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

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.