Posted: 11/17/2015 9:01:19 PM EDT
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I've narrowed down my choices of snowblowers to 2, the Ariens 24 Deluxe and the 28 Deluxe. Everything about them is the same except for two things: the width (obviously) and the tires. The tires are on the 24 are much larger, with a much deeper tread. Is having better tires worth losing 4 inches? Will a smaller snowblower with an equivalent engine be advantageous or not?
Other than borrowing my neighbor's now and then, I have no experience with snowblowers and need advice. Thanks. |
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ditto. But check to see if it fits through your door or where you store it. Quoted:
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I'd go 28" cut. ditto. But check to see if it fits through your door or where you store it. +1. I use my snowblower maybe 20 days a year and want it completely out of the way the other 345. Right now I store it inside the garage next to the wall and it's small enough that our two cars can park next to it. That's worth more to me than a larger cut that requires storage in front of or behind the cars. |
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How big of a driveway are you clearing? That really defines it.
And seriously, a 12.5HP on a 24"? Really? Way overkill. If it really has a 12.5HP, get the 28. I have an 8HP Tecumseh Snow King on my 27" and while it'd be nice to have a 10 I never felt like I was short in the power department. But then my driveway is 2.5 cars wide and only 80 feet long. At the cabin I have a LONG driveway, but I have adjusted my snow removal equipment appropriately: 
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BTW, a 254cc engine, as found on those Ariens machines, is 12.5 ft/lb of torque. They are generally regarded as 7.5 - 8 HP (in old numbers, the gov't no longer allows HP numbers because the manufacturers were playing with the numbers).
That said, it has enough power to work that 28" machine. The 24 will do better with really heavy wet snow like this morning. So if you have an average driveway, I'd go for the 24, if you have a bigger driveway to clear where the cutting path starts shaving real time get the 28, and understand that there will be a couple storms a year where you have to slow down. |
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Quoted:
How big of a driveway are you clearing? That really defines it. And seriously, a 12.5HP on a 24"? Really? Way overkill. If it really has a 12.5HP, get the 28. I have an 8HP Tecumseh Snow King on my 27" and while it'd be nice to have a 10 I never felt like I was short in the power department. But then my driveway is 2.5 cars wide and only 80 feet long. At the cabin I have a LONG driveway, but I have adjusted my snow removal equipment appropriately: http://www.fast351.com/tmppics/S175.jpg Nice setup, Fast. Don't get stuck. Bigger is always better, OP. See above. 
Remember that the tires should, in theory, be rolling along your driveway AFTER the snow has been removed. As long as there's some tread on the tires I'd get the wider machine. I really need to get around to posting my 30" for sale somewhere. |
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We getting any snow this season? I gassed up my snowblower and ran it for a few minutes yesterday just to exercise it and make sure it would start. My yard is getting torn up from the dog running on the dead grass. This is getting old. Yeah after all this rain am I going to have to mow my lawn again? 
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My two-stage refused to start this winter, and when I took it apart to figure out why, I discovered that getting seals for it is near impossible.
So now it sits in the back of the garage awaiting donation while the new three-stage chucks snow from here to Nebraska.
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