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

I'm in the market for a new snow blower and trying to narrow down my choices. I started a post here a month or so ago, with concerns on Simplicity's electric chute controls. As a brief recap, the primary use of this new snow blower will be to clear out a large corner lot, including a 3 car wide, 2 car length driveway. Due to the layout of the property, I have to blow the snow all the way over from one side of the driveway (across the 3 car widths) to the other side ... and over a row of 4 foot tall hedges on that other side.

Being that I feel more comfortable with mechanical parts rather than electric, I'm dropping the Simplicity out of the choices. My choices are coming down to either one of the Ariens platinum deluxe models (24" or 27") or one of the Toros with the easy turning features. In a nutshell, I'm trying to prioritize what's more important to me ... the really slick chute controls of the Toro or the wheel/traction mechanism of the Ariens platinum machines. I really like the idea of not having to worry about cable freeze-ups in the turning mechanism, which is why I would go platinum instead of just regular deluxe on the Ariens.

Any thoughts on this???

Thanks,

Bob

Bob, the Platinum Deluxe model does have the Quick Turn chute control that is easy to use and fast (locks and unlocks automatically). Have you used given it a try? The cap control is actuated separately though. The Automatic Traction Control and Quick Turn chute are great when you need to do alot of turning or blowing around obstacles (cars, buildings, landscaping, etc.). These types of features are less of a benefit when clearing large unobstructed areas.

One thing you may also want to consider is the throwing distance on the Ariens is tops. Consumer Reports indicated the 27" Deluxe threw farther than any unit ever tested. This included a 928 Honda that was evaluated simultaneously. You'll also save $200 to $300 dollars over the Toro and get the handwarmers to boot.

Not the Toro.

First of all they (consumer reports)didnt even use snow to evaluate the snow throwing distance on the snowblowers.They used wood chips.Secondly,after watching numerous videos on youtube,I have yet to see an Ariens throw snow farther than a Honda 928.Maybe snowmann can provide a tape of an Ariens throwing snow farther than a Honda....Its strange that Ariens wont tell me what those other machines r in their video. maybe snowmann can enlighten us...

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I have read a few of your posts and respect your opinions.

Snowmann: I have played with the Platinum Deluxe chute controls. To me the Toro's chute controls seem to work much smoother and easier. The Ariens Quick Turn chute controls I played with seemed to have a lot of play in them before locking into place. I'm guessing the weight/momentum of a steel chute swinging back and forth versus a plastic chute might have something to do with that. Just my observations. That's one of the reasons I liked the Toro's chute better ... that reason and also because both the turning and cap controls are integrated into one lever. Nice!

I'm glad you mentioned about the throwing distance of the 27" Deluxe. Are you referring to the Platinum Deluxe or regular Deluxe? ... or doesn't it matter? Throwing distance is important to me, especially when trying to launch the wet, heavy snow that the city plows leave at the base of the driveway across 3 car widths. Getting rid of the city plow stuff is the hardest part for me. I live on the very end of the block that the city plow gets to last. In other words, by the time the plow gets to my house, it already has a blade full of snow collected from going down the entire street before it gets to my house ... if you know what I'm trying to explain. (Also, do you know off-hand which issue of Consumer Reports that report was written in? If not, no big deal. I'm sure I can find it with a little searching).

If it helps to know, I also need to plow out openings from the sidewalk to the street in 3 different locations along the sidewalk.

The hand warmers sounds like a nice perk, but not necessary (to me). The dollar savings is always something to consider though.

Thanks again.

It takes a mighty machine to launch a full housing of heavy wet snow thirty to forty feet. Chances are that you might have to move the snow more than once. Particularly the end of driveway deposit.

I wouldn't be too enamoured with the gizmos. Machine build quality, engine power/reliability, simplicity of design, easy handling, snow moving efficiency and cost are most important. If you don't do your own maintenance, dealer support is also crucial. Go with the strongest, simplest, best built, least expensive machine you can find. Don't get dazzled by the "tinsel and toy" factor.

