Snowblower Recommendation Needed

[JC1]

Just to add my two cents, I first started with an Ariens single stage. Not good for heavy snow and the clearing the bottom part of the driveway when the plows come by with heavy slush etc.

I got a deal for a brand new but three year old Craftsman 24 inch 6hp. Was $379 including taxes. It's one of those MTS clones. It's not bad, but I'd rather a heavy duty Ariens. I may decide to look around for a used one of the price is right. You can never have enough power when you have a lot of snow to move.

 

[JTK]

Just to add my two cents, I first started with an Ariens single stage. Not good for heavy snow and the clearing the bottom part of the driveway when the plows come by with heavy slush etc.

I got a deal for a brand new but three year old Craftsman 24 inch 6hp. Was $379 including taxes. It's one of those MTS clones. It's not bad, but I'd rather a heavy duty Ariens. I may decide to look around for a used one of the price is right. You can never have enough power when you have a lot of snow to move.

I too have an older Ariens 2-stroke single stage. Picked it up off CL years ago as a fixer-upper. I put a lot of money into it with a new rubber auger assembly, new axle, wheels, etc. It's got a tecumseh 2-stroke. It still is no where near as good as a Toro single stage machine. So much worse in fact that I shelved it and it's been sitting for years.

MTD 2-stage machines aren't horrible, it's just they won't handle as much and throw as far as a Ariens, Toro, etc. The new ones have very thin friction wheels and belts and you have to watch for idler shaft bearing seizure, etc. With reasonable care and usage, they are very easy to work on and parts are cheap. Even the new Ariens machines have friction disks that don't last long. I've replaced quite a few on Ariens and MTD machines over the years. Bearings too. The soft bits suck on today's engines as well. Fuel lines, primer bulbs, fuel shut-offs don't last long at all.

 

[jeepman3071]

MTD 2-stage machines aren't horrible, it's just they won't handle as much and throw as far as a Ariens, Toro, etc. The new ones have very thin friction wheels and belts and you have to watch for idler shaft bearing seizure, etc. With reasonable care and usage, they are very easy to work on and parts are cheap. Even the new Ariens machines have friction disks that don't last long. I've replaced quite a few on Ariens and MTD machines over the years. Bearings too. The soft bits suck on today's engines as well. Fuel lines, primer bulbs, fuel shut-offs don't last long at all.

My issue with the MTD built machines aren't the wear items or even the snow they throw. Many of them throw snow very well, including the 3-stage models mentioned by other posters. The issue is they are throw away machines. I have customers with them and many of the problems they come in with aren't worth repairing. Like the blower shell rots away from the thin metal, the frame to blower mounts crack along the entire machine because the metal is too weak, gearboxes stripped out, etc. They are meant to last for a few years of light use, then usually the first big repair will cost more than the blower is worth.

 

[JTK]

MTD's powder coating does suck as does the thinness of the metal. I have fixed some that were battered from using with the shave plate contacting the ground from worn or maladjusted skid shoes. I've fixed them after ingesting soccer balls and ropes. Both times bowing out the sides of the chute such that the auger and shafts spit right out of the machine. I was able to re-grease, re-install and bend the sides back together.

 

[Dennywires]

I too have an older Ariens 2-stroke single stage. Picked it up off CL years ago as a fixer-upper. I put a lot of money into it with a new rubber auger assembly, new axle, wheels, etc. It's got a tecumseh 2-stroke. It still is no where near as good as a Toro single stage machine. So much worse in fact that I shelved it and it's been sitting for years.

MTD 2-stage machines aren't horrible, it's just they won't handle as much and throw as far as a Ariens, Toro, etc. The new ones have very thin friction wheels and belts and you have to watch for idler shaft bearing seizure, etc. With reasonable care and usage, they are very easy to work on and parts are cheap. Even the new Ariens machines have friction disks that don't last long. I've replaced quite a few on Ariens and MTD machines over the years. Bearings too. The soft bits suck on today's engines as well. Fuel lines, primer bulbs, fuel shut-offs don't last long at all.

I had a mtd yard machine with a 5hp tecumseh I moved plenty of heavy wet snow. You want chains on the tires and you have to adjust your speed. All those newer machines with the auto steer always want to track on their own or towards the side with less snow entering the bucket... not a fan of the auto steer way too much fighting to keep it straight

 

[DwightFrye]

I guess I'll need to up my budget and get something with at least 250cc's and an Ariens, Toro or Honda. I never mind spending more than initially anticipated if it means peace of mind and the right tool for the job. Plus I'd rather spend the money and not be cursing like a sailor when about season # 3, the machine breaks right around the time we get the biggest storm in a decade.

That's a good tip on the auto-steer, I live on a very steep street. My driveway is sorta level, but still slopes a few degrees side-to-side towards the downhill side until it gets about 10 feet from the garage door. I don't want to be fighting the machine either.

 

[JTK]

I had a mtd yard machine with a 5hp tecumseh I moved plenty of heavy wet snow. You want chains on the tires and you have to adjust your speed. All those newer machines with the auto steer always want to track on their own or towards the side with less snow entering the bucket... not a fan of the auto steer way too much fighting to keep it straight

I am not a fan of auto steer either. I prefer a 24-26" basic 2-stage machine that's light enough I can pull backwards and easily maneuver around w/out having to stop and put it in reverse. I also prefer soft snow hog or deep lugged tires over using tire chains.

