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

I lucked out Sunday, October 23 (my birthday) by landing a 2008 Toro 1028LXE (with Tecumseh L-Head, 10hp) for only $599.  It was almost brand new.  This retailed for $1799, just like the current 1028OXE with a Briggs 305cc.  The man at the farm said on the phone that he probably should have sold it for more but that he would honor his ad.  He didn't seem to mind.  I'd been debating between Ariens (like a Platinum 24) and the Toro 1028OXE.  In another thread, I mentioned that maybe something would turn up on Craigslist.  It did.  Now to see how well all those plastic parts hold up, like the steering triggers.  Plastic triggers with plastic hinges.  Small parts, so we'll see.  Plastic hand levers, and plastic chute controls.  Plastic control deck.  I do like the look of this blower and it's conveniences, but now I can actually play with it this winter and see how much I really like it, and test the robustness.  I had to slightly re-position the chute-lock lever cable that's under that plastic cover because the lock wasn't releasing from the gear quite enough.  It was hitting the gear as I swung the chute around.  Now fixed and works perfectly.

I still haven't ruled out an Ariens Platinum 24 at some point because it was my original intention, anyway, until this hot deal popped up.  Couldn't pass it up for that price.  Runs good, too. 

Anyone else been through a sudden change of direction like mine? 

I'm sure you'll be happy with your new Toro. The plastic levers hold up well as long as you don't abuse them.

That plastic can really take a beating.

Also remember I had a Honda 928TAS and returned it and got the Toro 1028OXE. You got a killer deal!

Thanks, Steve.  It's weird how it happened.  Presto, it appeared, and then within less than a day, I have a Toro.  I have to say I am basically an Ariens guy, but now I can at least play with the Toro and see what happens.  It seems to be pretty nice so far.

coasteray wrote:

Well keep us updated on how well it works out for you over the season. Did the guy say how old it was?

coasteray wrote:

Sort of... I was not in the market for a new or used snowblower when I got a hold of my slightly used Honda HS928TA. I was fairly content with my then Honda HS624WA but had always felt I could use more HP as my snow clearing duties increased quite a bit (about 6 fold) when I purchased a new home with substantially more land than my old home. A friend that worked in the aerospace industry got a chance to relocate down south and I found out he was looking to 86 his fairly new, low hour Honda HS928TA. I had my apprehenions about the track drive for sure but the deal was very reasonable and I figured if I did not like the track drive I would just turn around and sell it and pick up something else. I knew I could sell it for equal to or more than I paid so the risk was fairly low and I felt it was worth a shot. Again - I was not looking for a snowblower so this was all kind of happening pretty quickly and I had to make a decision before I lost my opportunity (it only knocks once as they say)!

Going into my 2nd season with my new to me snowblower and I enjoy using it quite a bit. It did take time to figure out how to work the track drive and not let it work you, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. It plows through the EOD garbage like nothing else and going up my slightly sloped driveway has never been easier. I use my single stage blowers for the 6" or less snow amounts (so much easier to move around) and reserve the big boy for the heavier snowfalls

Congratulations and good luck with your new toy and let us know how it works out for you!

Steve_Cebu wrote: It was advertised as 2008.  The blower manual he gave me says 2007, while the Tecumseh manual he gave me says June 2008.  Both of these came with the blower.  According to the 2008-2009 Toro snowblower catalog, Toro was still using Tecumseh.  Then in 2008-2009, they switched to Briggs because of the demise of Tecumseh.


FrankMA wrote:


Thanks, guys.  It should be fun to see how this blower works in real life conditions instead from testimonies from current users.  It will be very interesting, I'm sure.  Can't wait.  The late night TV news said we had a few flurries in my area.  Wow.

I'm still feeling weird for the fact that just last Saturday, I almost went out to a dealer to buy the Ariens Platinum 24.  I was getting tired waiting, but didn't do it due to lack of time.  Then about 11pm Saturday night, I saw the Craigslist ad for a Toro 1028LXE for $599.  I stared at the ad thinking "What?  $599?"  I emailed him immediately to see if it was still for sale (it was online since 3pm Friday).  I went to the bank and got $400 from the ATM (the limit), and then went to my son's house.  He "just happened" to have $200 in his wallet because he's buying stuff for house renovations.  He laughed when he pulled it out.  I laughed and said that maybe it's a sign :). 

