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

Hello to all! I'm VERY new to the usage of snowblowers. My whole experience is with the neighbor's 17 year old Ariens 824; I love that machine...
Anyway, I've done a lot of reading on this forum and others, and have narrowed my selection down to three machines, but would like some help making the final selection. First, here's what I'll be using it for:
I'll be using it on at least three driveways: 1. My own, which is lined with 1.5-2.5" river rock, and isn't too long. 2. My sister's, which is fairly steep and not too long. and 3. My aunt's, which is quite long (over 200') and is composed of very packed gravel. In addition, I regularly do the snow cleanup on the sidewalks and handicap ramps at my local church. Some winters we have a few wet snowfalls of a few inches each, and some winters we get dumped on with 2'+ per fall (like this one.) I also own an ATV with a snowplow on it, and my preferred method is to make a pile with the snow and then use the blower to move it to the middle of the lawn. I would also like to be able to use the blower on snow that's been packed somewhat by the city plows.
Taking all this into consideration, I kind of figured anything below 11hp was going to be too small. I originally didn't want to spend much more than $2000, but I'm willing to make a concession in the price for the right machine, as you'll see when I list the ones I'm considering. None of my local dealers have any machines in stock; I've called all of the local Ariens dealers, and both of the Simplicity dealers. No one expects to have anything until next fall. I've got two Simplicity dealers within 50 miles, and four Ariens dealers within the same distance. I'd prefer to buy local, but I don't see that happening at this point. I have found a few dealers online that have the blowers I'm interested in in stock, and they ship for free; I even get to escape the local 6% sales tax as an added incentive!

Here's what I'm considering:
Ariens
11528 DLE - 926016 for $2100
11528 DLET - 926025 for $2490
Simplicity
Signature Pro P1628E for $2000

I looked at Honda and consider them prohibitively expensive, and also considered the Ariens 9526 DLET - 926024 for $2190, but thought 9.5hp was probably too light for what I want to do. Toro doesn't have any more dealers in the area than Simplicity, and I think I'd prefer to stick with a professional model anyway. I am willing to take sugestions, but mostly, I want to know which of the three machines I've listed would be best for the applications I've listed.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

SteveinIdaho

I've got the Simplicity Signature Pro 1524... best money I've spent in years. The Briggs OHV is quiet, smooth running, and extremely easy to start.

Simplicity's machines are all-around fantastic. The box-frame steel of the Signature Pro gives the whole thing a great, strong feel.

Surely, Borat will be jumping in to say how much he dislikes the electric chute control. I agree it's absolutely unnecessary, but it works great. I've never had a problem with mine for two seasons now and it is a really nice convenience.

The heated handle bars are another creature comfort. I'm not sure I would agree that they are unnecessary though. In sub-zero temps, I've knocked that switch off on accident and after a short while, it was obvious -- even with two pairs of gloves on.

The overall power of the machine, the build of the augers, and impeller, is superb -- PowerBoost is also a plus often mentioned. Read my post below about throwing a 3-4in limestone rock... with no damage!

http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/32835-A-1.html

Agree with pretty much mfduffy has said as well as confirming my disdain for unnecessary electronic gizmos.  However, being a Simplicity, I'd take it (gizmology & all) over the Ariens any day.  The only other machine I'd consider would be a Honda but as already mentioned, it's not as good a value as a Simplicity.  

In just the small amount of time since I posted, the Simplicity I was looking at went out of stock. Nerts. I also should mention that the 9.5HP Ariens I was looking at has a Briggs and Stratton OHV as opposed to the Tecumseh.
If the recommendations are over-whelmingly for the Simplicity, I might have to wait until next year and suck up the sales tax.

Steve-

There are Ariens and Simplicity dealers on the net who advertise free shipping. Try this guy if your heart is set on the Simplicity:http://www.sepw.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=62. The 1628E is listed at $2249 delivered which is not bad considering no tax. I would call and see if you could negotiate a deal and there are other dealers and other brands available as well.

Marc

Steve,

Simplicity also makes the John Deere snow throwers and Lowe’s handles the 928e and the 1130se. The 928e sells for $1,299 and the 1130se sells for $1,499. The 1130se has heated handles, the Easy-Steer® drive system, and uses the Briggs & Stratton Snow MAX OHV engine. Short of spending another grand for a Honda you'll be hard pressed to find a better machine than the John Deere (Simplicity). Lowe’s has a 30 day return policy, so you can use it for a while and if you decide not to keep it you can return it for a full refund. I did just that with a Troy-Bilt I purchased from Lowe’s with no hassle, although they knew I was going to purchase the 928e.

