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

This is the snowblower I want:
http://www.sears.ca/product/craftsman-305cc-24-dual-stage-snowblower/71529070?ptag=1

305cc Briggs & Stratton, Snow Series engine, 13.5 ft lbs torque
Steel remote chute
Remote chute controls
Remote axle lock / Power steering

Where is this for sale in the USA for a similar price? The Ariens Deluxe Platinum 24" is the closest I've seen but it's a smaller engine and costs more. I live in Utah and while we do get lots of storms, the snow doesn't get too deep where I live. It does, however, get VERY wet at times. I looked around at the higher end single-stage Hondas and Toros, but for the price, I'd only be $100~$200 away from getting a good dual-stage. Even if I only had to have the power of a dual-stage once or twice a year I'd rather be prepared and not stuck with a blower that works most of the time but not that time where it really counts.

So, back to the topic at hand. Is there a similar snowblower to be found in the US for around the same price?

I guess I would have to compare the 27" Ariens Deluxe to the 24" Husqvarna.

27" Ariens: http://www.ariens.com/products_snow/s_deluxe_group/s_deluxe_27/pages/default.aspx
24" Husqvarna: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/12524sb/

I could also consider a 27" Simplicity (http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snowthrowers/large_frame_dual-stage/specs/index.cfm) but I'm not sure if the additional $200 is worth it. The Simplicity and the Ariens seem VERY similar.

I don't really need a 27" snowblower, which is why I've been looking at the 24" lines. Also, the 27" Ariens and Simplicity have smaller engines than the 24" Husqvarna. How does the Husqvarna engine compare to the Briggs & Stratton. More torque/power in a smaller frame should allow me to cut through ice, slush, etc easier than a larger frame with a weaker engine.

The biggest selling point to going to 27" by what I see is the easier turning. Oddly, the Ariens releases the left wheel and the Simplicity releases the right wheel. I have seen a few machines (Craftsman I think) that allow you to release either wheel (trigger on each handle).

Thoughts?

AFAIK all Husqvarna models in current lineup have the dual trigger release for wheels. You can see them in the pictures as the blue levers on handles. I'm not sure about the Husky motor. Mine has a B&S. alexsha wrote:

hiualexsha wrote:

Your in Utah, and have wet snow. Well I'm in MI and get a 30/70 mix, sometimes dry, but mostly wet in my little area. I had the large frame Simplicity and can tell you it will do the job, but... I was gone all of the time, for days and weeks, and would come home to one hell of a mess. My wife would get the neighbor to cut a path out of the garage to the street and I would play clean up on the rest with the Simplicity, as we have a large pond, almost a lake in front of the house and we face due West. The drifts can get pretty large when left unattended and a large frame fit the bill when I got home to open up the drive. But, these large frame units are not the most nible pieces of equipment to use and I am not a little guy. But now I am not traveling and home 24/7, and I honestly felt I had no need for the Simplicity, so I sold it and replaced it with a new Toro Power Clear 221QE and a smaller Toro PC 18 inch model for my deck.

I have an older Toro, a CCR2000(?), I think that is what it is. It is around 15 years old and on its last leg. She is getting to be a bear to start and the wife doesn't like the mixing of the fuel ritual, not that it is hard. But anyways, that little Toro never let us down, and now that I am home I figured it was time to retire her and go get another Toro. Much easier to maneuver compared to the 2 stage and honestly, the little Toro can move the snow, even the wet stuff as long as you catch it in time.

I would say that if you are in a residential area with say a modest drive, I would look at the Toro or a small two stage, as a large frame is a bit of an overkill for most folks and not the easiest unit to move around. And then we have the wife acceptance factor, if you are married, can your wife use the snowblower if you are not around? The reason I went with the Toro and the electric start, she can handle that as long as I have a few cans of pre mix ready to go.

Mike

I would agree that I should see less snow than some areas of the country. I have some fun problems that I'm running into that make me still consider the 2-stage route to be better.

1) Both my wife and I work and leave early and get home late. At most I barely have time to shovel my car a path out to the street.
2) The street I live on is rarely plowed and snow builds up. When it does get plowed, they do the far side first then come around to my side and put a wall of slush, ice, snow, etc into my driveway. The driver p;lows about 6~8 feet from the curb on my side. Nice guy. Really.
3) Along with this, my mailbox gets buried and I have to clear it for the mail deliverer. I feel bad for them where I live. You can se their tire tracks as they have to plow into the snow banks to get to the boxes.
4) I hate plastic. Nothing durable should be made out of plastic. If they made a single-stage with a metal shell, I'd be more inclined to consider it. It's probably a personal quirk, but everything plastic I've used in the cold ends up breaking very quickly. I don't want to buy something that I'll have to replace or repair just after the warranty expires because some plastic bit broke.

In the end, I only want to have to make 1 purchase and have it last a long time. I can maintain power equipment just fine as long as it's well build and isn't going to fall apart under normal use. I'm totally fine buying something a little overkill for those 1 or 2 times a year when it would come in handy.

One last thing I need to consider is that I do not need an electric start. I don't want to run an extension cord from inside my house to start a snowblower. Every single box store and dealer around here has all the single stage blowers with electric start. All the non seem to be special order even though they're $150+ cheaper. If I have to pay $800ish for a single stage w/ electric start, to me there's nothing wrong with paying $1000 for a dual-stage.

There's not a snow ball's chance in hell that I'm getting out of bed every two hours to clear my driveway because my single stage can't handle 18" of snow. Don't understand that thinking at all. I'm also retired and home 24/7 when I'm not out of the country on vacation for a few weeks during winter. When we get a big storm, I just sit it out and watch the show as others go out there even with two stage snow throwers, trying to stay ahead of the dump. We have to get one hell of an accumulation for me even to have second thoughts of going out while the storm is still in progress. Nope. if we're getting a big blast, I'll let it accumulate to three feet before I take out the Simplicity unless it's really heavy wet stuff. Then I'll tackle it when it's half that amount. If you live in an area where big dumps of heavy snow can occur, you're better off with a dual stage with plenty of power.

borat wrote:
I don't get out of bed every two hours to do anything. I'll let it build up like you do and hit it then. If it is a huge snow fall, I still have a medium frame 26" 2 stage for that but really do not expect to use it but she is ready to go if need be. Now the Simplicity large frame I had was great when I did come home after being gone for a week and had 4 foot drifts and all sorts of crap in the yard. But, in my case, I am home now and can wake up in the morning after the snow fall and not kill myself removing it.

Not knowing what the op was faced with, and now we know, it sounds like a 2 stage would be a better choice.

Yeah. Good idea having a two stage for back up. You must have a good size garage to house three snow throwers!

I don't think I'll need multiple snowblowers for backup. One should do nicely.

I just spent an hour last night digging out my mailbox. Probably would have been done in 10 minutes with a good snowblower.

I think we really need à la carte snowblowers. Pick your type (single-stage, dual-stage), pick your engine size, pick your frame size, add on accessories. Just pay for what you need. It'll never happen though. I really think the Ariens 24 Deluxe would be perfect if it just had the wheel lock trigger like all the other bigger Deluxe. Bad omission on Ariens' part.

alexsha wrote:

Why not look at the Platinum Deluxe then?  From people I have talked to the automatic traction control works great and is a lot more convenient than the trigger lock, plus less cables/linkages to freeze up because the ATC is all internal.

I'll agree with the trigger lock comment as I had that on the Simplicity, I really did not like it as it would engage at the worst times if I was not careful and give me a good jerk.