Ariens Lawn Tractor 46
The Ariens Lawn Tractor 46 ride on lawn mower is powered by a 2 cylinder Briggs and Stratton engine that has a displacement of 0.656 liters and a power output of 22 hp. Power from the engine is then transferred to the wheels using a hydrostatic transmission. This hydrostatic transmission gives the Ariens 46″ tractor lawnmower infinite speeds traveling forwards and backwards. Hydrostatic transmissions are increasingly commonly found on most of the newer ride on lawnmowers. The main reason for this is it just makes operating it far easier. The top speed of the Ariens 46 inch lawnmower is 8.8 kph (5.5 mph) going forwards and 4 kph (2.5 mph) when it’s in reverse.
If you are looking for a similar but slightly smaller model to the Ariens 46 lawn tractor mower, then take a look at the Ariens Lawn Tractor 42 ride on lawnmower. However it it’s something bigger that you are after, then the Ariens Lawn Tractor 54 might interest you. The mower deck on the Ariens 46 inch tractor lawnmower has a cutting width of 46 inches. This mower deck can be raised to as high as 4 inches above the ground it’s cutting and as low as 1.5 inches above the ground. This allows the operator to always be able to find a suitable height at which to cut the grass. The grass clippings are discharged out through the side of the mower deck. There is a rubber discharge flap to held guide the clippings and prevent them from flying up and potentially hitting someone close by.
The mower deck on the Ariens 46 inch sit on lawn mower is made from 12 gauge steel for strength. The fuel tank on this model can hold up to 9.5 liters (2.5 US gallons) of gasoline. The total weight of this 46 inch lawnmower from Ariens comes to 223.6 kg (493 lbs).
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Satisfied but would be happier with another brand.
Should have kept the 20 year old Husky I was using since it turned out to be a lot more relaible.
Will not buy another one of their products again.
Still like the hydrostatic transmission.
Engine died a little after I owned it 2 years. Reguired a new camshaft.
Mechanic indicated there was a manufacturing defect, but Briggs would not recognize this.
Bracket that raises and lowers the deck broke off this week and will have to be welded.
Just bought this from HD for under $1200 delivered! I shopped around and looked at everything from Craftsman, MTD, JD, Husq–you name it–ANYTHING under $2000. I bought one Ariens tractor before: a 2009 with the 20hp Kohler Courage engine and 46″ cut, but sold it after two seasons due to relocating into a condo where the exterior was taken care of. The tractor performed flawlessly for those two seasons (approximately 50 hours total) and I also was able to take advantage of a “Free Blades For Life” promotion that Home Depot and Ariens had concoted back then, which fortunately with this replacement model utilizing the same blade size, will be able to be carried on for a few years.
This new one is only different by the B&S engine and with all of the negative comments online that I’ve read concerning Kohler lightweight engines (such as the Courage), I felt it was the right decision go to with the B&S version. Time will tell.
Anyway, best lawn tractor for the money anywhere!
**Smooth and relatively quiet B&S engine–lots of power
**Adjustable seat and lots of leg room
**Hydro trans works seamlessly and with no jerkiness
**Balanced cutting height
**Easy to manuever
Seat height
In short, although this is a dependable and rugged mower, I would not buy another one like it, so I do not recommend buying one.
Pros explained:
· The mower faithfully starts and runs smoothly. Although I have to crank the engine for about five or six seconds before suddenly starting, I never had an issue starting it. When the engine is hot, it starts up again within a split second. During two mowing seasons, it hasn’t broken down once.
· It appears to be durably built. Heavy guage steel is used throughout, and it has a solid feel.
· The steering was a breeze. When I first got it, it felt like power steering, but over time it got a bit harder. Probably it needs to get a lube job, which I haven’t done yet. But, even now it steers much easier than my old John Deere.
· The turn ratio is very good. However, you need to be careful not to allow the left deck wheel to run into a tree, or whatever you are trimming around.
· The seat is comfortable, provided you are not moving over bumps.
· It has a fender-mounted speed control rather than a foot pedal.
Cons explained:
· Although the seat has a spring to help cushion shocks, it is far too strong and doesn’t offer much protection from shocks. Because I have chronic back problems, and our lawn has some bumpy areas, I occasionally have to slow down to about 1/3 the normal forward speed to reduce the shocks. This mower replaced our 46” John Deere mower, which had no problem at all cushioning these bumps.
· The transmission does not respond smoothly enough when going from standstill to forward. It seems to go smoothly from standstill to reverse, though. It is hard to prevent the mower from leaping forward. Part of the reason is that you have to pull the lever to the left a little and then forward, but if you pull it too far, you cannot push it forward. (To go into reverse, you must pull it toward you all the way and then back, which is much easier.) The other reason is that the lever is a bit stiff, so you have to put a bit of pressure to get it moving forward. But, once it is free it moves forward it is hard to keep it from moving too much, too quickly. However, this stiffness in the lever has a bright side: It stays put once you find the speed you want. (My John Deere moved so easily that it always slowed down unless I kept my left hand on the lever.)
