Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Just the ones I use. 

Quite a nice collection you have there.

Very nice collection.  I’ve got a similar lineup.  A Toro 2450, HS624 track, HS70 wheeled, HS1132 track and couple Ariens 1028’s.

 

Give the lineup I’ve got a few questions.

 

It looks like the 624 has the same lower side indentation as the 928 (not sure if it is an 828 or 928).  The skid bolts are in the indentation part.  Is the skid formed to the indentation and lower port or are they mounted with standoffs?  I’ve only had my machines for a short time and thinking of mounting side skids on all of them for better handling and better bucket control to the ground.  What difference to you find driving the 624 compared to the 924?

 

Looks like the Ariens is an 1128 full commercial model, nice.  I think the engine is a Tecumseh 11.5 OHV.  How does that compare to the 928?  My guess is they can both clear at the same pace and the Honda keep up with or beat the Ariens in distance.  For tough going and piles does the Ariens dig in and stay down longer?  Does it make better forward progress in tough going?   I can’t see the full tire but I think that has the 6 inch wide tires compared to the Honda’s slimmer tires.  With those and the much greater weight especially the bucket I would think the Ariens much better in tough stuff and the Honda more nimble.  But that many not be the case given the differential on the Ariens and none on the Honda.  But the Honda is probably cake to move around so not big deal.

 

I’ve been thinking that a HS928 wheeled would be a super all around machine so looking for one.   

Just the one I need . 2005 Ariens 926DLE

Trouts

Honestly,  The 624 gives the 928 and the Ariens a good run for the money.   First yes there is an indentation on the Honda bucket.  Every model I have or had from 624 724 928 1132 tracked and wheeled has the same sides on the bucket.  Honda optional side skids come with a spacer that fits in the indent and lets the skids sit flush. You need to drill the holes.

The Ariens is a 924508 pro and yes the tires are much bigger and wider than the Honda's.  Purchased the Ariens new in fall/winter 2003 and first winter noticed several downfalls.  Had tons of snow cover me when blowing to the right.  I Looked like Mr. Freeze after 10 min of use.  Searched the net and on the other openet forum I found some info on a chute mod that Ariens came up with to correct the problem so I emailed them and in a couple of days they mailed me the piece.  Bolted it on the chute and fixed it 100%. 

Next I noticed it always wanted to climb up heavy packed snow.  Purchased a weight kit and this helped.  Next was when we got a little rain with the snow and it became slushy the Ariens plugged every time and became a sausage maker. I was extremely frustrated.  Next season I purchased Clarence's impeller kit and it made the Ariens a new machine.  It now throws with the Honda's and I do use it on giant mounds that the town plows make on my corner lot.  I tunnel through with a little muscle and it digs right through.

I purchased the 624 from an older neighbor of mine the following year when he moved to a senior living and no longer needed it.  First time I used it I was blown away.  It out threw my Ariens and was so light and easy to manuever.  Almost toy like yet had no trouble taking on the heaviest of snow with a little bog at the EOD pile but still had no trouble shooting it 50+ feet.  As where my Ariens the engine would go into a vicious roar with the EOD pile and no bog.

Next season I purchased an 1128 tracked machine both work/new and home/used and sold my unit after 2 uses.  I found it to be horrible for my needs.  Extremely short for me and killed my back hunching over, Pain in the butt to manuever compaired to the 624 wheeled unit, And while it did not bog at all with EOD pile it did not seem to throw the snow any better than the 624 so I made some $ and sold it.  I since have had at least 5 724 wheeled 7 928 wheeled and a few more 624 wheeled units. The 928 being a little more powerfull and heavier than the 624/724 Moves the snow about the same as its little brother still with a little bog at EOD pile just not as much and as good as the 1132.

Honestly we live in the same region and get the same amount of snow.  In my opinion the Honda hs724wa is the ideal machine.  Small enough to manuever and store. Powerfull enough to move even the heaviest of snow. Very quiet and great on gas. Also in my own personal opinion the tracked models are hype and in my own personal use work and home they do not get any better traction than the wheeled units. The only thing that they do that the wheeled unit cant do is climb steps to get up on a deck.  Now please NO HATE REPLIES as these are just my opinion.

Any one wondering the difference between the 624 and 724, Same unit with 1 hp more and the 624 has no brace from the auger gear box up to the bucket for support.  This is a week point and if you hit a bolder you can snap the auger shafts. Honda had a service bulletin on this and changed the auger gear box design and added a boss with a bracket on all machines since. I have never had a problem but I always try to make sure I have a clean area before snow flys.

