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

Does anyone have any feedback or experience with the Ariens 722 single stage snow blower?   Not so much how it compares to a 2 stage snow blower but mainly how it compares to other single stage machines.  Also snows that it handles best and snows that push it's limits.  Thanks.

I'm interested in this model as well.  It is the only 7 hp single stage that I know of.  Anyone have a head to head comparison with the Ariens 722 and the Toro 221Q?

hi guys.

i bought an ariens 722ec about three years ago after doing a fair amount of research.  basically it was between the 722 and the toro 2450.  i ended up buying the ariens because it had 2 more hp, the chute control and limited lifetime warranty on the paddles. - all for the same price as the 5hp toro  well three years later, i saw a used 2450 on sale and picked it up. i have always heard good things about the toros and curiousity got the best of me.  one of the first jobs i used the toro on was wet slush at the eod...about 8" or so.  the ariens would have had a tough time with it...it did well with light to packed snow, but wet stuff it couldn't handle and it poured out of the chute like toothpaste. the toro worked like a champ as was throwing the slush 10' with little problem.  at that moment i was sold and the following week i ended up selling the ariens.  so short story is that "my" experience with the ariens vs toro is that the toro wins hands down.  my guess is that most single stage machines will work fine with light to light packed snow, but when things get wet, thats what separates these machines.  why does the toro outperform?  not really sure, the basic design of these machines is very similar...i'm going to have to say its the paddle and chute design.

good luck.

rob

Thanks for providing your feedback.  I was always wondering why the Ariens 722 while having higher horsepower and even lower price than a comparable Toro model did not sell very well.  I suspected that the 2 extra hp of the Ariens didn't seem give it any extra performance.  I also suspect that the Ariens 522 and 722 would perform the same in heavy wet snow when the load prevents the 722 engine to attain the higher RPM to produce the extra 2 horsepower.  That's just my guess since both engines are Tecumseh 139cc 2 stroke engines.  The Ariens did seem to have good build quality and I like the molded auger paddles which are lifetime warranty.

Seabird, seems like you have a little bit of interest in Toro snowblowers.  Wink.  Would you mind sharing details of your collection?

Yes, thanks for the feedback.  Assuming that the belt was tensioned correctly on the Ariens the difference probably is in the paddle design.  It appears that the Ariens paddle was designed to capture more snow that the Toro's paddles.  That might explain why heavy icy shush might bog it down if the paddles are slowed by trying to handle too much of a load.

aa335 wrote:

i would agree, the build quality of the ariens was as good or even superior in terms of materials i.e plasitcs used in the main body of the machine seemed more durable than the toro. if you hang out on the other forum then yes you know i also have a ccr2000 and older 826 2 stage.  i picked up a couple ccr2k machines this year as i've always heard good things about the suzuki engines.  i fixed them both up with new paddles, carb clean etc. and have sold one and kept one for myself as a back up to the 2450.  i havn't had the opportunity to test it out due to the lack of new snow but the engine runs great, starts up on the first pull every time. i suspect it will work as well as the 2450, but we'll see.

Paul7 wrote:

thats the only variable that i could not confirm was belt tension.  having said this, since new the machine never liked the wet stuff and it was bought from a dealer...vs big box, so i'm assuming it was set up properly. i was going to tinker around with it before i sold, but it was basically sold within a few minutes of advertising.  your theory  may be right on the paddle design...all i know is i understand why all the contracters use toro single stage machines and also i remember when i was shopping around 3 years ago and one OPE dealer swore the smaller 5hp toro outperformed the 7hp ariens...i should have listened.

At work here we had a 3 hp. toro that we used for a long time, then replaced it with a 5 hp. and now we have the 6.5 hp. model and I have to say that 5 hp. I think worked harder than the 6.5 that we have now. We use it on heavier stuff than we should sometimes and those machines have stood up well. I haven't used an ariens single stage though so I can't compare them that way.


