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

Hi,

I live in Michigan, and I have a very steep curved driveway. It is cement at the top and asphalt about 225 feet long with about 15 degrees of pitch. 

I went  to my local Ariens dealer to buy the Ariens 1332DLET Track Drive Thrower, since that model is brand new he didn't feel comfortable recommending one. He did say that he didn't like the Honda Track drive. Although the Honda dealer in my area claims all of their customers love the Honda. My local Ariens/Toro dealer recommended a Toro Commander single stage, with the idea that a rubber blade would contact the pavement better and reduce the ice problem. I did that, however we had a couple decent snow falls and it took around 4 hours to clear my drive today. The dealer sells both Toro and Ariens, and said he would work a deal with me to take the Toro back if I didn't like it. I

What I'm trying to decide is if I want to go with a Honda or Ariens track drive. Has anybody looked or operated both of these? Anybody with experience on the Ariens? Easiest thing for me to do would be to get the Ariens, but I think the Honda may be a better way to go.

Thanks all in advance.

I was in the same situation last October.  My driveway is really steep and roughly 200 ft. long.  The only difference I see is that my driveway is straight instead of curved.

My Honda dealer (Northern Tool & Equipment) is a total joke, so that quickly crossed the Honda machines off my list.  I craved getting the Honda since I also have a Honda lawn mower and trimmer, but I followed the advice of others that buying from a good dealer is worth its weight in gold.  I personally would have bought a HS928T if my dealer was halfway decent.

I ended up buying an Ariens 9526DLE Pro from a small town dealer.  The 9526DLE Pro is intended for rugged commercial use and is probably overkill for what I needed, but I like buying well engineered quality stuff that lasts a long time.  I almost bought the tracked version (9526DLET Pro) because of my steep incline,  but decided against it due to the $500 premium, ease of turning,  and uncertain reliability of such a new drive system. 

So far I've used the 9526DLE Pro about 5 times this winter.  It works well going down the incline, but I always need to make sure I have the drive engaged on a low speed.  On the first time using it, I tried just having the auger engaged and pushing the Ariens down the hill.  I will NEVER do that again.  The snowblower ends up coasting down the hill faster and faster.  It happens really fast and will give you a big scare as the only way to slow down the wheels is engaging the drive system.  When the drive engaged, the Ariens will be totally under control and doesn't slip.

The Ariens can go up the hill and snowblow at the same time, but it doesn't work that well if the snow has been driven on already.  The problem is that the Ariens starts to ride up on the snow and gets hard to keep in a straight line.  When I try to lift up on the handles to force the chute close to the pavement the wheels lose traction.  Since I like my driveway cleanly scraped down to the pavement, I end up traveling back up the path I blowed and then come down for a new swath.  It takes me longer, but the driveway ends up cleaner.  I may try the Ariens weight kit in the future to see if that helps.

In hindsight, it would have been nice to have the track-drive 9526DLET Pro because I could snowblow the driveway well up AND down.  It's really up to you whether that's worth the extra $500 though and lack of maneuverability. 

Check out EBay, Snowblowers!!

I saw a lot of new and used Honda's there, new below MSRP!!

                                            Fred

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I know the wheeled models handle much better from I've heard. If fact I was very tempted to pick up the top of the Simplicity Pro machine from a local dealer that had one returned from a customer that moved south. Awesome machine, but I already fell down a couple times already this year just trying to walk up and down with a salt spreader, I'd hate to think what could happen if  250 - 300 pounds machine was dragging me down with it. The track model is probably worth the premium for me. Today we only had a quarter of an inch snowfall, I used the Toro Commander, and with the light snow it only took a half hour to clear the drive, much better then the four hours it took with the foot of snow the other day. Most likely I'll keep the Commander for the light snowfalls, but I'm still torn on which machine I should get the Honda or the Ariens. I haven't heard any feedback from anybody that has tried the new Ariens. Some people hate the Honda and others love it.  

guyw wrote:
You brought out the light artillery for a quarter of an inch of snow?

