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

Looking to purchase my first snow thrower...choice between the Ariens 520ec 2 stage or theToro 221Q single stage. Live on long island, NY and last year we had some wet snow, but that's not always the case, anyway we get our streets plowed, which usually leaves a pile at the end of the driveway. How does the toro 221/421 or even the 2450 single stages handle a pile of snow thick snow at the end of the driveway.

Keep hearing great things about the toro single stage, but worried it can't handle the wet or the thick snow plowed from trucks cleaning the roads . Thus the reason for opting to go with the Ariens 520ec 2 stage thrower.

Both are the same price about $600

Don't think it would be worth going any bigger than those 2 models cuz we only get about 2-3 feet ( average 6-8" a snowfall) throughout the season, but one never knows.

Have some HD store credit and thus the reason for the 2 brands and models. Any help would be greatly appreciated, looking to purchase real soon.

Single stages struggle quite a bit with end of the end of driveway piles (EOD). If you have a tiny clearing area and a few paths then struggling a bit with EOD is ok if you have a small entrance like one car wide. For a high EOD you can break it up with a shovel with no lifting just move it around so the small mouth and no wheel drive single stage can get it. That could be a worthwhile trade if you are trying to save space in the garage.

They toss very well and do very well in 1-5 inches provided you have a flat surface driveway. If it has mounds, domes or valleys then the single stage will have a difficult time an be very bouncy when traveling over the irregularities. It pulls itself along by the augers lightly touching the ground. The metal auger blades have mounted rubber tips that are constructed of material something like a drive belt. An irregular driveway beats up on a single stage.

They do very well with 1-4 inch loose wet slush generally better than a two stage. They don't do so well with harder packed wet snow 5 inches or more.

A small two stage will cover most situations easily except for wet slush. In general for an average clearing area a single stage is a nice backup and good for 1-3 inch storms. It's like going out with a broom for a quick sweep and convenient. They are fun to use as they can really toss a long way, 25 feet.

A small two stage is great at light snows but also heavier snows. They can handle the load and toss very well. It will also get the EOD without a problem.

If you were up here in Mass a two stage would be better. For LI it's a tougher call. Shoot for the average storm. If you mostly see small quantities of wet snow and an EOD that's not too high and you don't mind struggling with it for a few of the bigger storms then a single stage over might be best. If you have a rough surface driveway then the two stage.
trouts2