Need to Replace Snow Thrower

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Originally Posted By: Finz
I called an Indy shop today and he recommended the Ariens Platinum... Wanted $1,700 for a 10 hp unit. That's is WAY out of my league. He mentioned that the Ariens Deluxe and Compact models were for box stores only... Didn't know that

Reviewed another snow thrower review site and the guy was saying the Toro and box store Ariens were on par but leaned toward the Ariens because he didn't like today's Briggs engines.

My neighbor loves his Craftsman... My other neighbor likes his Cub

Was talking to a guy at Home Depot today as well... He liked the Ariens Deluxe 28. Of course, they didn't have any Toros left so what else was he going to say. That unit, however, has a 254cc engine which, according to him, translates to about 10 hp... He said roughly 1 hp per 25cc. I'll see if that is an accurate statement. If it is, coming from a 5 hp unit, that would be a huge difference

Too many choices... I didn't want to make a big deal out of this but this is a fair amount of cash for me and I had no idea it would be so involved. Should buy a honda so my signature below remains consistent.
whistle.gif


That's everone for some great input


I'm in the same boat, that is why I started this thread!
 
Originally Posted By: Finz
I called an Indy shop today and he recommended the Ariens Platinum... Wanted $1,700 for a 10 hp unit. That's is WAY out of my league. He mentioned that the Ariens Deluxe and Compact models were for box stores only... Didn't know that

Reviewed another snow thrower review site and the guy was saying the Toro and box store Ariens were on par but leaned toward the Ariens because he didn't like today's Briggs engines.

My neighbor loves his Craftsman... My other neighbor likes his Cub

Was talking to a guy at Home Depot today as well... He liked the Ariens Deluxe 28. Of course, they didn't have any Toros left so what else was he going to say. That unit, however, has a 254cc engine which, according to him, translates to about 10 hp... He said roughly 1 hp per 25cc. I'll see if that is an accurate statement. If it is, coming from a 5 hp unit, that would be a huge difference

Too many choices... I didn't want to make a big deal out of this but this is a fair amount of cash for me and I had no idea it would be so involved. Should buy a honda so my signature below remains consistent.
whistle.gif


That's everone for some great input


The guy doesnt know. No way that 254cc LCT motor is 10 horsepower. I would say its about 8 to 8.5hp at most. Look at some comparisons, the Honda GX200 is about 6.5 to 7 horsepower and a Honda GX270 is about 9 horsepower. I have a Briggs 250cc on my Ariens, does not provide a horespower rating, but its probably around 8 Hp. To get to about 10 horsepower you need to get above 300cc, probably closer to 325 or 350cc, unless its something custom built.

He probably is looking at the sticker and quoting Torque ratings, which they still rate. Albeit, 254 is still adequate for a 2 stage. I personally think anything above 250 is decent for your average homeowner. If you really have drifts or long drive, I would go above 300cc.
 
Originally Posted By: Finz
I called an Indy shop today and he recommended the Ariens Platinum... Wanted $1,700 for a 10 hp unit. That's is WAY out of my league. He mentioned that the Ariens Deluxe and Compact models were for box stores only... Didn't know that

Reviewed another snow thrower review site and the guy was saying the Toro and box store Ariens were on par but leaned toward the Ariens because he didn't like today's Briggs engines.

My neighbor loves his Craftsman... My other neighbor likes his Cub

Was talking to a guy at Home Depot today as well... He liked the Ariens Deluxe 28. Of course, they didn't have any Toros left so what else was he going to say. That unit, however, has a 254cc engine which, according to him, translates to about 10 hp... He said roughly 1 hp per 25cc. I'll see if that is an accurate statement. If it is, coming from a 5 hp unit, that would be a huge difference

Too many choices... I didn't want to make a big deal out of this but this is a fair amount of cash for me and I had no idea it would be so involved. Should buy a honda so my signature below remains consistent.
whistle.gif


That's everone for some great input



I also wanted a Honda HS928, but the handles were a few inches to short. I'm 6'2" When i demo'ed one, i felt like i was hunched over too much. Go give it a try, at least stand behind one... Pro's and Cons to the Honda HS928 in my opinon and research. I wish Toro would source GX motors on their 2 stage units. I saw on another forum that Honda does not source any motors for snowblowers, GC or GX.

