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Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Who makes the best snowblower?

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

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ntrtouch


Joined: Dec 14, 2005
Points: 4

Who makes the best snowblower?
Original Message   Dec 14, 2005 11:15 pm
Who makes the strongest, most powerful, most durable snow blower?  Price isnt an issue.  I want to buy a new one and wanted to know who is the best of the best
Replies: 1 - 37 of 37View as Outline
loudsubz


Joined: Nov 25, 2005
Points: 77

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #1   Dec 14, 2005 11:36 pm
Hondas seem to be pretty darn good but they are pricey, but thats not an issue with you like you said.
BBgarage


Joined: Dec 6, 2005
Points: 98

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #2   Dec 14, 2005 11:45 pm
Ariens. Go with the best pro model if money is really not an option. That will set you back between 2 and 3 bucks.

If you are eco friendly you could have a honda hybrid blower imported from Japan.

Ingresol Rand has some nice kits(5-10k) for the bobcats(40k)
loudsubz


Joined: Nov 25, 2005
Points: 77

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #3   Dec 15, 2005 12:06 am
BBgarage wrote:
Ariens. Go with the best pro model if money is really not an option. That will set you back between 2 and 3 bucks.

If you are eco friendly you could have a honda hybrid blower imported from Japan.

Ingresol Rand has some nice kits(5-10k) for the bobcats(40k)



That crazy honda blower isn't going to be anymore eco friendly than the like, because it still has a rather large engine (15hp) to charge the batteries on board etc. so its no eco friendly model for sure.

newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #4   Dec 15, 2005 11:14 am
Honda makes the most impressive LOOKING machine. The 1132 track model is impressive looking but hard to handle because of the tracks especially maneuvering  in tight places. The servo electric driven wheel models are not available in the USA.

The Ariens 1336DLE  can throw 96 tons per hour and has a 12v battery start and I would consider it more reliable than the Honda due to the complexity of the Honda  hydro (or servo driven wheels). In my book, reliability is more important than impressive looking.

But....if you got the money and a large property...then go for it!.

loudsubz


Joined: Nov 25, 2005
Points: 77

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #5   Dec 15, 2005 12:24 pm
newjerseybt wrote:
Honda makes the most impressive LOOKING machine. The 1132 track model is impressive looking but hard to handle because of the tracks especially maneuvering  in tight places. The servo electric driven wheel models are not available in the USA.

The Ariens 1336DLE  can throw 96 tons per hour and has a 12v battery start and I would consider it more reliable than the Honda due to the complexity of the Honda  hydro (or servo driven wheels). In my book, reliability is more important than impressive looking.

But....if you got the money and a large property...then go for it!.



Complexity is one thing, but if its built right and doesn't have issues I don't see it being an issue about reliability.
newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #6   Dec 15, 2005 3:56 pm
Hi Loudsubz:

I guess the reason I am wary is that I own a 2003 Honda HRC216 commercial 21" hydro mower and I have been losing ground speed for the last 2 years. I never lost fluid and have made a hydro cable adjustment already. It seems I lost about 1 mph  the last  2  summers. I expect the ground speed to be 3.5MPH to make the hydro cost effective. A new Hydro is about $350. ...

jubol


Location: Dover, De
Joined: Oct 3, 2003
Points: 1558

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #7   Dec 15, 2005 4:03 pm
You ought to look at the Simps and Snappers for quality also!!

They make great equipment!!

                                                     Fred

Husqvarna STE927(11.5HP) snowblower,  MTD Pro Series 18/42 Lawnmower, MTD 6.5 HP  Self Prop Lawn Mower,  Weedeater 1500 Blower, Web Gensis  2000 
PCPC


Honda 1132 snow thrower, Simplicity 1060 snow thrower, RedMax EBZ8000 leaf blower, older Snapper self propelled mower, Echo weed wacker, 20 + year old 16" McCulloch Chain Saw, wheel barrel with a flat tire, and a rusty shovel!

Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Points: 26

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #8   Dec 15, 2005 4:04 pm
I wonder if the fluid breaks down? I wonder if a fluid change would help. New fluid may retain viscosity when hot? I would assume that this type of drive generates quite a bit of heat. I know on my Honda blower, the level raises quite a bit from cold to hot.
newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #9   Dec 15, 2005 4:18 pm
Regarding fluid breaking Down:

The mower is only used for residential use so I don't think that is an issue for a 2 year old mower.

Maybe it is more noticeable in the Fall. I like to use the mower at 25 degrees to suck up leaves. I have snow right now so I am going to wait till next year.  Maybe I should have bought an Arien's commercial mower with the disk drive instead. (20/20 hindsight) Nothing cheaper than replacing a friction disk for $6.00 on a snowblower or mower. 

PCPC


Honda 1132 snow thrower, Simplicity 1060 snow thrower, RedMax EBZ8000 leaf blower, older Snapper self propelled mower, Echo weed wacker, 20 + year old 16" McCulloch Chain Saw, wheel barrel with a flat tire, and a rusty shovel!

Joined: Nov 26, 2005
Points: 26

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #10   Dec 15, 2005 4:42 pm
That's a nice drive (the Hydro) for a snow blower, but it does seem like a bad idea for a lawnmower. You really don't even need for a mower to be self propelled. I have an old Snapper, I think it's like a 3.5, or 4 HP Tec. (I can't tell), with the disc set up, and I adjusted it, so I almost have to run with it in high gear. I moved the adjustment, so that the disc is as far to the end as It could go, and it really goes.
MountainMan


Overpowered is Usually Adequate


Location: Connecticut
Joined: Feb 19, 2003
Points: 1564

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #11   Dec 15, 2005 4:55 pm
I see no need for a infinatly variable spped transmission on  a snowblower.

The regular 5 speed disk drive is robust, inexpensive to maintain, and ofers plenty of low end torque for deep snow or high speed for transport.

And yes, try to move a teack honda without starting it . Its a fight. Disk drive units will roll easily.

Ariens 1128PRO- Honda Generator_ Husky 480-257 Jonsered 2050Turbo- Shindiawa T2500 SCAG Mower -little wonder blower-Sears track blower-Coleman Generator- Bombadier ATV-Stihl HS-45 Etc-Etc-Etc
Bill


Joined: Mar 13, 2005
Points: 13

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #12   Dec 15, 2005 10:43 pm
Have you ever actually tried out a Honda snowblower?  That infinitely variable hydro tranny is light years ahead of "disk drives".  No use for a CVT tranny on a snowblower?  What if you want to crawl beside the house and then take off at a faster speed?  The disk drive requires that you come to a complete stop, shift in to a higher gear, then start again.  With the Honda, you can seemlessly shift speeds on the fly, no stopping.  There really is no comparison.  I could never go back to a disk drive tranny.  Everyone who has tried out my Honda says the same.

Just the crawl factor of that Honda tranny is amazing.  As slow as you want to go, awesome.  Is there a chance of expensive failures?  Sure, there's a chance.  But my friend owns a Honda dealership, and has not seen one single failure since Honda introduced the Hydro tranny in 97 or 98.  They are bulletproof.
BBgarage


Joined: Dec 6, 2005
Points: 98

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #13   Dec 15, 2005 11:50 pm
While I would love a hydro setup, once you become swift with the disc-o-matic you can pop through the gears easily.
Mads


Rather be scared to death than bored to death

Location:
Joined: Dec 7, 2005
Points: 30

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #14   Dec 16, 2005 5:04 am
 What means "the best" snowblower?   The more efficient?  the fastest one?  the more durable?  the stronguest one? the more easy to repare?...

Wich snowblower is the best one regardless of the price. I ask myself this question for a long time now.