Then I borrowed my other son's Chevy Astro cargo van, put in my folding aluminum ramp, and waited for the man to call me.  He did mid-Sunday morning when I was at Lowe's.  I was his first call.  My wife wrote down his directions as I dictated them.   I immediately drove west about 30 miles to his farm next to I-90.  I think it helped in my email to him that I already had cash ready to go.  He said one lady emailed offering $400.  He replied to her saying she needed to re-read the ad.  Well, I got there and looked it over, we ran it, etc., and then I paid him $600 cash, and he helped me load it up.  Me, a guy who really loves and wanted an Ariens, and here I am loading up a Toro  :)  :).  Hey, the price was unbeatable. (Sorry, Ariens, um, um, gotta wait 'til later)

Now I would like to share a couple of pictures, but I can't get that to work.  Abby's says use Flickr.  Well, it doesn't give a ".jpg" at the end of the URL, so I'm not yet able to put any pix here.  My oldest son is a computer programmer.  I'll ask him.

Well yu just might go from being an Ariens guy to a Toro guy.

I use Photobucket to post pics here, it's easier than Flickr. You sign up for an account and upload your pics and select the second option on Photobucket which is "Direct link"   then on here (Abby's) you select the icon with a mountain and insert the link in there and that's it. Easy!

Steve_Cebu wrote:


We'll see, Steve.  Wow.  Nice picture here.  I will definitely try Photo Bucket as you have described.   My son has mentioned it.  

On my "new" Toro 1028LXE, the Tecumseh L-Head engine label says 358cc.  I figure that's MAYBE the same as a 342cc Briggs, based on the idea that L-Head engines aren't as efficient as OHV engines.  Or is it closer to a Briggs 305cc?  Using that formula I've seen a few times on this forum and elsewhere (HP = torque x 3600 divided by 5252), I get  about 11.31hp for my engine and for the 342cc Briggs (16.50 Briggs torque x 3600 divided by 5252 = 11.31).  If based on 305cc (torque of 14.50), then it drops to 9.94hp.  I think the formula is pretty decent.  I know the "10" in the model number is supposed to be 10hp, while the "L" is referring to the L-Head engine.


Here are some photos of my "new" Toro 1028LXE.  I thought my front yard with the leaves would make a colorful backdrop for the rather colorful Toro.  Pretty good for $600 from Craigslist.  Thanks to Steve for the instructions about using Photobucket.  Sorry to be so late getting these up, but I've never uploaded photos to this forum before.
  
             
        

As much as I like colorful leaves, I kinda like the color of these:

        

One of my sons using his Ariens ST824 (1993 model) blowing out my backyard driveway which leads to our alley, which leads to our side street.  I am two houses from that street.   You might say I have an EOA (End of Alley) instead of the EOD (End of Driveway).  I also have an EOS (End of Sidewalk) which leads from my house to the main street in front.  I have no front driveway, so no EOD.  I also have to clear out the front curb for any parking taking place there.  Then comes the city plow to wreck that effort.   This is Christmas Day 2008 after a 19-inch dump, plus a bit more afterward, totaling 23 inches..                                                


It would be great to see more photos from others, too.  It spruces things up.

Pics look good. That Toro looks like it's in really good shape. I hope this upcoming winter we have more snow rather than bitter cold.

WOW - that's in really good shape! You did very well to get that for $600. How much property did the guy have to clear snow from?

Steve_Cebu wrote:
I was a Honda guy until Steve_Cebu and Superbuick comes along with pictures like these and some cool videos on youtube.  Now I'm a Toro guy too, I have a 421QE.  Earlier this month, I saw a Toro 726TE, a very rare 2 stroke model that was in production only 2 or 3 years.  It was listed on CL for $700 and looks almost brand new listing, got my pulse racing on impulse power.  If I had a pick up truck and an outdoor storage shed, I would have went out and purchase it right away.  :) 

I then remember I've been holding out for the new Sony NEX-7 camera that's due this November.  I figured the wife and kids would be more excited about me getting the Sony rather than another snowblower.  :)  And then there's that new Ariens Pro 28 with a whooping 420cc of fun. 

