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

          How many of you folks out there with MTD snowblowers, have had problems, or no problems?

Let's count and see how :"Junky MTD" does !!, compared to Ariens great QC ! ! ! 

                                                                 Fred            

Fred-
   based on what you've written about ariens in other threads(I think in one or two you've resorted to out and out bashing), and the *tone* of your post  at the outset of this thread, i'm getting a strong vibe from you that you are (albeit latently) implying that mtd's have a longevity/reliability equal to or better than that of the "big A" (having lawyers in the family i know that libel does not have to be direct but rather it can be implied- just cuz you don't write it don't mean you don't say it).  After digging out two drive ways for over half a winter(in addition to my own plus my yard) last year that were *supposed* to be cleared by mtd's that had big problems, i can say without hesitation that you couldn't be more incorrect.  I even had the pleasure of trying to operate one of those things, and couldn't be more unimpressed.  It had no torque to the wheels, the controls were both flimsy and clumsy compared to mine, and there was this great grinding sound coming out of the auger gearbox- despite the fact that proper shear pins(factory in fact) were installed.  The fact that they get the money they do for them stuns me.  I have seen them break in the conditions that my ariens(and i don't  even have a high end ariens) revels in, even prior to getting the r3 drive- do you realize it took well over two years for my r3 problem to appear? I would bet the disc in an mtd(or the belts for that matter) would be worn worse in the same time,   I am sure in the evironment in which you use your machine it works great and probably always will, but I also know that a storm up here like the one we had a couple weeks back can easily break the back  of an mtd, cause i have seen it happen not once, not twice, but 3 times in the last  12 months, and that's on my street alone.  I won't for a second argue or debate that we seem to be seeing a larger than preferred number of nagging problems with ariens machines this year, but do a little research into the toro 3650, and see what you find.  What scares me the most about your suppositions is they are based solely on empirical evidence that you derive from the board here, which in the grand scheme of things is a terribly small sampling, not to mention a horribly biased, unscientific one.  All this from someone that I have always felt to a person of reason and knowledge.  You may be resentful of what i write, but i'm disappointed by what you are writing.

SnowRemover wrote:

I think it may be because this site for some reason seems to be Ariens orriented.  Many of us post about how happy we are with our machines and that makes it easier for Ariens owners who may be experiencing problems to post questions.  Conversly some models are not as highly regarded and I suspect this has a chilling affect on people who own other makes.   I also think it provokes some members into bashing Ariens but I can live with that.  The way I look at it is:  I bought my machine after evaluating every model I could find in my price range.  I read consumer reports, I talked to other people,  I searched the web for information, but most importantly I thought about what I liked and didn't like about each machine I looked at.  The final decision was based on how * I * thought it would perform.  I'm comfortable with my choice, and don't feel that because someone else came to a different conclusion one of us must be wrong. 

Good luck with the MTD Jubol.  I'll bet there are a lot OPE owners who would gladly trade a neglected "high end" machine for a well maintained MTD.

plugger,   I agree this site does tend to be Ariens oriented - maybe due to the postings from Ariens folks.  No knock on PK helping people out.  He's terrific.  However, there is no doubt in my mind that there are far more troubles reported on Ariens blowers and this has been true for at least the last three seasons.    The idea that somehow this is due to some kind of bias is hard to fathom.  Unfortunately the first hand postings seen here are the only data available.  While not conclusive I put more faith in these reports than in second hand anecdotes.  Your theory does not hold water since other "highly regarded" 2 stage machines like Toro don't have undue problem reports.  

I think it likely that Ariens machines, while stoutly build, are quirky and prone to initial workmanship problems.  If you fix the early problems and stay on top of the adjustments they're probably great for many years.  Even some folks who have had serious problems are still happy with them.  That's loyalty!   My lowly Craftsman has gone through 2 1/2 winters of very heavy snow and I have not yet needed to adjust the drive engagement or either belt - all still as set at the factory.   That's as it should be.  How often do you have to adjust the belt on a car?  Probably never these days.

If any machine gets bashed around here it's MTD and I'm no fan of MTD.  My neighbor has had a 10HP MTD for over ten years (I borrowed it a couple times) with no problems with the machine - except some motor trouble  - but that's just a second hand anecdote.  lol   -Bob

boblloyd wrote:
Hi Bob,

I think Paul's willingness to help is one reason Ariens owners may be more likely to post.  I wonder what would happen if other manufacturers had someone like Paul monitoring the board.   My 1128 was defect free from day one except for the blowby problem that Ariens fixed quickly.  I may have gotten lucky but despite the number of posts regarding Ariens problems on this board I still believe my machine is representative of Ariens quality.   I have two neighbors who each have Craftsmans and they've both had problems with them.  I guess I could consider the blowby problem a failure but I could still use my machine without "fixing" it.  My neighbors couldn't.   So from my viewpoint I'm seeing something different than what your saying.