So as you can see I like my Honda wheeled units but dont get me wrong. My Ariens unit is now a contender since I modded it and fixed the bugs.

I guess you can copy and paste this post into the LONG WINDED thread

Orange

Did you add that brace going from the handles to the tractor? If so How did you do it?

Knee_Biter wrote:

Nah! that wasent long winded,that was a great informative post from someone with hands on use!

Your machines look great!

 I Good eyes knee. I added that shortly after i bought it.  On the rear of the bucket there is a gusset for support/strength. I (ouch) drilled the gusset  and bolted some 1"x1" steel square hollow stock. That runs to the handlebars where it bolts to. Only thing I had to do there was buy some longer bolts as it uses the existing holes. Lines up great on this machine.Just barely clears the wheels. The angle of support is less than 45deg. so the support isn't as good as 45deg+ but it is better than nothing. Would be nice to have channel bars like the top Simplicitys' but as we all know there is no perfect machine.

On your post above: I gotta say this unit is great with slush and all else for that matter. It is the 9 hp and I justdon't think it needs any more power. Did I just say that? There has been discussion as to whether it is the same power as the motor labled 11.5hp.  The quick turn chute is as pos as you can not easily precisly direct the chute while blowing. As soon as you you unlock it the thing has a mind of it's own. To make small adjustments you need to tap it slightly (while blowing) . I like the old style ice auger 'cause it is simpler and easy to direct  KISS. Thinking of doing an electric mod here. I also would like to be able to have say 270deg of chute rotation so I'll look int that as well.

O

 Orange,

    Nice brace addition.  Many models have an uncomfortable flex.  A few I’ve bought from big guys had the cracked bars low by the bolt to the tractor case.  Others had ovals worn in the tractor so the handles drooped.   Cracks on Ariens, holes on Toros.

 

Knee_Biter,

Knee_Biter,

>>optional side skids come with a spacer

   Glad you mentioned that.  I was thinking of adding the Ariens style double skids but I’ll check out the Honda skids with spacers at the dealer.

 

   I’ve read complaints a few times about blowback from the chute and don’t get it.  I’ve never had a problem with that machine style.  I can’t see anything bolted onto the chute in the pictures.  Is it there and I’m missing it?

 

>>The 624 gives the 928 and the Ariens a good run for the money.

Interesting.  I would think the 9 a giant leap and close competition for the Ariens 11.5.  I only gave mine one quick shot on the first storm.  It was unimpressive so I parked it.  It was no match for the Yamaha 624 or much else.  I’ll have to check out the engine and pulleys to see if something is wrong.  All I’ve ever read about the Honda 624 is great reports.  I might have been too quick to dismiss it during the last storm. 

 

What you say about your 624 is the way I feel about my HS70 old wheeled machine.  I can’t say from memory that it’s an exact match for a Yamaha 624 but it’s got to be very close.  An HS724 would be a contender for the YS624.  I think they are both rated at 6.5.  The HS70 would take care of all clearing here easily.

 

>>Purchased the Ariens new in fall/winter 2003 and first winter noticed several downfalls.   

   That’s got the nice gearbox with roller bearings.  They went to flanges in 2005.

 

>>Next I noticed it always wanted to climb up heavy packed snow.  Purchased a weight kit

   The big guys seem like they would tackle anything but lift just a bit later. 

 

>>Next season I purchased Clarence's impeller kit and it made the Ariens a new machine.  It now throws with the Honda's and I do use it on giant mounds that the town plows make on my corner lot.

    Good feedback from a non-nutcake.  I’ve got to get off my duff and install a kit.

 

>> 1132 did not seem to throw the snow any better than the 624 so I made some $ and sold it. 

   That’s strange, possibly a problem with it.  Mine is very impressive on distance.

 

>I since have had at least 5 724 wheeled 7 928 wheeled and a few more 624 wheeled units.

   Those all Honda?

 

>>Honestly we live in the same region and get the same amount of snow.  In my opinion the Honda hs724wa is the ideal machine.  Small enough to manuever and store. Powerfull enough to move even the heaviest of snow. Very quiet and great on gas. Also in my own personal opinion the tracked models are hype and in my own personal use work and home they do not get any better traction than the wheeled units.

