Posted: 8/7/2006 10:57:35 AM EDT
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Last winter was my last season without a snowblower. I'm starting to look and plan on buying early. This is kind'a where I'm leaning, though I admit to knowing nothing about these machines (other than I used an Ariens 15 years ago and that machine is still going strong). Ariens 11528LE Deluxe  
Any advice you can offer would be appreciated. I'm looking at this as a long term investment and want to buy big. I usually do my snow removal at 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., so the last thing in the world I want is to be regretting spending a couple of hundred dollars as I'm trying to get to work (or bed). TIA, Corey |
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How long is your driveway? Take width and capacity into account to figure out how much time you want to spend snowblowing. My machine (an old Jacobson that I bought used) has 5 forward speeds, with 6 to 10 inches of snow it clears best in 3 or 4. Gravel or paved? Gravel pretty much requires the serrated auger as shown. If gravel, make sure you get a good solid packed snow base and set the skids so the machine is as far off the ground as possible so you aren't sending rocks 20 feet into your lawn or through your car or house window. If paved, will you be snowblowing any yard area or gravel area? See above. I have an old 28 inch machine that does my 200 foot gravel drive just fine, but will bog down with real wet heavy snow. Use the pushstick and not your hand. I don't snowblow unless there are more than 4 or 5 inches of new snow, as there isn't enough snow loading the impeller and the snow that gets taken into the machine just gets moved over one snowblower width. I'm not sure that the one handed turn ability that the Toro salesman was expounding last fall would really work or not with lots of snow on the ground, but the "lift the lever to manually pull back the snowblower like a push lawnmower" feature would be handy. That's pretty expensive if that is the actual retail price. At least take a look at the Toro machines. I was about to buy their basic 28 inch model for $1000 when I came across my used one for $200 last year. Also, when you look at them in the store, run your finger underneath all of the auger drive gear cases. ALL snowblowers that I looked at, with the exception of the Toros, had oil leaking from the gear case. |
My driveway is paved and only about 40' long by 40' wide (typical suburban 3 car wide driveway -- I haven't measured it but those are my guesstimates). I have about 100' of sidewalk to do on my property and will probably be caring for another 100-200' of sidewalk for the foreseeable future. I want to buy a snowblower that errors on the side of gross overkill for my needs. Corey |
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Bigger is better. When you get that 24" dump that goes right to the max, more chute and more power is worth it I find cranking the chute left to right and back to be a PIA. SOme newer ones have a quick control right on the handlebars, that would be real nice. Mine has a choice of 1 wheel drive or locked rear axle. 1 wd spins too much, and locked rear means you have to muscle it for the turns. Something else, like LSD, would be nice. Wife couldn't use it in locked mode, and in 1wd it wouldn't go well. That remote axle lock/unlock sounds like the ticket |
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I've got a similiar Ariens model, no problems. My fathers is 30 years old, and dripping fluid everywhere, but still runs. My experience with Ariens is if you have no problems in the first 10 hours of operation, it'll run for years. I remember loading mine in at Home Depot though, and the guy next to me was loading his 3rd new one (after 2 returns in the last few days) in the back of his truck, telling me he hopes this isn't strike 3. |
