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

Hello,

I have a driveway 40ft X 25ft + 60ft sidewalk, and get quite a lot of snow.

I wanted to get the 24" deluxe (for space) but found it hard to maneuver with both wheels locked, not bad with one wheel unlocked.

I was thinking of moving up to the 27" deluxe (larger than I need) which has the trigger for wheel locking for an extra $130.

My local dealer suggests I upgrade to the 24 DLE  with the automatic traction control, light, handwarmer for $ 464 more than the 24 deluxe.

For a little more I can get a Toro 828 XLE which has the power steering (also larger than I need).

Craftman has a 24" 249cc B+S power steeriing $ 1,000 - same features as the 24" DLE , but not sure about quality.

The locan dealer also suggest Simplicity 9hp 24" ST 2718 ?? for $ 1200. Lighter than the Ariens (not sure if it has traction control.

Can someone please advise which one is best bang for buck.

Snowman, you are the Ariens pro, is the 24 DLE worth that much more than the 24 deluxe or the 27 deluxe? Will Ariens have a sale

In Sept. or October that the Dealers will pass on to customers? I read that some Ariens had problems with the Friction Disk and Baffle plates

has to be installed, and chute control cable freezing. Have these issues been fixed in the 2009 units?

Thanks you all.

gsnow

Gsnow,

Looks like you're off to an early start looking into snowblowers. At this time of the year, the only blower I'm thinking about is a leaf blower.

As you already know, the Honda is a lot of dough, a reputation well established by fans and haters. "Bang for the buck" and Honda don't go hand in hand, unless you are talking about Civics.

With that disclaimer out of the way, Honda has a 24" model, HS724WA, that fits your concerns about a 28" being large for the garage. The HS724 is fairly compact and lightweight. I venture to say that it should be easy to turn without the differential. You do have to crank the chute though.

As snowman said, the slipping friction disk epidemic of 2008 is an easy fix which should be taken care of for new production in 2009.

i have a 2004 26" DLE, and it is awesome - very easy to maneuver.  some slippage on ice but once i pull the locking trigger i'm fine.

the heated handle grips work so well i just wear suede work gloves in the coldest weather.

Thanks snowman for explaining the problems and updating the fixes.  Hope I do not end up with a lemon if I do decide to choose an Ariens.

Can you please comment on the Toro 828 OXE 2009, (build, powermax, no shear pin in auger etc.)  I like the chute control (although it feels plasticky). Their finger locking control is similar to the 27" deluxe Ariens's trigger.

It is a little larger than what I need, but  so many good reviews from owners and on youtube. I am clearing my garage to see how much space I have before choosing the snowblower.

I am in Richmond Hill , Ontario  the dealer price is Cdn $ 1100 for the 24"deluxe, $ 1230 27" deluxe and $ 1,560 for the 924DLE. The DLE is still $ 130 too much using 1.10 cdn to US $1  correct?

Can you please refer me a dealer that will sell it for Cdn $ 1400 Promo in the Greater Toronto Area or Richmond Hill? 

Oakville - thanks, glad to see you are happy with your 9526 DLE, how do you lock the wheel to prevent slipping? I tried to find it at Home Depot but did not see a pin, or lock?

Are you in Oakville Ontario?

aa335 I checked the price on the Honda, it's twice the price of the Ariens 924DLE. !!!

gsnow

I heard that Honda prices in Canada is outrageous. The good news is electric chute rotation/deflection, on-board battery starter is available in Canada market, and some of that money goes towards Ministry of Health to provide public health care.

The bad news is that none of what I just said is available in USA. :( Not yet.

Seriously, I would only consider a Honda if need hydrostatic transmission/track drive for steep inclined driveway.

gsnow wrote:

my 2003/2004 926DLE/pro  (last year for the 9.25hp tecumseh; the 9526 has a 9.5hp briggs i believe) has a trigger on the left handle to engage the differential lock.  i don't believe they ever sold the DLE/pro model at home depot (at least they didn't when i bought my machine).  i bought mine at my local ope dealer - got a decent deal, would have been cheaper to buy from the US, but this thing is 300lbs.

i am in oakville, ontario - and my ariens ate up all that snow from last winter without complaining.  i did slightly bend a shear pin but that was relatively easy to fix. 

Good post,gsnow.

Im in the same situation you are,undecided on the Ariens 27 Deluxe and the Toro 826 OE.This is my first purchase for one and want to make a educated decision for best value for my dollar.I was wondering if anyone who has the toro has found the joystick control to be flimsy and feeling like its ready to fall off.I do like the idea the Ariens are all steel.Ive looked a HD but would like information if possible on dealers in the GTA.I live on east side of Oshawa.Both Ariens and Toro are highly regarded ,just looking for some input.Thanks,Duster

Snowmann wrote:
I am interested into learning more on this.  I cannot seem to find any information pertaining to this on the ariens website.  I have even looked up the parts radar to see the differences, but couldn't find any.  Can you please provide a link to these parts with images?

Thank You


As for the topic.  I have a 1130DLE  921003.  It throws snow like no tomorrow.  I love the differential, I don't think I would enjoy using the machine without it. 

Pro's.