   Pretty much in agreement.    In the tests I did the Honda 1132 slipped traction just about as much as the Areins 1028 with good tires and no chains.  It was at a disadvantage to the 28” with a wider bucket but at 28 I don’t think the track grip would have improved all that much.  By next week I’ll have a HS828 track and test again against the Ariens 1028.  No need for a track here and a HS724 would take care of the area fine.

 

>>changed the auger gear box design and added a boss with a bracket on all machines since.

   Anyone know how to add a bracket on a gearbox without a boss?

 

   Very interesting post, nice fleet.

Pictures from my backyard/pond.

 

For video (don't laugh too hard!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58015249@N02/5336719527/

MN_Runner wrote:

The video is ok but too much camera movement back and forth at the end. My wife does that sometimes too. Thanks for posting it.

Looks like you are riding up on that snowbank in the video, you might be going too fast, since you should be able to drive right into that and spit it out. Is there something under the snow there?

Agreed, slow down the ground speed.  The sharp serrated auger should take care of that mound easily.

There is a 5" ice layer so I could only go over it.  My video skills are pretty poor but hopefully it will get better. 

knee_Biter
Great post, love looking at photos.  I be curious as to what Areins sent you to correct the problem you described.  I've been toying with a couple of mods to the chute on my repowered
Ariens 1032.  One is to taper the deflector. To narrow it down from the back to the front.  Just a bit to put a little compression on the snow stream as it's leaving the chute.
 I've also have an issue with. I'll call it stray snow, when the chute is turned hard right.

iLikeOrange
 Love the idea of the handle braces.  I hate the slight deflection that is felt when pushing down on handles (Ariens 1032).  I was at first going to weld in a gusset at the bend, but after looking at things a little longer.  Decided that would stiffen things up, but on the downside would then put all the stress on the tube right behind the rear mounting bolt (my handles mount on the top of the tractor housing).  Not a good solution. 

But the braces are perfect .  I may just use a piece of 3/16 x 1" flat stock instead of the square tube.  That way I could just tap a hole in the
tractor housing. (Just re-did my blower housing and hate to grind a spot to weld on some ears.)  The angle probably won't be optimal but it would surely be better than the way it is.

I've wondered why on some or maybe all of the Honda 928s.  That they decided not to put on the square muffler housing / shield.

Not sure why Honda did not use a square exhaust type for HS928 and HS1132.  HS724 was really silent and HS928 does not come close in quietness.

knee_biter
Forgot to comment on your experience with Impeller kit.  I've also noticed a big difference in the way that the blower handles heavy wet or even slushy snow.  Three weeks ago we had rain then wet snow and ended up at least
3" of clear dense slush with about an inch of snow on top.  If it had been colored it would have looked like a slurppy everywhere.
 I was able to blow stuff without any problem.  And didn't even a single time have the chute clog.
Like you said, it used to come out of the chute like you were making a giant sausage.

 I didn't actually use and impeller kit.  Last summer I added weld and reground all the impeller blades to close the gap between the blade tip and the housing.  It's not tight like the impeller kit makes it.  But the gap is down to about 1/16. Personally I think that is about the single most beneficial and cheapest mod you can make to a blower. Not just to increase the throwing distance.  But more importantly, to increase the efficiency. And not waste any of the power behind it.   What ever goes in the front comes out the chute at it's first opportunity. Not after it's spun around in the housing for awhile. Just my opinion

MN_Runner wrote:

This is where a tracked model would shine as it could literally chew into ice like that. I figured something might be under the snow because you rode up so quickly. Normally it wouldn't do that.

 The key to good video is to frame the shot and don't move or pan the camera very much. My wife is still working on that. Here is an example of a party where my wife got a bit wild  with her Filipina friends. But the point is even tho I moved around the room, I tried to do it without a lot of panning. It's not a great example but it's also not on a tripod. It's off topic but I did circle the room to the left and right, it came out ok. This video is safe for work.... mostly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BczBVNWKZK8

Mn Runner
Please don't bait him : ) This thread is going along so nicely. And besides he's not always wrong.  No malice.

I will get a pic of the part for you and a part number for the Ariens part later when I get a chance.  It is just a piece of metal that is orange and has a couple of holes that line up with holes on the side of the chute. When bolted on it extends the chute out so there is no snow blowing past.  If you look at the chute on Ilikeoranges Ariens you can see that they made the chute deeper to correct the problem.  You can almost see the dip where the metal was extended. jrtrebor wrote:

I was just curious on what kind of response we would get out of it as they are fairly comical at times.  Since then I have retracked the bait as I have no desire to make this thread ugly.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Steve,

It is a 5" thick solid sheet of ice and I am not going to risk breaking the shear pins for my stupid little video. Maybe  I have a gift of making any machine look bad as you can see. 

