My experience with snowblowers is from my own personal use, but also as a tech for a service company I talk with dozens of property managers all over New England. Hospitals, colleges, entire school districts, I've probably got 30 maint. manager's phone #s on my cell phone. Over the course of a Winter the topic of snow removal comes up. Nobody is buying Ariens anymore.
I'd have to argue against your statement that "Nobody is buying Ariens anymore." Ariens may have lost the customers you noted but they are still selling a boat load of product through Home Depot and other outlets to the consumer at large. So much so that in 2009, in the middle of a significant recession, this small family owned (non-public) company completed three significant acquisitions. They acquired Treker Utility Vehicles which they re-branded as Gravelys, Parker Lawn Care Company (commercial vacuums and chippers), and Kee Mowers also re-branded as Gravelys. Also during the last year their own R&D department developed and launched the first commercially available all electric riding lawn mower.
Look if it were up to me all OEM's would still be "making them like they used to". My Dads 7hp 1976 Snowbird can still hold it's own against anything made today...foreign or domestic. However as we've all seen OEMs go broke or get acquired, the Ariens Company is doing what it has to do in order to not only survive but grow. If that means a shift in their targeted market, and it works for them, then so be it. I suspect that none of us ever had the responsibility of balancing the books of a OPE manufacturer so I'm not going to question Ariens strategy.
Having said that, I really do miss the good old days when all products were well made and comparatively priced. And when a company's market share and brand loyalty were driven by the quality of service provided by their network of authorized dealers.
http://www.gravely.com/uv/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.parkersweeper.com/parker-lawn-care-categories.php
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10635960
