2-Stage recommended engine oil:
All Ariens snow blowers use a 4-cycle engine. Ariens recommends the use of an automotive SAE 5W-30 Motor Oil in both their Ariens and Sno-Tek snow engines. Refer to the above link for a basic engine oil capacity guide.
Older 2-stage snow blower engines, such as Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh, LCT and Subaru, also recommend the same oil viscosity of SAE 5W-30 for winter use.
1-Stage recommended engine oil:
Newer Ariens single stage snow throwers are now built with 4-cycle engines. The same as the 2-stage snow blowers. Use a SAE 5W-30 automotive oil for models: 938022, 938024, 938025 & 938030 thru 938034.
Older Ariens single stage snow throwers have 2-cycle engines that require mixing 2-cycle oil and gas. The model numbers of these machines are 938001-938019, 938117, 938300-938307, and 938400. Ariens recommends using a high quality, 2-cycle oil mixed with fuel at a ratio of 50:1 (2.6-oz oil per 1 gallon of gasoline.)
Auger Gear Case Lubricant
Ariens has used several lubricants in auger gear cases including grease and gear oil over the years. For the most accurate information please consult your owner's manual. For some basic guidelines, view the information below.
Note that 'L2' gear lube has been phased out in favor of the new L3 synthetic gear lube. L2 and L3 can be mixed.
- Sno-Thro and Sno-Tek models built after 1990 will use Ariens L3 Lube
- Older models (1960-1990's) using Grease opposed to the new gear oil will use Ariens Liquid Grease.
- Professional Power Brushes use Mobil Polyglycol 460 for the gear case (Gravely #04966600).
Engine Manuals
Briggs and Stratton Engine Manuals