A very nice array of equipment.  I like the brace idea.  Here's mine... I don't have the 7hp Ariens single stage anymore.  I like Ariens two-stage machines but lets just say that Ariens should be banned forever from making a single stage snowblower again LOL. 



 

MN_Runner wrote:

Very Nice!!!  I enjoyed your video
I think I would get the wheel model if I were to get one now.

nice house !

MN_Runner wrote:

I think you did ok, your machine looks fine to me. But yeah you don't want to risk breaking the shear pins for a video. When I had my 928 I chewed up like 3 inches of ice. But it took a while crawling to do it.

Your video isn't stupid at all, why say that? Lighten up, it gets better with experience.

Steve,

It is very weak compared to your stupendous video clips.  Your clips are approaching professional quality.  I had to beg my 14yr son to video for me when the temp was around 10F this afternoon.  BTW, the video was taken with Cannon IS1300 camera.  Wait until we get a monster storm and I will make a better video.

Ariens chute baffle part# 524192 00

I second the banning of Ariens selling single stage units. I had the same one and my brother has one. It only throws in 1 direction.  Turn the chute and it plops out and goes nowhere. Love my Toro single stage units.

Knee_Biter wrote:
Mine would only throw straight ahead which for a 7hp machine was ridiculous.  And I made sure that all the belts and such were to specs.  Another disaster that I owned was a 2-cycle 4hp Ariens METRO two stage snow blower.  I'm feeling a bit queasy just remembering that calamity. 

knee_biter
Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and doing it so quickly.  Makes a huge difference being able to actually see the piece. 

That is similar to what I was going to fabricate. But I was planning to bend it in a little further towards the top of the chute.  So that the show would be guided or directed in more towards the main stream. I was also going to put one on both side leaving at least 2 1/2" in the center of the two. Maybe a little shorter as well.  And use stainless steel.  

Knee_Biter wrote:
What Toro single stage model would you recommend?   I'm looking for something when we don't get enough snow to fire up the 11.5hp machine.  I thought the Ariens 722 single stage would fit the bill but no luck...as you know.

I have a toro 2450 and love it.  It is an older model but I think there are still a few new ones floating around.  Do a google search and see if you can find one.  Even if you have it shipped in. Cant go wrong. Or look on Craigslist for a used one.

http://www.acmetools.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_10052_10101_65893_66674_-1?cm_mmc_o=7BBTkw*4wygtzEf*mtB55bET*VyBpAgfl&cvsfa=2702&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=3636363734

Knee_Biter wrote:
Thanks.  I'll start looking for one.

MN_Runner wrote:

Wow such big compliments  actually my wife is filming me and I am filming her. She says thank you. I am using currently a Canon 870is a truely fantastic camera. Canon makes really great cameras. Too bad they no longer make the 870is. Thankfully I will be getting a HD Camcorder for a late B-day present and we are getting a GoPro HD Hero camera as soon as the LCD bacpac is released for it. We WILL be mounting it on the snowblower!

We were at the indoor go kart track this evening and really wished we had it. I lapped my wife 3 times!!! LOL The track also uses GoPro cameras. I think your son did a pretty good job considering he nearly got blasted by the snow, haha. See a quick chute would have swung it right out of the way and more to the left. Oooooh can't wait to see a GoPro mounted on the Toro and in Hi-Def!

Just curious why you don't use YouTube? They convert the video for you and format it and everything. believe it or not I currently edit my videos on my PS3 with the free software and can even upload to YouTube from the PS3! Cool stuff!

Tell your son he might get famous and his friends can watch him on YouTube.

I'm looking forward to your next video.

Steve & Cathy

If you want something that is really, really easy to move around.  Light enough to hang on your wall or pick up to cut down drifts. The little old Toro Snow Master 20, S200 or S620 are great little blowers.  Good for up to about 4 or 6"  But they will blow any kind of slush and never clog the chute, because there is no chute.  I've even blown 2" puddles of water and slush.

