy, I'm betting you can get this thing back to peak performance for just a few bucks. As it is now, it runs well (with the tire issue noted).
Hope to hear from you!"Now even though this is a 30 year-old machine, they are indeed workhorses and routinely sell for $300-500
Eric helped me pick her up with his truck (Thanks, Eric!!) that night (It was Voting day) and she started on the second pull. Tire was off the rim and he'd said the electric start didn't work. Well, I'd had my bad Craigslist purchase in an old Montgomery Wards snow thrower last year and knew what to look out for! As soon as I got the unit home I went to see if the tire just needed reseating (there were a few cups of water in the tire) -- and I was able to successfully reseat it. Also, the Sno Thro had the optional electric starter option, which supposedly didn't work -- wanna bet?
I'll start with a few pics of the next morning (which coincidentally was trash pickup day -- and the Ward's unit went out to the curb that morning). With those miniscule small hard plastic wheels I wouldn't feel comfortable selling it to someone.
Ariens ST824 (8 hp Tecumseh motor with 12" collector and 24" Bucket / 5 forward speeds plus reverse) with lockable transaxle vs Ward's (5hp Briggs & Stratton with 8" Collector and 24" Bucket / 1 forward speed and reverse) Look at those tiny plastic wheels on the Ward's unit!
Ugly, but not too bad
So I proceeded to disassemble the tractor from the bucket and all related components including bearings and auger assembly. Time to remove all the rusty bits down to the bare metal:
Painting and sanding operations (over the course of 2 weeks -- outside when weather permitted -- otherwise inside). Multiple coats of primer:
The essential pieces: Tractor at top with handlebars resting on automotive ramps, Bucket in the middle and auger/assembly at bottom.
Auger and Bucket assembled:
Finished Machine:
Love it when a project comes together.
Oh, also treated her with a fresh oil change of Royal Purple in the engine and synthetic gear lube for the Auger differential/worm gear and greased all parts, adjusted the reduction gear chains, etc.