After a lot of reading, trying, testing and thinking; here's the conclusion I've come to:

WEEL DRIVE: The best snowblower of it's kind (Weel drive) : The Ariens Professionnal models (For the tuffness, the availability of parts, the reliability, the reputation and the resale value) and of course the differential drive for maneuvrability. And now: the trigger for locking the differential while blowing. ( Toro and Simplicity are also very good choice, but Ariens is the winner to me. Simplicity: Not enought dealers, Toro: Not as strong as the Ariens Pro).

TRACK DRIVE: The best of it's kind (Track drive) : The Honda (For the superior traction, the hydrostatic transmission, the legendary reliability of Honda, the reputation, the best engine of all, the ability to "dive" into the hard packed snow and the best resale value)... Any ways there is not much track drive constructors to compare... 

Now the choice:

If you have some "special needs" like having to climb stairs to access a deck or a roof to clean it, a very steep or unpaved drive way. You better go with the Honda track drive. But you have to know that the track drive model are real pain to move if the engine is off. It's like trying to move a small tank. There is a feature that alow to put the transmission on "neutral" but it still hard to move. The other "problem" is that you don't turn on a dime with those two tracks. It means that the 180 degrees turn at the end of the drive way are not as easy as the weeled models. In one word: harder to manouver in tight area. But it's an awsome machine and it will resale like a hot cake at high price. 

But if you don't have those "special needs" go for an Ariens pro model Weel drive for the superior maneuvrability. 

A guy who runs a snow removal business said that he have two Honda track drive and five Ariens weel drive. He said that he's employes all firts want to try the track drive models but after the first snow storm, they all came back to the Ariens weel drive because the track drive are MUCH arder to manouver.  This tell's a lot to me!

In fact, if it was not the more difficult maneuvrability of the track drive. For all the others adventages I would say : Honda is the best of all. Without a doubt.

It might be that I'm still trying to convince myself that I made the right choice five years ago!  >>> I own an Ariens 1332 Pro.

Just my opinion.

Hope this will help. 

faithfulFrank


He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose....


Location: Batavia, N.Y.
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Points: 1067

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #15   Dec 16, 2005 9:01 am
This IS a hard question to answer.......like someone else said, it's like asking "What's the best car??"

everyone has different needs......how much snow do you get........, how big is your driveway.....who will use it......storage needs.......dealer support......do you do your own maintanence.......
do you also do neighbors.........do you need to transport it........etc,etc.

That is why I posted a sticky here last year about "Buying a new Snowblower? Ask these questions first".....   The old mods saw the wisdom in making that a sticky....when the new mods took over they wiped it out......it was very helpful, and stupid to take it off.......it IS on the new forum though.

ANYWAY........Try it before you buy it......check out the features you like......quality and dealer support should be more important then price......a quality unit should last you 20 years.....devide the higher price of a quality unit by 20 years and it is pennies, and you have the joy of owning and using a quality snowblower.

That being said, ANY snowblower well taken care of is better then the best snowblower that is NOT taked care of.

For the record, although I've never used a hydro drive, my Ariens Pro snowblower has 6 forward speeds, the first gear is crawling...very slow...perfect.....the 6th gear is FAST.  It is all I need.

If you tell us more about your needs and wants in this area we could be more helpful to you.

Frank D.


Ariens 1332DLE Pro, Exmark 52" HP ZTR, Gardian Generac generator, Shindiawa T230  Excell/Honda PW, Craftsman rototiller, Favorite IPE- My Mac + Ipod- No Windoze for me!
newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #16   Dec 16, 2005 9:39 am
Bill said:

"..What if you want to crawl beside the house and then take off at a faster speed?  The disk drive requires that you come to a complete stop, shift in to a higher gear, then start again...."

I shift on the fly with my 1128DLE. The friction disk "walks" across the drive plate.

The machine is "geared" perfect for 1st gear and I do not go faster than 3rd. Anything faster is risking damage to my machine. Those sidewalks are not always level and I could go head first over the handles. lol

faithfulFrank


He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose....


Location: Batavia, N.Y.
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Points: 1067

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #17   Dec 16, 2005 4:19 pm
NJ is right....you can shift on the fly with the Ariens.....I usually blow in 4th or 5th gear.......5th is fast.........I have the snow cab to stop me from flying over it....

