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

Briggs and Stratton was not going let time stand still and let Toro have all the limelight.

http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snow-throwers/compact-single-stage/

Looks like the offspring of the venerable Toro 2450/3650/221/421 auger paddles, the Honda HS621 bucket and chassis, and the handle/console design of the Honda HRX mowers.

And you can get it with a headlight, a first of its kind for a single stage snowblower.  :)



Also available in the Snapper appearance package. 

http://www.snapper.com/products/snow-throwers/compact-single-stage/

And maybe a John Deere appearance package will be available in a year or two later, with Deere's usual icing on top .

Looking good.  Can't wait to check out this thing in person.

It looks really promising - the auger design seems to be "Correct" in the vein of the Toros. Its a shame they put those 4 strokes in there and not the R*Tek, which Briggs owns/makes anyways. Oh well. Good to at least have some attention on the single stage front!

Isn't Toro and Troy-Bilt  the only brands that still has 2 stroke powered snowblower?  Not sure how they can keep making them in light of EPA mandates.

superbuick wrote:

Completely agree about the 2 stroke issue.

Marc

FrankMA wrote:
I'd like to however I can't find anyone that sells this thing.
While calling the dealers that came up on Snappers site I discovered Sno Tek by Ariens has a single stage snow blower. It is not on their website. I called Ariens and CS said yes it is a current production model. The model number is 938022.

Me thinks that Ariens Sno Tek is a Simplicity!!
Take a look at the Sno Tek then look at the Simplicity!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=280554870324

I think it's a huge mistake for Ariens to have this single stage snowblower in the Sno Tek product line. That black Darth Vader paint scheme is horrid.

The Snapper and Simplicity version of this snowblower looks great.  Hopefully, the John Deere version will be available soon.

aa335 wrote:
I agree, I did confirm this directly from Ariens Tech Support today. That snowblower is contracted to Briggs for Ariens thus the look alike. 

FrankMA wrote:

I love  single stage paddle drive machines but not at $700. At that price point I would prefer a compact no frills  2 stage. You can get an Ariens ST22 LE delivered new for $799 with electric start and a light. That's an internet deal to the lower 48 States.

Marc

mml4 wrote:

Yeah, that's a little pricey but if you really want or need a single stage with some bells & whistles, this one seems to fit the bill. Just having the light makes a huge difference. I always wondered why this one "extra" would be considered an option instead of a standard feature. Do the manufacturers think people only clear snow when there's daylight??? Seriously, It gets dark around 4:00 - 4:30 pm and the sun does'nt rise until about 7:00 am or so during the depths of winter. There are no street lights where I live and when it gets dark you can't see your hand in front of your face!

mml4 wrote:
That's a personal preference.  Not exactly apples and apples comparison.  One is a high end single stage, the other is a entry level 2 stage.

I bet that single stage will run circles around the 2 stage while cleaning the snow down to the pavement in most applications.   Except for the end of drive pile, where the metal auger on the 2 stage unit is more suitable for that task.

My personal opinion is that I rather have a refined single stage snowblower that does 90% of what a entry level 2-stage can do.  They are close in price, but operating and handling them is massively different.