Personally I wouldn't go with the traction control on the Ariens.  I have read and heard that if you drive over a patch of ice with one wheel, then that wheel will be the only one spinning.  The other wheel that is off the ice will be unlocked, thus the machine won't move forward.  If you go with an Ariens then go with the deluxe series that doesn't have the traction control.  It is much simpler and you can have full time all wheel drive when needed.

Your other option is the Toro, but the 828oxe with the easy turn is $1700 MSRP!  Even if you got it for $1500 with a promotion it still would be a lot! I don't know your local prices but a Ariens dlx plat 24 is around $1300-1400 around here in CT.


If money is not a main concern then I would definitely recommend a Toro.  Others will come in and say they are cheap but that is not the case.

Quick Chute -  Yes it is mostly plastic but therefore it is light.  The amount of force needed to move it is therefore much less.  This is why it feels so smooth.  Also if you look at the bottom connection of the chute and bucket housing you will notice that there is a large "floating" gap.  Therefore there is no friction or chances of ice build up to jam the rotation of the chute.  Also the design has been around for almost six years.  In other words: it works!

Extended Housing intake - The housing area is larger so any snow that has not been thrown can get recycled into the impeller by the augers.  This is a plus since the machine only throws the amount it can throw, instead of overwhelming itself and throwing a shorter distance.

Freewheel steering - I have no personal experience with this feature, but comparing parts diagrams it looks more heavy duty than any other offerings out there.  A bonus of this feature is the ability to put the machine in to neutral by squeezing both triggers.  This is great when you want to back the machine up yourself, but you don't want to disengage the drive lever.


There are a couple local landscape companies that use the power max machines for snow removal in the winter.  I think they also use the single stage machines from Toro but that is besides the point.

opecrazy wrote:
This is incorrect. This would be the case with a planetary differential (which is why they are equipped with lockouts). The Auto Traction Control is completely different and does not require a lockout or any other operator interface (hence, Automatic).

Snowmann, I was not referring to the remote lockout models.  I was referring to the Automatic Traction Control machines.  I have read and heard that the "automatic" mechanism can get tricked and only supplies power to the slipping wheel, instead of the wheel that has actual grip.

In the scenario I illustrate, the wheel that is on the ice will continue to rotate, while the wheel on the ground will not move.  Once again because of the ATC mechanism.

opecrazy wrote:
Hmmm. Wouldn't you think it would work the opposite way? ... in that the power would be supplied to the wheel that still has the traction and not the one that's slipping?

The Automatic traction control is awesome! I really love it and it makes turning my machine so much easier.  30" machine like mine is a fairly large rig and I don't think I would ever go that size without it. As for the quick chute over traction control and throwing end of driveway snow far, I am with borat on that.  EOD is heavy, don't be surprised if you have to blow it twice, specially later in the season when the snow banks are high. I have all sorts of brand names around me and all in different sizes.  When the heavy wet packed snow comes into play, they all struggle to some degree.  As for the features, ditto again.. Look at the build quality of the machines in question.  But I must say, the traction control is nice.

To the poster taking about the traction control slipping on ice, when going straight..  I see that you read this information, can you post a link?  I have never had that happen to me and I get A LOT of ice in my drive.  I find it a bit hard to believe, but not impossible.

Blowing the EOD stuff twice wouldn't bother me. I want to find something that can go "through" it ... period. The snow blower I've been using as far back as I can remember is an old 1971 Ariens. (I'm 54). Where I live (NE Wisconsin), the last 2 winters have been unusually harsh. My 1971 snow blower couldn't get through the EOD stuff after many of our storms. It just would come to a complete halt when it hit the EOD stuff. Then I would have to bring out the hand shovel to finish the job. That's a lot of snow to carry around by hand (3 car wide driveway) and I don't want to ever have to do that again. I may have even torn a rotator cuff carrying the heavy wet snow around (... because I can't toss it 3 car widths). So anyway, that's a big reason why I'm looking for a new machine.

And one more thing I'd like to bring up ...

It seems that the higher end machines all have some kind of "gizmo" kind of chute on them. They're either some form of joystick control or electric. It's too bad the higher end machines aren't built with good old fashioned, simple and reliable, no-nonsense cranks.

