# Help me choose the right snowblower please



## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

I had placed an order on the cub cadet 3stg 24" model last night. Ran into a large amount of terrible reviews on amazon while researching it the following day. Cancelled it before being shipped thankfully. Apparently the center auger blows through sheer pins like no tomorrow.

I'm looking for the best machine for the money. I want the bells and whistles. I am ready to pull the trigger on the ariens 24" sho. But I really don't like some of the cons I've read about the auto turn. And a few people have complained about stalling, a crap gas cap, and eating through ridiculous amount of fuel with the super small tank. I want a machine of that caliber. Something that will last me 10-20 years. And Honda is not really an option.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to the forum Forcefed4door


Ariens and Toro new, maybe a Husqbarna. For every bad review there are likely a hundred or more raving about their wonderful new machine and how well it works, how nice the gas cap is, that it's not bad on gas and they've yet to break their first pin.

Or get a Honda or Yamaha. :blowerhug:

If you're handy there's always the used market and all summer to tinker and overhaul it like some of us do. Then you'll have a tank.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

Haha that thing looks awesome. Such a tuff decision to make a purchase. No place around me has any in stock to see in person because of the blizzard we got in nj.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

Have you driven a TORO lately????? *ALOHA from the paradise city.:smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027:*


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## AL- (Oct 27, 2014)

The 300 series is Husqvarna's best line and I don't think are sold in big box stores, only dealer.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

I've been using snow blowers direct for reviews and most likely where I'll purchase. The husqavarna 300 series in 24" didn't get a very good score like the larger models did. Should I just bite the bullet and buy the dang ariens 24" sho? I need motivation to drop that cash. Will I be able to blow the eod snow across the road into my neighbors lawn with it? Haha.


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Yes I think you should. While the gas cap is frustrating, if you remove that strainer/fuel level thing, you'll be ok getting the cap on. That's what i have done on my Deluxe-28 SHO. I love the machine. But I would suggest you compare prices between SBD and your local Ariens dealer. You stand a better chance of having the dealer put the machine together properly and adjust it properly and also getting to know the people who will be fixing it, should it need any warranty work. 

What kind of use will it see, as in where and what will you be using it on (driveway, if so how long? Paved/Cement/Concrete/rocks?) How long are you looking at keeping it? Maybe consider the Platinum 24 SHO. 

I myself tend to favor Ariens and John Deere blowers. Those made by JD from back in the 70s and 80s, (524/826, 1032) and the few years where Ariens built some of the JD blowers for them (90s-2000ish I believe) such as the 828D. Honda's are awesome but way overpriced. (hey if I had the $$$ I'd buy one!) Toro's.. well personal opinion on them is way too much rubber/plastic on the newer ones, the older ones are good solid machines. But regardless, I think Ariens is a good choice and that is what I would recommend you go with. I've had the pleasure of getting to know a few of the folks that work at Ariens while obtaining parts and machine info for some of the older units I work on for my church, as well as ordering parts for them, and they are wonderful decent family like folk. It's a family run business, and I like supporting those kinds of companies.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

My driveway is pretty small 2 car wide 3 car long. It's my town side walks that are an absolute mofo all the plow crap is piled over them. Driveway has a decent incline and side walk has a few dips from settling. The surfaces are pretty level so the auto turn shouldn't **** me off I would hope. I'm gonna post in ariens section just to get some more solid info on the sho


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## Snow Beast (Jan 26, 2016)

Please, please, please consider the cub cadet 524 swe. I have nothing but great experience's with it, as do others id imagine it has the highest reviews out of all the cubs. I used it the past 2.5 seasons and it never broke down or gave me any issues what so ever. I think the build quality is really nice and its a real strong machine for the size, even when I over whelmed it with 30" of heavy snow this past storm it bogged down but never even broke a sheer pin. Also cub sells the factory heated grip kit for $65 if you really want them. At $800 feel like its the best bang for the buck. . . Id say build quality is on par with the rest of the 24" blowers besides Honda. When you step up to the 28-30" blowers it seems like a whole different ball game as far as price and build quality


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## Terrance (Dec 28, 2015)

Forcefed4door said:


> My driveway is pretty small 2 car wide 3 car long. It's my town side walks that are an absolute mofo all the plow crap is piled over them. Driveway has a decent incline and side walk has a few dips from settling. The surfaces are pretty level so the auto turn shouldn't **** me off I would hope. I'm gonna post in ariens section just to get some more solid info on the sho


