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

I am on the fence, I have narrowed my choice down to these two blowers and cant decide wether I need the extra power of the 1130 or not. I live in rural SE New Brunswick and last year we had ALOT of snow that I shovelled by hand (will never do that again) and am expecting the same this year except this time with a blower! To add to the mess I live on a main route that is plowed constantly with wet, heavy snow thrown into my driveway!! My driveway is about 25' by 50'. Is the 927LE going to be enough???

We're looking at either the 924DLE or  1130DLE.  The question for us isn't so much power as maneuverability and slopes.  Our driveway is about 100' long, mostly level, but the last 20' slopes up towards the road.  Of course, we're always getting the slush and soft stuff plowed into that end of the driveway.  It's also gravel, which means there's no hope of plowing down to pavement.  We also need to cope with plowing along the edge of the road to the mailbox.  (It's a twisty rural road in MA, near the NH border.)

Our current model is an old Ariens 824s (solid axle, no differential).  The problem I have is usually getting it up to the top, especially after the town snow plow has gone by, as well as turning it around in the street while dodging traffic.

I don't really know what the tradeoffs are.  On the one hand, I think the 924 ought to be easier to handle just because it's narrower.  On the other hand, I wonder if the extra weight of the 1130 (I know, it's only 10 pounds) would provide better traction for getting it up that slope.  The old 824 has served us well, but the manual start, lower handlebar height, and that slope are take a toll on our backs.  I don't think we need the extra horsepower, just the improved handling.

I was in the same boat as you 924DLE or the 1130DLE. The 924DLE is 1269. and the 1130 is 1199. I asked the dealer what the difference is the blowers where and they said they are built the same except for the 11HP and 30inch vs. 9HP and 24 inch and the 924DLE will NOT be sold at the box store ( Home Depot) and the 1130 will be. Also, it seems more people would rather buy a 24 vs the 30.

So it came down to pay more for less or less for more. I really only need the 924 but i could not buy less for more money so I bought the 1130DLE this weekend.

Plus it is easier to throttle down then throttle up and to take less snow in a heavy storm then it is to take more in a light storm.

My 2 cents

In our case, the 1130 is $20 more.  But I don't buy the bigger is better.  After all, people pay more for laptops that weigh less.