# New to Two Stage Blowers



## joesuits4 (Dec 1, 2014)

Hello everyone. I'm a new member. I'm 67 years old and know very little about two stage snow blowers. I live in Iowa where our average snow fall is between 5-8", with at least one or two 12-15" storms. I have a double car driveway 60-70 foot and 150 foot of sidewalk.

I thinking of purchasing a new Toro or Ariens. I read a review that said the Ariens AX engine will last 4 times longer that the Toro's Briggs snow engine?

Any recommendations as to size,model of each blower would be appreciated.

Thank You!! 
Joe


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

the engine will last a long time, but probably not as long as the toros. its frustrating because ariens used to offer a 28 inch with a briggs engine but the last of those are gone. i personally think the ariens has a better frame but a cheap engine. the toro is the exact opposite


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## liftoff1967 (Jan 15, 2014)

joesuits4 said:


> Hello everyone. I'm a new member. I'm 67 years old and know very little about two stage snow blowers. I live in Iowa where our average snow fall is between 5-8", with at least one or two 12-15" storms. I have a double car driveway 60-70 foot and 150 foot of sidewalk.
> 
> I thinking of purchasing a new Toro or Ariens. I read a review that said the Ariens AX engine will last 4 times longer that the Toro's Briggs snow engine?
> 
> ...


Welcome to the form Joe! I could insert an Iowa joke here, but I will refrain.

Either one of the brands you list are very good. Please do yourself a favor and purchase from a dealer and NOT a big box store. They do not do the best of jobs assembling, plus if there are issues, the dealer you take it to for repairs will put you at the back of the line while they work on the stuff they sold first.

In the Ariens line up, I would look at the deluxe 28. These have enough power to toss the snow from one side of the drive to the other without having to pick it up again. I'm not up to date on the Toro family, so I'm not sure what they have in their stable to compare to.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Welcome Joe!
I'd like to read the article you refer to.
Either machine, Areins or Toro, is a good machine but honestly, I find that comment in that article a little hard to believe. What do they base their claim on?


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## joesuits4 (Dec 1, 2014)

Here is the article.



> @Pete,
> 1. My information tells me that Toro is running away from Briggs as fast as they can. The new engines will be made by Loncin.
> 2. The Briggs is made in China by a Chinese owned factory.
> The new (read enhanced) Ariens AX engines are manufactured by LCT. These engines are the most reliable engines in the industry right now! LCT is also a leading manufacturer of engines for tillers, generators, water pumps, pressure washers and log splitters. The best thing about them is if anything goes wrong with the engine your local Ariens dealer can service them and all the warranty paperwork is done right through Ariens. The dealer does not have to go directly to the engine manufacture and try to convince them the problem is with the engine, and not the engine owner. If there is a defect it just gets fixed.
> ...


source: http://movingsnow.com/2013/726oe-and-826oe-26-inch-snow-blower-review/?cid=10115


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I guess time will tell.


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## lebenfitti (Oct 1, 2014)

joesuits4 said:


> I thinking of purchasing a new Toro or Ariens. I read a review that said the Ariens AX engine will last 4 times longer that the Toro's Briggs snow engine?


I don't think those numbers mean the Ariens AX will last 4 times longer than the Briggs engines. The initial failure rate (warranty repairs) may be better, but that is for engines in the 1-5 yr life cycle. All of these engines should last 20++ years with proper care and simple, regular maintenance. I doubt anyone has accurate data for failure rates of these engines after 20, 30, or 40 years. As Micah said, we will all have to wait and see. Especially since all snowblower engines are made in China now. Hopefully we will al be waiting 20-40 yrs., all with good running engines.

That being said, I will offer my opinion between the Ariens and Toro. I have experience with both. My neighbor bought a Toro 928 OHXE 2 years ago and I was very impressed. He is your age and he was out there every day having fun with it. It was the only blower on the block that outperformed my Ariens 10M6D (1966). I was dead set on the same model until I did some more research and found 4 things that swayed me back to Ariens. 

1) Ariens is made in US, Toro is made in Mexico
2) Ariens is almost all steel and Toro has way too much plastic for me
3) Ariens has bigger engine and was $200 less (Ariens 24" SHO vs 28" OHXE) so not really apples to apples.
4) My 10M6D is 48 years old and still functions at 100%.

I have never met an Ariens or Toro owner who didn't love their machine. Either one I am sure you will love as well.

The Honda and Yamaha guys will undoubtedly chime in. But for me, these 2 brands require you to have a large excess of disposable income and/or the need to rationalize your purchace endlessly in these forums. Read the Yamaha vs Honda thread for more on that. Good Luck.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

+1 on Mica and Lebenfitti, but just to add on the Lct engines and I don't agree with moving.com how his report was overly biased, the fact is Lct have cast iron sleeves and two bearings on the crankshaft which is a definite plus for engine longevity as opposed to the Briggs and Stratton being built now as their cylinder piston bore is cut in aluminum and I don't know if they come with bearings. Loncin are also renowned for their quality engines. Just to add my 2cents.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

As to the plastic debate. How many metal ss blowers do you see out there? Nothing wrong with plastic as long as they don't make the frames and buckets out of it. I have three blowers with plastic chutes and belt covers etc. Skid upgrades a plastic. Plastic doesn't rust. Not nearly as heavy as steel. No problems. JMHO


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

you can still find TORO'S with briggs on them if you look hard enough. ALOHA to the forms..