You can find used ones all over the place. For between $100.00 and $125.00 in really good shape and around $75.00 for good runners. Or $40.00 for beaters.  You usually want to put a new carb diaphragm in them for about $7.00 or $3.00 of Ebay.
I carry one around on the back of my truck on a hitch bracket I made.  They only throw about 10 to 15'. Not exactly a Tim Taylor machine. But they are fun little workhorses.

Here is my fleet:

Honda HS520AS, 2005 model                                Honda HS1132TAS, 2009 model



                     Honda HS621A, 1999 model                                               Toro 421QE, 2011 model




Out of these 4 machines, the Toro 421QE is my personal favorite.  It's perfect. 
Well balanced handling, convenient Quick Shoot, good throwing distance, and the engine has serious grunt and power to deal with slush and EOD piles.

AA335,

A nice army of Toros and Hondas. 

All we need is a snowblower video called "The Ressurection of Forgotten Snowblower Going Over the Deads".  I highly recommend Trouts for this highly anticipated movie clip.

NICE!!!!

I am ready have them lined up and ready to rock and roll!

The orange one is an Ariens .I think I bought this way back in 1990.

31/2 HORSEPOWER 2 stage .Best part is it still works!

Had to thin out my heard.I 'm down to just 3 snowblowers now.

Havent used th Ariens in about 2 years since I bought the Honda and Snapper,

but I'm going to use it tomorrow... All I ever did to the Ariens was change the belts and scraper bar.

Also cleaned the carb a few times.So I guess I got my moneys worth out of it.It handled all of the blizzards

 we had back in 1996 .I think we had one a week there for a few weeks in a row.

I was to busy working a ton of hours back then to take the time to buy a new toy.

njal wrote:
Interesting 2 stage Ariens.

Shryp wrote:

I saw one of those on craigslist several weeks ago. Interesting and unique but it seems weak in power for a 2 stage.

aa335 wrote:

Thats the kicker ,it always got the job done.Just 3 /12 horse power.

That little thing kicks butt. Loud as all He**

Of course you can't cpmpare it to todays machine,but man it works.

I think I have it 20 years.

  njal wrote:
It seems well built.  It got me kinda interested for the use of composite material and mixing of 2 stage in a single stage package.  Almost picked one up just for grins.  But I decided not to until I have a organized way of keeping more than 3 snowblowers.  Unfortunately, our neighborhood doesn't allow detached outdoor storage or sheds. 

njal wrote:
I had one called the Arien's METRO.  I think it was 4 hp.  Could never get it to work right so I'm glad to hear that yours is effective.

Paul yup thats it Ariens METRO.

njal wrote:

aa35 you should pick one up then send me your 11 hpHonda!!

haha!!

Shryp wrote:
  I had one of these and it was stolen in an underground parking garage at an apt. building I was managing.  Still ticks me off!  It wasn't fantastic, but did a decent job.

njal wrote:

Keep talking, I can be persuaded. :)

Nice. nothing wrong with Honda red!

O

aa335 wrote:

Well the little Ariens threw me a curve,it worked great,but today

I went into my garage and low and behold fuel was leaking under it.

 I wanted to shoot it!!  What a mess,I think it's coming out of the carb.

I'll have to fuss and fiddle with it when it warms up.

kderobertis wrote:

I don't think I get tired of looking at this snowblower.  Even though there's that new cool Yamaha that rubinew just bought, there's just something good looking about this Honda.  Clean, lean, and shiny.

Kinda like the Ducati naked bikes versus Japanese sport bikes.  Certain mechanicals are best left uncovered and unshrouded.

Kind of like an old Triumph sports car like the TR3 Great car and you really don't mind the parts falling off as you drive it.

I think the Honda has a classic design and the Yamaha has an Industrial look to it. The Yamaha looks like it will chew through a mountain and keep going. The Honda looks more like a sports car. I like the Honda but it doesn't have the Testosterone injectors that the Yamaha has.

Those midget cars are fine in those days but I won't drive one today. There are too many distracted drivers driving land barges. They don't see you and then all the sudden that Ford Excursion thought it just ran over speed bump.

aa335 wrote:

Back in 1999 I bought a new Miata. I had more people hit me while I was stopped at lights and parked. They just didn't pay attention. So I sold it. A big Ford would make me nervous which is why I didn't buy a Mini Cooper S.

From north of Toronto today:

I really like the way you clean your driveway.  Nice 90 degree angles and super clean lines.  I would trust you with my lawn as I like to cut in 4 distinctive patterns: North, South, NW, SE.  My neighbors have been copying me and I am flattered.

