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

I know it's late in the season , but I have a few questions on the 11528 Dlet pro. Are the tracked snowblowers alot harder to maneuver than the wheeled versions? Also my current  Ariens has the automatic traction control which works great, but what is the difference on the tracked models that have traction control with axle mounted lock out control? And also is the ground speed the same between the two snowblowers?  Thanks for your info.

The track drive DLET Ariens models use a planetary system. For lighter snow, you can use the unit in the unlocked mode to make it easy to steer, but you'll need to manually lock it out  (a knob at the axle)  for end of driveway stuff or deep snow. Ground speed is 40% less than wheel drive model top to bottom. In my opinion a track drive isn't necessarily less maneuverable than a wheel drive unit. From a pure turning standpoint, yes, but because of the greatly increased traction, there is less muscling the unit through heavier snow. You sort of just let the unit do all the work. This is especially true with the heavier units (Ariens, Yanmar, Yamaha). The Hondas, due to their relatively light weight, are more of a compromise between the two.

PK

That leads to a question I have regarding ground speed. In the upper gears, is it still fast enough? For example, if you have a light 3", do you find the top speed too slow?

Also, is there a way to get it to turn itself? For example, my MTD tracked unit lets me disengage either tread with a finger lever, thus making it turn pretty quick all by itself. Does the Ariens do something similar?

How about the Simplicity tracked model, does anyone know if it is the same way as the Ariens?