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

Hi,

I went to an  Ariens dealer today and looked at the 924DLE model.

Price is 1400 this includes set up and delivery and also  when still under warranty pick up and delivery.

Looking at some of the threads I see where people were paying 1400 for the 926DLE.

The 924DLE has the automatic lockout differential, electric start, but no head light. I like the 24 inch auger but don't like that it costs the same as a 926DLE.

I don't see anything on the Ariens web site about this Model.

Does anybody know about this model?

                                                                      Thanks,

                                                                                          Jim

Newly registered, but have used info here for many years. Call me a first time caller, long time listener. :-)

Did some shopping today and came back confused, mostly due to what seems to be a mish-mash
of Ariens on the sales floor spanning varying model years, along with labels like "Classic".

My situation - So. NH, 110ft, mildly steep drive, 1/3 of which requires throwing in one direction only,
and pretty far as compared to the rest of the drive. Curved 40ft walkway to front door.  Prefer to also
clear a path to the birdfeeders, to the walkout basement, and to the far end of the back yard if we
want the dogs to go there vs. closer. to the house. 

Managed to get by with an older Ariens 824 for ages, but after borrowing one neighbor's new Ariens,
then another's Simplicity, I'm convinced that 'they don't make them like they used it" doesn't always
apply, thus I'm shopping. (Which I probably should have done last April, but here I am.)

So if I can convince my wife to go into the 1300-1500 range, what is the better choice, the 924DLE,
or the 926DLE? I assume the 926 is last year's, and the 924 is this year's model. What I can tell
so far is that the 924 has some features from the current year, but has an aluminum gear box, whereas
the 926 is, well, last year's model, but does have  the differential, and a cast iron box. Seems at least
one local dealer has both, and is pricing the 926 at 1500 vs. the 924 at 1400.

Given there is some steepness to the grades where I need to clear, will I be flipping back and forth
with the lockout, or does the 926 in regular mode give "lockout" grade traction? How does the
traction compare on grade between these two models w/o locking the diff?

What's with the alum gear box on the non-pro Ariens? Why do they make it sound great when they
don't put it in the pro models? That bugs me.

Any other points to consider? Whatever I get I want to last until I move nearer to the equator, which
I hope is 15 years, but I expect will be 25, so 100 bucks won't be remembered when I'm well into
my newest man-machine relationship here.

Thanks much for your input.

John

If you need maximum throwing distance due to having to throw snow only in one direction in certain areas, the Ariens models with the 14" impellers are head and shoulders above competitive machines. If you need to climb steeper terrain, short of getting a track model, the automatic traction control on the 924DLE will serve you better than the older style trigger remote on 2005 and 2006 model 926DLE's. It will automatically lock when any wheel slip is experienced when climbing a grade (and automatically unlock when you need to turn).

PK

jimboe wrote:

??  The 924DLE does have a headlight..

It should be on the website... http://www.ariens.com/snow_products/deluxe_sno_thros/924_dle/

Snowmann wrote:
Thanks, and I tend to agree, but if the 924DLE rates better than the 926DLE in those categories, why is it cheaper
than the 926? Side by side in today's market, does it have any competitive advantage?

John

cdale wrote:
If  you are comparing to a 1 or 2 year old 926DLE (model #'s 926014 or 926004), then my statements hold true . The 2007 model improvements are a plus which is why the older Pro models are discounted.

If you are referring to a 2007 9526DLE Pro (model # 926017, list price is $1729 versus $1499), then the benefit of the 924DLE Deluxe are not so clear cut. This Pro model also has the automatic traction control and dual belt auger drive.

$1400 for the 924DLE isn't too bad. I didn't realize this is $100 under list. It'll be harder to deal on a new 2007 Pro. There are fewer of them around and the dealers will have less of them to risk for off season inventory holding. You'll have a $300 delta on these machines for sure. It might be worth it to some. You get the Cast Iron gearcase, larger blower head (wider and taller, w/larger rakes), OHV engine, and the hand warmers.

For that kind of cash though you might want to think of the ST1130DLE Deluxe ($1609 list). You'll get the same features as the 924DLE Deluxe with hand warmers, 11hp, and 30" blower head. You could probably swing this for under $1500 too.

PK

Snowmann wrote:
Thanks for your input Snowmann. I'm still undecided, mostly because it's not easy comparing models that span a couple model years.
For the 9ish HP, 24-26 inch models, here's what I've found locally...

921004 / 924DLE     9.25 L-head    auto traction   dual belt auger   alum gear box      $1400
926004 / 925DLE     9.25 L-head   differential        single belt auger   cast iron GB      $1500
926014 / 9526DLE  9.5 BS OHV    "                                                                               "        $1380
926017 / 9526DLE  9.5 Tech OHV auto traction   dual belt auger       cast iron GB       $1680

I'm assuming the 926004 is an 05/06, and the 926014 is an 06/07? In either case they
are both the same model, but for the consecutive years prior to the 926017. That right?
What is odd is why the presumably newer model (926014) is $120 less than the 926004,
when all I can find that is different is the engine, and isn't OHV typically a pricier feature?

Clearly the new features for this year's pro models are a step up from prior years, but side
by side, how does traction control compare to the differential on the Pro models before?
I suspect that is the one feature that will matter the most in day to day use, but to be
honest if the two (921004, 926014) are the same money, I find it hard to go with the
model that doesn't have the cast iron GB, the OHV engine, a couple extra inches of
width, handwarmers (well, nice to have). Know what I mean? 

Thanks again,
John

You're right, $1380 is a great deal for the 926014. I'd probably bite on that one too for that price if given the choice. Make sure the engine has has the rework for the spark arrestor and primer bulb relief valve. Briggs had an, uh, external combustion issue that needed addressing. Not a bad engine. Powerful and quiet.

The 926004 is from 2005, the 926014 is from 2006. They are both OHV, but the 2006 uses a Briggs.

The 926014 uses a planetary differential for easy turning. To lock the axle (which locks out the differential) the trigger must be engaged. This type of differential is great as most times the locking is rarely required except maybe the end-of-driveway. However, in very heavy snow areas, some folks want the differential locked out most of the time. That presents a problem as the trigger would need to be held most of the time. For this usage, the remote locking axle would be a better feature (921002  model). The automatic traction control is not planetary in nature and locks and unlocks automatically which is a benefit for any usage.

If you decide you wanted the auto traction control or dual belt auger after the purchase, you could always upgrade it with an accessory kit and still probably spend less than list on a 2007.

PK

I went ahead and got the 926014 today. Sitting in the garage as we speak!

Snowmann, many thanks for sharing your insight and expertise. I know I
made a wise decision thanks in large part to your input. I suspect I'm not
the only one who has benefited from that, regardless of the question. I
must also credit Ariens customer service, as I sent off a question to them
via their web site and got an actual phone call back! I can't remember the
last time that happened since the dawn of the internet. I've owned this for
a few short hours and can't wait for the next 20+ years if my experience is
any example of Arien's customer focus!

Now what was the long range forecast for the northeast again? :-)


John