I know exactly what you mean with the sidewalk issue. If you do not keep up with it then a layer of snow gets walked on, packed in, driven on, and plowed over so you are going to need a bigger size than a small snowblower because it just puts too much strain on the smaller, underpowered ones. ON the other hand if you can keep up with the snowfall it will be easy work, but I find that is almost impossible to do and live life. If you did not work like me that would be okay but most people do not have the time to snowblow often. Packed hard, and/or wet chloride-filled snow is a pain in the kiester but it has to be done. The people need their bus stops clear and parents with babies in strollers don't need to be walking on a very busy street. I just saw that not two weeks ago. Only about half the people and businesses keep their section of the sidewalk cleared as township ordinance specifies but it is easier to just go as far down the sidewalk as you can stand and clear it for them. I would go with the beefiest Ariens you can afford. You might not get thanked very often but when you do it will be worth miles of back-breaking work just to hear it one time. 
Of course, the better snowblower you have the less back-braking it is. I had a little 5 horse Toro but it just couldn't take the constant heavy load of snowplowed, packed snow on those main sidewalks and it finally gave up the ghost after 3 years of VERY hard work. I liked it for the nice in-between size because you could horse it around pretty well without wasting too much energy. But if I had it to do over again I would have bought the beefiest machine I could afford and let it do all the work. I've been drooling over the Ariens Hydro-Pro series 32" or 36"with wheels because I need to be able to move it around somewhat. I hear you can't do that with the track models unless they are running.(?) The 28" is also an option because less weight and size equals more maneuverability in my situation.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

Very good points . The side walk def needs a powerful unit. Getting closer to that sho purchas


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## Elt31987 (Sep 6, 2015)

The only Snowblower i've ever owned is this 28 Deluxe SHO and i absolutely love it. The only issue i had was the stock metal skids and the auto turn. After i put the Ariens Poly Skids on(Home Depot 35 bucks) it was absolutely perfect. You might be able to bargain in the skids if you buy from a local dealer, or just factor in 35 bucks with the purchase. The way i look at it, if your spending 1500 whats 35 bucks. If my 28" Bucket with a 306cc feels like a monster, your 24 with with 369cc will be amazing.


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## Snow Beast (Jan 26, 2016)

Also I totally forgot about the new husqvarna st324p. Super nice blower and I haven't used either but from what I see looks nicer than the ariens. Looks to be built really heavy duty, has the new hydrostatic transmission which is really sweet. If Honda is totally out I would go with the husqvarna for hydro trans or cub 524swe for less $$


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

I checked it out and the reviews aren't to good for it. Looks beastly though.


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## S_trangeBrew (Jan 12, 2016)

What are you trying to do with it? 

How much area?

Paved?

Any small paths or doorways that would limit the size of blower?

Budget limitation? (Although, IMHO, if you are going to be using this thing a lot and want to keep it for decades.... this should be way down the list)

I personally wouldn't touch anything Chinese made with a 10 foot pole. 

Ariens, Simplicity and Honda are top quality. The issue I have with Simplicity is they don't have a hydro drive or tracks available. But if that doesn't matter to you, they are well made. Ariens is good, but they only have 28" wide for some reason with the tracked machines and no electric chute controls. The new Honda's have no weakness except price, and as I already pointed out, if you want to live with this thing for decades, cost ends up being low on the totem pole. I ended up with the big Honda and like the fact I'll never think "what if" ever again.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

My space limitation is storage 24" is max I can fit in my shed with mower. And I do have a relatively small area to clean. Would really enjoy the Honda, I don't want tracks and there standard 2stage is 2k$ +. So I've needled down to ariens I suppose. I guess I could always cheap out and get the snow tec?


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## Snow Beast (Jan 26, 2016)

Forcefed4door said:


> I checked it out and the reviews aren't to good for it. Looks beastly though.


Really?? I heard nothing but great reviews from a couple dealers by me. They said huge improvement over the old husqs


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## PaulP (Jan 28, 2016)

Hello All...first post here on the forum. I have been lurking here for some time and finally just registered. I own an Ariens Deluxe 30 that is bout 5 years old with 290cc Suburu Eng. Yes it came from HD..I was lucky to get it right after I moved into my current residence and needed a blower asap and everybody was basically out. 

