pw3258

"For those of you who have used this Triggers, is is basically like haveing two clutches? "

Without a doubt the one feature that made me choose the 828 over the 826.  On the fly you can disengage either wheel.  Squeeze the left trigger and the machine turns to the left, squeeze the right and it turns right.  Squeeze both and you can turn the machine manullay on a dime.  No more trying to hulk the machine and turn it around as I pass up and down the driveway. Learn to use the triggers to control the machine and you can save yourself a lot of energy.  In my opinion this one feature was worth the extra money from the 826 to the 828.

"I was also curious how fast do these new ones go in 6th Gear?"

With the throttle almost completly on fast, in 6th gear you will be at light jog speed.  Only time I use anything above 3 is when I'm all finished clearing the snow and am going from the end of the drieway back up to the garage.

If your dealer has all the machines on his showroom floor, test them out by moving them around, try the controls, etc.  I'm sure you will be impressed by the idependent drive system on the 828 over the 826.  But only you can decide if it is worth the extra money for you.

Replaced a 15year old Toro 521 last year  and had narrowed it down to similar choices you are looking at.  Really liked the new design of the Toro PowerMax with the new offset auger housing and the joy stick control, but also liked the ruggedness of the Ariens (less plastic parts), both were offering the same Tecumseh engine so that wasn't much of a difference.  Looked back on the old 521 Toro and it basically had the same amount of plastic parts, chute included and never had a problem with any of them, and the Tecumseh engine never failed to start even after being left in the detached garage in blizzard cold conditions.  When I went to complete the purchase for the Toro 826LE, I was really swayed by the independent drive system on the 828 and you also got a headlight as an extra.  Ended up with the 828 and glad I did.  The 826 is almost the same machine, a bit lighter, no independent drive, no headlight.  I watched my neighbor who did get the 826 struggle to control the machine in deeper snow and drifts while I was able to allow the machine to use its own power to make the necessary adjustments.  Neither machine is slowed down by the heavy snow which is a result of the new auger design.  The 826/828 is probably more than your budget but if you can spare it, I am sure you won't regret  it.

Based on the condition of the old one, it certainly looks like it would be worth putting a new engine on.

In response to the original question, my new 2005 Toro 828 LXE has not clogged or even bogged down in the 4 or 5 storms we have had here in northern NJ this year. Regardless of the type of snow it has thrown it all with ease, even the large mounds of slushy wet stuff at the EOD.  My drive is adjacent to a cross street and the plows come down and go either right or left and always leave a pile at the EOD, the Toro hasn’t met a challenge it couldn’t beat yet.  The machine is a monster.   This doesn’t necessarily make it better than any of the competitions machines but it is very impressive and hasn’t disappointed me yet.

 

I’ve owned a Toro since 1985 (Toro 521) and had been looking for a little more power for the last couple of winters.  After looking at a number of models from other companies I came to the conclusion that most were using the same basic design for the last 40 years or so.  They all looked basically the same just different colors, sizes and control locations.  What impressed me the most about the Toro brand was their innovations such as the Power Max Auger system and the Quick Stick Chute.  Even back in 1985 they were innovative with the barrel style auger meant to meter  the snow intake and reduce clogging (which it did!!).

 

Some may be concerned with the “plastic” chute, but having had one since 1985 with no problems it wasn’t an issue for me.  It might have been nice to have an engine with more recent technological advances, however the Tecumseh engine was the same basic design as I had on my 521 only bigger and more horses.  The engine on the old machine always started with just 2 pulls regardless of my years of neglect (no oil changes, no tune-ups, no summerizations, stale gas, not even changing the spark plug), so there is probably something to be said for that engine model.  The only repair I ever made was to replace a worn auger belt.  I also considered the 726 or 826, but really liked the Free Wheel Steering on the 828, definitely makes it easier to hulk around a piece of equipment which weighs over 200lbs and not have to play with wheel locks.

 

Based on my past experiences you would probably call me a Toro loyalist, but I respect how well my 20 year old machine ran and am looking forward to another 20 good years with the new Toro 828LXE.  I really love this beast and can't say anythign bad about it !!