Honda for me - both mower and snowblower. Very pleased with both.

I have a Husqvarna 227. I have had it for several years and mechanically, it has been a good machine. However, last year I started having problems with the speed control lever and after trying all the usual adjustments I looked under the console and discovered the plastic tabs the control lever was attached to had broken. I removed the console and couldn't believe how flimsy those tabs were for the amount of force that gets applied to them. In trying to order a new console I discovered that they were next to impossible to find because the problem with the tabs breaking seems to be a common problem for them. The console only cost about $60, but the hassle of trying to find one and then putting it on will make me think twice about buying another Husqvarna snow blower.

Certain companies do certain things better than anyone else.

Ariens does snowblowers. Husky does chainsaws.

Thanks for all the replies. I went and looked at some Ariens today. Seemed well made and think this is the direction I am likely going. Now trying to decide between the Deluxe 24 or 28 SHO.

This thread was very timely I’ll
Be calling out local power equipment store tomorrow to put a down payment on a Ariens 28 deluxe.

quote:

Originally posted by Green Highlander:
Thanks for all the replies. I went and looked at some Ariens today. Seemed well made and think this is the direction I am likely going. Now trying to decide between the Deluxe 24 or 28 SHO.

Go with the 24". Lighter, more manueverable, and will use less gas.
I have a 24 and never thought "boy the extra 4" would have just made my life easier"

Ariens or Simplicity. The fact that both only sell their product through actual small engine shops and do not make price point models for the box stores speaks volumes.

My Simplicity 1524P is doing fine after 10 years. I just serviced it in anticipation of the 4"-6" that was forecast. Instead we have an inch and a half of snow the rain is turning into slush. Oh well.

If you need to consider throw distance and/or height to clear your driveway over the course of the winter the power-to-throw ratio on the 24 SHO is tough to beat.

Further, if your snow tends to be wet/heavy then having the extra flinging power will help.

Neither. Toro SnowMaster: A single-stage snow-blower that performs like a two-stage, but without the two-stage's downsides (weight, mechanical complexity, etc.)

Does that Toro have a reverse?
Or do you have to drag it backward ?

I got the 24" ariens SHO Platinum about 5 years ago after using a Deere for 23 years. The SHO is the balls. You won't regret buying one.

I have an electric start Troy Built that is nice. My parent's Honda is better.

I had an Ariens 2-stage that ran like a top.

The very first winter I owned it, we got a 37" blizzard and I was the king of the block. No issues and no regrets buying one. I retired and moved south, so I gave it away.

I have an Airens two stage, the smallest one they made and auger propelled. I got it because it was one of only two snowblowers left at a Home Depot in suburban Detroit when I needed one in 2000. There was a single stage Toro 2-stroke for a similar price so it was a no brainer.

Still have it. Just took apart and cleaned out the carb. Needs a new seal for the needle valve but I got the old one to work. The Tecumseh engine has the Rube Goldberg multi-spring speed governor and hunts at idle with no load. But in the snow it's good.

Plenty for Indianapolis so it'll do until it dies.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Does that Toro have a reverse?

It does not.

It has a drive system like some of their walk-behind mowers. You push on a bar and it automatically adjusts forward speed to how hard you're pushing. It also has some kind of differential, so it can easily do turns.

Is it totally nutsey ,coo coo, insane to consider purchasing a two stage mega crank monster snow blaster blower,
If
All you own is a four door sedan ?

I have no way to transport the giant machine.

I have two single stage Toro's
One 17 y.o., one 15 y.o.


The only tasks that they come up short are is 22" tall drifts and 16" deep by 30" wide snow plow berms.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Is it totally nutsey ,coo coo, insane to consider purchasing a two stage mega crank monster snow blaster blower,
If
All you own is a four door sedan ?

I have no way to transport the giant machine.

I have two single stage Toro's
One 17 y.o., one 15 y.o.


The only tasks that they come up short are is 22" tall drifts and 16" deep by 30" wide snow plow berms.

Unless you plan on using it commercially, no.
Dealers deliver.

Single stages are fine for 8" of powder. They are notorious for failing at frozen EOD snow.

I have nothing to add but a short story of my family’s first snow blower.

I grew up un Southern NH back in the 60’s when we got real Nor’easters. It was not unusual to get 2 feet of snow several times a season.

My Dad worked for a large defense contractor (Sanders, now BAE) and spent several months a year on the road, mostly in Japan and the Philippines. That left my Mom and me to shovel our driveway by hand. I usually ended up doing it and my Mom would make hot chocolate for me during breaks. My Mom tried to get my Dad to buy a snowblower but for some reason didn’t want to do it. That is up until the first time he was home during one of these snowstorms. I can remember my Mom saying to him OK it’s your turn now…

Well my Dad went out and proceeded to shovel the relatively short (~60 ft?) driveway. It took him a couple of hours all the while watching our neighbors crank up their snowblowers and getting the job done in 20 to 30 minutes. Of course, just as he finished here comes the snowplow delivering a fresh batch of newly compressed snow to block us in again. My Mother thought it was hilarious as we all watched my Dad curse under his breath..

Anyway, he finally finished the driveway and without missing a beat jumped into our station wagon (Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser) and went down to Hammer Hardware and bought our first snowblower.

We had that snow blower until I went to college!

Both of my single stage machines have been great for over ten years.
And
They fit in my Buicks trunk if I need to haul them.

($100.00 for one and $80.00 for the other )

Ariens, just reliable and well built, had no issues with it. Both neighbors went with a tiny pathway blowers and after the Winter of Century in 2023, they both wished they had gone bigger & better. Being good neighbors we helped blow their driveways