 

[Dennywires]

I guess I'll need to up my budget and get something with at least 250cc's and an Ariens, Toro or Honda. I never mind spending more than initially anticipated if it means peace of mind and the right tool for the job. Plus I'd rather spend the money and not be cursing like a sailor when about season # 3, the machine breaks right around the time we get the biggest storm in a decade.

That's a good tip on the auto-steer, I live on a very steep street. My driveway is sorta level, but still slopes a few degrees side-to-side towards the downhill side until it gets about 10 feet from the garage door. I don't want to be fighting the machine either.

Do you like the engines Ariens uses.. LCT?

 

[Lubener]

Last season, I ditched my father's big two stage Craftsman and used my Toro single stage "dingy". I felt the little single stage performed better and threw the snow farther in the three ten inch snowstorms we had. Only drawback was the Toro was not self propelled.

 

[glock19]

I guess I'll need to up my budget and get something with at least 250cc's and an Ariens, Toro or Honda. I never mind spending more than initially anticipated if it means peace of mind and the right tool for the job. Plus I'd rather spend the money and not be cursing like a sailor when about season # 3, the machine breaks right around the time we get the biggest storm in a decade.

That's a good tip on the auto-steer, I live on a very steep street. My driveway is sorta level, but still slopes a few degrees side-to-side towards the downhill side until it gets about 10 feet from the garage door. I don't want to be fighting the machine either.

My grandfather has a Honda that is very nice, but very expensive. I bought an Ariens Deluxe 24 last year (it's a few hundred over your budget) and it was great. I didn't mind the auto steer at all once I got used to it.

 

[skyactiv]

I was given a single stage Yardman snow blower at my last house. It was slow and worthless. Using a shovel was faster. I live in the country now and pay a neighbor to plow my long driveway.

 

[JC1]

This discussion had me searching my local Kijiji For an Ariens. I'm supposed to go pickup one that 5 years old this evening. Guy had is listed for $375 Canadian, I offered $325. People get a lot of inquiries, but half of them are no shows or are they don't gave a large enough vehicle to transport it. I'll sell my Craftsman for $250 to offset my costs.

 

[repairman54]

I'll second no chains. Without tire slippage todays flimsy thin friction drive wheels fall apart with the added grip of chains not letting tires spin.

 

[JTK]

I'll second no chains. Without tire slippage todays flimsy thin friction drive wheels fall apart with the added grip of chains not letting tires spin.

For sure on this. What you might gain in traction you will loose on friction disk life.

 

[DwightFrye]

Any preferences between the Ariens Model 921045 24" two stage 254cc engine, and the Toro Powermax 824 Model # 37798, which is also a 24" two stage 252cc engine ? Both are self propelled with electric start.

- Lowes has the Ariens for $1234 plus $59 shipping, with none in stock locally for pickup. At least this early in the season.

- Home Depot has the Toro for $1099 plus free shipping.

I don't really mind paying for shipping especially since I can't find the shipping dimensions of the boxes to see if it will even fit in my SUV.

 

[JTK]

Man that's a tough call Dwight.

The Ariens looks to be more heavily built. My snowtek model is the same chassis, but painted black with some lighter components.

Toros have always been good machines with a great parts network. The toro looks lighter, but it is ~$200 less. I'd like to physically compare them side/side. Any chance at visiting dealers in your area?

 

[glock19]

I'm biased because I have that Ariens and it's a great machine, but I think both would work well.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Any preferences between the Ariens Model 921045 24" two stage 254cc engine, and the Toro Powermax 824 Model # 37798, which is also a 24" two stage 252cc engine ? Both are self propelled with electric start.

- Lowes has the Ariens for $1234 plus $59 shipping, with none in stock locally for pickup. At least this early in the season.

- Home Depot has the Toro for $1099 plus free shipping.

I don't really mind paying for shipping especially since I can't find the shipping dimensions of the boxes to see if it will even fit in my SUV.

I am not familiar with the Toro whereas I do own the Ariens Deluxe 24. From the photos it seems that the auger gear on the Toro is beefier that the run of the mill MTD product, yet a little less so than the one on the Ariens. See if it can be serviced, meaning checking and topping up the oil. The cheapo MTD units have a sealed "run to failure" auger gear packed with 00 grease.

In the interest of full disclosure, I work part time at Lowe's selling OPE. Off the top of my head, the Ariens deluxe 24 ships on a pallet and measures roughly 30x30x48 inches. Lowe's assembles and delivers them for $75.

Either of these machines will get the job done for you. Please send photos after your first snow cleanup.

 

[DwightFrye]

I would love to look at both models in the stores. But the problem is that stores within 40 miles of me are all down in the inland valley or desert areas and there is probably little to no demand for snowblowers. My mountain community is less than 3800 people with a good number of them not full time residents so the big box stores can't justify taking up floor and warehouse space for slow moving items.
I'll see if the online manuals for the Ariens and Toro shed some light on maintenance needs. As I mentioned in my first post, the machine will only be used a half dozen times a year but when I need it I need it and I want a quality blower.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Don't overthink this too much, just stick with the lowest cost 2 stage self propelled in the following brands:

-Ariens
-Simplicity
-Toro
-Honda

I no longer advise buying disposable stuff. It is a total waste of money to buy a cheapie and have to throw it away in 3-5 yrs when the welds, and frame cracks or worse rots out.

Spray the metal with krown or fluid film on a consitent basis to avoid heavy rust issues.

I just scrapped a 2005 craftsman that had a mint 5hp tecumseh and the tranny and gear box was also mint. The entire sheet metal frame was falling apart and rotted out.