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## SteelyTim (Nov 14, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> As to the plastic debate. How many metal ss blowers do you see out there? Nothing wrong with plastic as long as they don't make the frames and buckets out of it. I have three blowers with plastic chutes and belt covers etc. No problems. JMHO


+1. Personally, I think chutes, engine covers, and belt covers made out of polypropylene plastic are great. They don't rust, and snow won't stick to them.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

SteelyTim said:


> +1. Personally, I think chutes, engine covers, and belt covers made out of polypropylene plastic are great. They don't rust, and snow won't stick to them.


I saw a'Toro ad'on here where the guy is beating the livin' snot out of a plastic chute with a 3 pound sledge. Ad says the plastic is good down to -100°. If it gets that cold outside I won't be blowing snow. I spent a few hours outside one day when the wind chill was -60°. Blowing snow was not on my list of things to do.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

So JoeSuits are you any closer to decide between *Ariens *and Toro ?
Catch the drift? No seriously both brands are well regarded.


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## joesuits4 (Dec 1, 2014)

Pretty much on the fence between the Ariens Platinum
Platinum 24 SHO and the Toro Power Max® HD 928 OHXE.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

joesuits4 said:


> Pretty much on the fence between the Ariens Platinum
> Platinum 24 SHO and the Toro Power Max® HD 928 OHXE.


I just went and read the specs and features on both blowers. You've got a hard choice. I have one thing against each blower but I'm keeping my mouth shut.


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## caseyboy43 (Dec 1, 2014)

I was equally conflicted in my search. I think I read somewhere on here that once you eclipse the $1000 threshold, the machines start to become very similar - which makes the decision that much harder 

I went with the Platinum 24 SHO. For me 28"- 30" wide was overkill and I still got a great motor (Ariens AX 306cc - 15 ft/lb torque).

Comparing the specs, the Ariens has more engine and saves you a few bucks. Seems the real difference is clearing width and price. The width difference is about the width of you hand. Doesn't seem worth the extra money, especially with less HP - 

Just my $.02. Good luck as I don't think you can go wrong with either.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

micah68kj said:


> I have one thing against each blower but I'm keeping my mouth shut.


Oh come on ... blurt it out


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

joesuits4 said:


> Pretty much on the fence between the Ariens Platinum
> Platinum 24 SHO and the Toro Power Max® HD 928 OHXE.


 Much difference since Ariens is 24" bucket and Toro 28" so it's not apple to apple. The Ariens engine will be smaller than Toro?


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## caseyboy43 (Dec 1, 2014)

Auger size - Both 14"
Impeller size - Ariens 14" - Toro 12"
Engine - Ariens 306cc - Toro 265CC
Width - Ariens 24" - Toro 28"
Price - Ariens $1400 - Toro $1600

I just lost my virginity to Ariens but the only real spec the Ariens falls short on is clearing width, but with the larger impeller diameter spinning faster and the larger engine my basic logic fails to see how the Ariens won't out perform the Toro. 

There are not many newer 24" widths to do a true apples to apples comparison


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

Maybe I'm wrong since I didn't do much research but here goes:



Toro | Power Max 724 OE Snowblower


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

This won't help you choose which blower to buy, but I will give you some advice. Never stick your hand down the chute or through the front. It might seem like common sense, but a lot of people end up with hand injuries every year while trying to unclog things.

If the impeller is spinning it is common sense.

If the engine is running, but the impeller is off you could still have a spring brake or something else and the impeller can start turning on its own. Also some people even accidentally lean on the lever while bending over.

If something gets caught or clogged and the engine is off and everything seems safe you can still run into problems. If something is stuck just right and you release what is stuck the built up tension can still cause the impeller to turn enough to get your fingers.

So the moral of the story is use the small stick/shovel/broom gizmo that new machines mount to the front of them if you need to.


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## joesuits4 (Dec 1, 2014)

Okay folks lets try this. Which is the better engine? 306cc AX (LCT) or 265cc Loncin.


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## rhenning (Sep 19, 2013)

Those two engines are probably made in the same place with the castings coming from the same foundry source. I doubt if one is better than the other. If taken care of both will last a long time. Roger


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## lebenfitti (Oct 1, 2014)

joesuits4 said:


> Okay folks lets try this. Which is the better engine? 306cc AX (LCT) or 265cc Loncin.


Both engines have cast iron sleeves, and dual roller ball bearings on the crankshaft. I don't know how good the bearings are in each engine, but at least they aren't plain bearings yet. Bearings are usually one of the first things to get cheapened when the accountants get involved. I found both engines to be of similar quality from what I could gather, but 306cc > 265cc. ~10 hp vs ~9 hp.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

The 265cc Loncin.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

rhenning +1 and regular maintenance.


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## superedge88 (Nov 26, 2013)

joesuits4 said:


> Here is the article.
> 
> 
> 
> source: 2014 Toro 726OE and 826OE 26 inch Snow Blower Review - MovingSnow.com



Honda engines are not made in China.

And between Ariens and Toro, I would go Toro, but it's darn close.


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