Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > 24" 2 stage snowblower
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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gotoguy
Joined: Nov 8, 2010
Points: 12
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24" 2 stage snowblower
Original Message Nov 8, 2010 10:28 am |
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which of these 3 is the most powerful and reliable? Simplicity I1224E @ $1099, Ariens ST24E Deluxe @ $996, Ariens ST24DLE Platinum @ $1,290, Husqvarna 11524E @ $1,300 or Husqvarna 924SB @ $850 Any other brands, models that are better and why? Also which engine do I want....Briggs, Subaru or LCT?
This message was modified Nov 8, 2010 by gotoguy
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aa335
 
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: 24" 2 stage snowblower
Reply #17 Nov 26, 2010 9:16 am |
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I was fortunate enough to buy one of the last Simplicity snow throwers built in the Wisconsin plant. It was a year old when I bought it from an out of the way farm implement/tractor dealership. The machine had sat for a year in a shipping container out back. When I picked it up, they had the machine in the service bay putting fresh oil in it. They had also performed a carburetor repair in accordance with a B&S engine recall/service bulletin. The machine was all cleaned up and they had an inspection sheet with each dealer preparation item checked off. They reviewed the check list with me because that was one of the remaining boxes on the check list that was not checked off. Those guys were thorough. As a result, I took home a machine that was properly serviced and adjusted.
I've done some little tweaks to it here and there and have nothing but praise for this thing. I put it through it's paces this morning due to five or six inches of wet snow/rain we received overnight. I've recently visited an Simplicity dealer. I looked at the Signature pro model, the smallest one they have, P1524, I think. I walked away thinking it's a bit better built than other brands, but nothing that impresses me. The notched chute deflector adjustment on the console was a big no no. It was notchy and too stiff. After trying out for a few minutes, I say I could do without the channel welded handles. It looks impressive, but offers no advantage in stiffness. In fact, it was just heavy for the sake of being heavy. The channel could potentially be used for better and cleaner cable routing, but that wasn't the case. I don't have previous model to compare with in terms of build quality, but from what I've seen on the current model, it's blah. Definitely one of the negative effects of cross-platform sharing.
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gotoguy
Joined: Nov 8, 2010
Points: 12
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Re: 24" 2 stage snowblower
Reply #18 Dec 27, 2010 7:50 pm |
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to close this thread, after checking out each of the blowers above, I just purchased an Ariens Platinum 24" blower model # 921017 from a local equipment dealer. Paid $1,299+ tax Initial comments are that the unit appears to be assembled and prepped well. All the critical fasteners and components have a chaulk mark next to/on them. All systems/features appear to be functioning correctly and I'm happy to report that after a dozen starts and stops and 20 minutes run time the Briggs 1150 249cc Polar Force engine has yet to backfire. Thanks to those that replied as well snowmann and slinger to my PM. as a follow up to my purchase...got to use my new blower a few hours ago following the1st storm of the season last night. My Ariens Platinum 24" had no problem with handling 18"+ as well EOD but the front weight kit and tire chains both of which I will order tomorrow should only improve removal. BTW, engine still hasn't backfired when shutting it down from full throttle.
This message was modified Dec 27, 2010 by gotoguy
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Steve_Cebu
Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888
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Re: 24" 2 stage snowblower
Reply #19 Dec 27, 2010 9:44 pm |
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as a follow up to my purchase...got to use my new blower a few hours ago following the1st storm of the season last night. My Ariens Platinum 24" had no problem with handling 18"+ as well EOD but the front weight kit and tire chains both of which I will order tomorrow should only improve removal. BTW, engine still hasn't backfired when shutting it down from full throttle. My Toro will ride up if i go too fast even in light stuff but that is more because of my driveway than the machine itself. My wife works out so I have plenty of weight plates lying around. But for me it won't help even in 3 inches of light stuff it pops up too easily on the slight rolling in the driveway and the EOD is way off camber so no love lost there. It's ok tho as 3rd is a comfortable walking speed and I use 1st or 2nd for the EOD to get all of it on the first pass. Going down the driveway I can go much faster than up it.
"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England." "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
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