BeansBaxter

I should have mentioned that the Ariens came with a 7 HP engine and was replaced with an 8 HP Tecumseh engine. The Toro has a 7 HP Tecumseh.

I have a Ariens 10M7D from 1968 that is on its second motor and hums along fairly well with all the little tweaks that an older machine needs. It's not the most user-friendly machine but it does the job.

I've been given a Toro 724 from 1986 that needs a carburetor replacement but is claimed to be otherwise fully functional. It looks like a more user-friendly machine which is nice for when somebody other than me needs to operate it.

I don't have room to store both so one has to go.

What is the collective opinion of these two machines? Obviously the Ariens has withstood the test of time quite well. The Toro is an unknown commodity to me. Assuming both are in good working order, is there a strong reason to choose one over the other?

Slowball,

It would appear so.

Clay, thanks for the top-notch investigative work. I appreciate it and I'm sorry it didn't work out.

I know what you mean about the clean edge. I hate it when I catch a bump and dig in to the side of the beautiful cut I've been working on all winter. Good thing it eventually melts away. :)

I'm interested but I don't know if they will fit on my 10000 series snow blower. Any Ariens experts out there know whether these are backwards compatible?