Frank D.

Ariens 1332DLE Pro, Exmark 52" HP ZTR, Gardian Generac generator, Shindiawa T230  Excell/Honda PW, Craftsman rototiller, Favorite IPE- My Mac + Ipod- No Windoze for me!
Mads


Rather be scared to death than bored to death

Location:
Joined: Dec 7, 2005
Points: 30

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #18   Dec 18, 2005 1:39 am
Hi Frank,

I think you're right. The right way to see the problem is to try to find the right snowblower for your needs..... This is the best snowblower for you.

But I think that the question here was simply: Wich snowblower is the best? Regardless of considerations of price or specific needs.

Yes it's difficult to answer the question: Wat car is the best?  But regarding snowblowers I think it's much more easyer to answer. We can debate over two or three contenders of course. But I think we can put the list down to less than four snowblower for the title.

Anyways.

>>>  " I usually blow in 4th or 5th gear.......5th is fast........."    >>>>  Wow!   You must have very small amount of snow to do that!!!

I usually blow in first and sometimes in second gear!  Never in 3th and in the 5th I have to run behind the snowblower!    ....     You must be jocking!?

We just received 41cm ( a bit over 16 inch.) of snow yesterday and the first gear was just fast enought to do a good job and digest the snow without forcing the engine!  (Ariens 1332 DLE)

nibbler


Joined: Mar 5, 2004
Points: 751

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #19   Dec 18, 2005 7:45 am
I find that I rarely use anything but :

1. Fastest forward gear - straight line,- still too slow
2. Slowest forward gear - EOD and deep heavy stuff - Sometimes its too fast
3. Fastest reverse gear - Still too slow but it helps when I need to maneuver backwards

They promised us 20-30cm ( 8-12 " ) and we only got  10cm ( 4") which seems to be normal for this area. I basically guage how fast to go by the engine sound and how much snow is being snowplowed by the augers. I find if I go too slow there isn't enough load on the engine to cause the automatic throttle to kick in and performance degrades. I'm also impatient and want to use all of my horsepower :
newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #20   Dec 18, 2005 10:55 am
If your machine has a friction disk then cable adjustments will help problems 2 & 3. You will get a slower 1st "gear" and a faster reverse but a slower high speed.
nibbler


Joined: Mar 5, 2004
Points: 751

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #21   Dec 18, 2005 1:47 pm
It's not the adjustment that s off its the actual speeds don't match with what I want, a user perception problem as opposed to a mechanical one.
faithfulFrank


He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose....


Location: Batavia, N.Y.
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Points: 1067

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #22   Dec 18, 2005 5:30 pm
I guess I do not have too much of a snow handling problem because

1) I snowblow often....the other day it was 4 times in one day....

2) 13 hp  for 32 inches seems to handle things well.

I suppose when I have to snowblow heavier snow, or a lot of inches deep I'll go at a lower speed.

Kinda like making love.....you can do it fast, but why rush it?? 

Frank D.

Ariens 1332DLE Pro, Exmark 52" HP ZTR, Gardian Generac generator, Shindiawa T230  Excell/Honda PW, Craftsman rototiller, Favorite IPE- My Mac + Ipod- No Windoze for me!
nibbler


Joined: Mar 5, 2004
Points: 751

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #23   Dec 18, 2005 7:02 pm
Off colour joke alert

Young bull and old bull are looking down at the herd. Young bull says "lets run down and have a couple", old bull says "lets walk down and have them all".

Except for EOD most of what I have to deal with is 10-20cm ( 4-8" ) so speed is more important than power most of the time.
MountainMan


Overpowered is Usually Adequate


Location: Connecticut
Joined: Feb 19, 2003
Points: 1564

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #24   Dec 19, 2005 9:15 am
Bill wrote:
Have you ever actually tried out a Honda snowblower?  That infinitely variable hydro tranny is light years ahead of "disk drives".  No use for a CVT tranny on a snowblower?  What if you want to crawl beside the house and then take off at a faster speed?  The disk drive requires that you come to a complete stop, shift in to a higher gear, then start again.  With the Honda, you can seemlessly shift speeds on the fly, no stopping.  There really is no comparison.  I could never go back to a disk drive tranny.  Everyone who has tried out my Honda says the same.

