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

I'm trying to decide between getting the Toro 826 2 stage snowblower with the 249 cc Briggs engine and freewheel steering or the Ariens 22" compact model with the 169 cc Robin subaru engine.  I need to clean about
2000 square feet of interlock along with my neighbor's yard when he's away in Florida on his winter vacation.   Any reviews, suggestions?  Thanks.

I just picked up that exact Ariens a couple of weeks back, but I am still waiting for some snow to test it out in. My initial concern was about the motor as well. All accounts on here have been good for the subaru sx motors, but not much real world stories. My previous machine was a 24" with a 5.5hp l-head so I don't think that this motor will be any weaker than that by any means, and from what I have heard it is about a match for the 205cc Briggs. The motor on the Toro you are looking at is a 249cc so it should be a bit more powerfull. Probably comperable to the subaru sx21 (wish I could have gotten that motor). The way I look at it the 22" width may be a help to the smaller subaru motor as a wider bucket would only cause it to bog down more. As soon as I have a chance to use my machine I will def post an update on here as it appears a few people have been looking into this machine lately. In my area we mostly get pretty wet and heavy snow so hopefully this machine is up to the job, it certainly looks put  together well, and pretty stout for the price. I like the compact size, manuverability and ease of storage that comes with this machine.

Forcast says we might get some snow the end of this week, as far as if it'll be enough to try this bad boy out remains to be seen...

shiva916 wrote:
Thank you for the response Shiva.  Keep me update as to how your machine fares in the snow.  How is the transmission on that compact unit?  Does it move the machine at a good pace?

joed wrote:
The amount and type of snowfall you get would lead me more towards a Toro Single Stage than the Ariens Compact 22". It appears that for the most part, you would benefit more from the single stage than the 2 stage. Maneuverability, narrow width, interlocking pavers you don't want to scratch, patios and walkways, mainly 4" to 6" snowfall amounts, rain/snow mix, cost, etc... are all areas where a single stage has the advantage over a 2 stage. You could always tackle the EOD stuff by either staying on top of it throughout a storm (clearing it several times), attacking it in small bites or using the tried and proven shovel method of chopping the slop into a more manageable slop that the single stage can handle easier. It's a tough call as either one would fit your needs fairly well. Whatever you decide their will most likely be instances where buyers remorse rears its ugly head. You could always buy both and have all your bases covered!

FrankMA wrote:

Thanks for the response. I appreciate your advice. I was thinking of the same thing. Perhaps going with a compact 22" Ariens for the EOD stuff and a toro single stage for everything else. I was looking at the 221q or even the little Power Clear 180. The 221q is pretty big for a single stage. Combining it with the Ariens would take up too much space in my already crowded garage. So, I was thinking of that little power clear 180 with the 87 cc engine but I don't know much about it.

One suggestion might be to buy either a 221Q or 421Q and see how it performs this coming winter. It might be all you need to get everything done including the EOD. I think if you took your time on the biggest of storms, you'd be OK with a large single stage like the 221 or 421. That 421Q has a 163 cc 4 cycle power plant which should be plenty of power for heavier snowfalls and EOD issues. If you read through some of the older posts, you'll find plenty of folks that get by using just a single stage and have no problems at all. Some will start an argument if you even suggest that they consider a 2 stage....

Good luck my friend!

I would also second that recommendation by FrankMA.  Go with the 221Q or 421Q, skip the Powerclear 180 which I think is anemic compared to the Powerlite 325 which it replaces.  If you must get a small single stage as a companion to a 2 stage, get a used Powerlite.  They are very abundant used.

Hi Joe, as the guys above mentioned, having the ariens compact and the 221 may be a bit redundant. I'd pick one of the other and go from there. If you chose the 221 and felt it wasn't good enough for your needs, they seem to hold their resale pretty well. I'm not sure about the Ariens compact but I would assume that being a good, high quality unit as Ariens are, it should as well. You could also keep the 221 (which I find myself using my 221 for 98% of snowfalls around here anyways) and get a larger 2 stage when space or $$ is less of an issue. As Frankin MA mentioned, it might not be a bad idea to try one or the other and see how it performs over the winter for yo. Good luck :-) By the way, I took your advice on upgrading to the Echo PB770. It was great advice and I love the new blower - makes short work of the leaves :-)

Hi Joe, I know your question was a few posts back but as far as the tranny and speed on the compact 22...the tranny on the machine appears to be the same as the other Ariens Disk-O-Matic machines as far as I know. Speed wise you would normally be using speeds 1-3 for normal use as far as i can see just mving the machine around. There are 6 forward speeds and the fastest of those will leave you at a brisk pace which I can't see being used other than to move the machine around. I would not worry about speed with this machine.

As far as the single stage discussion, I agree that typical snow falls of around 6" may be better served by a good single stage. You don't list where you live but along the coast in MA where we might not get the big snow storms that they do to the north but we usually end up with some pretty heavy snow which I see better served by a smaller 2 stage. I live on a cut through road the and the plows make pretty frequent passes so the EOD can pile up pretty quick. A street in either directions get about 20% of the passes that I get here by the town plows so the EOD there may not be as bad but it's to the point that a single stage would be pretty useless to me at the EOD. I have used one in the past and it typically involved a lot of cutting up the pile with a shovel and then taking small bites with the single stage. I don't think you can go wrong with most Toro single stages as a neighbor next door has used one for 20+ years and it has served him well. Keep in mind he is retired and is typically out multiple times each time the plow goes by to keep ahead of the EOD mess. Working all day I come home to a pretty big pile at the EOD hence my desire for a 2 stage.

Thanks to everyone for the amazing advice. I appreciate it. If I were to go single stage, which is better the 221 or 421? I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As mentioned. Typical snowfalls for us are 4-6" but the end of the driveway stuff can get nasty, especially when I come home from work. That's why I was thinking 2 stage. My neighbor has a toro 2 stroke single stage. It works good on his driveway but not so good on his EOD pile. I'm actually leaning towards biting the bullet and getting the Toro 826. Lot of money for me but maybe I should just spend it once. Dealer says he can put some rubber underneath the skid shoes to protect the interlock. Just not sure about that Briggs engine? Superbuick, glad you are enjoying the Echo PB770. It was great for me during leaf season too. The newest one that surpasses the Echo PB770 is the Shindaiwa EB854. What a blower this thing is.

What's your concern with the Briggs engine?  I've got a 305cc Intek Snow engine with Kool Bore on my Simplicity.  It's got about 75 hours on it and it's been a very good engine so far.  I have noticed that it uses a bit of oil.  However, not enough to be concerned about.  It starts on the first pull, is fairly easy on fuel and is very strong.   I never used to be a big Briggs and Stratton fan but from my experience with this engine, I've since learned to appreciate them.