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

My local dealer just dropped off my new snow thrower. I decided to go with a Toro 828 LXE. I was going to buy the 926 DLE, the dealer had both side by side on the floor. I know the Ariens is built a little better but my wife & I both liked Toro's joystick & freewheel steering. I was a little dissapointed in the fact that the Ariens chutes were tough to move & would bind even when adjusted perfectly. I tried 7 units & found they all were more difficult to move vs. the Toro.  The Toro is a nice unit, the plastic concerns me a little but I think it will be fine over the long haul. In the end it was all about getting the machine that was easiest to use in case she needs to use it when I am away on business. Thanks for all the help in the decision process. Now all I have to do is wait for snow to make sure I bought the right machine for the job!

I also picked up a 10hp Billy Goat blower, I borrowed my neighbors last week & fell in love. This new house is costing me a fortune in OPE. My wife asked me if this was FINALLY enough power equipment, of course it is hun, of course

I like the plastic alot as per rusting and snow sticking issues. Not any complaints to my knowledge on the net about the plastic failing. In 5 years we will know, but plastic seems like a good choice. I am partial to Toro's for that reason.

I just picked up an Ariens 926DLE and find it hard to believe anything could be easier to move.   The differential makes turning so easy I tried to pull the unit backwards to verify that the wheels were actually being driven.  The chute rotates in the blink of an eye and takes very little effort.  The joystick on the Toro is more convenient though because of it dual functionality and placement on the right hand side of the machine.  With the Ariens I have to either release the wheel drive or reach across the machine with my right hand.  Were all these machines at the same dealer?

Hate to back track on my decisions, but now looking at Ariens. The more I read about them the more  I like them. Home depot in my area has them on sale. Toro and Ariens at thew moment are my top picks. (Honda too expensive)

Powered or not, I somehow find the Toro 1028 LXE much easier to  turn simply because it's about 40lbs lighter that the Ariens 926DLE. I wish it had a B&S OHV engine 'though.

There are quite a few reviews here by people who've used these machines to blow snow.

Last season I used my snowblower in nine snow events, ranging from 30 minutes to three hours per session and perhaps 15 hours total.

Time I would have saved last season with a faster chute control: about 100 seconds

Time I would have saved with a unit easier to turn [than my old locked axle machine] about 500 seconds

Time I would have saved by being able to throw snow farther, in higher gear: hours.

sabesh wrote: Are you sure your talking about the 2006 926DLE (Pro model)?  Your not picking it up to turn are you?

plugger: No, I was referring to the Toro which I find easier to turn.

Garandman: Wow, I'm not even sure why snowblowers these days have chute controls & turning mechanisms. Time it took for me to adjust the chute on certain snowblower: 100 seconds. Time taken to turn it: 500 seconds :)

Cheers, Sabesh

Plugger, yes both machines were on the showroom floor next to each other at the same dealer. Without a doubt I feel the Ariens is a better built machine, I would feel better as far as the long haul is concerned with the Ariens. The reality though is how long term are we talking? If I get 10-15 years out of the Toro vs. 15-20 out of the Ariens will it really matter? My concern would be if the Toro falls apart in 5 years (which I doubt) then I would be upset for NOT buying the Ariens. Also, the Ariens chute control was more difficult to use than the Toro, I really feel Ariens could easily have a better system without too much trouble.  For me it came down to my wife being more comfortable using the Toro over the Ariens. If I am gone & she needs to blow snow the last thing I want is her frustrated with a piece of equipment.

sabesh wrote:
And your comparing it to the Ariens 926 Pro?

Plugger: No, I was comparing it to the Toro 1028 LXE.  See, one thing I noticed about traction drive/differential equipped machines is that they have a "whiplash" effect during powered turns. So, I specifically looked for trigger release wheel disengagement systems. The combination of the Toro's lighter weight and the trigger release steering made it easier to turn (for me at least). Also note that some Ariens owners are stating that they have to "shake" their machines to get the traction system to engage (Pro models).

Here's my advise if you must get an Ariens blower: Make sure that the dealer assembles it perfectly before shipping --> Eliminate the need to shake the machine to engage the tracktion system; Make sure the chute controls work the way they are supposed to. Cheers, Sabesh.

I understood your original post to say you were comparing the Ariens 926 Pro to the Toro 1026LXE and you found the Toro to be easier to turn thant the Ariens.  Is that correct?  If it is then my original statement stands.  I find that hard to believe.  As I understand it the Ariens doesn't have any need of a lockout or lockin mechanism to facilitate turning. It simply redistributes the power similar to what a car's differential does.   The differential lockout mechanism is actually intended for when you need to lock both wheels going in a straight line.  As you said the response of the machine is not instaneous.  It takes a second or two and wiggling the machine seems to help.  I don't have any real working experience to say whether or not it's going to be a problem but at this point I'm not concerned about it.   I've been playing with the machine for a day now and it hasn't yet failed to lock or unlock the differential.

Plugger: I'm glad that your Ariens works well. I found them hard to steer at two dealerships. Everyone's got their preferences, and the Toro is mine ;)

Cheers, Sabesh.

A consideration my dealer told me to look into when turning is while at the dealer testing it out of course the Ariens will be harder to turn than the Toros, its dry pavement your not getting the true feeling of what they would be like with snow on the ground.  Even when clean down to the pavement usually it leaves some sort of residue which helps turn the machine.

fishwater wrote:
Amen! A lot of folks are basing their decisions on the color of the paint, texture of the plastic  or other showroom considerations.

When that d-d city plow truck cmes by and throws up two foot high berm of old, heavy, salt and sand saturated snow,  your mileage may vary. The #1 purchase criterion on this forum lately seems to be how easy it is to turn the chute on the showroom floor!

Sabesh, don't get me wrong.  I think the Toro is an excellent machine.  I hope to be able to buy a new machine in a few years and plan to try Toro next time.  I just don't want people to think the 926 Pro is hard to handle or in some way flawed because it isn't.

Fishwater, gratulations on getting the machine you wanted.  The 828 LXE is a great machine.  I'm sure it will serve you well.