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

Hi all,

      I had an old (from the 70's) Ariens snowblower that got lots of use! It truely was a great machine...very rugged! When the connecting rod decided it wanted to see the sun, I replaced the whole machine with a leftover Ariens 8526LE. This new machine has the pin that goes through the axel so you decide if you need/want 1 or 2 wheel drive. Now on my old machine, it work in a similar manner but we (my dad first) always kept it in 2 wheel drive. Turning it was never looked apon as a chore except when doing the sidewalk and you have gone to the end of the "nice neighbors" house and wanted to turn around! This ment you were going to have to step into the snow or make a turn around. When I blow out the driveway, I never did the 180 at the end...I would always blow in the same direction. Now with all the newer bigger machines, a differential or some type of turning aid has been employed. I just don't get it....unless you have a curvey driveway???, it would seem to add more parts to break. I just don't find turning a quality (heavy) blower that big of a deal...

Am I alone?

If not, what kind of terrain are you blowing?

cleanmaxx_brian wrote:
This is why I started a "Show Room versus Throw Room" thread.

Light weight in showroom = good / in RW = bad. I used my Ariens ST824 for 5 feet and locked the wheel for anything but putting it in the basement.  The new trigger style on all these machines are nice features but lets see if they work after five seasons. The old machines are just a whole lot simpler than the new ones. The new OHV engines are a big improvement, though.

Garandman,

I figure my Toro with all the plastic is maybe 30 lbs lighter (that's a guess) than a comparable Ariens...and for that I'm thankful. As far as weight is concerned, more might be too much for me. I handle it ok but larger or heavier would not do for me. For a person capable of handling more, maybe larger-heavier is better...I don't know. But I would hesitate to offer blanket statements that a heavier machine is better. Better to recommend that the buyer study each machine and learn as much as possible. I realize it's not possible to test each one in the real world. This is yet another instance where a reputable dealer will make a knowledgeable recommendation to the buyer that probably can't be easily obtained from the big box store. I believe this is how I ended up with a Toro well suited to me as opposed to something else not as well suited to my abilities.

AZ

So I will be picking it up most likely in box later this morning(its 12:47). I plan on picking up a bottle of silicon spray, some more WD-40, some synth oil, maybe at the car shop on the way home, and I guess some shear pins(which home depot carries?) I have wax.

Anything else?

AZinOH wrote:
That's fair commentary. For one thing, weight distribution is at least as important as total weight. 

Boston officially got 8.6" of snow, but then it rained a while and by the time I got home it was 5" of mashed potoatos . I was wishing I had one of those weight kits as that is tough going. If you are in an area where you get light, fluffy snow, that's much less of an issue. Last winter we got one storm of 25" - plus drifts - but it was light and you could just blast through anything but what the plows compressed.

my 926 LE has no trouble when turning during the blowing, however turning on 0 degrees is difficult. I mastered my own sharp turn technique, but that is still not 0 degrees. Basically, I stop, shift into 6th, start and turn, it turns really quicly and easily. Partly because the wheels skid for a few seconds loosing traction.