So please, don't post pictures or videos like these.  It's too hard to keep my mind thinking straight. 

If you are going for distance you could always get a 22HP V-Twin Ariens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BahOwtQrvuo

Shryp wrote:
My property isn't that big, and the FAA would be very upset that I'm hurling projectiles into their airspace.

Isn't that engine supposed to be bolted on to something with four wheels, like a tractor?  Seems like a beast on a snowblower, like trying to go against a sumo wrestler.

FrankMA wrote:
His driveway was about 200+ feet leading to a large newer home with a two-garage garage, then to the left his big 3-bay garage for farm machines and whatever else.  I figure the home/garage area to be about 200 feet by 50 feet.  I figure he couldn't handle the large area.  Maybe he has a blade?  My good fortune!


            Sorry about the quality of the photo.  That's the way it was on the ad.
    

aa335 wrote:

Red is better than Orange.

I have a new HD camcorder so i will have all my videos this winter in full HD. I got a Canon HF G10 even better was Best buy made a mistake on it and mistakenlt priced it at $899 instead of $1,499!

It takes awesome videos. If I can only figure what to take videos of this year?

Steve_Cebu wrote:
How about videos of your new blue Yamaha tracked snowblower?    No one has captured that awesome machine in HD yet.

Don't forget to have an attractive female operator working the controls.  Use a steadycam to avoid Jello-Vision HD.

aa335 wrote:

If you want to provide me with a new Blue Yamaha I would be happy to oblige. For now I will have to take videoos of my Toro 1028.

Hopefully we will get 3 feet of snow in one go so I can video it cutting through that! I'm hoping the dealer finishes up with my machine soon. They've had it for 3 weeks already.

aa335 wrote:
Yeah, I want to get a new camera, too.  I have my little Panasonic DMC-ZS-7 from which are the photos I showed of my new Craigslist Toro 1028LXE in post #8 above.  I'm thinking of an SLR, or close to it, for the larger sensor and thus higher resolution and less noise.

The Ariens Pro28 with the 420cc engine?  Yeah, I would love that one, too!  The Ariens Platinum 24 with the 250cc would be nice, too.  In the back of my mind, I can see that happening in a couple of years, or whatever.  Maybe I would have both the Toro 1028LXE and one of the Ariens.  Man, wouldn't that be fun?!?!  Two toys instead of one

For stills I now use a Canon 95 as I like to be able to take pics in very low ambient light. Yes a DSLR is better but an S95 will fit in your shirt pocket.

Here is a Pic in very low light in the belly of the Mayflower 2 sailing ship.

For Video I really like my HF G10 but it is a bit bigger, a DSLR will also do video but depending on the camwra you can overheat your DSLR in as little as 5 minutes.

Here is a video taken in near darkness although it looks brighter. I could have done a bit better but my settings were a bit off and I didn't realize it at that time. Outside it was super bright and this old house had only one small window and an open door. it was pretty dark to the naked eye. This was taken at Plimouth Plantation. I had althered my settings for fast motion of my wife doing squat jumps and forgot to change the settings back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2YPfJmUDts

Steve_Cebu wrote:

You have your Toro serviced every year?  I'm on my third year with the Honda tracked snowblower with just the usual fluid checks, oil changes, belt inspections.  There hasn't been any other work needed on it. 

On the positive note, the shop can have your snowblower for another 4 weeks until the white stuff actually comes down hard. 

coasteray wrote:
I've been using DSLR for a long time so looking for something more compact with video quality, but not give up too much on image quality.  These new crop mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are the next thing.  I'm not a sports photographer or a professional so it's a perfect fit.  I'm looking into downsizing my camera for convenience and portability.

If you can swing an Ariens Pro 28, do it.  It's not outrageously expensive like a $5000 Yamaha or Honda snowblower.  Although these are in league of their own, and it's not just about horsepower and thick steel. If that was the case, I would just transplant the biggest engine I can fit on a 24" snowblower.

aa335 wrote:

I have it serviced every year. They change the fluids adjust the cables, the works. I know it costs money but it always purrs like a kitten, a 10HP kitten but I digress.

