2023 marks AriensCo’s 90th anniversary. To celebrate the milestone, the AriensCo Museum dug into its archives and chose “33 Objects” that reflect the company’s rich history. Often, these artifacts show that it’s not just manufacturing history that AriensCo has played an important role in, but also the forging of America itself.
Four Million in Brillion Ariens hit a major milestone in 2018, producing its 4-millionth Sno-Thro. The achievement came some 58 years after the first unit revolutionized residential snow clearing. The actual 4-millionth unit resides in the AriensCo Museum, and it pays homage to its birthplace of Brillion, Wisconsin, with a special black paint scheme that is overlaid with a topographical map of the city.
Leon’s Adding Machine Like most companies, AriensCo was not immune to the Great Depression. Henry Ariens lost his company, the Brillion Iron Works, during the turmoil. This inspired him and his sons, Mando, Leon and Francis, to launch AriensCo. With memories of tough times still fresh, Leon closely tracked the young company’s finances using this Monroe “computer.”
Allegiance to Ariens Ariens snowmobile fanatics showed their loyalty to the brand with a “Track ‘em down” snake patch woven into their snow gear from the mid-1960s to early ‘70s. The clever design of the patch enabled enthusiasts to stand out amongst alternate snowmobiling clubs. These clubs organized rides, mapped routes and advocated for trail access when snowmobiles were all the rage.