[LiveLoveLawn]

So, here we are, a couple of new homeowners on a handful of acres and on the hunt for "the one." Hubby has watched all the videos, read all the reviews, and we're narrowing down our options. We set out for Lowes to see these big ole' shiny investments in person. Something I noticed:

What part of the machine is this?
Is the rust due to the store never covering them? Even so, should they not wear better than this? This was not just on one - but all of the Ariens. We plan to garage keep the one we settle on, but this was a big deterrent. We left the store with more homework to do!

 

[DusterP94]

Those are the mufflers, and I would consider that normal. It is only slight surface rust from sitting outside.

The mufflers and the pipes leading to and from them are usually made of steel that has been somewhat "rust proofed" by galvanizing or some other coating. This coating is applied before they are welded together. The intense heat from welding (far higher than a running engine) destroys the coating at the point of the weld. That is why you see rust on the welded spots, but not on the crimped seems of the two halves of the muffler. That muffler will still last a very long time. If you are storing your machine inside, then it will likely last for the life of the machine.