The wreath that got sucked into it did something to the clutch so that and some other stuff had to be adjusted. I was thinking at minimun it would have toasted the belt but they said the belt was fine.

I don't get why people think Ariens is built better than Toro. My Toro is a tank and extremely durable. Maybe an Ariens would have been blowing snow for 30 minutes with a wire wreath wrapped around the auger, maybe not. But it took 30 mins for me to even notice it wasn't throwing the snow as far as normal.

Most people can easily work on the Toro same as most snowblowers but I prefer to always have it dealer serviced. Too bad it costs so much for them to pick it up and drop it off.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Well, Ariens uses more metal and thicker steel than most other snowblowers.  It just feels more substantial.  People do associate weight and heft with build quality. 

Cars are built with more plastics these days, they are more reliable and safer than the old metal cages of yore.

aa335 wrote:

Yes, perception is king. My father was a machinist and he goes with metal every time even tho for certain applications certain types of plastic are better. But he's old school depression era and metal is what you buy for longevity. I find it interesting that you don't see a lot of complaints about Toro. They last and endure and are made in the USA. Ariens is a decent brand and made in the USA as well but I don't feel they are superior to Toro. They certainly weigh more and cost less. Pig iron is pretty cheap nowadays.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Toro and Ariens are both fine machines.  That's why they are often compared against one another.  Besides the exterior differences in the bucket thickness, chute materials, and handles and controls, they both have strong and robust snow moving mechanicals.  Those are the components that determines reliability of the machine.

aa335 wrote:
I think it's hard to not appreciate the obvious robustness of steel.  We need steel for the housing area because the augers and impeller just demand that.  The handlebars attached to the housing and coming up to the control deck need to be steel.  The engine sits on a steel box.  We want a steel rod, under the control deck cover, that connects the two handle levers (for drive and augers) so they can be interlocked for one-hand control of the unit.  We have steel gears, shafts, pulleys, and plates in the tranny box.  The auger drive shaft goes into a cast-iron or heavy-duty aluminum gear case to in turn drive steel shafts for steel-bladed augers.  These are all natural "givens"  on all snow blowers.

Toro has chosen to use plastic in those other areas where it CAN be used without causing harm.  First is the chute, which is not a big deal to me because I know that the polymer plastic used is thick and strong.  Ariens even used it during the 2010-2011 season on all three of their two-stage Sno-Tek units, though for this current 2011-2012 season they have gone back to steel for the top two Sno-Tek models.  Toro has also chosen to use plastic above the impeller area of the housing, though I'm not sure why.  Maybe that's why they have those steel arm braces coming off the back of the bucket area to join to the impeller part of the housing, in order to reinforce that area due to the missing steel section.  Maybe it's intended as a place to access the impeller itself if needed.  Toro has a thick plastic control deck cover which seems pretty strong, but the cover doesn't take any stress compared to other areas of the machine. 

My greatest concern is with their use of plastic for the little steering triggers AND the hinges the triggers rotate in.  These are fairly small parts.  I wonder how well they will hold up over time, being so small.  On the other hand, the hand levers are pretty thick plastic.  Then there is the Quick-Stick unit, an integration of plastic and small steel parts.  I'm not sure about that, really.

I think the overall issue is the POTENTIAL problem of the plastic by its nature not being as strong as steel for handling abuse.  The 2011-2012 Ariens control deck is built with steel and is like a tank, including the parts underneath.   I confess I do like that.  I have to trust that Toro has placed plastic in areas that they believe will be able to stand up well over time.  With my "new" El Toro 1028LXE, I will have plenty of time to see how it goes.  I take care of what I own, so I don't expect problems (hope, heh).  Though I am a confessing Ariens guy, I really like my Toro.  Both companies make fine machines.  People just buy what they like, but hopefully their purchases are informed ones.  I still think it's funny and weird how I was going to buy the Platinum 24 and ended up with this Craigslist El Toro without even looking for a Toro.  It came up and the $600 price was awesome.  I'd be an idiot to not go for it.  I think I'll go read a bedtime story to El Toro! now, then tuck him in for the night in my bedroom.

