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Finding
and decoding serial numbers.
Three
different Model/Serial number tags
exist on the 10,000 series machines.
plus
a fourth set of numbers stamped into
the frame.
1.
The "tractor body" tag, containing the
model and serial number of the
tractor
body,
and this will also be the model number
of the sno-thro as a complete
unit, if it was originally sold as a
complete sno-thro. (as opposed to
being sold as just the seperate
tractor unit)
located
at the left-rear of the machine,
behind the left wheel.
On
my 1971, the Tractor Body tag says:
Model
No. 910692
Serial
No. 0 (serial numbner zero, no other
numbers after the zero)
What
is up with "serial number zero?"
at
first I didnt know..but I figured it
out! (well..sort-of)
I
wrote to Ariens, and they quickly
replied with an answer..
there
is also a model and
serial
number stamped into the machine:
2.
Stamped into the metal of the tractor
body, near the tractor tag, are a
model and serial number. You can see
the numbers stamped into the frame
in the photo above.
This
contains the model and serial number
of my machine as a whole, which in
my case is:
Model
No. 910692
Serial
No. 038860
Ariens
did confirm that the number stamped
into the frame, model and serial
number,
is
the model and serial number that
should be used for the machine as a
whole
unit.
not
the model and serial number on the
sno-thro housing..that is the
"attachment
number" only.
So
why isnt the serial number stamped
into the frame
also on the tag? why exactly
does the tractor tag say "serial
number
zero? I dont know..and Ariens didnt
really have an answer either..one
logical
reason might be that perhaps Ariens,
as part of the sno-thro production
procedure, had a bunch of tractor
bodies in line, waiting to be
assembled
into Sno-thro's, and they all wore the
tractor tag with the model
number,
910962, but with serial number zero on
that tag, because the final
serial
number wouldnt be known until the
complete sno-thro unit was
finished..then,
when its all assembled into a complete
sno-thro, the unit recieved its
final model and serial number, which
is the number stamped into the
frame..
makes
sense! but thats just a guess!
3.
The Tecumseh engine tag, this tag
relates to the model and serial
number
of the engine only. located on the
left rear corner of the engine. Here
is my tag:
My
Tecumseh engine number is H70-130067A,
Serial No. 1270D
The
serial number on Tecumseh engines (not
the model number)
can be used to identify
the year of manufacture. The first
digit in the serial number indicates
the year, and the last 3 digits are
the day of the year..so my engine
serial number, 1270D, indicates the
270th day of 1971. you have to
guess the decade! technically 1270
could mean, 1961, 1971, or 1981..
but its usually easy to figure out the
decade, just based on the type
of machine the engine is attached to,
and the type of engine itself. So
my engine is clearly from 1971, which
matches the 1971 Ariens model
number.
If
the year of the engine matches the
year of your sno-thro, you can be
reasonably
assured that the engine is original.
But considering the age and long
service
life of these machines,
its
not unusual to find a replaced
engine.. if your engine year does not
match
the year of the sno-thro, then you
probably have a replacement engine.
Tecumseh model numbers matching Ariens
model numbers can be found on
many
of the manuals linked above.
4.
The Sno-Thro attachment number.
This
is located on the Sno-Thro body, on
the right side just behind the
bucket.
My
attachment numbers are:
Model
No. 910995
Serial
No. 061162
Those
numbers apply to the attachment only,
not the machine as a whole.
The
"tractor bodies" could be used with
several different attachments on
the
front, not just the sno-thro
attachment..some tractor bodies became
mowers,
lawn vacuums, tillers, etc.
you
could also buy the one tractor body
and swap attachments..use the one
tractor
as a sno-thro in the winter, and a
lawn mower in the summer.. in that
case,
might the tractor body tag contain
both the model and serial number?
rather
than "serial number zero"?
if
the tractor was sold as it's own
individual unit? perhaps..
So!
armed with your numbers, check out the
manuals to decode the year your
machine was built.
At
first I had some difficulity
determining the exact year of my
machine.
based on the various numbers, it could
have been 1970, 1971 or 1972!
Page
47 of the 10,000 series manual says
tractor body number 910962 was used
in 1970, 1971 and 1972.
On
page 2 of the same manual, it says my
tractor body model number,
910962,
and Sno-Thro attachment number,
910995, matches 1971-1972. (so that
eliminates
1970 anyway.)
So
that narrows it down to 1971 or 1972,
based on the Tractor body and
Sno-Thro
numbers.
So
which year is it then?
based
on the 1971 and 1972 manuals, I am
concluding my machine is a
1971..because
my
machine's
numbers
show up on the 1971 manual, but model
number 910962 is not
listed in the 1972 manual.
I could
be wrong though! but for now, all
evidence points to 1971 as the most
likely.
Continue to Page
4 - First
Series of
Ariens Sno-Thros, 1960 - 1964 
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