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

The machine I had been using is a 37 year old 7 hp Ariens. It's been burning oil for a while and has lost a lot of compression, and is overall, pretty tired. Sad to see it go. It earned a Medal of Honor in the Blizzard of '78.

Thinking of getting the 9526DLE professional. My EOD is on a blind corner and I think the turning is going to be important because I don't feel like hanging out on a slippery road with a hard to maneuver machine. My driveway is about 65 x 25 feet, with a 4' high stone wall on one side. Also have a long sidewalk. Live just west of Boston, and we can sometimes get lots of snow. Can I justify that machine given those stats? I found a place selling it for $1,599.00 which looks like 100 less than MSRP. The only thing else I could want would be a drink holder; I mean, HEATED HANDLES!

What does plowing cost these days anyway? I think I need to justify the extra $600 bucks or so. I'm pretty sure I'm getting it, but what do you think?

Thanks!

Arthur

i have last year's 926DLE.  after i forked out the big bucks i started thinking - gee, my driveway is only 12' wide by 30' long, and i only have a single car garage  - maybe it's overkill, or too big, and who needs a light or cast iron gearbox or heated handgrips, etc.  then i used it.  it's incredible.  with the differential it spins on a dime, and it's so perfectly balanced that your grandma could tilt it when needed.  the heated grips are worth their weight in gold.  it powered through everything i could throw at it (which wasn't much unfortunately), and i did it all in street shoes.  and it's built to last forever.  when you consider the annual cost over 25 or 30 years, heck, it's cheap.

it's a little more $, but you won't regret it.

Ok, I'm feeling better. Thanks for the replies.

If it makes you feel better, I just bought an Ariens 9526DLE after looking seriously at the Sears 88790 which had a high Consumer Reports rating and which was just on sale a couple weeks ago for $850.  Bought it sight unseen from a local dealer that I found on the Ariens site.  They assembled and delivered it for free.  I have not started it yet, but I know that the Briggs OHV Intek engine is supposed to be a lot quieter.  The muffler on it is huge.  I also like the narrower width of 26", because when you add the width of the skids, you're over 28", and I was barely able to get it through the side garage door.  Also have some narrow sidewalks and other smaller areas.  I guess the biggest selling points for me were that no one ever says anything bad about Ariens, it comes with a 3 year warranty, and I plan to keep it a long time.  The Sears is made by MTD Manufacturing, and if you look at their web site, they also make Cub Cadet, Yard-Man, Troy-Bilt and Yard Machines.  I had an MTD mower once and wound up getting another one after a couple of years because it was just cheaply made.  One person in Abby's guide said they had a Craftsman snow blower for 2 years and it broke.  For me, it's worth the extra money not to have to worry about anything going wrong when I crash into those big piles of snow and ice that the snow plow invariably leaves me at the end of my driveway.  This puts a lot of strain on the machine and I just want it to work year in and year out.  I also want to get the job done fast.  The model that I bought also has the power steering so it will be easy to use.  To me the extra money will be worth the peace of mind and the ease of use.  Since I cannot lift this blower onto my porch any longer like the old one-stage I had, I also got a little electric Toro from Northwest Power Tool for $109 (free shipping).  Just enough to do the porch, steps and the deck, so I feel I'm all set.  Hope this helps.