I had a honda hs828wa for 8 years and all I ever had to put into the unit was gas and oil + a few shear pins when I hit something I wasn't supposed to. Great machine. When I moved to my new home with a 400' driveway I figured I needed a bigger machine, and my honda was 10+ years old so what the heck. I sold the honda for $800 (boy do they hold their value) and put that towards an Ariens that was 2 years old.
At first I was not a fan of the Ariens, I have to say. I wasn't prepared to have to tinker and work on this machine to make it work. I've had problems with everthing from the electric shute not turning to augers not turning. Belts, rehab on electic motor, wiring, disc-o-matic/slip-o-matic, about 1/2 every time it snowed. Some of this can be contributed to the possible impropper maintence of the previous owner, but it was a 40 yr mechanic who specialized in rebuilding clasic cars. I saw his shop. I don't think that's the issue. Main issue is I expected a machine 2x as heavy to dig and scrape and push at least as good as a machine almost 1/2 its size. It didn't. So I kept my eye open...
Low and behold, I find a hs1132tas on craigslist for exactly what I paid for the Ariens. I know I can get what I paid for the Ariens, so I'm going to sell it and keep the honda-BUT WAIT!! While I'm the owner of these two snow devils I think it would be a disservice to ignore the opportunity to compare these two units, on the same driveway with the same snow. After 2 storms this is what I've found:
I'm sick of snow. I like Hondas, but give Ariens their due. I think the Ariens machine is a better choice for a majority of people, even if price is not an issue. If you're not in good enough shape to push the Honda around, I would suggest hiring someone to do your dirveway for you because the 70yr old woman who was the previous owner had no trouble turning this beast on a grave driveway. If you do snow removal for a living, then you already know what you like, but I'd use a wheeled machine because I could definately see the tracks wearing you out after a few long storms. Honda throws the same snow farther, beit powder or wet snow. No contest. Do you need to throw any farther than 20'? Probably not so its not importaint.
Honda pros:
1.) The tracks are unstoppable. I have 2' of hard snow in my yard and it can chew down to the grass (and beyond) if you let it. If you make a few passes the snowblower will crunch up the bottom icy layers, and then just eat them up on the next pass. This is an area I cannot do with the wheeled snowblower. I can also get up on my truck ramos deck quite easily. They grip, but I'm sure they will wear much faster than a set of tires.
2.) The engine is superior in 3 major points. Its so quiet I can hear my phone ring under my jacket. Its also uses about 30% less gas (dipstick for each blower's tank). Much cleaner exhaust. I dont' notice a difference in power per se. I think both motors have more than enough power to do the job, the major problem with the Ariens being the inefficient disc-o-matic and slippery auger belt. The last major point would be the automatic decompression that eliminates the need for an electric start. I tried it but honestly, the lady I bought it from was 70 years old and she could pull-start it. Ariens has it, and the necessary battery sits to the right of the chute, causing a lot of clogging. The hydro trans. is less of a big deal than I can remember, because I got used to shifting with the Ariens. The hydro is stronger, however. No slipping or lack of power in reverse
3.) The balance of this machine is all towards the front, so when I'm scraping I push down on the handles and get even more traction. The Ariens is so well ballanced the machine will ride up, and when you try to lift up on the handlebars the wheels then spin out. You can ride up, level, or down. It is vicious.
Ariens pros:
1.) This machine is very comfortable to use. I don't have a problem pushing the track around (and neither did the 70 yr old lady I bought it from) but if I was doing sidewalks all day at a condo development I think I'd rather have the Ariens. The remote chute and handwarmers are nice all-day features. this is what I think this machine was meant to do, and not scrape up crusty ice or the end of the driveway. It turns very easy (when the diff isn't locked) and the balance makes this very large machine very manuverable. If I had to spend 8 hours a day using one and didn't have to go off-road and wasn't trying to pick up packed snow I'd take the Ariens.
2.) It moves faster. If you have a light amount of snow (2 inches) this machine will do it much faster. The fastest setting on the Honda's hydrostatic is about gear 3.5-4 on the ariens. Anything over 4" however, this advantage is negated, because the 36" auger/impeller of the Ariens doesn't move fast enough (although the engine seems strong enough) to push the snow out of the bucket, and extra simply spills out the sides.
3.) The Ariens (for the most part) seems to be easier to maintain. They both have skinny little tubes for the handles, but Honda's are welded to the frame whereas Ariens are bolted, making repair much simpler and easier. Slip-o-matic may not be able to push itself out of a wet paper bag, but it sure looks a lot. cheaper and easier to work on. It should be noted however, I've never had a problem with even tighning a belt on my 10+yr old Honda and that's after more than 1,000 inches of snow.
Conclusion:
The Ariens may look like some bad boy, but does a polite job (when workingcorrectly) in a majority of circumstances. This Honda is more specialized. The Honda is an aggressive, snow thirsty crazy $#%* that will eat anything. It crawls along and is only happy when eating nasty snow, and doesn't wheel nicely (tracks I guess) to and fro. I had so much fun chewing into snow drifts with the Honda, I ripped up a piece of gutter that had come off the downspout. It chewed it up and spit it out by the time I heard it in the auger. Only aluminium but still pretty cool! The Ariens cloggs on slush. I broke a shear pin hitting a piece of wood that I'd dropped 2 month ago. VERY EASY TO CHANGE. The Ariens is a pin that goes through one side of the auger and out the other, and when it breaks it leaves a piece inside that you have to find (full of grease, not easy) line up, knock out then replace. The hondas are two bolts on the outside so when they shear off they fall out and your ready to insert another. Honda also uses a different metal, maybe galvalume or something because there is no rust on the Honda even in place where the paint has been scraped off, but the Ariens has creeping rust in every corner.
This message was modified Jan 9, 2009 by nhmatt
