RickJ

I agree with nibbler, and I think that Ariens is doing the right thing here.  They have identified a problem, notified the owners of the affected machines, and are working on a solution.  It sounds like it's a brigss & stratton problem, not an Ariens problem.  While I would be disappointed if I had bought one of these machines and received this letter, I would rather have them inform me of the problem early, instead of waiting for years before they tell me about it.  If this only affects a limited number of machines, then it's not worthy of a full scale recall.  But I do hope that they go public with this, or post notifications in the stores that these machines were sold in, so that customers who did not send in their registration cards can find out about the problem.

I wonder if B&S engines on other brands are also affected?

I looked at them both when I was shopping last year. Both nice machines, but I personally would go with a Toro over the Husky. It seemed better built to me. Husky is basically the same as a Sears Craftsman. I believe they are both made by the same company.

I know that the $475 is a lot of money, but if you consider how many years you're likely to own the machine, it works out. I personally think the Toro would last longer than the Husky, so you'd get that extra $475 out of it over the long term. Any blower does a good job in it's first few years. It's how well they perform 10-20 years from now that makes the difference.

Now remember, I don't own either one, and haven't used either one, so this is only my opinion. I don't want to insult any Husky owners out there.



My choice, after all my looking, was to buy a used Simplicity. It was built like a tank, within my budget, and I believe that I will be able to get a good 10-20 years out of the machine.

I don't think you'll go wrong with either Simplicity, Ariens, or Toro. They are all good machines. I do like that Toro stick for turning the chute. I was seriously looking at those last fall. I just didn't want to spend the money for a new one. My only concern with the Toro is what happens if you break the chute control handle? It's plastic, so it can break. (probably doesn't happen often, but my local dealer said he had one in for repair with a broken handle) I don't know what that would cost to replace. It's sort of along the same lines as the electric motor on the Simplicity chute control. Sometimes simpler is better.

I think you just need to go try all 3 models, and see which one feels best for you.

Well, you might already know my recommendation. Simplicity all the way. I think their quality is a little better than Ariens, and with a lower price it would be a no-brainer to me. Plus, if you're doing a lot of short driveways I would imagine that you do a lot of turning. So the electric chute control would probably be a welcome feature. And it has heated grips.

My only concern with the Simplicity would be the electric chute control. It's another part to wear out. The dealers I spoke with had said that they hadn't heard of any problems with the electric motors, but it's up to you to decide if it's a feature that you want. I couldn't justify it for my home machine, so I bought a used 8 horse model with a manual crank. But if I was doing a lot of driveways, it think it would be worth it.

Ariens are good machines, but it does seem that there are a lot of complaints about little quality issues. Maybe a lot of these have to do with the dealer set up (or lack of it from HD) but it's enough to make me hesitate to recommend an Ariens.

I think it does come down to what you like best, and how well you like the dealer. A good dealer will make all the difference with any brand.

No idea what it would cost, but call Robbinsdale Marine. (Robbinsdale is on the Northwest corner of Minneapolis) Very honest shop, and his prices usually are pretty reasonable.

I bought my snowblower (used) from Cedar Small Engines, in South Minneapolis. I've never used them for service, but friends of mine have. They are also a good shop.