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

Hey everyone, I live in Canada and I'm currently considering buying the Ariens Deluxe 28 for $1399. My other options in this price range are the Troy Built 277cc OHV 28" and the Briggs & Stratton 249cc 27", both from Canadian Tire. I see the Ariens models being compared to Honda's, is this fair? Does Ariens have a reputation of holding up well over 10-15 years? Is the Ice Drill chute a bit of a pain to use, my last 2 options have controls on the handles? Any info would be of some value, I have limited knowledge in this area.

Yes, definitely go to the stores and try them both out.  At this point, your decision is very subjective based on what's most important to you.  The Toro has better ergonomics and easier to maneuver, but a bit plasticky.  The Ariens has basic industrial good looks and build, feels like a brick, handles like brick.  Don't let the salesman influence your decision, unless there's a huge discount.  :).  I would definitely push for a discount on the Ariens.  The snowblower has 8 more weeks until it has to make room for lawnmowers.

giocam wrote:
I agree with you there, giocam!  After I found my Toro 1028LXE (Tecumseh 358cc L-Head) for a song ($600 on Craigslist in 2011 with only 10 hours on it), I have found the chute control to be really great to use.  I can aim it right where I want horizontally and/or vertically.  It's especially helpful when I go down my paved alley.  I sometimes have to aim it onto a very small area when I'm in between two neighbors' driveways near the street.  The chute stays in place with no wiggle at all.  Nice.  Also, as I go along slowly in this situation, I can gradually adjust the chute as I move along to maintain the proper area to put the snow.  The joystick operation aids in this.  It's not the end of the world, but it's nice to be able to do that.  The steering triggers are very precise in use as you said.   I've always liked Ariens (my younger son owns a really neat 1993 ST824 model), but I sure like my Toro.  I wasn't even looking for it when it came up for sale.  Good thing I found it.  I highly recommend it to anyone but advise trying to get a good price (of course), since Toro tends to be a bit pricey brand new.

I have the Ariens Deluxe 30.  I like it over the Toro...I got mine from a John Deere Dealer in the States in November for $140 below sale price from $1399 to $1259.  I was told dealer cost is $1169 may be true not sure?  The 2012 30" deluxe has the bigger tires and a 342CC engine over the 250CC engine on the 28.  The 28+ does come with the bigger tires and hand warmers but not the bigger engine.  If you plan on spending $1100, might as well try and get a deal on the 30 Deluxe with the bigger engine, tires and hand warmers. 

The toro to me was overly large.  The plastic joystick wasn't appealing to me...could put a lot of strain on plastic parts in freezing temperatures and when the chute wants to freeze making it strain the linkage and joystick.  The "recycling snow impeller" design seemed like it would just through snow to the sides of the machine...why not just go with the 14" impeller like the Ariens?

The 2.5X ice drill works well, there is a large spring which allows you to adjust the tension so you can have it lock in where ever you put it and loosen it up to allow a easy free motion when turning it.  It also won't break, crank and gears which are covered by plastic housing and out of the snow when blowing.  In comparison I would be willing to bet I could turn my chute from lock to lock one to two seconds slower than a joy stick, not a big deal especially if you don't adjust the deflector position much.  The remote locker works well, sometimes it will not unlock which kind of sucks, mainly when wheels are binding.  Otherwise when unlocked it turns without effort, when locked it holds a solid straight line.  Very quite engine, starts on first pull in zero degree weather, easy to change oil.  Some complain about the light front end but i like it for lifting and backing up and turning, also it puts more weight on the wheels for better traction.  If you do ever have problems with it digging into snow Ariens does make a 10Lb front weight kit you can add on. The hand warmers allow you to use light weight gloves giving you better feel and ease of using the controls.