My experience with Ariens overall has been excellent! Starts up with no effort at all and has been reliable. However, I have personally decided that I very much want to go with something with tracks. So after fairly extensive research I think Honda is gonna win this battle (despite it seems the new model HSS928/HSS1332 are sold out for the season...grrr). But what I was gonna suggest as we are NJ guys is check out Craigslist cause there are some dealers on there advertising last years Honda Machines at a bit of a discount....including the HS728 (I believe) which is the 24" blower. I own a fair amount of Honda products and despite what folks say about the cost...they just work! Got the Honda EU3000I Generator that had not been run since summer....bat was dead and it started in the cold on second pull! The stuff is engineered and built well. And honestly with the higher end Ariens you are right in the same price point!

Of course money is an issue...always will be. But as my Father used to say...Im not rich enough to buy cheap tools! LOL! Seriously, if you buy right the first time it pays for itself. In my case I have my reasons for wanting a track machine (which others don't prefer i know) so I am willing to bite the bullet a second time. I spoke to Ariens rep at length yesterday and I find them great to deal with! They are an option, but the auto turn is sensitive...especially on the wheeled machines. It is imperative that the cases line up properly...that is coming directly from the rep I spoke with yesterday. My feeling is that they will find a better system in the near future as they are def getting complaints on the auto turn. I have not used it personally but the rep made it obviously enough it was critical. But they do built a quality machine overall! No doubt about it. In my case a very close second. 

If I have one "complaint" bout my Ariens is that it seems a bit too weight biased to the back and wants to ride up and over more that I want. Maybe the optional 10lb weight on the front would help. Dunno. But Im prob gonna have to finish out the year with the Ariens and look for next season for "MY" Honda as the models I am chasing appear to be gone for the season. But if the newest ones are not a concern (they have a turning feature I really want for the track machines that the older ones don't) the 2014 models that are apparently still around here and there are great snow blowers and I think are worth at least a look. 

Well that my 2 cents! Lol! Thanks and good luck!

PaulP


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

This thing is sweet. honda hss724awd


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

Big thanks to snow beast for recommendation on the husqvarna st324p. After doing enough research I made the purchase. No auto turn to worry about. Has very similar characteristics to ariens. Great motor, and same hydrostatic transmission as Honda. Looking forward to receiving it


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## Padraig (Nov 23, 2015)

I have been very happy with my Husqvarna st 227

Padraig


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## Snow Beast (Jan 26, 2016)

Forcefed4door said:


> Big thanks to snow beast for recommendation on the husqvarna st324p. After doing enough research I made the purchase. No auto turn to worry about. Has very similar characteristics to ariens. Great motor, and same hydrostatic transmission as Honda. Looking forward to receiving it


Nice glad to hear it, would've been a really tough decision if a 330 was next to my honda. Between the hydro trans, die cast impeller, hd augar housing, and motor seems to be great. Also the over build quality and gauge of steel seemed very heavy duty. Let us know how you like it


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

Funny thing is I was close to buying the Honda 24" Honda awd. I bet our 2' of snow will be melted by next week though unfortunately. I'm in NE nj. But I'm stoked either way. Watched a few youtube videos, really looked like a great machine.


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## AL- (Oct 27, 2014)

Forcefed4door said:


> Funny thing is I was close to buying the Honda 24" Honda awd. I bet our 2' of snow will be melted by next week though unfortunately. I'm in NE nj. But I'm stoked either way. Watched a few youtube videos, really looked like a great machine.


The few reviews on the 300 series that we had last year on this forum from owners were very good, but this series is fairly new. It has great options. 

What we really need are more reviews with hindsight, also good to see this company is making needed improvements every year.

Your choice was probably as good as any. Good luck with your machine and maybe down the line a good review.


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

Says it now has a 14" auger also. I'm telling you, I was all for ariens. And I'm sure there are many many other people in my same predicament. They should really make that auto turn an option over the levers. They are losing sales


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## lillbear (Jan 5, 2016)

Have you looked at the ariens 24 platinum. Small bucket but kick ass power for the size. Nice small machine


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## Forcefed4door (Jan 26, 2016)

lillbear said:


> Have you looked at the ariens 24 platinum. Small bucket but kick ass power for the size. Nice small machine


Read my last post, the auto turn steered me away. And I really don't think that much power is even needed for a 24"


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## Snow Beast (Jan 26, 2016)

Forcefed4door said:


> Funny thing is I was close to buying the Honda 24" Honda awd. I bet our 2' of snow will be melted by next week though unfortunately. I'm in NE nj. But I'm stoked either way. Watched a few youtube videos, really looked like a great machine.


Ya I know I haven't got a chance to use my Honda either  .... Never thought I'd be looking forward to more snow in a billion years !


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