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djarchow


Joined: Jan 7, 2014
Points: 4

Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Original Message   Jan 7, 2014 12:27 pm
My old Deere 726 is on it's lastlegs. Looking at a $300 repair. I am considering buying a new Ariens in the next day or two. Local dealers have the following blowers:

2013 Deluxe 30 with the trigger differential lock and I think the 342cc briggs engine for $1399

2014 Deluxe 30 with new Auto Turn and the 291cc LCT engine for $1299 at another dealer which I don't really want to buy from if I can help it

2013 Platinum 30 with the Traction Control differential and the 342cc briggs engine for $1599

2014 Platinum 30 with new Auto Turn and the 414cc LCT engine for $1599

I am leaning toward the Platinum 30 for the extra power although the 2013 deluxe 30 has the larger Briggs engine if I want the trigger differential vs auto turn.

 I guess it comes down to Briggs vs LCT and autoturn vs trigger. On the engines, two dealers I have talked to have said they have had no real problems with the LCT engines except for some availability on carb parts.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help

This message was modified Jan 7, 2014 by djarchow
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croftwny


Joined: Dec 9, 2011
Points: 11

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #7   Jan 10, 2014 10:11 pm
I have a 2011 Platinum 30 and am very satisfied with its ability to handle the Lake Effect snow we get as well as the heavy EOD stuff. I too wanted to upgrade and that's when I bought the Ariens. The ATC works very well and easy to maneuver, so I definitely recommend it over a trigger. Regarding Briggs vs. LCT, I can't speak to which would last longer or provide the best performance. I can say the 342cc Briggs on mine provides more than enough power to handle and throw snow at an impressive distance. Good luck! Feel free to report back what you ended up with.
djarchow


Joined: Jan 7, 2014
Points: 4

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #8   Jan 10, 2014 11:19 pm
Thanks for all the replies. I bought the 2013 Platinum 13 with the Briggs engine and the auto traction control. The dealer had both the 13 and 14 model. Ariens changed the wheelbase on the new one and it felt so much heavier and hard to manhandle than the 2013 and I am pretty strong. The 2014 weighs around 275 lbs compared to the 2013's 250 but the changes to the wheelbase made them feel much much different than the 25 lbs. I did like the larger tires and the AutoTurn on the new model but the handling was the big deciding factor for me. Again thanks to everyone for their feedback. Dennis
mkd55


Location: wisconsin
Joined: Dec 16, 2005
Points: 155

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #9   Jan 11, 2014 10:30 am
recently bought the ariens deluxe 28" 921030 with the ax 254 cc engine and the atc drive. the 28" model weighs 235 lbs just 6 lbs more than the 24" deluxe. the engine is rated at 12.5 ft lbs tq. and lct the engine supplier has it listed for 7.5 hp. i however used a formula to equate hp and it comes out to more like 8.5 hp. the formula is torque (12.5) times speed (3600 rpm) divided by 5252 = 8.568 hp. now does anybody definitively know the hp of the 254cc ax engine?
This message was modified Jan 11, 2014 by mkd55
hirschallan


If it aint broke don't fix it !!


Location: Northern Hills of NY
Joined: Aug 25, 2005
Points: 327

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #10   Jan 11, 2014 10:28 pm
Don't know where you came up with that formula and I'm not saying it's wrong but I have always used this rule of thumb. I take the torque number say like in your case 12.5 and about 2/3 of that figure works out to 8.3hp. I don't remember where I got that info from but it gives me a quick ball park number.

jrtrebor


Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #11   Jan 12, 2014 8:55 am
I usually just use Honda engines as a general guideline.
They have always rated their engines using CC and HP figures.
A GX240 is an 8hp 13.5 lb-ft (18.3 Nm) @ 2,500 rpm
A GX270 is a 9hp 14.1 lb-ft (19.1 Nm) @ 2,500 rpm
mkd55


Location: wisconsin
Joined: Dec 16, 2005
Points: 155

Re: Help with Ariens snowblower decision
Reply #12   Jan 12, 2014 12:30 pm
i just googled horsepower formulas! http://www.iprocessmart.com/techsmart/formulas.htm
This message was modified Jan 12, 2014 by mkd55
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