My heart's not set on Simplicity; in fact, I was leaning more toward the tracked version of the Ariens because of the gravel and rock. So far though, no one has spoken up for the Ariens. I'm beginning to wonder just how good an idea ordering one would be.

Steve- My father has a 926LE Ariens and my son has a 1060DLXE Simplicity. Both are fine machines. The Simplicity handles better because it has the wheel disconnect feature which the Ariens does not. If it were the DLE Ariens the machines would be comparable and more than worth the money.

Ariens has suffered a little lately because it sells a lot of units through Home Depot and the set up and prep there leaves a lot to be desired. Many dealers are angry at Ariens because of their relationship with Home Depot and are no longer selling or servicing Ariens units. If you get an Ariens and it has the proper set up you will have a quality machine. If you get a Simplicity or an Ariens or a Honda or Toro and it is not set up properly it will be a nightmare.

In your situation I wouldn't be as concerned about which unit I was buying as much as which one I can get delivered at this time of year. The premium model Ariens or Simplicity  will serve you well. If I were buying the Ariens track model I would only buy the DLET which has some sort of traction control that helps in turns as opposed to the base model that has the tracks (axles?) locked.One of the guys on another site just bought an Ariens DLET and has had good things to say about it.

Marc

SteveinID wrote:
Your choices are all good ones. They are very comparable. For the wheeled models, it all boils downs to personal preference. Go over both units in detail and make the call.

A few pluses the Ariens has are:

Automatic differential (a clear upgrade over Easy Turn)
Higher volumetric capacity (larger impeller, augers, dual belt drive, faster gear box ratio)
3 year warranty

The Simplicity Pro has a few benefits as well:

A much quieter engine
Selectable heat for handwarmers (2 settings)
Electric chute rotation (this however may become problematic in the future)

I'm sure there are other differences that are pertinent.

Lastly, the track model Ariens you mention is ~40% slower than both of the above models (to facilitate the higher drive torque required for the increased traction). It's designed for the real heavy, deep snow. Make sure you are fine with this before purchasing it.

PK

Steven, I bought a carryover ariens 9526 dlet with the ohv briggs and I love it so far. The track model is geared lower than the same in a wheel model. I don't have any regrets on getting the 9.5 hp. It has all the power I need, even in the wind blown harder stuff in first gear it just keeps on walking through the stuff. I had a wheel 8 hp. "28" model before and if it was hard I had to lossen it up sometimes with the shovel first but not with this machine! You can lock the tracks for extra traction or leave them unlocked for easier turning. I suppose the 11.5 hp. would have more power but then the cost is higher also. Good luck with whatever you buy!!

Coldfingers

Coldfingers wrote:
I think you're better off with your 9526 than you would have been with the 11528.  Narrower is better in my mind
and no one has yet to disprove the rumor that the 11.5hp and 9.5hp engines are identical.

Paul

pvrp, that is interesting. I didn't know that. I had a 28 before and I honestly don't notice the difference using the 26 I have now except I had an 8 hp. L head tec. before and now I have the 9.5 ohv. briggs so I can really tell the difference in the deep snow. Love the new machine.

Are the 9.5 and 11.5 B&S or Tecumseh engines the same? I notice that with Tecumseh, both are listed as 318cc, is it the same with B&S?

SteveinID wrote:
I've done pretty thorough cross reference of the parts for the 9.5 and 11 h.p. B&S (20000 series).   I couldn't find any part numbers that didn't match.  Accordingly, I've come to the unofficial conclusion that the engines are one and the same.  From my personal experience of owning a 9.5 on a 28" Simplicity, and having twenty years previous experience with ten horse power Tecumseh engines, my "seat of the pants" dyno tells me that this engine is making more power than the other two ten horse power engines did.   I could be wrong but I don't think I'm alone in this conclusion.   Can't help you with the Tecumseh question.  Never researched it.

Well, I ordered the 11528 initially, but the company called and said it was the last one in stock, and that when they opened the box before shipping, they noticed the top of the blower was crushed. They asked if I'd like to switch to the 9526 DLET (for $300 less) or the 1332 DLET for around $300 more. I chose to go with the 9526 DLET and save the extra money. I'm still curious why the 9.5 and 11.5 HP motors list the same cc (318). Wouldn't that seem to indicate the same head, cylinder, and piston, but a difference in the carb?

Steve, borat seems to know whats going on with the 9.5 versus the 11 hp. engines. Good luck with your 9526 dlet!! I sure like mine so far, we will have to compare notes after you run yours awhile.

