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.

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.

Philscbx wrote:
Yeah it does but the machines are heavy and don't move easily even on flat concrete, if you have to move it it's best done with two people one pushing one pulling.

Gelid wrote:

Wow!!!  Makes me wonder how non-Honda owners in northern locations have managed to survive this long without one?    Might have something to do with using ones head vs. compensating with an over-achieving machine.  I find if I don't pack down my driveway before I clear the snow, things go pretty good with my wheeled machines.  Been doing it for over twenty years on a 110' driveway with a 10% grade in a piece of Canada where over ten feet of snow  during the season is not uncommon.    Never left the vehicles on the road yet.  I guess you never know though.  That "I should have had a Honda" day might only be fifty years away..... But then again, if I get goofy and start packing the snow on my driveway....

Gelid wrote: Here's what you do with that cordless screw gun just laying around gathering dust.
Take the kids 2 skate boards, take off the wheel trucks, and screw one caster at each front end of board, and straight wheels on other end.
Tip the tracked machine slightly to each side, and slip skate boards under tracks.
The 50 year old kid needed new boards anyway.

Ok, so I have no experience with the Ariens machine and cannot offer an opinion on it. 

However, last year I bought a Honda HS1132TAS to replace a Craftsman 32 inch track drive thrower that sucked (it hated wet snow, plugged constantly and was painful to use in a variety of ways). 

I have a home at about 6,000 ft in the Sierras with a steep driveway that drops about 70 ft from the front of the lot to the back where it exits.  The slope is extremely steep, so the track drive seems like a must have for me.

We have had a couple of snows since I acquired the Honda.  My WIFE cleared the first one while I was traveling.  She's about 5' 6" and less than 110 lbs!  That would not have happened with the Sears unit.  The next snow was preceded by about an inch of rain, then about 2" of sleet, then about 1 ft. for very wet snow.  In the past, I would not have even tried to clear it with the Craftsman, since it would have plugged in the first 10 feet no matter how much silicon that I coated the chute with. 

The Honda was truly amazing.  It cleared to the blacktop on the first pass, throwing the slush/snow mixture about 50 ft in whatever direction I chose to launch it.  It did not plug once, but I did manage to break the shear bolts on the augers when I hit the pile of ice/sleet/snow that was about 3 ft high where the mixture slid off the roof onto a walkway.  Fix took about 3 minutes and I was back in business. 

The machine ate through the frozen slush at the end of the driveway that the snowplow left for me, no problem.  On a good day, I used to spend 6 to 8 hours after a normal to heavy snow fall with the Craftsman to clear the drive, if it was not too wet.  I think the most recent snow was about the worst I have encountered for removal and I finished with a clean driveway in about 2 hours.  Total surface area is about 8,000 sq. ft. with some very interesting steep spots and tight places.

My summary on the Honda, so far:

Things I like:

1.  Starts easy.  The electric start is unnecessary for me (5' 7", not athletic in the least.)  The compression release has it starting on the first pull, cold.

2.  Hydrostatic drive is great.  After having the unit with the disk/wheel combination, it is night and day difference.  You can set the motion forward or reverse to a crawl, and it will maintain the speed if snow conditions allow.  I can now back out of situations that were not possible on steep slopes before.

3.  Quiet.  I don't know how many decibels, but I would guess about half of the former unit's.  Compared to a 13 hp Briggs engine, at least.

4.  Fuel efficient.  Did my driveway with less than 1 gallon consumed.  Former unit, when it would do it, usually took about 2.5 gallons.

5.  Does not seem to clog!  No matter what you blow through it; slush, ice particles, whatever.

6.  Discharge shoot aiming works well, with high/low control on the console.  Easy to move with the crank; MUCH easier than the prior unit.

7.  Auger shear bolts are easy to find; a soft 6mm x 20 mm cap screw is the basic form factor.

8.  Throws snow 55 - 60 ft!!!  I could put snow on the other side of a street, without dropping it in the street.

Things I don't like:

1.  Like others mention; pain to move when not running.  You can disengage the drive with a lever, but it is still some effort to roll it around.

2.  Blower shear bolt looks like a specialty item, shoulder type bolt that will need to come from Honda.  Expensive.

3.  Did not come with an air filter installed.  Maybe my dealer forgot, maybe Honda cheaped out.  Maybe it is not necessary in the snow, with the housing installed, but it feels weird to run it without one, so I will put one on.

4.  Tracks slide more than the old unit on the steepest slope.  I think it weighs a little less, and I think they are a little shorter.  Not a significant problem, but requires getting used to the first time you head down a steep slope.

5.  Price.  I think it was something like $3,000 with tax and delivery.  Ouch!

Would I do it again?  Instantly!

I'll chime in as a newbie to snowblowing. I actually boought a Toro Wheeled 1028 and found that wheels among other things wouldn't work for me. The Ariens dealer said he doesn'tt reccomend Ariens tracked models and that if I wanted tracks I should look at buying a Honda which has great track. Considering that he doesn't sell Honda, I found that enlightening. My wife 4'10" 83 lbs. could use the Toro with it's skid steer. No chance with an Ariens wheeled model with limited slip. The Honda 928TAS she could move under power but not so much even with the tracks set to free wheel. I'm 5'7" and out of shape and I had no problem with the 928. The 1132 was a different story. My wife could not turn it under power and when it was off and in freewheel mode it was a bear to move backward, forward was not an option. The 1132 is a lot bigger than it looks and it's unwieldy on the tracks compared to the 928. I'm sure it will move a LOT of snow but getting it to turn isn't fun at all and since my wife can't use it, no point.

The 1132 also has issues with the snow getting into the carb. The local dealer said you have to have an actual problem before Honda will install the kit on the machine. That's looney! Our driveway is 230 feet long, 18-20 feet wide at EOD and 15-16 feet wide for most of it and then we have 40+ feet coming off of that just before the garage. I wouldn't get the Ariens since I was unimpressed with what I saw and my wife couldn't use it. The Honda 1132 is a lot of machine and I would not want to have to turn it a lot. The 928 with tracks seemed best all around for our needs. I thought it might be too little machine for outr needs but it's still 28" wide and we did play with it and it is a monster for snowbanks! I'd buy a Honda over any other model. We are going to have to make adjustments on the skids for our needs as the dealers set them too high and I'd rather replace the scraper bar every few years and have a clean driveway. So my vote as a newbie is for the Honda. It's not perfect but it's damn good.