# Buying first snowblower



## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Well, I'm 100% buying a snowblower. I spent 3 hours with my girlfriend shovelling my 6 car driveway yesterday and Only had 2/3 of it done when i decided that was enough of that for the night. 

From talking to neighbours and looking online it seems ariens and toro are great worry free units. So I've been drawn toward the toro 826OE model for some reason, I like that it has stronger gears so less shear pins if any are needed. 

Power Max 826 OE 26 inch. Two-stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower Home Depot Canada

Any opinions from you guys would be great as I still haven't bought one but will very shortly. Oh, we normally get 12" of snow, it can be wet, my driveway is basically flat and is newly paved. 

I've been told the newer toro units use a plastic impeller. Do they seem to hold up? 

My neighbour has an ariens 921024 model and it does fantastic in our shared driveway. 2/3 of it is mine and 1/3 his. I'm torn on which brand to get. I hear good and bad about both, I just know it has to last a long time because I don't feel like buying one every 5 years. 

One nice thing is toro uses a Briggs and Stratton engine while ariens has gone to their own AX series of engines. Whether or not that's of benefit I'm not sure yet. Also the ariens with the AX254 engine puts out 12.5ft.lbs. haven't been able to find what the toro unit puts out yet. 

I'm not set on that specific ariens unit, just an easy one to compare to because my neighbour owns one.


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## joee5 (Nov 30, 2014)

You wrote a novel and no where did you say a simple greeting

Just saying is all.


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

Briggs and Stratton are made in china. I don't think they are what they used to be. Personally I would choose the Honda,it's a bit more $$ but worth it in the long run. If you take good care of a Honda it should last a good 20yrs.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

hello money man, welcome to *SBF!!* toro does not use a plastic impeller, the chute and acs are plastic though


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Sorry joee5, guess that would've been a good way to start.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Is there a good Honda snowblower I can get for under $1500cad? I've seen a lot of them in different stores but they're all $2499+ tax.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

Money_man said:


> Is there a good Honda snowblower I can get for under $1500cad? I've seen a lot of them in different stores but they're all $2499+ tax.


 what model is the honda


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

Welcome to the forum

Now on your question, there's far more than just that. First off, I'm assuming you're looking at new but have you thought about used? There are some really good machines that can be had for less than new and likely will last longer than many of those shiny new machines. If you're mechanically inclined, have some tools and time, it's definitely worth considering. My machines are around 40+ years and still going strong.
If you're looking new only, then you're in the right area to ask along with neighbors. One suggestion for new is look through dealers. They supply support and can insure a machine is right.


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## Mac (Jan 26, 2015)

*what blower?*

Get a Honda , they last forever and are extremely reliable. Mine starts first pull every time.

Whatever you do do not go to Home depot or any other big box store.
If you need to get it serviced they just send it out to get done.
What model of Honda? that depends on where you live. I have a Honda HS828 track drive , but I live in the snow belt.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> Is there a good Honda snowblower I can get for under $1500cad? I've seen a lot of them in different stores but they're all $2499+ tax.


For that budget I would go with the Ariens Deluxe 28....


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

I was told by my uncle to stick with a 24", 28" tops because they are to hard to handle. Any truth to this? My driveway is flat and basically a rectangle, but that's been my pure objection to looking at anything larger than a 24-26". As for the Honda I'm not sure on the model I may be able to look it up though. 

I have a local dealer that services toro and ariens units along with a long list of other small engine manufacturers. So I'm just basically looking for whatever one will do best in my application. I hate buying something without having all the facts.


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## cub cadet 3x (Nov 2, 2014)

money man here is a link to Canadian Honda snow blower site prices a bit above your $1500 Canadian though 
Snowblowers


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

Welcome to SBF Money! 

+1 on considering used machines if you're handy. The SBF family is a tremendous resource to help you out if you hit a roadblock.

Can't help much with the used machines other than the fact that my landscaping buddy has been putting a '14 Toro 726 with the OHV Briggs through it's paces. He hasn't had any complaints so far...actually loves it. There are HUGE Ariens & Honda followings & even customer-support here on SBF if you decide to go one of those routes.


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## joee5 (Nov 30, 2014)

Money_man said:


> Sorry joee5, guess that would've been a good way to start.


It's all good brother.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Just seems like every snowblower around me that's used is either beat to death looking or is priced so high I may as well buy new.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

Buy local from a dealer, I am handy with tools but wanted a new one so that was my choice. Let us know what you decide on. Horsepower rules, never have to much. Thanks


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money Man,

Where are you located?


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Halifax, Nova scotia.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> Halifax, Nova scotia.


I see why you need a blower in a bad way....

Do you have much room to blow the snow?


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

It all needs to be blown off to one side of the driveway. Which currently has a ten foot snow pile there.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Like I said my neighbour has that ariens and he's had no problems with it at all this winter, however he only bought it in September so it's to new to have issues but it's had no problems firing the snow. 

My biggest problem is I've never looked into snowblowers before so I don't know what to look for and what to watch out for. I also don't know which are the best brands to get. Honda/Yamaha seem to be great but cost a lot of money. Ariens, toro, and husky seem to be a better budget option


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

I'm usually a toro guy but I like the ariens sho 24


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> It all needs to be blown off to one side of the driveway. Which currently has a ten foot snow pile there.


Look for something that really throws the snow then. The Hondas throw it the furthest I have ever seen, however you pay $$$$ to get to the ones that do (928 and 1332). Also they are tracks and tend to move pretty slow. Unless you have steep inclines I would avoid tracks.

