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

The final 3 in the running were the Ariens 27 Deluxe, Simplicity L1226E and Toro 826OE. Ariens started the $$$ range at $1100, Simplicity was about $1200 and Toro topped it at $1300. I think these were pretty fair prices even on the big blizzard's eve of destruction.

I was most impressed with the Toro 826OE for it's tight tolerances in the impeller housing (about 3 mm between impeller tip and housing) and the impeller bypass that recirculates excess snow back to the auger if it's feeding in too fast. This Honda-like fit makes for efficient use of the smallish Briggs and Stratton 250 cc and in fact it throws farther than my neighbor's low tech  MTD with a rip-snortin' hemi-like 312 cc.

The 826OE is not a loaded machine -- no fancy steering or heated grips -- just a sturdy, well designed thrower with a bright light and electric start. The lighter weight of the 250 cc allows for tossability even with both wheels pin-locked. Most wives though, would probably need one free wheel to handle it with confidence. The auger gearbox is so heavy duty that Toro eliminated the shear pins -- the dealer says engine stoppage or belt slippage is your cue to investigate. Plus the scoop housing and auger have a super glossy coating that's slicker than snot -- very little sticks to it.

I like the joystick chute control -- one hand quickly adjusts for windage and elevation.  I believe it might freeze up more readily than a traditional screw gear though.  At one point it felt a bit stuck, but a firmer tug on the joystick freed it. Aiming the chute is very easy and intuitive. You can do it on the fly and there's no "turn right to go left" like on a screw gear.

The intake is well sized to the engine. I tested it out in last week's snow. The 18" had settled to an icy 14" and I ran through it in each gear.  First and second gear were cake. Third was just right -- the engine settled into it's power zone and was throwing about 35 feet.  Fourth worked almost as good as third but was uncomfortably fast around obstacles. In fifth the engine began to bog, but throwing distance was not affected much.  In sixth the engine bogged noticably and throwing distance dropped to about 20 feet. So fourth handled open stretches and second and third gave greater confidence around cars. 

The final test was EOD -- where my old 5 HP MTD would plop out ice turds and die. The plow had left 3 foot high frozen ridges imbedded with bits of gravel. Using first gear the Toro chewed right into these and flung it nicely about 20 feet. The engine was working hard in the power zone but not lugging.

I paid a bit more for the Toro 826OE, but I'm pleased with the sturdy construction and overall quality. 

joed wrote:

I have the 1028OXE and believe me the dual freewheel steering is well worth it. My 84 lb wife can operate it without any problems. Well she still gets a bit nervous but she does ok. The freewheel steering is a dream! So easy to use, try it and you'll see.

Now if I can just stop getting flat tires from roofing nails from when they redid our roof!

joed wrote:
The answer will depend on the age and physical condition of the responder's back.  25 years ago it was nothing for me to muscle around a large snow thrower with both wheels locked.  Today, with a suspect back, I want a machine with either free-wheel steering or a differential.  So personally I think that it's a desirable feature.  Especially since a good snow thrower can last many years...and the back you have today may not be the back you have a few years from now.

joed wrote:

A machine the size of the 826 (at 220 lbs) is about the heaviest I would want to muscle around with both wheels pin-locked.
Of course the other option is to unlock (un-pin) one wheel and put up with a little torque steer when trying to go straight and a
tendency to want to turn easier away from the powered wheel and more difficult into it.

The single axle unlockers (Ariens Deluxe series) are merely an operator controlled means of "un-pinning" a wheel with the
same limitations on steering.

Try these two systems on pavement at the dealer and see what you think. Pavement will demonstrate the worst case turning
difficulty as the wheels will slip more easily on snow. 

If you want full benifit from power steering, upgrade to systems like Simplicity/John Deere Easy Steer,
Toro Freewheel Steering or Ariens Automatic Traction Control.  If the lady of the house will be using the machine, power
steering is usually required.

On the downside, a power steering system requires more maintenance (cables, linkages, differentials) and adds to the
potential for mechanical failure.

samdog wrote:
Wait a minute...now I'm confused.  I thought that the handgrip mounted unlocker lever on the Ariens Deluxe series was the same system used on the Simplicity and Toro and is designed to remotely un-pin and re-pin a wheel.  (Toro has levers for both wheels).  I also believed that the only upgrade to this system was on the Ariens Pro series which has a true differential.

Yes, I believe Toro uses dual unlockers for unrestricted turning in both directions.
(It's the use of only one unlocker that limits turning.)

The Simplicity/John Deere Easy Steer is a differential and I believe Ariens Auto Traction Control
is a differential as well. The Deluxe Platinum uses Auto Traction Control as well as the Pro Series.
See the Ariens spec sheet here:  http://www.ariens.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Sno%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf

samdog wrote:
I guess what is confusing me is the description of Easy Steer that Simplicity uses on their website.  It sounds like the same single remote unlocking lever that Ariens uses on their Deluxe line. 

http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snow-throwers/signature-pro-commercial-duty-dual-stage/

Signature Pro Commercial Duty Dual-Stage Features

• Easy-Turn™ helps you navigate even the toughest turns with little effort. Simply pulling the trigger on the handle releases the drive power to the right wheel for easy maneuvering and 180° turning. Easy-Turn is standard on all large frame two-stage models.

The Ariens I saw were the same system as Simplicity which were next to each other and the Toros were in front of the Ariens in teh showroom so easy to compare. The Toro's have a dual control and work well. Ariens and Simplicty work the same way according to the dealer. They must be big NASCAR fans since they only turn left. LOL

Yeah, I stand corrected about Simplicity. John Deere's description of Easy Steer is more vague
and sounds like a differential, so since Simplicity makes Deere I assumed they must be similar.

Deere refers to a "Quick Pull-Knob style wheel differential" on the 827 and
"Easy Steer® drive system giving continuous power to both wheels and auto speed adjustment" on the
upper level 1130.

I didn't look as closely at Simplicity as I did at Ariens and Toro. My bad.

You've got your research down. You just need to go out and drive them.

I blame the manufacturers.  I think that they do a poor job of describing their feature and benefits in both their print brochures and web sites.  They use all kinds of fancy words to describe features without drilling down to what it all means.

I agree.  Some seem to go out of their way to over complicate what basically is a rudimentary technology.