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

Really these units are similar, but if you ask a dealer you'd think they were exact opposites.  Never used a lever traction system like the Toro, but did briefly try the auto trac on the Ariens.  I live 1/2 hr from Brillion WI and really do feel an attraction to Ariens, but that is another issue... Help me out guys!  I'll be pissed if I choose wrong.  Price is the same.

I was making the same exact decision about a month ago -- bought the Ariens and (without testing it yet) Im real happy with what I received. Plus, two words: Heated Handles!

What were the reasons you chose the Ariens?  Curious, I'll see if it is what I am thinking... 

mmiguy wrote:

I went with the Toro instead of the Ariens. My wife is small and no way could she turn the Ariens even with their fancy auto diff. The Toro is a snap to turn either way just pull the trigger and that's it. I have a huge driveway and can do the entire thing 1.5 hours max. The Ariens might be as fast but I had a Honda 928TAS and that was a hell of a lot more work to do the same job. Try the Toro before you buy. I have videos on YouTube just look for Toro 1028 and they'll come up. If you can't find them I can post links.

I had the same decision to make last year.  I went with the Ariens because of the shorter width ( I have a narrow path on the side of the house.  26" would have been a tight fit) and because the toro 826 never had free-wheel steering last year.  This year it does.  Overall, the snowblower is real good.  It's a bit heavy to turn, even with the auto traction control.  The toro was a lot easier to turn.  I think this is because the toro is about 6" longer.  Thus, the weight is more spread out and easier to move.  On the Ariens, the weight seems to be all on the back end because it's shorter.  The one thing that I have not liked about the Ariens is the Briggs engine.  It backfires on shutdown all the time.  I've only used the machine about 1 hour because we got so little snow last year.  I contacted Briggs about this and they've done nothing..  They say it's because of incomplete combustion in the chamber on shutdown.  This problem isn't Ariens fault, it's Briggs.  Overall, both are good machines.  But if Toro had freewheel steering on the 826 last year, I'd have gone with that one.  It's easier to move and I really liked the quick chute control.

The reasons I chose the Ariens were:

- Heated handgrips
- I preferred the all metal construction (yes, plastic doesnt rust -- and usually doesnt crack - but some people have had it happen)
- The joystick on the Toro was real cool -- but I had read stories of those breaking as well and liked the idea of the more simple, metal controls on the Ariens
- Reading user reviews around the web it seemed like just about everyone who had an Ariens loved it
- I knew where they were made - The Toro I think is made in the US, however I cant find anything from them or anyone else saying where that model is made specifically
- I liked that the Ariens was a bit more compact -- my shed is running out of room
- This one doesnt matter really but I liked the built in headlight on the Ariens more than the headlight on the Toro -- a cosmetic thing but its something I considered

Theyre both great machines -- and nearly identical in all aspects.  I dont find the Ariens hard to turn at all - in fact I think its really easy to move around (but I am a big guy so maybe Im bulling it a little and not noticing)

I must admit, I dont see how someone couldn't turn the Ariens.  The balance on the Toro is much further back so when you have that driven over snow to deal with, I can envision having to lift up on the handles to put the weight back down on the front scraper.   The ideal is to combine a few things of both, but that isn't going to happen.  If Toro had an auto traction control, they would charge a fortune for it.  There are a LOT of people with this exact decision to make.  I have a cheap MTD 5 hp thrower now with a plastic chute and havent had any troubles at all with it.  Put the quickchute on the Ariens and you have the best ever made.

The quickchute is nice -- but I gotta say that I find Ariens controls very easy to use and fast as well.  They dont get points for 'cool', and it might take an extra second if you need to change both chute direction and deflector height at the same time, but other than that I like the controls just fine.

I went with the Ariens Platinum 24". I think I'll be happy- $1150 plus tax Thanks to everyone for you input!

jviera1298 wrote:

I'd like to read some of those stories of the Toro's quick chute system breaking. I've looked and all I hear is people saying that they've heard of them breaking. From what I've seen for actual evidence they break there's not much out there. Plastic doesn't break, not like the old stuff this new stuff is really slick as well. If you prefer metal which dents that's ok. But don't say it breaks unless you've had a few of them break on you. My dealer who also sells Ariens says the few that have broken were from people backing their car into it or abuse like that. He also pointed out that those same things would have destryed a metal chute as well.

My wife weighs 84 lbs. and could not turn the Ariens. The Toro was very easy for her to use. Granted I blow most of the snow but she's always wanting to get her turn in on the Toro. But as I said Whatever brand you own is generally the one you will be in favor of. Toro's sell much faster than Ariens around here because they are fast and easy to use. Ariens work very well but the colleges here don't buy Ariens, just Toro's and Honda.

Everything you read online is hearsay (including what we can claim actually happened to our own equipment). Are the stories of the plastics cracking/breaking true? I dont know. Is what you're saying true? I dont know that either. It's a discussion board and were discussing what we've read - Ill still take steel over plastic anyday -- especially when the equipment will be subjected to a harsh environment. A dent and a crack are two totally different animals. The likelyhood of either happening to the chute isnt much - but it exists. I was at Home Depot a couple days ago re-examining my choice to go with the Ariens - and as smooth as the quick chute controls are, Im still happy with my steel Ariens -- and have zero doubt that the Toro chute would break before the Ariens one if the right object ever impacted it.