Pro's to the HS928:
- GX270 commerical engine
- Solid construction, well built
- Parts will be around for the ENTIRE MACHINE for a long time
- Resale
- Hydro Transmission (also a con)
- Relatively light-weight
- Throws snow probably among the farthest

Con's
- Price
- Chute rotator is very slow. When the wind changes this would be a pain
- No power steering or 'quick turn'
- Hydro tranmsission is smooth, but sucks really bad to move the thing around when the unit is off [Go try this in the store]
 
In the end of 2011, I was in the same predicament. Just moved into my new house which had a driveway on a hill to the road, no fooling around with snow. Decided I need a snow blower, started out thinking $700. Into my research, I have decided that was not enough and I will figure away to fiancees this purchase to get what was right. I even debated wether I needed a track machine, which I rolled that out in favor of directional tires. That was a good choice, better maneuverability and cheaper. Considered getting the Honda but too pricey. So I decided on the Ariens Platinum 30. I been happy with it. And glad I got it while they had B&S that US made.
 
I was under the proverbial gun so Tues night I picked up a Ariens 30" Deluxe (Mo. 921032). 306cc Ariens engine is what it comes with, no HP rating but torque instead.

Wed we got hit pretty darn hard. All day is snowed about 8" heavy wet inches with a few ice/rain showers in the mix. If it were dry fluffy snow it would have been A LOT! New machine did quite well. These were about the worst conditions I have seen for overall snow removal in the decade I've lived in my house. The bottom of driveway plow deposits were thick, very heavy, and iced up on top and sludge on the bottom. It took care of it without any issue. The Tecumseth 8hp on the John Deere 828 would do it but it did bog down much more than this engine did. I'm guessing the 8HP Tecumseth probably comparable to 256cc??

Either way, I dont like the $1300 bill but it was needed. I am happy with it; I only see 1 cheap looking part. The plastic dip stick vibrates a lot. Gotta make sure the cap is locked down! But it is quieter than the Tecumseh 8hp by a lot and seems to have more power.

This is one of those purchases you jut don't know for sure until a decade alter. So far, so good! 1st storm under its belt.

I did learn a lesson: New snow blower "fun" wears off real quick!!!
 
Yeah, $1300 is a tough bill to swallow, but at the end of the day, you've got a great machine that shouldn't give you any surprises for many years.

Then again.. My 7hp, 24" MTD didn't give me any surprises until season 15. This year. I paid $650 for it back then.
 
I've been looking at new snowblowers too, at the big box store's. The Home Depot here sells Toro's, Ariens, snow-tec's, and MTD's. Honestly, I wasn't real impressed with any of them. Have been using my John Deere GT242 with a plow on it, and a John Deere 724D for several years now and probably will for several more. The condo idea is gaining steam!
 
Wise advice, I used my new ariens platinum 24 SHO with the 306 cc (10HP) engine, worked great in really heavy wet snow and the slush at end of drieway, used about 2 hours to clean up driveways and paths.

Anyhow, I dumped the oil, holds about 1 qt, glad I did. The oil was darker and had the pearlesent soup mix in the oil. Will change a few times over the course of the winter, no need to have any debris floating around. Oh, had some old penzoil HM 10w-30 circa 2004, as I recall got that at HD on clearance for 50 cents a qt. Should be good enough as break in oil.

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
I have a 28" Ariens Deluxe. It has the B&S Model 150000 Snow Series engine (250cc). Good machine ... but I wish it was made a bit better and had another 10-20% more power. The posi-unlock (trigger) sticks sometimes and it can take a bit of wiggling the machine to get the posi to re-lock. The machine is the perfect size to do a handful of driveways. 5 driveways and sidewalks in one neighborhood takes me about 2-3 hours, depending on how much falls.

Oh, and be sure to change the oil early in the engine's life:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee149...zps40854167.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: VNTS
Wise advice, I used my new ariens platinum 24 SHO with the 306 cc (10HP) engine, worked great in really heavy wet snow and the slush at end of drieway, used about 2 hours to clean up driveways and paths.

Anyhow, I dumped the oil, holds about 1 qt, glad I did. The oil was darker and had the pearlesent soup mix in the oil. Will change a few times over the course of the winter, no need to have any debris floating around. Oh, had some old penzoil HM 10w-30 circa 2004, as I recall got that at HD on clearance for 50 cents a qt. Should be good enough as break in oil.

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
I have a 28" Ariens Deluxe. It has the B&S Model 150000 Snow Series engine (250cc). Good machine ... but I wish it was made a bit better and had another 10-20% more power. The posi-unlock (trigger) sticks sometimes and it can take a bit of wiggling the machine to get the posi to re-lock. The machine is the perfect size to do a handful of driveways. 5 driveways and sidewalks in one neighborhood takes me about 2-3 hours, depending on how much falls.

Oh, and be sure to change the oil early in the engine's life:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee149...zps40854167.jpg


Mine is the 306cc engine as well. I bought it from a local indy. He mostly does commercial sales. He was adamant to make sure I changed the oil out after the 5hr break in period. I said I'm a little nutty over oil so I'd like to hear your recommendation. He said any SN 5-30 will do, and synthetic is good but not needed for this engine. It felt good to hear some solid advice on oil. Most people simply don't have a clue.
 
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