· They say the mower deck allows cutting depths from 1-1/2 to 4 inches. However, the three deck wheels can only be adjust to about 2-1/2 inches. Raising the deck more than that will result in the wheels being too far from the ground, resulting in uneven cutting. You need two wrenches to adjust the wheels, so it is a pain to change heights. Also, there are only three wheels instead of four. Even when I have the mower set on #6 position (the highest setting), there are a number of places in our lawn where is consistently scalps the grass, leaving a dirt area. This is especially where we have hills. The mower deck just doesn’t follow the curves, probably because of the missing fourth wheel.
· The mower deck by the grass shut, for some reason, has a large opening on the top, exposing the blades. Although the rubber shut protector normally covers it, occasionally it lifts up when I mow close to trees. When that happens, I get a blast of chopped grass in my face. Having that opening is also a considerable hazard because if you put your hand down into it, you might be missing a few fingers. To get around this problem, I purchased the optional mulching kit, and the attachment covers the top part of the shut as well as the grass discharge opening. (By the way, it mulches the grass very well, even when the grass is wet.)
· The rubber grass shut to excessively long. You cannot get closer than about a foot from an obstruction (like a tree or bush) on the right side of the mower without hitting the shut. Although the shut is hinged and flexible, it doesn’t move out of the way very easily. Plus, if you manage to get past the obstruction, the shut falls back into position. But, once that happens you cannot back up past the obstruction because the shut only flexes or rises when going forward. This is annoying when you have to back up from a tight space. When this happens, there is no easy way to manually raise the shut. I got around the problem by adding a rope to the shut, route it through a bracket near the light switch, and add a pull handle to that end. This works satisfactorily. However, once I purchased the mulching attachment, the rubber shut was no longer necessary, so I permanently tied it place with the rope so that it stayed in the fully upright position, out of the way. (Unfortunately, you can’t easily remove the rubber shut, plus it needs to be in place to attach the mulching cover.) (By the way, it is fairly easy to attach or remove this mulching cover, and I highly recommend getting one.)
· Another major problem is that the traction is poor. I constantly get stuck, mainly on the hilly areas. One of the back wheels spins freely. Sometimes backing up and trying again works, but other times I need to lean way over toward the spinning side to force the wheel back to the ground. My John Deere lawn tractor never had this problem. Perhaps this is a suspension design issue.
· A minor nuisance is the key positions. I guess I should be thankful that the design allows for backing up without having stopping the blades. To start the engine, you turn the key all the way clockwise, as you would expect. But, upon releasing it, it goes into the safety mode, where the engine turns off every time you try to back up. To get around this, they added another on position by turning the key one notch counterclockwise. Perhaps it is because I’m getting old, but even after my second mowing season, I usually forget to turn it to that position, so it isn’t very long before the engine turns off the first time I try to back up. This key switch configuration may be a safety requirement, and this may be normal design. The owner’s manual says you should normally keep the key in the safety position (where the engine turns off if you back up while the blades are engaged), and only temporarily switch it to the bypass position when you need to back up. Then turn it back to the safety position. This is ridiculous, as I probably have to back up over a hundred times per mowing.
· The two blades seem to be a bit too far apart. Tall grass or weeds often do not get cut along the center path of the mower. I suppose this could be a problem with any multiple blade mower, but it seems to do this more often than I would expect.
· Because the engine is a 22 horsepower, two-cylinder design, it is a gas-guzzler. I think the mower is over powered. Even in thick grass, it hardly slows down or strains. I thought my 16 HP John Deere was more powerful than need be, so 22 HP is really an overkill. With the gas prices the way they are, it costs me about $9.00 worth of gas each time I mow, which adds up during the mowing season.
· The headlight lens is poorly designed, and doesn’t throw a uniform, wide beam onto the lawn. Unlike the Cub Cadet mower I had about 20-years ago, I find it difficult to mow in the dark (which I occasionally want to do to take advantage of the cooler evenings). It is hard to see the path from the previous run, so after attempting a dusk mowing, I had to give it up. (The lights worked fine to see my way while putting the tractor back into the barn, but not for cutting the lawn.)
· I never use the brake pedal. Doing so automatically disengages the transmission, but it does it rather violently, and you stop with a jolt. I use the transmission speed lever to do my stopping, which works fine even on hills. Just ease it toward the neutral position, and you get a smooth stop. I find that I generally keep my right hand on this lever so that I can stop or change speeds quickly. The mower steers easily enough that, except for tight turns, I can easily control the mower easily with just my left hand on the steering wheel.
· Dependable
· Durable and rugged
· Easy to steer
· It has more than enough power.
· The turn ratio is very good.
· The seat is comfortable (but lacks shock absorption).
· It has a fender mounted speed regulator.
· Rough riding
· Jerky transmission
· Poor deck wheel design
· Hazardous grass shut
· Poor traction – gets stuck a lot.
· Annoying key “ON” position.
· Blades often miss cutting the grass that passes between the two blades.
· It is a gas-guzzler.
· The headlights are poorly designed and almost worthless.
· The brake is not worth using.
I rounded the corner of the plastic piece that guides the speed control lever so that it slips into forward more easily.
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