alexsha

http://www.lctusa.com/

Support & parts distribution in the USA, even if the engine itself comes from China.

The more I keep looking, researching, and thinking, the more I'm inclined to go over my $1000ish budget. By what I understand, an Ariens snowblower could last me 10+ years (if not 2~3 times that according to some people). So if I spend a few hundred more I'll have all the higher end features for that amount of time.

Making me want to spend more is mean to my wife

I don't think I'll need multiple snowblowers for backup. One should do nicely.

I just spent an hour last night digging out my mailbox. Probably would have been done in 10 minutes with a good snowblower.

I think we really need à la carte snowblowers. Pick your type (single-stage, dual-stage), pick your engine size, pick your frame size, add on accessories. Just pay for what you need. It'll never happen though. I really think the Ariens 24 Deluxe would be perfect if it just had the wheel lock trigger like all the other bigger Deluxe. Bad omission on Ariens' part.

I would agree that I should see less snow than some areas of the country. I have some fun problems that I'm running into that make me still consider the 2-stage route to be better.

1) Both my wife and I work and leave early and get home late. At most I barely have time to shovel my car a path out to the street.
2) The street I live on is rarely plowed and snow builds up. When it does get plowed, they do the far side first then come around to my side and put a wall of slush, ice, snow, etc into my driveway. The driver p;lows about 6~8 feet from the curb on my side. Nice guy. Really.
3) Along with this, my mailbox gets buried and I have to clear it for the mail deliverer. I feel bad for them where I live. You can se their tire tracks as they have to plow into the snow banks to get to the boxes.
4) I hate plastic. Nothing durable should be made out of plastic. If they made a single-stage with a metal shell, I'd be more inclined to consider it. It's probably a personal quirk, but everything plastic I've used in the cold ends up breaking very quickly. I don't want to buy something that I'll have to replace or repair just after the warranty expires because some plastic bit broke.

In the end, I only want to have to make 1 purchase and have it last a long time. I can maintain power equipment just fine as long as it's well build and isn't going to fall apart under normal use. I'm totally fine buying something a little overkill for those 1 or 2 times a year when it would come in handy.

One last thing I need to consider is that I do not need an electric start. I don't want to run an extension cord from inside my house to start a snowblower. Every single box store and dealer around here has all the single stage blowers with electric start. All the non seem to be special order even though they're $150+ cheaper. If I have to pay $800ish for a single stage w/ electric start, to me there's nothing wrong with paying $1000 for a dual-stage.

I guess I would have to compare the 27" Ariens Deluxe to the 24" Husqvarna.

27" Ariens: http://www.ariens.com/products_snow/s_deluxe_group/s_deluxe_27/pages/default.aspx
24" Husqvarna: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/12524sb/

I could also consider a 27" Simplicity (http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snowthrowers/large_frame_dual-stage/specs/index.cfm) but I'm not sure if the additional $200 is worth it. The Simplicity and the Ariens seem VERY similar.

I don't really need a 27" snowblower, which is why I've been looking at the 24" lines. Also, the 27" Ariens and Simplicity have smaller engines than the 24" Husqvarna. How does the Husqvarna engine compare to the Briggs & Stratton. More torque/power in a smaller frame should allow me to cut through ice, slush, etc easier than a larger frame with a weaker engine.

The biggest selling point to going to 27" by what I see is the easier turning. Oddly, the Ariens releases the left wheel and the Simplicity releases the right wheel. I have seen a few machines (Craftsman I think) that allow you to release either wheel (trigger on each handle).

Thoughts?