I haven't had to adjust a belt on any of my trucks in the past 20 years.  I guess that's  because they used serpentine belts and tension was maintained by an idler arm.  I  have however had to replace the belts and one time had to replace the idler arm.  I also had to replace a belt on my daughter's Nissan  but never had to adjust it.   This is my second year with the Ariens and my first year with my Chevy Silverado.   I've already had to fix the windshield washer on the Silverado but am yet to fix something on the Ariens.  I've also spent more time changing the oil on the truck than adjusting the Ariens but I'm not sure that means anything in terms of quality for either machine.   I spent about 30 minutes this fall checking and adjusting the Ariens.  I could have done it in less time but it was a pleasent way to spend a half hour so I took my time.   My neighbor spent about 5 minutes.  He didn't have to adjust anything.  He just had to make sure it started.   I walked over and offered him the use of my grease gun to lube his auger shaft but he didn't have grease fittings so he didn't even have to do that.  Yet, I don't feel like my machine is any lower in quality than his.  
In retrospect I wonder if I should have suggested he pull out the shear pins to verify the auger hadn't frozen to the shaft.  I guess this would qualify as  second hand anectdotal data to someone reading this post but to me it's first hand observed fact.

I guess I don't see why having to, or in my opinion being able to, make simple adjustments is a bad thing.

I have had  an Mtd yardmachines gold, Craftsman 4 stroke and 2 cycle, Toro 2 cycle, and Ariens. My opinion of all the machines i have owned is the Craftsman 4 stroke was way below my expectations on quality and longevity, The Craftsman 2 cycle plastic machine served me well and i loved it. The Mtd was way below my expectations on quality and longevity and rusted like no tomorrow. The 2 cycle toros serve me well and i like them.  I had a 1992 vintage Ariens st824  and used it every year untill 2003 when i sold it to a friend. The only thing i ever did to it was change the oil and grease and it never gave me 1 problem and ,looked like brand new when i sold it. The only reason i sold it was because i got the bug for a new piece of ope and purchased the 1128DLE. I also have a early 1970 vintage Ariens and the only thing i have ever done to it was change the oil and the belt once which was last year and it has never given me 1 problem and is rust free. This is the old CHEVY or FORD thing. You either like one or the other and it is most likely programmed into your brain when you were a kid by a family member. I am an Ariens man by choice. My family never had a snowblower growing up and when i purchased my home i started on my own. They will all work and serve the purpose but for how long and how good ?? Only the shadow knows !!

ToroBlower wrote:

Snowremover again     BANNED.

DO WE HAVE A UNBALANCED HUMAN ON OUR HANDS?  

Add Frosty and mantooth to the list.....BANNNED.

C

DALE A.   BANNED

I apologize in advance for the long reply…only read if bored.

As a newer reader to this forum, I’d like to give a little lay audience perspective as to what is currently happening to this thread, as well as forum, and how it will turn off others (those who are not engrained in the conversations/lifestyle) from contributing or valuing opinions.

Why do people visit this forum? Who are they? What is/are their motive(s)?  What will lead them to conduct behind-the-scenes reading, contributing, or unsubscribing?

Here’s a typical scenario…a consumer decides they want/need a snow thrower. Unless they have an influential neighbor/family member who owns an expensive, but not well known, snow thrower, they’ll initially gravitate to the Wal-Mart/Sears throwers (greater exposure and better price point).

Then, thinking that $600 or so is a lot of money to spend, they’ll look at generic research sources (such as eopinions.com or they’ll read Consumer Reports) to verify their pending purchase. Later, after learning about a few alternative choices, they’ll go google.com or msn.com and search for recommended snow throwers. They’ll often stumble upon threads such as this one. At that time they’ll hear about how they should spend more money than what they planned.

To justify spending more, they’ll look up more first-hand experiences on this forum. Rather than read every single thread, they’ll use the search engine to look for, say, Toro 8 hp or Simplicity. They’ll also see subjects such as “MTD Snow Blowers” and skim it over. They’ll want to learn why magazines recommend MTD (which to them, may or may not be made be the Craftsman model they saw at Sears) but subscribers who own and use snow blowers will often recommend Ariens/Toro/Honda/etc.

While skimming threads, they’ll come across people arguing over who said what, etc. This is normal behavior. People often act differently behind the keyboard than they would if face-to-face.

Back to the consumers…if bored, they’ll spend a little time to figure out why a person is pissed, and another is banned. But, frankly, it’s insignificant to those who just want valuable snow blower information.

As a result, strings such as this are valuable, even if controversial, but only if people first counter opinions/facts they do not agree with, and then later ignore the post/person, rather than get off the subject. Why throw gas on an isolated field fire that can’t harm? If it must, let it burn on its own, and people can decide whether or not to stop by and watch it. Soon, if unattended, it will burn itself out. However, some may sit around and gain some heat from it...their choice.

Another thought…just a guess, but if I were to read these threads and ultimately buy a Craftsman on clearance, I’d probably have not real need to visit the site (since my purchase would not be justified). The only time I’d ever visit this forum again is if the Craftsman ever broke down (to potentially gain information before attempting to fix or bringing it to a shop).  

PS: Snow thrower or snow blower? What's the correct terminology?

colecacola wrote:

They are interchangeable terms really.  Neither is wrong and you are understood regardless of which you use.

C