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

I have been looking at toro 826, ariens 927dlx, simplcity 9528 and JD 1130 [which I understand is a simplcity in JD green]. I have a 250ft driveway mostly one car width. I know there is some differences in sizes , but they are close to my budget of $2000 canadian taxes in. Will the 826 handle the heavy wet snow as easy as the larger Simplicity and JD models. It is hard to get a straight answer out the salesman,so I will ask questions on here.  Cast iron gearboxes vs aluminum, does it matter?  The chute rotation gears in the toro are plastic , in the ariens they are plastic and steel  vs. both steel gears in the simplicity and JD . Is that a concern for the future? What are your thoughts on these models longevity? Help me pick the right !st snowblower.

mikiewest wrote:
Well I guess we all have our own opinions. And I am a yuppie for purchasing one. ;-)

Plastic is plastic, but without it lots of stuff wouldn't exist. Toro offers five years on all their "plastic" HDPE. Oh, and plastic doesn't rust and cause snow sticking.

But that doesn't matter anymore since I recommended the Simplicity anyways for the OP conditions.

Like I said,steel will rust but it doesnt take much time and effort to touch it up and u wont have a sticking problem...The snowblowers that r 30+ yrs old r steel not plastic my friend.

I find that using the the term "sports car" of snow throwers amusing. What kind of marketing ploy is that? Who, in their right mind would swallow that line? It's funny how some people can be herded in a certain direction simply by suggestion. If a sales person was to lay that line on me, I'd laugh at him. It's a snow thrower. A machine designed to throw snow so you can get to your "sports car". I'm certain there are enough people out there willing to delude themselves into thinking they're having more fun throwing snow than the poor fellow next door with the Ariens or Craftsman or whatever. The Toro guy, in his own mind, may be having more fun, but the other guys, in most cases, will have their driveways cleared just as soon as the Toro guy and some even sooner. But hey! The Toro guy will burn some donuts in the driveway for us when he's done!

Personally, I think Toro machines are fine snow throwers. Plastic and all. I just find that they're over priced and the dealerships that I'm exposed to tend to be arrogant. That is the part I find hardest to accept. Arrogance for what? There are numerous machines out there just as good and some better for less money. What's there to be arrogant about. Even Honda dealerships don't have attitude as bad as the local Toro dealer.

By the way, the 9528 is the same as the 1428 which is the first size large frame Simplicity with the cast iron gear case. It's more like the "tractor" of snow throwers.....

when u buy the sports car of snowblowers, do u get a latte also??lol....

does anybody know for sure if the JD 1130 is a true simplicity or does it have some murray mixed in?

I think Snowmann said the JD had a Murray drive system back in 2008. Don't know if that has changed for this year, but the bucket and chute are simplicity design.

Snowmann wrote:
http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/30234-0-1.html

granville wrote:
The "Large" Simplicity platform and it's derivatives (JD 1130 is one of them) have significant Murray based DNA (frame, traction driveline, handlebars, belt drives, auger and traction clutch systems). The blower head is the only legacy Simplicity assembly. You can compare part's manuals online to confirm this. The "Large" platform Simplicity was the first compromise made with their snow products after Briggs acquired them in 2005. There are a few folks on this forum that are happy with them, but the fact is they are not of the same grade as competitive premium units.

borat wrote:
About this post, you're comparing apples and oranges. You're comparing a 28" Simplicity unit with a 9.5hp (1350 series) engine to smaller units with Briggs 249cc engines (the engines themselves are a full 20lb lighter than the 1350+ series engines). The Ariens you're referring to is also a 24", not 26". With like engines and housing widths, these units are all within a few pounds of each other. Lastly, while the published dry weight of the Simplicity 9528 is 255lbs, it's actual dry weight is 247lbs. It's not uncommon for published numbers like this to be inaccurate. MTD and Husqvarna are notorious for such innaccuracy. In the end, with weights this close, it reveals little about product durability.

wrote:
Did the Briggs & Stratton take over effect the build quality while the machines were still being built in Simplicity's Wisconsin plant? From what I've read, B&S shut down the Wisconsin plant in 2007 and moved production to their Georgia facility. Do you think that they re-tooled the Wisconsin plant to produce the "Murray content" machines prior to shutting down the plant? That doesn't seem to make sense to me. My Simplicity is a 2007 model, built in 2006 in the Wisconsin plant. It's built like a tank.

I agree that all of the domestics are going in the wrong direction regarding build quality. They'll be able to extract a premium for their name until their machines become problematic and lose customer confidence. Thankfully, we'll still have top notch Honda and Yamaha machines to choose from despite their excessive cost.

I'll never understand why domestic manufacturers are willing to compromise hard earned reputations and build quality for short term profit. That's what's wrong with our modern manufacturing model. It's no wonder why the Chinese are handing us our a$$es. As our manufacturing quality deteriorates, their's improves. If that's not a recipe for domestic manufacturing doom, I don't know what is?

borat wrote:

They're not compromising, they're exploiting.  The people running these compaines are not the people who work on them, or the people who build them.  They don't care what kind of crap they sell as long as they get their money.  Hondas aren't cheap but GIVE ME A BREAK there's very very little difference in the cheap junk and the "pro" models today.  The very small differences are left in place to justify their channel partners.  That's it.