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

About to buy a two-stage snowblower. Fairly large driveway with large open space as it turns into bays. One-stage Ariens not cutting it. Might buy the Toro 826LE for about $1,299 but wondering if there's something better in that price range. Ariens? Another brand?

dancurry -- No opinion myself, but you should search other threads here regarding Tecumseh vs. Briggs. Tecumseh just went under - ceasing production 6 days ago. While there is general consensus that parts will not be an issue for a long, long time, you should have the whole picture before making a decision.

My personal opinion is that it's more important to have a trustworthy local dealer than to get the absolute best value.  With products that have a life expectancy of 10-20 years or more, but get redesigned every 3-5 years, it's really difficult to get good, real-life reliability data.  Performance data is easier to get, but how significant are the differences?  Sure, one may have a better throwing distance, but I don't think it's worth saving a hundred bucks or having to go further for repairs just for something that may or may not save one pass on the driveway.  The width will have a greater effect on the number of passes, and that's easy to compare.   Some features, such as the Ariens differential versus the Simplicity remote traction lock, may influence you but may also just be a matter of personal preference, difficult for you to judge without using both.  Likewise for the various styles of remote chute control.

There may be issues specific to you.  With some driveway layouts, you may really need maximum throwing distance, though we were fine starting in the center and throwing to the closer side.  If you have back problems, you may want to look at maneuverability, weight, and even the height of the handlebars.  If you have limited storage space, you might want to consider a good 24-inch two-stage.  With a serious slope (and no back problems), perhaps a track-drive should be considered.

I wouldn't consider the mass-market brands (Craftsman, MTD, etc.), but among the well-known name brands - Ariens, Toro, Snapper, Simplicity, even Deere or Honda, I don't think you can go wrong.  Other than the Honda, which seems to command premium prices, I think you'll find that you'll get comparable value for comparable prices.  Which brings me back to my original point, choosing the dealer first.  We chose an Ariens primarily because our local dealer stopped carrying Toro, and the Husqvarna is too new a brand (to us).

Gary

I understand Snapper and Simplicity are the same company but are the snowblowers identical? The websites look similar but it is unclear. Is a Snapper snowthrower as good as a Simplicity?

dancurry wrote:

Pretty much same machine with different graphics and shade of red. One is just as good as the other.  They come off of the same production line. 

Upon Borat's advice, I looked at a Snapper 1428 today. It looks nice, certainly could do the job and more. Wondering if it isn't too much machine for my driveway, which is fairly large and turns into a four-car bay. It's a common drive with the next door neighbor. All told, we could probably put 16-18 cars in our paved space. Chicago area, so snowy but not Buffalo or Canada. The salesman was curiously hinting it was too much machine, but I don't think so. Any thoughts out there? This is a great forum.

I looked at a snapper 14/28 earlier and liked it except for the plastic chute, guess I'm used to metal ones. Does the simplicity have a plastic chute as well? We don't have them around here.

Plastic chute. The salesman (who wasn't pushy at all) claimed that plastic chutes are better because the snow doesn't stick to them.

I don't mind plastic (actually polymer) chutes other than the attachment area at the base.  This to me, seems where they might eventually weaken over time.  I've owned a couple machines with plastic chutes and they held up for a good ten winters each of hard use.  Plastic or steel wouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker for me.  I'd be weighing in the rest of the package.  My Simplicity came with the steel chute.  I've lined it with plastic (Krazy Karpet) and it's very slick.  Nothing sticks to that and it's pretty durable stuff.        

As I mentioned above, I saw a Snapper 1428E at a dealer and then called another dealer who had a 1226E, which essentially is the same machine with a 26-inch throw and 11 hp engine instead of 13 hp. I was going to order the 26, but saw that it doesn't have the wheel release feature. The 28-inch is $1250 and the 26-inch is $1199. I can't decide. Anybody have any thoughts?

My current machine has pin lock which is a real pain since I do a lot of turning. Having some way to easily turn is a good thing. At the same time I have a 26" swath and an 11HP B&S and the things generally makes the snow go elsewhere with impressive speed. 13HP sounds like overkill and may make the machine too heavy.

For me easy turning is the most important point for my next machine.