cdale

I went ahead and got the 926014 today. Sitting in the garage as we speak!

Snowmann, many thanks for sharing your insight and expertise. I know I
made a wise decision thanks in large part to your input. I suspect I'm not
the only one who has benefited from that, regardless of the question. I
must also credit Ariens customer service, as I sent off a question to them
via their web site and got an actual phone call back! I can't remember the
last time that happened since the dawn of the internet. I've owned this for
a few short hours and can't wait for the next 20+ years if my experience is
any example of Arien's customer focus!

Now what was the long range forecast for the northeast again? :-)


John

Snowmann wrote:
Thanks for your input Snowmann. I'm still undecided, mostly because it's not easy comparing models that span a couple model years.
For the 9ish HP, 24-26 inch models, here's what I've found locally...

921004 / 924DLE     9.25 L-head    auto traction   dual belt auger   alum gear box      $1400
926004 / 925DLE     9.25 L-head   differential        single belt auger   cast iron GB      $1500
926014 / 9526DLE  9.5 BS OHV    "                                                                               "        $1380
926017 / 9526DLE  9.5 Tech OHV auto traction   dual belt auger       cast iron GB       $1680

I'm assuming the 926004 is an 05/06, and the 926014 is an 06/07? In either case they
are both the same model, but for the consecutive years prior to the 926017. That right?
What is odd is why the presumably newer model (926014) is $120 less than the 926004,
when all I can find that is different is the engine, and isn't OHV typically a pricier feature?

Clearly the new features for this year's pro models are a step up from prior years, but side
by side, how does traction control compare to the differential on the Pro models before?
I suspect that is the one feature that will matter the most in day to day use, but to be
honest if the two (921004, 926014) are the same money, I find it hard to go with the
model that doesn't have the cast iron GB, the OHV engine, a couple extra inches of
width, handwarmers (well, nice to have). Know what I mean? 

Thanks again,
John

Snowmann wrote:
Thanks, and I tend to agree, but if the 924DLE rates better than the 926DLE in those categories, why is it cheaper
than the 926? Side by side in today's market, does it have any competitive advantage?

John

Newly registered, but have used info here for many years. Call me a first time caller, long time listener. :-)

Did some shopping today and came back confused, mostly due to what seems to be a mish-mash
of Ariens on the sales floor spanning varying model years, along with labels like "Classic".

My situation - So. NH, 110ft, mildly steep drive, 1/3 of which requires throwing in one direction only,
and pretty far as compared to the rest of the drive. Curved 40ft walkway to front door.  Prefer to also
clear a path to the birdfeeders, to the walkout basement, and to the far end of the back yard if we
want the dogs to go there vs. closer. to the house. 

Managed to get by with an older Ariens 824 for ages, but after borrowing one neighbor's new Ariens,
then another's Simplicity, I'm convinced that 'they don't make them like they used it" doesn't always
apply, thus I'm shopping. (Which I probably should have done last April, but here I am.)

So if I can convince my wife to go into the 1300-1500 range, what is the better choice, the 924DLE,
or the 926DLE? I assume the 926 is last year's, and the 924 is this year's model. What I can tell
so far is that the 924 has some features from the current year, but has an aluminum gear box, whereas
the 926 is, well, last year's model, but does have  the differential, and a cast iron box. Seems at least
one local dealer has both, and is pricing the 926 at 1500 vs. the 924 at 1400.

Given there is some steepness to the grades where I need to clear, will I be flipping back and forth
with the lockout, or does the 926 in regular mode give "lockout" grade traction? How does the
traction compare on grade between these two models w/o locking the diff?

What's with the alum gear box on the non-pro Ariens? Why do they make it sound great when they
don't put it in the pro models? That bugs me.

Any other points to consider? Whatever I get I want to last until I move nearer to the equator, which
I hope is 15 years, but I expect will be 25, so 100 bucks won't be remembered when I'm well into
my newest man-machine relationship here.

Thanks much for your input.

John