# Question about first snowblower purchase.



## barcode2328 (Oct 3, 2013)

Hello,

First time poster here. I bought my first house recently and I have been on the hunt for my first snowblower. I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck right now so I don't have a lot of cash to throw at a snowblower.
I always heard good things about the Ariens snowblowers so that is the direction I want to go. At first I had my eye on a new Deluxe 28 that is going for $1000. It looks like a nice machine but it would stretch my budget a lot. I started thinking about used ones then and I went to a local outdoor equipment shop with a real good reputation. They have an older Ariens 724 for sale for $525 that I was looking at. This machine looks to be in nice shape but it is older and doesn't have all of the bells and whistles. It also comes with a 30 day warranty and has been looked over and serviced from top to bottom.
I should also add that my driveway is single-wide and about 50' long (so not that big). I also live in Minnesota.
Which one should I go with? Does $525 seem high for that machine or no? I'm really on the fence about these and I would really appreciate your opinion.

Thanks


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

I would look at craigslist. That $525 machine would probably be around $200 right now, maybe $300 at most if it is in near perfect condition. If you are not afraid of getting something that needs a bit of work you can even find them in the $50 and under range if you look out. My experience with Ariens is they are simple to work on and seem fairly reliable.

If you check around on the internet you will find a lot of people are using those old Ariens 6/24, 7/24 and 8/24 blowers and loving them.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Without knowing the exact model, its hard to say..
but its 99% likely that $525 is WAY too high..

724 is just a generic model name..all it means is "7hp engine and 24-inch bucket"
Ariens made 724's for about 40 years..so we need more info! 

If you can get a model number, or even a photo, that would help a lot..
odds are though, that is way too high of an asking price..

Scot


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## barcode2328 (Oct 3, 2013)

I thought I heard the guy say it was 10 years old. 

I don't know much about pricing, but I had a feeling that it was on the high side. It looks like it is much higher than it should be from what you guys stated. 

Thanks. You guys just saved me some money


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

You should buy a decent condition Ariens or a Toro with a blown Tecumseh on it and replace it with a HF Predator 212cc. I seen a 24 inch bucket 2 stage Toro on Craig's list in St Paul for $5 with a blown engine. As long as the mechanicals are in good shape and it is not rusted out a repower could get you an awesome snow blower for very little money. Just look at what I did with my 17 year old MTD 5/22 with the Predator with impeller kit. Check out my video some time and my threads on the MTD Forum

Mtd Yardmachine 5/22 repower with Harbor frieght Pedator 212cc ...


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

ok is it an st 724? if you can get the letters it may help the ariens guys id it


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## deadwood (Oct 17, 2012)

Don't overlook Sno-Tek made by Ariens.


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## GreatCanadian (Feb 20, 2013)

deadwood said:


> Don't overlook Sno-Tek made by Ariens.


 
Absolutely. Those things are getting some good reviews. I don't have one, but a couple of neighbors do, and they seem awesome - especially for the price. A NEW one will run you around $650 for the 24 inch, and a hundred bucks less for the 20 inch.

Sno-Tek 24 in. Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower-920402 at The Home Depot

GC


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