Coldfingers

Well, I picked up the blower today, it's the newer model 9526 DLET with the Tecumseh engine. Overall, I'm impressed. I ran it for 19 minutes grand total, 15 of which I was running the augers to run-in the attachment belt. Unfortunately, I didn't have any snow, and almost no slush to run it through, so it didn't get much of a workout. The belt finger clearance was pretty messed up, but I corrected that. I do have a question though: when you adjust the clutch idler and take in the slack from the clutch cable, it says the attachment idler arm should be touching the frame. How critical is this? Mine has about 1/16-1/8" clearance. I didn't know how to correct that, since the cable tension wasn't what was causing it. Any suggestions?

I called Ariens customer support today and talked to them about it, and they said that as long as the auger stops spinning when the lever is released, the small gap won't hurt anything.
I decided to really try to give the blower a workout today and see what it could do. Over the course of the last two weeks in December, we received probably four feet of snow at my house, and the plow has been piling it quite high on my lawn and in the street. My mom likes to park in one particular area, so I've been attempting (and failing) to keep it clear. The temps here have jumped the past 4 days to the high 30's/low 40's, with rain off and on. I figured that snow berm should be one of the more difficult tasks I could possibly throw at this thing...
It ate right through it.
Initially, I was using the tracks in the normal cleaning setting, but the stuff was so packed, it was starting to climb. I decided to give the "deep cutting" setting a shot. HOLY CRAP! It ate right down to the pavement and threw everything a bit further than I expected initially. (It's probably going to take a while for the ice line on the side of the house to melt.) I started out only cutting a swath about half the width of the intake (26"), but when I saw how well it was doing, I bumped it up to 3/4 of the intake and it still handled like a champ. I only ran the blower for 17 minutes including at least 5 goofing off with the differential and I still managed to clear enough room for the car and then some.
Long story short, I don't think it would be possible for me to be happier with my purchase right now.

Hey SteveinID,

Congrats on your new snowblower.  Welcome to the club.  While there are a few Honda owners, you're one of the few Ariens tracked snowblower owners.  I have a Honda HS1132 and I love how it tunnel through EOD pile.  While I haven't had more than a foot of snow to cut through yet, I'm looking forward to more snow.  I do wish I had a differential on mine though.  Oh yeah, the ice scraping mode where it bears a lot of weight down on the bucket is awesome for cutting through thick piles.

At this point, I want another major snowfall so I can judge this thing in its natural habitat. =-) Why is it that whenever you get a tool to handle a situation, the afore-mentioned situation doesn't happen anymore?

SteveinID wrote:

Hehe, and when you don't have the tool working properly, a big dump landed on your driveway.  Murphy's Law applies.

Well, we got a good snowfall accumulation yesterday, 6 inches of heavy wet snow in the midwest.  Got my snowblower all fueled up, scraper bar and skid shoes adjusted to near perfection after experimentation.  The tracks are awesome, pushed its way into packed 18 inches of wet snow that the plow truck piled to the corner.  No lifting the handlebars, just dial in the lowest speed, hold the handle bar steady and let it do the work.

A differential would be nice, some kind of trigger lock/unlock when your turning, but I'm learning to adjust my pattern to the new blower.  With the Ariens I could only blow about 20' so I had a different pattern side to side and then blow it straight again.  Also, I wouldn't have to have any real area to turn around whereas with the honda I need a good 48", otherwise its faster to back up

I find with the honda I have to be careful with the chute because I end up covering areas on the other side of my house I'd already snowblowed.  I literally blew a squirell out of a tree from 20' in the air. 

nhmatt wrote:

Yes, I usually back up if I have less than 15 foot instead of turning around.  To turn it around, I have to step on the pedal, raise the bucket, then turn.  After the turn, step on the pedal again, put the bucket back in normal position.  All this can be done in the same amount of time backing up.  However, with backing up, there's less effort and I don't have to reposition the chute.  Operating this tracked snowblower is like playing a musical instrument.  You have to methodical and practice often.  Reverse is painfully slow, but it is for safety in case you are walking on ice and have a slip or near a wall.  Don't want this thing to pin me against the garage door or a brick wall.  It is pretty strong in both reverse and forward speeds.

About your experience with the squirrel, I love to find a squirrel on a tree for target practice.  Heheh. Just kidding.

aa335 wrote:
Yeah, I keep telling the guys at work they owe me money for stopping the snowfall for them, but for some reason they're unwilling to fork over the dough. =-) Maybe I should threaten to return the blower and see what happens.

SteveinID wrote:
Well, my money is well spent this year.  This area already has received the average snowfall for the whole winter, and it was only January 13.   I don't mind the snow, just can't stand all that salt and dirt that the car bring into the garage.