# first snow blower Ariens deluxe 24??



## bfan781 (Jan 2, 2016)

Good Morning,
New to the site. Sure I'll be stopping by frequently now. I am looking to buy a new snow blower. Never owned one before. In a new house and can't get a way with not having one. 
Live south of Boston and get snow fall all over the place. I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone about last year!
Anyways driveway is 1400-1500 sqaure feet. Its about 18' wide and flare out/widens curves to a 2 car garage. Slight slope, nothing crazy. small sidewalk and walkway.

I like to buy quality, maintain it and make it last. 
I started looking at the Ariens and Husq brands. I am now strictly thinking Ariens. 

My question is, will the Deluxe 24" be ok for my property? I don't want the compact because I want the bigger engine. Don't want to regret not getting larger.

I was questioning the 24" but it will probably only cost me a handful of more passes as opposed to the 28". My understanding is that the deluxe 28" has the same engine as the deluxe 24 so it would be moving more snow. To go to the deluxe 28 pro for the larger engine is going to cost more and I don't know if I even need it. And...The price keeps going UP
I really only wanna keep it around a $1000
So I guess it comes down to is the deluxe 24 a good machine and will it be a sufficient machine for my circumstance?
thanks!!!


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Welcome to the joint bfan. Sounds like you did some research, so good for you in doing so. Some times that half the battle.

In my "opinion" you are on the right path going with Ariens (but I bleed orange) and going to the deluxe line up over the compact. As far as 24" over 28" that's up to you. Yea you may have to do a few extra laps on your drive, but you will take up less space in the garage for storage. Width vs CC, I would agree and look real close at the 24". These LCT engines can really move the snow. 

2 years ago I went from a 27" Ariens to a deluxe 30. Kinda wishing I would went with the 28" but the damage is done, and I had to do some revised garage layout to get everything to flow. Yup, I'm that tight on space, 3 car garage with 3 full sized cars/truck, a work bench and 2 full sized motorcycles, compounded with my 30" and path pro blower, it's tight. 

As far as doing what you can to keep the blower for 20 years keep up on your maintenance. After the first 5 hours of use, drop the break in oil and fill with fresh. Either dino or syn, choice is up to you. Then every year changing oil, grease the shear pins, pull the wheels off and put a thin layer of grease on the axle shaft. Make sure both tires have the exact same PSI, that will help your auto turn feature. Maybe look at getting a set of armor shoes, that will also help keep your auto turn feature tracking down your drive way. 

Good luck and keep us posted on what you do.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

bfan,
my driveway is 76' x 30', which is 2,280 square feet..roughly double yours,
and I get by just fine with a 24" Ariens! 
no problems at all..

your driveway at 18' wide is 216" wide..
A 24" bucket can do that width in 9 passes.
A 28" bucket can do that in 7.71 passes..rounded up to 8.

Yes, you never do a full "bite"..usually 3/4 of a bucket at a time..
but the math is still roughly the same..

A 28" bucket versus a 24" bucket might save you one pass up the driveway..
which saves about 2 minutes..
realistically, for a driveway your size, there is no meaningful difference..

get the 24-incher! 

Scot


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## nt40lanman (Dec 31, 2012)

I think you're right on the spot with the Deluxe 24. 24 is a good size, Deluxe has good options, and Ariens is the only one to buy!!!


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

bfan, welcome aboard! The 24" cut will work in many situations. In addition to what's already been suggested by these seasoned members, I'd like to mention the Ariens 24" SHO if you feel you might want a bit more horse-pressure!

Happy hunting, and LET THEM FLAKES FLY !


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## bfan781 (Jan 2, 2016)

Thanks to everyone that contributed and offered their opinion and advice. It reassured what I was already leaning towards. I am going to go with the deluxe 24. I will look again at the 24 sho but trying to stay wth in a budget and think the deluxe 24 will be just fine. Are they no longer manufacturing the deluxe 24's? Some sites say "no longer manufacturing the model" and hD has it on its site but says they are not getting anymore in. Ariens website lists it though. Hmmm. Just curious. Thanks again to everyone. This is a great forum.

On a side note, has anyone had a good or bad experience ordering from a reputable online site like snowblowersdirect or snowblowers by jack? Avoiding the sales tax would be great! I'll be back when it comes in! Thanks!!


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

I would be very, very surprised if Ariens did not produce the deluxe 24 any more. They may be done producing for this season, and maybe the sites you have seen that statement on have used up their allotment, or could be a sales tactic to move the ones they have being the season has been pretty mild.

Most of us on this form, me included, do business with a dealers, face to face, hand shake and a commitment on service after the sale if you need it. There have been a few "one hit wonders" on this form that have come here complaining they got a Ariens on line and have had nothing but problems, and the local dealer is not doing much to help. One stands out in my mind where even Dan Ariens himself got involved to solve the customers problem. To my knowledge we never heard from this guy again. I will search for that thread and post it if I can find it. It is a long thread, but an interesting read if your looking to try to save some money. "Could" end up biting you in the arse in the long run, if you smelling what I'm stepping in.


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

Found the thread.

Vento got the blower on line as the local dealers ran out due to the big snow falls last season in his region.

"If" you read thru all 15 pages, keep with it and don't loose focus as the thread starts out bashing ariens, and at post #121, where Dan Ariens get's involved, things start to turn around for Vento and he becomes not so frustrated.

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/44169-ariens-24-sho-921308-no-go.html


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## sony1998 (Dec 18, 2014)

At the end of Nov I bought the Deluxe 24 from a local power equip dealer. I asked HD about the Deluxe 24 not in stock online and they said if it says that they are not stocking it this year. It has never come in stock since Oct to present. I went with 24 for 4 reasons. Size to store in the garage works out perfectly. Anything bigger and we would not be able to get around in the garage or the storage shed (9 months out of the year). The engine cc vs. bucket size has the 24 inch with more cc's per inch bucket compared to the Deluxe 28 with the same engine. The End of Drive piles are huge and we needed the little extra power. The 24 vs the 28 means only 2 more passes with the 24 so no huge time savings overall. Would have liked to go with the 24 SHO but can not justify spending another 400.00 on that one for what we do. If I really wanted to spend 1500 I would have gone with the Toro HD 826 or 926 with the steering triggers. Could not justify spending 50% more, when the 24 will be more than adequate. So for me the Deluxe 24 seems to be a good choice. Now we need snow.


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