Coldfingers

Coldfingers wrote:

if its the 3650 you are referring to, i find that surprising that the 5hp or 2450 worked better.  i've heard nothing but good things about both machines...the 2450 and 3650.

seabird wrote:
What's the difference between the 2450 and 3650 besides the HP rating? 

aa335 wrote:

i believe the 3650 has a manual chute control.

The 5 hp. that we had had a lever on the chute so you just leaned over and turned it by grabbing it, the 3650 or 6.5 hp has a rod that comes out of the housing and runs up to the handlebar like a two stage does. Problem is sometimes the chute on the 3650 gets stuck and you think you are going to break the rod off trying to free it. In other words, the 5 hp. was much easier and more trouble free with that design. I looked at the new toros out this year and see they have a cable running to a plastic handle to turn the chute with and I can't help but wonder how that will stand up. They all have a "20" inch throat and are pretty much the same otherwise I think.

seabird wrote:
Funny you should mention the Toro with the Suzuki engines.  I've recently have taken interest with those engines and would also like to pick up a used Toro to fix up over the spring/summer season.  Would you happen to know which models/year of Toro that has the Suzuki engines?  The new Toro are either Tecumseh or Toro's own engines.  I'm not sure how good is the Tecumseh 98cc engine that's on the Powerlites

i don't know the definitive dates and models but i believe the ccr1000/2000/3000 series and possibly a few other of the ccr models prior to the 2450/3650/snow commander had zuki engines.  these were made from the late 80's to mid 90's i think.  i havn't googled but i would be interested to know as well.  from what i understand the ccr2000 in particular with the 4.5 zuki engine was basically replaced by the 2450 with the toro rtek 5hp engine. i've heard that the hp rating on the zuki is under rated in this case is a stronger engine.  i was also told that the new toro single stage machines are fitted with plastic carbs and can be finiky sp?..but are cheap to replace at only 30-40 bucks. good luck and if you find out more on the zuki engine dates, please post them up.

Well my big snow thrower would start today but I picked up a used single stage  Ariens 722 a few weeks ago so I had my first opportunity to use it.  Here's a quick review.  We got about 4-5 inches of very wet, very heavy snow that was just starting to get an icy crust.  The machine did a great job of moving it as long as I was shooting it straight ahead.  I have a double wide driveway and it was too heavy for machine to let me start in the middle and blow it to the sides.  It would only throw the snow a few feet.  That was a shame because the remote chute lever works like a charm.  I think it would of thrown better had it been a fluffier snow. 

Anyway I just aimed the chute straight ahead and went from side to side and it did the job.  It even moved the EOD plowed stuff as long as I took half cuts and fed into it slow.  The only pushing I has to do was at the EOD.  The rest of the time I just lifted the handlebars and let the auger do the work.  Considering the heavy wet snow I'm satisfied with it but I would not want to be without my two stage.

seabird wrote:

I'm seeing quite a few CCR1000 and CCR2000 on craigslist that are selling 50%-75% price of a comparable new models.  I think these were trade-ins and someone fixed them up and post them for sale.  Prices are a little high though at this time of the year, probably can do better in the spring.

I think I try to find a cheap CCR2000 since this is the middle model with ample power.

aa335 wrote:

what exact prices are you seeing?  as a reference i bought 2 used ones for 100-140 each.  basically all that was needed were new paddles and a carb clean.  the cheaper one did require some work to the housing but nothing too costly.  when you are looking at them be sure to check out the belt housing cover at the bottom.  most are worn and allow snow to get in the belt area that in turn creates slippage.  you can do a diy fix or just buy the new part for around 25 bucks. 

seabird wrote:
I saw a CCR1000 used for $220 and a CCR2000 for $400.   Both of these have new paddles and scraper bar.  The carb is also cleaned.  The prices are still high though.

where abouts are you located? that does sound high unless they are in good shape (i.e. housing) with new paddles.

I'm in northern Illinois. 

i bought mine around the Buffalo area.  lots of good used machines around and of course the good ones go quick.  good luck.