Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Bought an Ariens 8526 and am now accepting that I made a bad decision.  Although it does a fantastic job blowing snow, it's just to hard for me to maneuver. That model has the pin wheel drive, not  the traditional differential.  It replaced a real old 7HP with a real differential that was always easy to turn.  Need to sell the 8526 and replace it with one that's easy to handle.  (want a good deal on an 8526?)

I have an area about 25X40 to clear, along with a 30 foot driveway with a slight incline, and 80 feet of sidewalk.

What would you recommend?  Need something absolutly reliable, that won't break the piggybank and is easy to work with.

Many snowblowers have locked axles - both wheels turn together at all times. This system is simple, reliable, easy to work on, cheap to manufacture, but makes them more difficult to turn.

Newer Ariens have a pin to unlock one wheel so it can turn freely. This allows you to spin the unit in place. But only one wheel drives while it is unlocked. 

Other older Ariens and the newer Pro models have an automotive style differential. This allows both wheels to be driven, but at different speeds so it is easier to turn.

Various other manufacturers have approached the problem in similar ways. Some models now allow selective unlocking of one wheel or the other to make the unit easier to turn in that direction.

Like they say in racing, "Speed costs money: how fast would you like to go?" I've used all three and they all beat the heck out of shovelling!