# Areins or toro



## fat boy (Sep 18, 2016)

I am looking at areins 28 deluxe and a toro power max 826. Is one better than the other? Also is there any differece in 2016 model and 2015


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

*Welcome Aboard!*

:white^_^arial^_^0^_

Ah, the eternal question! Ariens or Toro? Many opinions will be posted I'm sure! All valid. My opinion is what are your local dealers like? I don't think you can go wrong with either one so it depends how you feel about the people at the dealer.
Me? Personally I like to be different so after 20 years with a Troybilt I went with Husqvarna.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

It is what feels right and the dealer. Like Ford vs Chev or Dodge. All dealers have shops so that means all makes have some issues some sooner than others.


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## Eafoxjr (Feb 24, 2016)

I had six dealers within two miles of my house. I went with Toro because I just liked the dealer and Ariens rebalanced the deluxe 24 for 2017 which has not had any reviews. I really trust this forum. 
I went with a model that had been out for awhile and had very little negative comments. Toro Power Max HD 826 OXE for me.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Welcome aboard. You know you started a potentially heated debate...

I am generally a big Ariens fan IMHO they offer nice balance of feature set, reasonable pricing and top notch customer support.

If I had a choice of these two machines I would go with the Toro. Reason being I owned a Deluxe 28 about 3 years ago and ended up selling because the 254cc engine was just not powerful enough for the EOD (end of driveway) plow pile, to the point of nearly stalling unless taken at a snail's pace. It was fine on everything else just underpowered on the EOD pile. The engine is just isn't a good fit for the heft of a 2 stage Ariems with a 28" auger width. I think with the 24" inch auger size it would likely perform much better with the 254cc LCT engine. If you really want a 28" bucket I would try to get the dealer only Deluxe 28 SHO model with the 306cc engine and the enhanced belts, pulleys it will perform considerably better than the regular Deluxe 28 and is well worth the extra money.

Ariens has made a significant change this year, they moved the axle closer to the bucket for better balance in an effort to prevent any issues with their General Transmissions Auto Turn system, less significant the logo has changed and the wheels are now painted a darker grey.

Best of luck on your search!


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to SBF fat boy


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## hfjeff (Jan 24, 2016)

Cardo111 said:


> Welcome aboard. You know you started a potentially heated debate...
> 
> I am generally a big Ariens fan IMHO they offer nice balance of feature set, reasonable pricing and top notch customer support.
> 
> ...


Agreed. I started out with a Deluxe 30 and 305cc and it was too large for the engine. Then I went with a Deluxe 28 and 254cc and it still was under powered. I think Ariens over-gears their impeller/auger for bragging rights on throwing distance (why else do they use 2 auger belts when everyone else uses 1). The cost of this is the payload it puts on the small motors. Its like driving a truck and pulling a trailer in too high of a gear so the engine is constantly working. Now the Platinum and Pro series may be different and I have not owned either of these.

I also had issues with the auto-turn, but that is all you can get now. My DLX 30 had the auto, the Deluxe 28 had the lever release. I preferred the lever as it gave me more control and I no longer had to wrestle with the snowblower turning when I did not want it to.

I also think the wheelbase of the DLX series is too narrow (part motor mounts to). I think this aids in having auto-turn issues and makes it easier for the transmission to turn the snowblower.

Just my .02. Not a hater, in fact I believe the Ariens is the most durable snowblower out there.....with some design flaws. They do have awesome customer support and features vs price as previously mentioned. Plus they are a local company that is King in this area and I am happy to see them everywhere I shop. 

That being said I own a Toro and am happier with its performance. To my knowledge, Toro has not changed their designs much in years.

Good Luck and will you be buying a quality machine in either of these.


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