I've had no problem with any of the plastic parts on my Toro 1028 at all. of course I take care of it and don't abuse it. But the joystick and triggers work well and the worst problem I have had is if they need adjustment but that would happen even with metal and it takes longer to get my tools up from the basement than to adjust the triggers. I can respect Ariens for making a good machine and they are very durable but they are a lot more work to steer if you have a bad back (me) or are small like my wife.

If a Toro and an Ariens was put next to each other, my natural reaction is to gravitate towards the Ariens.  I was wholy impressed with the thickness of the steel and metal here and there.  If I part my money, I want to get metal in return, not FIsher Price plastics. 

Now standing behind the handlebars gives me a totally different perspective.  All that metal doesn't seem to matter as much anymore.  Suddenly, the plastic parts on the Toro just makes sense.  Hey, somebody who designed this thing really put some thought into making operating this 250 pound beast without frustration or apprehension.

So that got me thinking, if all this plastic doo dad does what its supposed to do and holds up, and it makes me feel comfortable.  I think I can live with that as long as I don't intend to ramrod this snowblower as if it was a tiller trying to pulverize soil or the unsuspecting frozen newspaper buried in the snow.

aa335 wrote:

Your perception would probably be accurate for 95% of the people looking at snowblowers as far as the first part. Toro is for people who see beyond the metal exterior. I think if you had it setup where you could use both machines more people would go for the Toro that normally would not buy a snowblower and Ariens would get the guys who want the macho looking heavy steel beast. Toro is not as friendly on your wallet as Ariens tho.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
The Toro is pricier and that is a problem for people on the fence.

Customer:  "So let me get this straight, the Toro costs more, has less metal, doesn't come with handwarmers, and I have to squeeze these levers to turn??"

Sales Guy:  "That is correct.  Quick Stick chute is very easy to use, the machine is easy to maneuver, even your wife can use it"

Customer:  "So you're saying this Toro is designed for women? and that's why it costs more?  Just like women have to pay more at the dry cleaners?"

Sales Guy: "I have nothing to do with that sir, women get charged more for car repairs as well.  Many men have to go to shopping malls with their spouse, even though they don't want to.  Just the way things are.  Toro has conducted focus group studies and have identified that more women are interested in sharing the duties of snow removal."

Customer:  "You don't say! I don't think this Toro is for me.  I can't see paying more for this emasculated equal-opportunity plasticky machine."

Sales Guy: "Can I interest you in an Ariens?  They are very macho, thick steel everywhere.  The transmission was co-developed by Dana"

Customer:  "I don't like the color orange, and I don't like transmission developed by a woman named "Dana"

Sales Guy:  "Perhaps this Honda here will fit you"

Customer:  "$3000 bucks@@@  Are you freaking crazy?"

Hahahaha too funny!

I'll take the fire engine red Toro please, I'm confident in my masculinity.

Looks like I'll be using it in teh morning as we are going to get 8-12 inches of snow.

I'm open to suggestions for videos. Of the snowblower.

Very funny, indeed  Good stuff, aa335.  Yes, we all should be careful when trying to take care of the "big stuff".  Our blowers aren't invincible!

I went on I-90 across the border to Idaho today to a major dealer who carries Ariens and Toro.  I was able to spend about 20 minutes studying the Toro 1028OXE and the Ariens Pro 28.  I looked at everything I could think of, such as the control deck (top and underneath), housing thickness, controls, use of plastic, nose weight and balance, chute controls, engine sizes as they look on the machine, how they manuever when off, augers, etc.  The Ariens, interestingly, has two small plastic cog-wheel parts regarding the interlocking of the two hand levers, but Toro, and even the Husqvarnas that were in the showroom, also have a plastic "cog wheel" on a shaft..  They are on the ends of the Ariens lever shafts as they meet in the middle.  The left one pushes the little piece of metal back, and the right one has that "tooth" that catches the metal piece.  Like a rachet.  They were plastic.  My son's 1993 Ariens ST824 has a single METAL "cog" wheel that is held by the so-called ratchet piece.  Please excuse my bad description of this mechanism.  Well, anyway, it's the only plastic pieces under the Ariens control panel.  Everything else is solid steel, etc.

