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 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.

I've been looking and reading about these two machines a bit recently
Better engine not just bigger (intek series instead of powerbuilt i believe), wider path, light, easy turn all for $50 and only 7lbs heavier
I dont know why you wouldn't get the 1428.

dancurry - I'm new to this forum as well and have found the insight provided by those that participate to be of great value.

I just bought an Ariens 1130 DLE. So its 11hp, with a few features I'm not sure I could do without. Firstly, it has a differential lock, which means it turns very easily. In fact my aunt, who is not particularly strong loves to use it and even does the neighbors driveways and sidewalks as a courtesy because she loves to use it.

Secondly, the chute is turned by a lever up on the handlebar, near all the other controls. Also, the chute flap, which directs the arch of the snow is also lever controlled. (Please note I may be calling these things by improper names). All of these features I have found to be incredibly useful and perhaps impossible to live without.

To give you an idea, I used the machine for 7 hours the other day after a 14" snowfall, basically doing good deeds for my neighbors. And after all that I didn't have the slightest pain in my back or arms. Machine is simply amazing. It had no problem taking down 30' berms left by the snow plows the city employs to clean up the streets.

But I agree with an earlier poster, I would first start with a local dealer. Find one you can trust will stay in business because at some point you will need service and it will most likely be the only place you can get it done in a timely manner. I would stay away from Home Depot. Mine local store only sells the stripped down versions. Non professionals put them together (which is not a big deal considering they are for the most part assembled at the factory, but they rarely tighten things effectively). And the local authorized service dealer will only deal with the HD machines for warranty service when all of their customers have been served. Which could take months if you put it in for service next Sept, Oct.

I paid just under $1300 for it new and it is worth every penny. If I were you, I would search this board for maintenance tips. Basics things you can do to extend the life of your machine and keep it in fine working order. Plus it will save you the expense of having professional service for minor issues you can handle yourself.

Best of luck with your purchase.

Those sound more like torque ratings rather than horse power.  The smaller unit has 11.5 ft. lbs. torque which would equate to around 8 h.p.  The larger unit  is between 9.5 & 11 h.p. with  between 13.5 to 15.5 ft. lbs. torque, depending on power advertising/model.  The smaller unit probably has the 248cc  B&S Snow Engine which means no electrics for a light and obviously, no light. 

The larger unit has the Snow Max engine with power &  light.   If the engine on all of the large frame units are the B&S 20000 series 305cc models, they are, from my research & experience the same engine despite advertising of different ratings.  My 9528 Simplicity is supposed to have a 9.5 h.p. rated engine.  I have had two ten h.p. units in the past and have used numerous other machines with ten to eleven h.p. ratings.  The 9.5 on my machine is more powerful than any ten h.p. engine and a good as any 11 h.p. units I've used.  So, I believe that if you buy their 28" unit and it has a 305cc engine, you can pretty much rest assured that it will be 11 h.p. unless Briggs & Stratten have actually done something to the engines this year to reduce horse power in the lower rated models.   

You will have to decide on your needs to determine if you require a bigger machine and a light.  You can always get a portable battery powered light to wear on your head or mount on the machine.  Lights are nice but not essential.