Just the crawl factor of that Honda tranny is amazing.  As slow as you want to go, awesome.  Is there a chance of expensive failures?  Sure, there's a chance.  But my friend owns a Honda dealership, and has not seen one single failure since Honda introduced the Hydro tranny in 97 or 98.  They are bulletproof.


Yes ive tried the Hondas  out. I have snowblower around my House and property before rain storms to prevent flooding with my machines. Never needed anything lower than 1st. My ariens and sears can shift on the fly. And I can move my mahine in the off season much easier than the Honda.

Side note, at the Big county fair, OPE dealer was showing 4 or 5  brands of machines. Alll the Hondas were gasses up, and a few from each other manufacturer. I ran the honda here. They gassed all the Hondas to move them to and about when setting up. The other machines rolled freely without much help.

Ariens 1128PRO- Honda Generator_ Husky 480-257 Jonsered 2050Turbo- Shindiawa T2500 SCAG Mower -little wonder blower-Sears track blower-Coleman Generator- Bombadier ATV-Stihl HS-45 Etc-Etc-Etc
RnB213


Joined: Dec 19, 2005
Points: 10

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #25   Dec 19, 2005 10:35 pm
Toro 828LXE is the Top rated snowblower in North America source Consumer Reports Magazine

Toro/Lawnboy, Simplicity, Snapper, Husqvarna,Jonsered, Briggs, Tecumseh,Kohler,Honda
newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #26   Dec 19, 2005 11:07 pm
Who would you rather believe...

a multibillion dollar corporation that MAY derive certain "benefits" based upon the results of a particular review OR the people
in forums such as this one  who have no vested interest in the performance of their  purchased or trial tested  equipment  whether it was good or bad?

Mads


Rather be scared to death than bored to death

Location:
Joined: Dec 7, 2005
Points: 30

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #27   Dec 20, 2005 4:52 am
 Quote: Newjerseybt :
Who would you rather believe...

a multibillion dollar corporation that MAY derive certain "benefits" based upon the results of a particular review OR the people
in forums such as this one  who have no vested interest in the performance of their  purchased or trial tested  equipment  whether it was good or bad?

Well said!!!
Mads


Rather be scared to death than bored to death

Location:
Joined: Dec 7, 2005
Points: 30

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #28   Dec 20, 2005 5:01 am
ntrtuch:
"Who makes the strongest, most powerful, most durable snow blower?  Price isnt an issue.  I want to buy a new one and wanted to know who is the best of the best"

I just try (again) my neigbour's Honda track drive 1132 today. There is still hardened snow from the last snowstorm 16 inch last friday to blow. I am always impress by the will of this machine. I can tell you: If you got a lot of straight line to blow and dont want to be stop by nothing... this machine is impressive!  But again if you have to swerve around.... hard to steer. But not as bad as I remembered from the last time i use it. It's not that bad after all!

Garandman


Location: South Boston, MA
Joined: Mar 10, 2005
Points: 341

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #29   Dec 20, 2005 5:53 am
ntrtouch wrote:
Who makes the strongest, most powerful, most durable snow blower?  Price isnt an issue.  I want to buy a new one and wanted to know who is the best of the best

Probably Oshkosh. They're roughly $450,000.

Or - did you mean you have a requirement for a residential snow blower and was wondering what best fit your needs for performance and durability?

That depends on  how much snow you get; and what area you have to clear; and what you can physically handle.


wally


Location: Oakville, ON Canada
Joined: Nov 20, 2005
Points: 30

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #30   Dec 20, 2005 11:34 pm
Just as there are people who swear that Fords are the ONLY vehicles to buy, so too are there GM or Chrysler fans who would NEVER buy a Ford!!!   Ever talk to a Volkswagen or Volvo fanatic?  So...what is BEST????  It depends on your perspective!!!  Do your research....make your choice.... and move forward!!!  You can only rely on other people's perceptions so far.  There are no clear-cut absolutes!!!