You should really try this feature before you buy into any bogus hearsay or speculation. The Ariens ATC is a dual bidirectional over-running clutch. As such, the condition you describe is not possible. Once again, someone is confusing a planetary differential with the ATC or has a defective unit. The entire purpose of this mechansim is to omit this condition so a lockout is not required. "Bidirectional" refers to the fact that it operates whether you are moving forward or rearward. "Dual" refers to the fact that each wheel has it's own clutch. To unlock one of the wheels you need a relative over-running torsion accross the axle. The condition you describe would not provide this torsion. The ATC is all mechanical and cannot be "tricked" by certain conditions like computer controlled automotive ABS and traction control. The Ariens ATC technology is heavily used on all terrain UTV's and other off road vehicles that depend even moreso on this same function. If the condition you described were possible, these vehicles would not function to their intended purpose, nor would thy be equiped with this feature. It's also possible an unscrupulous dealer sold a 2006 model Pro as a 2007 or newer. Some are not forthright to avoid discounting non-current models. That is, this person might think they have an ATC equipped model when they have a planetary system.

Thanks Snowmann for clearing it up.  I guess I misinterpreted something or the dealer was flat out lying, or both.  At first it didn't make sense to me, but this dealer is respected so I mistakenly believed him.  Maybe he was thinking of the planetary differential?

Are there any manuals that show the ATC?  I would like to see a service or parts manual for it?

I would love to see an exploded diagram of the ATC.

After much agonizing over what to buy, I just took delivery of an Ariens Deluxe 30" Platinum snow blower. This thing is HUGE compared to the old 1971 24" Ariens which it is replacing. I'm hoping I didn't overdo it. I think it might take some adjusting to get used to handling a bigger machine. The reason I went with the 30" over the 24" was pretty much for the extra power of the 30-incher's larger 342CC 1650 series engine. I wanted to make darn sure that whatever I bought could handle the End-Of-Driveway stuff. For what it's worth, the features that drew me to the Ariens over the other brands were the tall chute (to shoot snow over a 4 foot row of hedges), the Automatic Traction Control (one less cable to freeze up), and a little bit of the decision had to do with a sense of loyalty to my home state (where Ariens is headquartered). Snow is in the forecast for Monday here. I'm not sure how much, but if we get a surprise accumulation of snow, I should be all set. Thank you all for your help! Bob

I used my Ariens Deluxe 24 for the first time yesterday, blowing about 7 inches of heavy snow from our drive.  It blew the snow fantastically, but there was one problem.

This model does not have Auto Traction... in fact, it doesn't even have a trigger unlock.  Hauling that beast around at the end of a pass was harder than I thought.  The tires really don't like to be pushed sideways.  Even with the machine moving forward, it take substantial effort to do a 180.  If the machine is stationary, turning it around is a bear.  I'm fairly fit, but this is ridiculous.  At the very least, Ariens should have installed a trigger lock on this unit-- only the 27" and bigger Deluxe machines have trigger locks.

I spoke to my OPE dealer and he is willing to upgrade me to a Platinum 24 (with Auto Traction and remote chute controls) -- he's asking me to take a $75 hit since I used the machine (but he'll waive the usual $40 delivery fee this time around).  I guess that's reasonable.  I feel a bit foolish for not carefully scoping out how hard this thing is to turn.  But since I'll be using it for years to come, I should get something I'm happy to live with.

I've been thinking of upgrading to  plain deluxe 27, but I might bite the bullet and go for the 24" Auto Traction model.  What a dillemma!

I would go for the one with the automatic traction control.  I used mine yesterday, and it was fantastic.  Even my wife was able to move it around and its the Pro 28.

Guinness wrote:
Thanks for the tip, Guinness.  I'll try the strategy of telling my wife that someday she'll have to/ want to/ will crave using the machine, and then she'll relish the easy turning, hand warming, halogen lighting and remote chute controls of the Platinum model. Brilliant!

snowgo wrote:

I had no idea what to buy,, but after finding this forum, I knew "you get what you pay for".

I too wanted to remain loyal to my home state. I just purchased a ST926DLE PRO. What a great machine...let it sonw...let it snow....let it snow......

Bill