With tracked snowblowers brand is not as important as suitability to your local conditions. If you live in an area with frequent melts and your tracks have access to bare pavement through the snow rather than built up ice or packed snow you will prefer the Ariens because it has traction control (a primitive differential)  which makes turning the machine easier. This doesn't work well on ice and packed snow though, so in those conditions you'll lock the differential and the Ariens will handle like a Honda, which is survivable, and you simply return to traction control mode when conditions improve. In these conditions the Ariens is the most appropriate choice for a tracked machine. However if you live in area with severe winters and have to deal with substantial amounts of snow on top of ice and packed snow you will want to have Honda's hydrostatic drive feature which is designed for such challenging conditions. This is done at the cost of ease of handling in turns but it's definitely worth it.

my honda 1132 tracked turns a lot easier than my 12 hp. 33" cut wheeled yardman. But it doesnt have the turning clutches on it

blunt wrote:
I have no problem handling my Honda either but some people need/want machines that require less physical effort even if it means less efficient blowers. More time, but less effort.

There are many who use snow blowers, but until you actually try a tracked Honda in a driveway that has been driven over many times before plowed, and or plowed, but now too narrow and frozen 2 or more feet of heavy crusted banks in the way. Then you haven't really done the true test yet.

Any machine can blow fresh fluff 2 feet thick all day with no effort.
But as soon as that 2 wheeled machine makes contact to frozen packed snow, the front auger will try to climb up the bank and the wheels dig in and sink forcing the handle bars to the ground with you trying to keep it up or recover from a broken back.
Not to mention the noise from the machines compared to a Honda.

A decibel meter should be used on all machines, and then pick the one that does not damage your last bit of ear drums.
There's no way you can destroy a Hydrostatic drive. There is no maintenance of belts, pulleys, or the typical junk that breaks.
Track drive is nothing more than 2 cogged wheels rapped in a track. Too simple.
It's what drives the track inside that makes the difference.
All Bobcats, and every earth moving machine uses Hydrostatic drive. It's fool proof and solid. And very powerful. Therefore you don't need more horse power.

I plow snow for a living for 30 years, and the first time I tried a Honda Tracked machine was early 1980's.
I said I have to give it a try, and aimed it into the worst frozen crap I could find, and it never even cared.
It took and chewed up solid ice pack 2 feet thick like nothing.
That's why they have the ice chewing teeth on the auger.
The tracks keep the machine level regardless what you aim it at.
You can drive it with one hand and eat a sandwich with the other.
I just used my neighbors MTD from Walmart. To help them out.
OH sure, it did the job on the fresh of snow, but when it hit the frozen pack the city pushed in at the end of the driveway, it wanted nothing to do with it.
I then had to spend 4 times longer dealing with it compared to if I had the Honda.
My back said never again.
If I hadn't pretreated all surfaces with silicone prior to taking it out, it would even been worse.
Sprayed inside the chute and all moving parts.
Then an air hose to blow it clean when done. The snow flies with less effort as well.
That's why you see machines look like junk after a couple seasons. Running then into the road salt, then put them away to melt.

The extra cost of the Honda is nothing compared to the $30,000 you need for therapy when done.
I almost made a video watching a guy do his sidewalk after it was walked on all day, and he was fighting it the whole way with a 2 wheeled machine with the handle bars diving into the ground.
The wheels dig in and sink, and the auger climb up.

If you ask me, it simply looks retarded and barbaric.
There's a used Honda track drive for sale right now for $1300, and if it's still there, it's mine.
Like one Gent mentioned, there's more to it.
Moving it around in the garage, well take a look at what people use to move snowmobiles around in the shop.
They are a tracked machine and need castered adaptors slipped under them as well. Not rocket science here.

The reason Hydrostatic drive machines don't move freely with engine off, is the same for all machines that use it. Safety for one. It cannot freewheel unless it has a freewheel option lever. You cannot force a Hydrostatic drive to roll with no power.

I just checked the manual on the Honda track drive, and yes it does have freewheel mode lever.
http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/own/31767700.PDF

I wasn't sure actually, but having the facts straight in ones face clears up misconceptions.

Well Phil, you just described the reason why I have owned Hondas for the last quarter century, I live in northern Maine and that's what I need. However one must take into account that there are areas that get snow but where winters are much milder and in those places it's hard to justify spending up to 3K on a Honda when a reasonable quality wheeled machine will do the job and require less effort in light to moderate duty conditions.

With regards to moving tracked machines with engine off  one can always disengage the transmission on a Honda or tracked Ariens which makes it somewhat "freewheeled" but like you say the best solution is to use some sort of wheeled platform that looks like an over-sized mechanics dolly. Easy to DIY for those who are so inclined, I made one using a sturdy fiberglass tabletop and dolly casters.

The honda 1132 tracked requires retrofit part #06196-ze3-305 to keep it from sucking powdered snow into the carb and stalling. You will have to ask for this part as honda does not allow the dealer to offer it unless requested by customer and it is covered under warrenty.