That's the first Poulan here on this forum. Be sure to give an impression or review of it after you put the machine thru its paces.

NotMoneyGuy,

The Poulan Pro doesn't even show up in their current lineup, but it does look similar to the McCulloch MC621. Is it pretty new?

aa335 wrote:

Based on reviews at Amazon, I think that versions of the 208 cm3 Poulan PRO PR621ES have been around since Oct 2010.  The manual for my 961880002-00 model says Rev. 5 11.29.10, so fairly new I suppose.  I just got mine Wednesday night and put it together and used it for the first time yesterday (Jan 15/11).  I understand that it is pretty much identical to the McCulloch and Sears Craftsman versions, under the control of Husqvarna. I first heard of it in Walmart's Boxing Day Dec 26 sale flyer, in which its little brother the PR521 with a smaller 136 cm3 engine and no electric start was advertised for CA$288. Problem was they were in PR621 boxes showing 208 cm3 in 12 spots on the box. Only a small sticker indicated PR521 but no mention of the small 136 cm3 engine. That size was only mentioned in the sales flyer.  To make a long story short, I complained and was given a WM CA$25 gift card, came back two weeks later when contacted by phone and got a full refund on my still-never-opened-box and purchased a PR621ES that the manager had ordered in for me with the assistance of the WM purchaser and distributor.  I asked for and got 10% off the CA$288 for the inconvenience and loss of use etc.  So I paid CA$259 + tax, but once you factor in the gift card, it is like I bought it store tagged for CA$236.88.  In other words, price was a huge and primary factor for me.  This good price caused me to return my still-in-the box Toro 221QE, as either of these machines would be a mere back up to my Ariens Deluxe 28.  I assumed that the Toro would have been superior, but for the price, I did what I did.

Box and packaging:  Impressive, lots of folded cardboard and some wood to keep things in place. Lots of plastic cling wrap on body, and bits of cardboard inserted at handle folding/friction points. One sturdy nylon tie sealed bag with manual, chute, deflector, sealed hardware bag and 532 ml bottle of 30 weight oil. Nylon ties held the handles, control bar, recoil handle and two keys securely in place.

Un-boxing:  As unit is fairly light, I lifted it right out of the box rather than cutting the box side as per the directions. Cosmetically a fine specimen, no flaws that I could see.  The oil fill cap dipstick was not threaded on, just held in place by virtue of the stick being in the hole.  The big parts bag was underneath the unit.

Assembly:  Did not lower scraper bar as some other reviewers have suggested.  Used the provided 532 ml SAE 30 oil (added 470 ml per the manual, just did the subtraction of the side of bottle markings.)  Will switch to perhaps more suitable 5W30 once engine is broken in and everything seated.  Unit is stored in a garage, so starting shouldn't be too bad - manual prefers SAE 30 unless starting is "excessively difficult".  The oil filler tube is grossly off centre and the flanged cap with attached metal dipstick cannot be put on.  Design flaw and poor quality control to allow this to happen.  Trying to forcibly screw on the cap caused the flanges to gouge the yellow hood cover.  Rather than using snips to trim the cap's flanges, I used a nylon belt or strap around the filler tube to hold it (with force) in a more central position until I got the cap threaded on sufficiently.  I then un-looped the strap and let the cap rest against the yellow body.  Very disappointing.  Prior to doing so, I had to tighten the Philips screw holding the dipstick to the underside of the plastic cap.  I found the electric start cord in contact with the engine's pull cord cover so I pulled it away and secured it with a nylon tie.  The folding handles were easy to tighten, make sure the aligment of the bolts is proper contour-wise. The deflector, chute and control handle are well designed, good hardware and easy assembly.  Added regular 87 fresh gas.

Starting:  Pushed in the red plastic key, primed bulb twice, set choke on, and got her going on the second pull.  Not as loud as I expected.  Engaged auger and noise rose and unit wanted to move.  Manual states that things are a bit oversized and will beat/wear itself to optimal zero clearances with some use.  They want this break in of the auger vs. the scraper bar to happen with the cooling effects of snow or water to avoid heat damage.

