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

Hi everyone. I stumbled on this site a few days ago and I love it.  It's great to read real, honest assessments about new machines. After years of back pain the doctor told me I have a couple of crushed discs and arthritis in my back. So shoveling snow is getting to be less of an option for me. After reading this great site I am sold on Simplicity, but I am wondering about durability between the Large frame and Professional models. I don't have much of a driveway right now, but I don't want to have to trade up when that changes in a few years. I have ruled out Honda, they are too expensive and parts are absurd. I also want to buy from an American company if I can. My area gets an average of 80 inches of (usually) heavy wet snow a year. I am leaning towards the L1428E, or actually its John Deere cousin, the 928E, since the JD is $250 cheaper, and the dealer is only 30 miles away, vs 65 miles for the nearest Simplicity dealer. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated.

Toro exact a premium for their name.  Fine machine but not for the price they demand.  Better machines can be had for equivalent or less money. 

I agree with the "ski mask" remark.  The local Toro dealer here should be behind bars.  I'm forever astonished with the number of zombies that continue to deal with the guy.   There's no shortage of uninformed people in this world willing to part with large sums of money unnecessarily.  That's what keeps dealers like that in business.     When the local Husqvarna dealership went out of business, this crook was quick to assume the line.  Out of desperation, I had to buy an air filter and mower belt from him.   When he gave me the price for the air filter, I commented that it was three times the price for the very same product at Canadian Tire.  His reply was (and this is no lie), "Wait until you see the price of the belt."   Talk about arrogance.   Needless to say, that's the last time I dealt with the guy and will NEVER darken his doorway again.    Not sure what other Toro dealerships are like but if they're anything like this one, I'm surprised they exist. 

A small 5hp machine that weigh in at around 140 lbs would be easier to maneuver through turns for normal snows BUT for end of driveway snow you’ll have to “put your back into it” to get the job done.  I had a 5hp Ariens for 20 years and it was a struggle to force the machine through packed EOD snow.  By contrast I can just guide my larger Ariens through that same snow with no effort.

brake4beaver...I’d look for a 9-11hp machine with either Eazy Turn (remote wheel lock/unlock) or a Differential.  Also, because of your back, I’d want a machine with an electric starter.  

My local Lowes just started carrying John Deere snow throwers including the 1130se.

My Home Depot carries some Ariens snow throwers but the selection varies week to week. 

Borat, does the dealer have much discretion over the price of parts?  I ask because last summer I needed to replace a specialized bolt on my Ariens lawn mower that’s used to secure the handlebar height.  The dealer got the part, then paused and said he needed a moment before he rang it up.  I asked why and he said so he could try to do it with a straight face.  He said the company keeps raising the prices and when he complains at dealer meeting they tell him that the higher the price the greater his profits.  He told them, true but he’s the one that has to look customers in the eye and tell them that a .25 cent bolt costs 7.00 dollars.

Of course the dealer has last say regarding how much to charge for a part.  However, peer pressure might be an issue if there is more than one dealer of the same product in a given town/city etc.  If dealer A sells a twenty five cent part for $7.00,  dealer B is expected to do the same otherwise, he'll be criticized by the other dealers for not maintaining the ridiculously high prices.  The greedy dealers will contact the mother ship to inform on the dealer with the lower price.  The fair dealer will then suffer the consequences if he doesn't fall in line.  It's basically price fixing.   In a town where there is only one dealer of a particular product (as with the local Toro dealer) he should have no concerns regarding giving customers a break.  There's no competing dealers to complain or rat him out.   It takes a dealer with a sense of dignity and fairness to his customers to lower the prices.  He must also have the b-alls to stand up to the supplier to defend his practice of discounting parts prices.  After all, if a dealer can maintain a successful dealership and give the customer a break, more power to him.  If the gougers need to charge top dollar to stay in business, maybe there's a lesson to be learned on how to do it more efficiently, or possibly not be as greedy.   

Well then that explains it Borat.  To say that I live in Ariens country would be an understatement.  Ariens dealerships are everywhere!  If you drive 3 miles in any direction you'll pass an Ariens dealer.  Heck, one of the largest John Deere dealership in the country is in my town and even they carry Ariens snow throwers.

Any bolt or fastener, specialized or otherwise can be had from sources other than a dealer for a fraction of the cost.  It might take a bit of hunting to find one but you can rest assured it's out there.  If people were to get a little more familiar with businesses that specialize in fasteners, bearings, drive belts, filters etc. they'd save a bundle.  I use them at every opportunity.    Dealerships are my absolute last source.  I'll make a part if I can to avoid a dealership.  And there is no way I'd bring my machine to a dealer for service.  That's like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in the gun.