Here's the underside of the Ariens Pro 28 control panel where the interlock mechanism is located:

  

The control panel more or less holds the handlebars at the tops, so it was important for Toro to use beefy plastic for that cause.  They do have the plastic triggers and hinges, but I noticed that the Ariens Deluxe models have the sort of light metal left trigger that appears to hinge on plastic, or maybe it was light metal painted over.  Not sure.  But other than these little items, the Ariens does have the metal parts everywhere.  Toro didn't seem to use plastic except where they thought it would be fine to use.  Everything else is steel, too.  I came to the conclusion that the Toro Power Max models are basically in the same class as the Ariens Deluxe and Platinum models so far as the metals that are used for all of these blowers.  The Ariens definitely has the thicker steel housing on the three Pro models.  They were intended for commerical use, really, not that the Platinum and Deluxe models can't be used for that purpose; it's just that all of the Ariens models have their place.  Same for Toro.  Hey, we all come out okay with all of these good choices.  Whatever we need, we can get.

Steve, I noticed the Toro turns easier on the showroom floor than the Ariens Pro models, but I have no idea how either feels when operating.  I haven't had a chance to try out the Ariens ATC feature.  I wish I could so I could compare it to my new El Toro! 1028LXE.  Yes, Toro does costs more for what I think is basically their version of the Ariens Platinum models.  Ariens should offer people a Platinum 28 so there would be a more fair comparison of the price.

coasteray wrote:

You will find that during a storm the Toro will also turn easier and by pulling both triggers you can freewheel it backwards. This helps in many areas in my driveway. I certainly got a good workout today, my gosh was that snow heavy! I'm sure an Ariens would have done a good job of moving it as well but it takes a storm like this to humble a 2 stage snowblower!

Steve Cebu wrote:

"You will find that during a storm the Toro will also turn easier and by pulling both triggers you can freewheel it backwards. This helps in many areas in my driveway. I certainly got a good workout today, my gosh was that snow heavy! I'm sure an Ariens would have done a good job of moving it as well but it takes a storm like this to humble a 2 stage snowblower!"


I look forward to the moments when I can take advantage of that freewheeling when still "in gear".  That must have been quite the workout with snow and leaves mixed together. 

Steve_Cebu wrote:
Steve, you almost got your wish today.  You "only" got 16 inches?

coasteray wrote: I look forward to the moments when I can take advantage of that freewheeling when still "in gear". That must have been quite the workout with snow and leaves mixed together.

Well in my video you will see that it I climb up on the snow at the EOD I just pull thetriggers and roll it back. Yes I could change gears and put it in reverse but squeezing boh triggers is usually faster and easier.

It was a massive workout to constantly clean the leaves out of the auger, chute and impeller. The leaves really made the snow difficult to throw. When I was just throwing snow the wet heavy stuff wasn't a problem but once the leaves built up that was it.

coasteray wrote:

Ok let me rephrase that.  I want leaf free snow!

The Toro does well with everything but it did ride up a lot this snow was so dense that it packed under my feet. This stuff would have been a nightmare to plow as well.

I just let it ride up a bit and then took a second pass in 3rd or 4th gear. For snow this wet and heavy I found that to be easier and faster.

Ok, so with the unexpected snowstorm and the power outage that you guys getting over there.  I've began to question those new battery/electric power 2 stage snowblower.  So once you're done clearing the driveway, you hope that the power is restored so you can recharge the batteries again. 

Same thing with those electric plug in cars.  If you made it home from the storm and the car batteries is depleted, you need power to charge it again.  How are you going to go out again to get milk, eggs, and gas?

So with the electric stuff, you're still going to need a internal combustion generator for back up.

aa335 wrote:

I would never trust all electric anything. We have enough power outages that make relying on electric cars or electric snowblowers unworkable for this area. Plus our phone is through the Internet so when teh power goes off we rely on cell phones. battery power is good for flashlights and radios etc... But for big stuff I'll stick with a fuel II can replace out of a container.

Of course a diesel powered flashlight would be pretty cool!