fishwater

JC, I shopped Philbricks but purchased mine at Shaws Ridge Equipment instead. Phillbricks is supposed to be a good outfit but I have done business with Shaws for a while & felt they would service me better than anyone else if there was ever a problem.

I live in NH & got the Toro 828 LXE, I think it will be a nice machine for my use. Gravel drive, 80 feet long, 18 feet wide with a 45 foot area at the bottom for parking.

I would suggest that when you are looking at a top quality machine such as Ariens, Toro or Simplicity that you are already at that quality level. What matters most at that point since all three are similar quality is ease of use in my eyes.

Plugger, yes both machines were on the showroom floor next to each other at the same dealer. Without a doubt I feel the Ariens is a better built machine, I would feel better as far as the long haul is concerned with the Ariens. The reality though is how long term are we talking? If I get 10-15 years out of the Toro vs. 15-20 out of the Ariens will it really matter? My concern would be if the Toro falls apart in 5 years (which I doubt) then I would be upset for NOT buying the Ariens. Also, the Ariens chute control was more difficult to use than the Toro, I really feel Ariens could easily have a better system without too much trouble.  For me it came down to my wife being more comfortable using the Toro over the Ariens. If I am gone & she needs to blow snow the last thing I want is her frustrated with a piece of equipment.

My local dealer just dropped off my new snow thrower. I decided to go with a Toro 828 LXE. I was going to buy the 926 DLE, the dealer had both side by side on the floor. I know the Ariens is built a little better but my wife & I both liked Toro's joystick & freewheel steering. I was a little dissapointed in the fact that the Ariens chutes were tough to move & would bind even when adjusted perfectly. I tried 7 units & found they all were more difficult to move vs. the Toro.  The Toro is a nice unit, the plastic concerns me a little but I think it will be fine over the long haul. In the end it was all about getting the machine that was easiest to use in case she needs to use it when I am away on business. Thanks for all the help in the decision process. Now all I have to do is wait for snow to make sure I bought the right machine for the job!

I also picked up a 10hp Billy Goat blower, I borrowed my neighbors last week & fell in love. This new house is costing me a fortune in OPE. My wife asked me if this was FINALLY enough power equipment, of course it is hun, of course