Use:  Ripped through fresh snow and erased compacted tire tracks, leaving stutter marks on black asphalt in the minor snow left behind.  Would occasionally shoot some fine snow backwards at your feet, nowhere near to the degree that I had been led to believe. Cleaned the four or five inches of snow no problem, good throwing distance, perfect for small fairly tight quarters.  The lever to aim the chute left or right is very easy to use, just a slight reach to literally slap it back and forth.  The ease of use of the chute aim combined with the eagerness or pulling force of the unit means you can actually jog behing the unit doing fast 180's.  Impressed with the cleaning job, the sun will get rid of minor residue, the blow back snow did not worry me. The fresh, yet too heavy EOD was too much for it, I wasn't in the mood to struggle with it, taking slow, small bites etc. so I left it for the Ariens 28.  Cleaned up after the Ariens with the Poulan though.  I wish I could mow the lawn as fast as the Poulan whips along.  A shoveling neighbour across the street (who had been to HD to look at the 221QE and rejected it) was given the use of the PR621ES for a few runs up and down his driveway.  He was impressed and asked me to get him one if I could get a similar deal on it for him.  Then went a saw a joystick Toro PowerMax 826 using neighbour just finishing up his driveway.  I cleaned off the Toro's leftovers and let him do the second half and porch area.  Again, he was as impressed as I and the other neighbour was.  Just took a few minutes, it is fun.  You get so in tune with perfectly timed turns, chute aims and speed.  Kind of mesmerizing and exercise to boot.  Must leave the shovellers wondering what the h*ll they're doing if they catch sight of the "performance" / "skills showcase".  Keep in mind that I have like 20 minutes single stage lifetime experience and already feel like an ace.  Extremely easy to use and more practice will make perfect.  I cannot overstate the speed and nimbleness.  Good cleaning and decent power for what it is.  One problem, the auger would sometimes not disengage unless the unit was gently rocked or banged.  Maybe cable or action point frozen.  Probably dangerous, but I have no problem with it since I use a 1979 LawnBoy mower with no safety bar, if it is on, it is on.  Unlike the LawnBoy, I can't walk away from it running, since the Poulan will run away.  Will check it out today, in machine's second full outing.  Otherwise just pull out the red key to kill it.

Summary:  For top dollar, I would have a severe problem with the oil filler neck / cap issue, and probably with the intemittent auger non-disengagement, but for what I paid (CA$237) for a secondary machine to the Ariens, and its speed, cleaning job, and relative power, nothing but smiles from here!  Cheers and good luck and buyer beware.  I now expect some of the neighbours to be looking for a single stage.

Great bang for the buck.

 

I'll add something to your oil filler thing.  I recently inherited a Troy Built blower with a Tecumseh LH318 from my grandparents.  It is still pretty new, probably one of the last LH engines.  When changing the oil I noticed that that screw holding the dipstick to the cap was loose.  I too tightened it and then realized I could no longer screw the cap on!  I loosened it up slightly and it is good again.  It seems like the new design doesn't allow the dip stick to spin inside the tube so now the dipstick stays in 1 direction while the cap screws around it.

Thanks Shryp.  I will look for that the next time I get the cap off.  I plan to use the second dipstick (yes, it has two) low on the motor itself to check the oil.  The oil fill tube is also fairly straight and vertical and the dipstick is probably (I hope) able to rotate.  As your can see in the pics, it is certainly not what stopped me from getting the cap on.  Definitely something to keep in mind though.  Maybe I'll just remove the upper stick and screw altogether, wouldn't be fun if both dropped down into the oil.  I plan to contact Poulan about the issue and maybe get a plain cap from them and maybe another hood.

Notmoneyguy,

Looks like the drive bail cable has too much slack.  Check your idler pulley to make sure it moves through its entire range.  I think it's hanging up which is what's causing it not to disengage the auger.  Either that or you have a kink or pinch in the cable jacket.

Thanks for the write up.  You got an awesome deal on that machine, even though it may have some quality issues.  For the use expected, the price is perfectly acceptable.  Sounds like that 208cc engine has plenty of oomph.

NotMoneyGuy wrote:
Looks like the designer missed a few essential details.  :)

aa335 wrote:

Thanks aa335, I'll pull the cover at some point and see what is going on with the pulleys, arms and cable.  The cable seems fine and kink-less.

As for the engine, "cram a beast in there and they will overlook other flaws" seems to have been the (successful in my case) strategy.  AFAIK it is the same 208 cm3 LCT Storm Force engine that Ariens uses on its Sno-Tek two-stage machines, right from the 20, the 24 and up to the 28, unless Ariens specs tweaks for it to improve it to their perhaps higher standards.