The Ariens was the further throwing highest volume blower I found for the money... Things that I looked for was a 14" impeller (most blowers have a 12"), dual belt, all metal construction, big motor


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

detdrbuzzard said:


> I'm usually a toro guy but I like the ariens sho 24


My brother bought one of these this year.. What a blower....


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Which model ariens would you buy then? My driveway is basically flat so no need for tracks.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

detdrbuzzard said:


> I'm usually a toro guy but I like the ariens sho 24


What does the sho mean?


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> Which model ariens would you buy then? My driveway is basically flat so no need for tracks.


Couple of questions:

What is your budget
How much space do you have to store it
Do you have any gates or narrow walkways that you need to go through
Are hand warmers important to you


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> What does the sho mean?


Super High Output

It comes with a bigger motor and runs the impeller at a higher RPM. The standard Ariens Platinums run 1010 impeller RPM.. The SHO is 1083 RPM.

Also the Platinum 24 SHO comes with a 306CC engine which is normally on the Deluxe 30" model. The Platinum 30 SHO comes with 414CC engine


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Stuofsci02 said:


> Money_man said:
> 
> 
> > Which model ariens would you buy then? My driveway is basically flat so no need for tracks.
> ...


I'd like to spend around $1500. I have a garage with probably 4ft between my 71' nova and the door I have no gates or paths, just wide open driveway. And hand warmers would be nice but I have gloves.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money Man,

I assume your neighbor likely has the Ariens Compact 24. In Canada these start around $1100. They are a good little machine with a 208CC engine and 12" impeller.

Also in your price range are the 28" deluxe with the 254CC engine and the 30" deluxe with the 306CC engine. Both these machines have 14" impellers.

After that comes the platinum series which provides "quick" shoot control, hand warmers and bigger motors, and then the SHO, which I mentioned above. The SHO are only available at Ariens dealers, while the rest can be had at HomeDepot. For the Platinums you are getting into the $1800+ range.

I am not sure if you have been to movingsnow.com They have great reviews and videos of most of the blowers I have mentioned above, and also other manufacturers.

I have posted a video of my machine in one of the other threads here so you may have already seen it. It does a great job. The deluxe series would have similar performance although maybe will need to move a little slower.3


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

My neighbour has the delux 24 with the 254cc engine. Model 921024


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Wow, your snowblower definitely would be more than adequate for my needs it seems. That thing fires the snow.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

Money_man said:


> What does the sho mean?


*s*- super
*h- *high
*o*- output


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Money_man said:


> My neighbour has the delux 24 with the 254cc engine. Model 921024


I think this model would keep you under your budget with tax and all. The deluxe is a good model. With the 245CC it will throw the snow pretty good.... Did you try your neighbors to see if you liked it?


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

I don't think you can go wrong with Toro, Honda, Ariens or Simplicity. I had and liked my 24" simplicity but when Toro came out with their Quickstick and that works great for me as I have to do a lot of chute adjustments and it's super easy and quick. That is one thing I think the Ariens fails in. Their chute adj sort of awkward when I tried my neighbors. I use my Toro 26" a lot and hard and it's bern good to me.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

I have not tried it but I've watched him and it seems to work great. Maybe I'll go with an ariens instead of a toro.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

Money_man said:


> I have not tried it but I've watched him and it seems to work great. Maybe I'll go with an ariens instead of a toro.


one thing I like about the sho 24 is the 24" bucket but if toro made an 824 or 924 that would be a game changer for me. 26" is the max I can get in my garage right now and thats a squeeze with armor skids


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

MoneyMan. I have no opinion. Either or are good machines for the money, man!


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

Now I just have to set my mind to one or the other and just go with it.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Good Luck Money Man.. Let us know what you get!


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## kueh (Dec 29, 2013)

It also depends on how much are really going to use it. Judging by the average snowfalls that we've been receiving here in Alberta, I went with a cordless electric. So far, it has worked out well. Unfortunately, I bought it too late in the season, so there is a layer of hard packed ice/snow already. It has cleaned the snow laying on top quite well.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

I'm still extremely torn on which to get. From the sounds of things I can't lose either way but I like a clear winner.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Since you're over 6 feet tall just go with the one with the taller handle bars. Save your back.


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## Money_man (Feb 16, 2015)

6'4" coby


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

Money_man said:


> Is there a good Honda snowblower I can get for under $1500cad? I've seen a lot of them in different stores but they're all $2499+ tax.


Entry level Honda 2 stage HS724WA msrp's for $2299.00. Bought mine from local dealer here in central Il. for $2150.00 I wouldn't trade it for anything else.


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## bkwudz (Jan 14, 2013)

New Ariens Pro 28 here, thing has blown more snow in 3 weeks than most people do in a season. Could not be happier. The Honda Is nice too, and as an added bonus, you get huge forarms from cranking the chute left And right


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## pdesjr (Feb 7, 2015)

Ariens deluxe 24 or 28.If you have some extra bucks the + or pro series.Can't go wrong with ariens as long as you have a local dealer.Not a big box store.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

support a home town dealer not a big box store


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## JSB33 (Jan 11, 2013)

Go handle all the machines you are interested in to see which one feels more comfortable. Since you are looking at premium brands, the comfort factor should play a big part.


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## podevil (Sep 13, 2014)

Money_man said:


> 6'4" coby


I am also 6'4" ..That is why I bought the Deluxe 28.. It has 16 inch tires and the handlebars are the perfect height! Sure is better for my back than the Compact 22 with 13 " tires was... but I did change the tires on the Compact 22 to 15 inch, and it is much better now


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