All metal design including the controls.
Differential
Dual Belt pulley
Hand warmers
Electric start
3 year warranty

Con's

Prone to rust if not carefully looked after.  At least for me in my area (salt used heavily on roads)
Some screws should be bolts which snap off if trying to remove 
Lack of grease in certain area's by my ope dealer setup
Cables do freeze up (not mine since I did little mod, but it doesn't look nice)

Thats all I can think of for now.  I should say that I am really happy with my machine and its going into its third winter this year.   It still looks and works like new.  The con's have all been fixed by myself so they are no more.  But they are noted for reference since it would be a problem if I didn't have the tools or ability to do what I did.  Out of the box there are things that should be done that are not and hopefully Arien's adresses them. Last year I forwarded a long winded e-mail to them with no reply, but I hope they read it and looked into the area's for improvement.  If the cables are indeed freeze proof now that is one big step in the right direction as that was one of the bigger annoyances with their cable setup and many other manufactures as well.  Oh one more thing, the reverse is slow like many machines. Like to see it faster, but for safety reasons I bet I never will..  I am not to worried, when warranty expires this year, I will fix that too ;)

Thank you all for your comments.

Are there any unhappy Toro 828 XLE/OXE out there, or any problems with the unit?

aa335 -

 No I do not have incline, so no need for Trac .

Health services is OK in Canada but hard to find a Doctor especially for female patients, surgery or MRI wait is 6 months, not enough facility for Paliative care,

had to watch a close family member suffer through his final month at his home. Wonder what will happen when all the Baby boomers need hospital.

Some people are paying for their own treatment in the US, cannot do so in Ontario.

Oakville -

 Sounds like you got a good unit and did not have the freezing and friction disc slipping issues where the auger will not turn.

Duster-

It is hard to make a final decision, I tried to do a search for Toro problems or unhappy owner found maybe one with disc friction slipping, all others are happy owners.

Watch the youtubes videos . Snowblower above attests to that he is very happy.

 Looks like the most worry-free midprice unit, but may not be as strong as the Ariens in parts, duild and components but if they don not break it does not matter.

The LE in both Toro and Ariens (no remote wheel lock control) are hard to turn on dry pavement, if you are strong that's OK. I tried both in the stores.

goofienewfie- 

Unfortunately, I am not that handy and not a tool person,  I own a battery operated lawnmower, guess now I have to learn.

Too bad you had to do all that work to fix the problems. No response to email Eh! That's not what I read about Ariens' customer service.

You should have snowman give you the parts for the fix, if still under warranty it should be fixed for you. New cable, baffle etc.

Snowman-

Please get back to us re. dealer in Richmond Hill and also Toro's build and components (their problems if you are aware).

gsnow wrote: I totally forgot about the lack of a shearpin - what a great feature (or non feature). I'm not sure if its patented by Toro, but I would strongly argue that if you work for a shearpin manufacturer, you better start looking for another job.

Oakville, your Pro machine must be a 2005 or 2006 as those are the only years that had the planetary differential with the remote lock trigger. It was replaced in 2007 with the Automatic Traction Control and was preceded by the planetary differential with the axle mounted lockout.

Gsnow, The Toro PowerMax is a solid machine. I believe they had a few early problems with some TSB's on the plastic and one on the drive, but the latest models are likely long resolved. Having driven this unit side by side with many other brands, I would comment that the volumetric capacity seems a little low. It seemed to "plow" before other brands'. The gearcase is nice. 4 lead worm, steel helical gear, 1/4" casting wall. The Ariens XS aluminum gearcase is similar except it has a true worm tooth profile on the gear for lower localized tooth stress and a hunting tooth feature for long term durability. You could do without shear bolts on either as both will probably stall the engine before any damage occurs (I know the Ariens will do this). Still, if it's my machine, I'm not going to hammer the gear case with grade 5 or 8 bolts and worry about the replacement bill when the warranty is expired. Shear pins are always a good idea and are there to protect and prolong the life of the gear box.

You could put up an argument for an Ariens Deluxe or Toro Power Max being the better machine. The balance could tip in either direction depending on what your preferences were, but the Toro 828 OXE is ~over $500 US  (50% more) than the comparable 27LE Deluxe. The Toro pricing is just pitiful. If you even out price, the Ariens is clearly the better machine. You could get a ST24DLE Platinum or ST30LE with a Subaru SX30 OHC for less $.

Lastly, I'm not clear why, but the exchange rate doesn't work out when comparing US to Canadian prices. I think there are some additional tarriffs that are probably based on selling prices for units sold in Canada. I'm guessing the tarriff rate is based on price because the Sno-Tek models don't appear to be marked up as much as the more expensive Ariens models. That said, the prices you have been quoted may be the best you can do. I also can't be much help for recommending dealers. I'm not familiar with your area. Shop around as much as you can for the best deal. Just keep in mind you don't want to drive 200 miles for service if you need the dealer to help you out. Some are less than helpful if you didn't buy the machine from them. It might be worth $50 or more to stay close to home. The (Canada for you) Home Depot price should be achievable from a dealer with a preseason sale, so shoot for that.

Duster, the Toro 826 OE has a pin-lock axle while the Ariens 27LE has the remote locking axle. Make sure you can live with the pin-lock before pursuing the 826LE. Larger machines like these can be difficult to turn. Make sure you're up to it.

Goofienewfie, PM me and I'll get you part numbers and details.