# Help with entry level models



## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Hi everyone my first thread. Upgrading from a single stage to 2 stage very soon.
Would love feedback on what I've found out.

Ariens Compact 24: This was my no-brainer first choice. Lots of great reviews on Home Depots site. Went to local dealer and he sells Ariens but not the Compacts. He said the auger sets up too high and too far back. Basically
a major design flaw and these "Compacts will not pick up snow worth a crap."
Toro: Looked at the 724 & 826. Nice units, love the Toro quality but the tires
seem small and I do have an inclined driveway. Love the power of
the 826 in the same size frame as the 724. Lots of power to do our Cul-de Sac. Gear box and auger setup plus the anti-clog system make this hard to resist.
Snapper 924: Looks sturdy, nice B&S power plant, big tires. No remote deflector adjustment, crank handle for chute seems hard to turn and awkward. However best price with the Snapper, $100 rebate. 
Husky St224: Just looked at these yesterday. Looks very beefy. Heated grips,
big tires, excellent controls with adjustable handle. Excellent warranty. Very impressed, seems to tick all of my boxes.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

you can put chains on those TORO'S if u are worried about traction problems. I would stay away from those husky's. ALOHA to the forms..


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## Frostytheblowman (Sep 1, 2014)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> you can put chains on those TORO'S if u are worried about traction problems. I would stay away from those husky's. ALOHA to the forms..


Can you give us more information on the known problems with the Husqvarna snowblowers.
I checked the Husqvarna forum here and there's only 16 topics


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## q95 (Sep 17, 2014)

I'd also be interested in more thoughts on the brand new Huskvarna line of snowblowers. Sounds like there are quite a few changes to them just now coming out.


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## brickcity (Jan 23, 2014)

i'm very surprised the dealer told you ariens compact 24's don't pick up snow.
he simply dosn't know what he's talking about.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

brickcity said:


> i'm very surprised the dealer told you ariens compact 24's don't pick up snow.
> he simply dosn't know what he's talking about.


Thanks for the reply brickcity. He said in the 3-5" snowfall range the compact
was horrible and that's why they didn't carry it. He was pushing the Toro's
hard. Perhaps the smaller Toro's are a higher profit margin. Our local Home
Depot cannot keep the Ariens in stock. Just down looking 10 minutes ago at H.D., none in stock. Could 800+ positive reviews be wrong?


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## brickcity (Jan 23, 2014)

theres a good thread somewhere on this site about the compact 24. 
it's a great little machine.


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## HJames (Oct 28, 2013)

You would be hard pressed to find any 2 stage blower that did "well" in 3-5 inches of snow, they are designed for larger snowfalls. I've heard nothing but good things about the Ariens Compact


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

HJames said:


> You would be hard pressed to find any 2 stage blower that did "well" in 3-5 inches of snow, they are designed for larger snowfalls. I've heard nothing but good things about the Ariens Compact


Thanks for the reply. The "Toro" dealer told me to 
look at the auger height of the compact Ariens and compare that to the 
Deluxe Ariens and of course to the Toro's. 
Yes, I see that the auger does sit up a little higher but the snow
does get back to the scraper bar and into the auger then the impeller anyway. With the Ariens the auger does set closer to the impeller and because of this that could make it a more efficient machine.
With a zillion of Ariens compacts being sold you would think some review would have mentioned this before if it was a drawback. I have not decided what to buy yet. The Husqvarna dealer did not have the 24" in when I went in a couple of days ago. He did have the 27" which he said should be identical to the 24" I liked the Husky, however I do like getting closer to the controls on the handles and with the Husky design you can't due to the shape of the handle. Not sure if this is a deal breaker. They did have the handle adjustment all the way up so I will look at the 24" and have them lower the handle for me. I'm thinking it could make a big difference. BTW my Home Depot really pushes
the Ariens they feel the Toro is overpriced and there's too much plastic to hold up to the Ariens quality.
If Ariens made the Deluxe in a 24" without the awkward chute rotation I might be a buyer of that machine.

BTW I'm amazed my wife is on board with this purchase. She knows I have
a Craftsman single stage snowblower,(4 cycle) that's lasted 17 years and an
MTD mower that's lasted over 23 years so I'm a little surprised she has
not mentioned the cheaper Craftsman 2 stage snowblower.


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Zavie said:


> BTW I'm amazed my wife is on board with this purchase. She knows I have
> a Craftsman single stage snowblower,(4 cycle) that's lasted 17 years and an
> MTD mower that's lasted over 23 years so I'm a little surprised she has
> not mentioned the cheaper Craftsman 2 stage snowblower.


Then your job is to keep her away from all sears store's till you secure your purchase. If she talk's of getting cloths, shoe's or even a new purse, gladly volunteer to drive her to Kohls or JC Penny's. Try to keep a head of it.

You MUST be careful you don't get TOO far ahead of this, and miss the little signs that when you get the new blower home, there is not something lurking in the shadows, such as new furniture (as an example) in your future. It's a balancing act. Ask me how I know  Good luck!


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

liftoff1967 said:


> Then your job is to keep her away from all sears store's till you secure your purchase. If she talk's of getting cloths, shoe's or even a new purse, gladly volunteer to drive her to Kohls or JC Penny's. Try to keep a head of it.
> 
> You MUST be careful you don't get TOO far ahead of this, and miss the little signs that when you get the new blower home, there is not something lurking in the shadows, such as new furniture (as an example) in your future. It's a balancing act. Ask me how I know  Good luck!


Liftoff you are one wise man! The things we have to do just to keep the ship sailing in the right direction. Well done!


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

liftoff1967 said:


> Then your job is to keep her away from all sears store's till you secure your purchase. If she talk's of getting cloths, shoe's or even a new purse, gladly volunteer to drive her to Kohls or JC Penny's. Try to keep a head of it.
> 
> You MUST be careful you don't get TOO far ahead of this, and miss the little signs that when you get the new blower home, there is not something lurking in the shadows, such as new furniture (as an example) in your future. It's a balancing act. Ask me how I know  Good luck!


She did mention something about going to Penny's today. Hmmm, maybe I will drive and take the back way to the mall, far away from the Sears.


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## BB Cub (Jan 10, 2012)

I thing you can tell us how big of a area you are going to clear and how much snow you get when it snows. this will help the guys on here a lot.


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