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

By checking out the John Deere web site and a local John Deere dealer (they had the top-of-the-line 1332PE model on display), I've noticed four different drive systems for their four dual stage blowers, respectively.  By the way, they all use Briggs engines. 

John Deere web site:  http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/category/HO_SNOW.html?tm=ho&link=prod_equip_page

I have a few questions:

1)  928E---"Knob style wheel differential system" (quoting the web site)
   
     Is this a real differential, and if so, is it the same as the older Ariens that have the differential lock-out knob on the left wheel (here it's the
     right wheel)?

2)  1130SE---"Easy SteerŽ drive system giving continuous power to both wheels and auto speed adjustment" (quoting the web site)

     What do they mean by the "Easy Steer" having "continuous power to both wheels"?  Is it locked dual-wheel drive or a true
     differential, or do you pull a lever or something to disengage a wheel, or what (like the Simplicity blowers and Ariens 927LE)? 
     What is "auto speed adjustment?

3) 1332PE---"Quick Turn drive system; single trigger locks one wheel while other turns" (quoting the web site)

     This sounds to me like the Simplicity "Easy Turn" feature, or the Ariens 927LE, both having those levers you pull to disengage one wheel.
     True, or there some hidden meaning?


Thanks very much for anyone who can give me some very specific answers to these questions. 

If I remember correctly there was a time when Ariens was manufacturing snowblowers for John Deere and the so called "Professional" John Deere's had the differential. I don't know if they are doing it again or not.

The reason the marketing/sales folks do this is to confuse and muddy the waters so that you think you are getting something you aren't. Its also due to attempts at market differentiation. Another reason is that sometimes one company has trademarked the generally accepted and understood name and forces competitors to come up with something else to describe the same thing. As that progresses the names gets weirder and weirder. I can sort of understand it in that the original trade marking company probably spent a lot of time and effort to make "their" term the generally accepted and understood name for whatever is being described and wish to keep the benefits to themselves, at the same time its very confusing for the consumer.

If you think snowblowers are bad you should look at the confusion in wood finishing products.

Ariens did at one time make some blowers for John Deere.  If I'm not mistaken from some things I read a few months ago, Briggs owns Simplicity (?).  That would explain why the John Deeres look so much like Simplicity blowers, and why they are so well built.  That 1332PE I saw was a tank, and impressive.