*(:>)*

newjerseybt


You want it done right?...You better learn how to do it yourself!

Ariens 1128DLE
Ariens 8526LE
Honda HRC216
Bosch 3221L
Craftsman DYT4000
Stihl FS90R


Location: Honesdale, PA
Joined: Dec 19, 2004
Points: 171

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #31   Dec 22, 2005 1:38 pm
Garandman:

That behemoth would look good attached on the front of my truck.  They should make Dodge Rams, Ford F250s etc with a PTO option so you can use a blower instead of a plow. The PTO could also be used with a variety of attachments.

jubol


Location: Dover, De
Joined: Oct 3, 2003
Points: 1558

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #32   Dec 22, 2005 1:49 pm
NJ,

Get a Unimog!!!

                                Fred

Husqvarna STE927(11.5HP) snowblower,  MTD Pro Series 18/42 Lawnmower, MTD 6.5 HP  Self Prop Lawn Mower,  Weedeater 1500 Blower, Web Gensis  2000 
18Degrees


Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Points: 111

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #33   Dec 24, 2005 7:02 pm
This site helped me greatly 2 years ago to decide what I needed. 

 Conclusion=there is a group of brands making each other better by competition.

AND there is somegroups to avoid.

I'm happy with my purchase, esp. because of my hill!

  18 degrees

P.S. why are people moving there snowblowers around so much in the summer?  In my garage the snowblower is inside and the car sits out in the weather.

18 Degree driveway - 928 Honda track drive - Fertilizer spreader for dispensing salt
tsmagas


Joined: Nov 23, 2007
Points: 33

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #34   Nov 23, 2007 8:29 pm
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


TOROS
zippo2008


Joined: Sep 3, 2008
Points: 6

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #35   Sep 4, 2008 12:50 pm
faithfulFrank wrote:
NJ is right....you can shift on the fly with the Ariens.....I usually blow in 4th or 5th gear.......5th is fast.........I have the snow cab to stop me from flying over it....

Frank D.

Hi Frank, what do you ean shift on the fly ?

I have an old MTD brand blower, and I must stop moving with the snowblower before changing gears,, don't the Ariens work the same way ?
.... meaning you must put the thing into the gear you want, then pull down lever that engages the gear drive, which is located on the right handle bar ?

thanks for your time
Snowmann


Joined: Dec 3, 2003
Points: 494

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #36   Sep 4, 2008 8:28 pm
You can shift into forward gears without declutching, just not from forward to reverse or vice versa.
nhmatt


Joined: Dec 21, 2008
Points: 104

Re: Who makes the best snowblower?
Reply #37   Dec 22, 2008 12:26 am
I haven't used every type of snowblower, but Honda is the best I've tried.  Ariens are easy to work on, and you'll get plenty of practice.  The snow/hr ratings are garbage, because my hs828 could easily more more snow than my 1336dle pro.   Its not the shifting.  I think anyone who can drive a standard knows it doesn't slow you down after a week of practice.  The hydro drive is so much more efficient you save a ton of power for the auger.  They're both about the same in powder, but get some heavy snow (which is when you actually need a snowblower) and the honda shifts into a power band on the auger and goes FARTHER!  The Ariens is not the same.  Nowhere near the power in heavy/wet snow.  You can disengage the wheel-dirve models, and push them but they start so easy and are so quiet, why not?

If you go with the Honda don't bother with electric start unless you need a light.  The motor decompresses on start up, so my 6 yr old daughter could start one, and alway on the 1st pull.  They're amazing.  Not even in the same class.    If its money, then buy a cheap one from sears, but don't bother with a $1500-$2000 not-much-better-than-a-cheap-one machine with 95% of the same parts and the same color paint.

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