# An offer I may not be able to refuse for an 1128OHXE



## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

I've owned a Toro 826 - the first year they introduced the anti clogging technology (obviously since improved) 

I was at my local dealer and he offered me 600 off of retail, which is huge. I like the 1128 because of the scraper bar. It's the best of both worlds in many ways and offers a clean pass. I love the quick shoot. By far the best system out there. Sounds like they've handled the freezing issues a couple years ago. 

I like the toro drive system. A lot. It's simple, they haven't changed it and it's meant to last. 

What blows my mind is this. Toro sells snowblowers like crazy, as does Ariens, but toro reviews toro forums etc, are generally quiet. I can only surmise that it's because they just work. 

Anyhow, I'm not concerned about a frozen scraper bar as its stored in a heated garage. Always dry before next use generally. 


I'm also looking at the Platinum 30 SHO as its in the ball park of this price. I think I've ruled out the units I was looking at that were a thousand more. I'd rather spend and get what I want....but I need to be practical too. Seems Toro isn't as sexy as Ariens because they don't iterate like Ariens does, which in practical terms is actually a really good thing. Since snowblowers blow snow, no matter what you change. So a high iteration rate keeps customers more engaged, and I'm saying this from experience, but it also opens a manufacturer up to making more design mistakes. Which I seem to see more of. The "Ariens has a bigger user base thus more problems surface" excuse doesn't hold water. I don't know of the exact number, but toro is right up there for units sold, if not quite as prolific as Ariens. And I'm not hating because I'm considering one.

Anyhow, I'm way off topic. I'd love to know if anyone with practical experience can comment on the 1128. I'd like to hear feedback as well between the toro and the Ariens Platinum 30 SHO if anyone has any. Likely too early to get feedback re the SHO. 

Thanks in advance. Sorry for the long read.


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

Figured I should ask if anyone knows what the torque is for the 1128?

Also, how does that engine compare to the toro premium? They list no info on the Briggs engine at all. 

Again, thanks in advance for the answers


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

MagnumB said:


> Figured I should ask if anyone knows what the torque is for the 1128?
> 
> Also, how does that engine compare to the toro premium? They list no info on the Briggs engine at all.
> 
> Again, thanks in advance for the answers


 the torque on that is about 12-13. I don't know much about those engines since they are new. only time will tell. I would still run a BRIGGS any old day myself.


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

*Decision Made!!! Toro Power Max HD 1128 OHXE*

Well, I went for the 1128 OHXE (HD)

Very happy with the decision. The torque listed on the engine itself is 16.5. That's more in line with what I was expecting.

The spring loaded scraper bar has been in use for over 20 years. I've had the chance to talk to a few people locally that wouldn't go without one. It makes this snowblower one of the only useful Snowblowers on the market to tackle a skiff of snow and actually clear it to the blacktop. 

In time I'll be able to offer better feedback on this feature. 

This is my third Toros - I heard a ton of sales people of other brands deride the plastic on a toro, yet there is zero anecdotal evidence of failure. With a lifetime warranty, that cetainly speaks volumes. 

The thing most people forget about the toro is that the plastic is necessary to provide the shape needed to accomodate the anti clogging bypass system. It would be extremely difficult to fashion the required shape out of metal. 

Finally, the plastic is most certainly a composite and looks to be fibre reinforced in places. If it's good enough for -104 deg, then yes it will stand up well. 

The impeller clearances/tolerances, shoot system, disk drive system are all improvements over the ariens from my personal comparisons. Granted that's my opinion, but in every area it counts in daily use, the toro pulls it off more elegantly. Shoot control and triggers to clutch either wheel....which is nice because even in gear, if you clutch both wheels, you can simply move the machine backwards without selecting reverse. 

I love the Ariens and came within a hair of buying one - but being practical....the areas that cause the most frustration for people in ariens, are all sorted out and long tested on the toro. 

I think ariens iterates their models too much - they keep changing things and they offer too many skews in my opinion. It makes it all the harder to get it right. The balance on each ariens model varies considerably, whereas on the toro line, balance is about the same across the board regardless of engine or frame size. 

It's thoughtful things like that which brought me back again to Toro. No they aren't THE best, but they are **** good and competitive and equal to any top tier manufacturer out there today; for the staggering numbers sold each year (not too far off of ariens) you just never hear anything about them...the forums are silent,not because there are few of them out of there, but there is little reason to revisit forums if it just works. IMHO anyway. 

That's my spiel - take it or leave it. But I'm excited!


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks for the report. I'm considering an OXE but possibly a 1028 or 928. 

Just curious, with $600 off retail what was your cost?


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

CO Snow said:


> Thanks for the report. I'm considering an OXE but possibly a 1028 or 928.
> 
> Just curious, with $600 off retail what was your cost?


For me that gets me under 2k Canadian which is a minor miracle. I find your US prices entirely reasonable. 

From What I've been told, the 928 and 1028 seem so close in numbers, however going from the 928 to 1028 is supposedly a significant difference as the 1028 handily outstrips the 928 in torque. The smaller displacement 928 just can't produce the torque that the larger 1028 can, so in daily performance, the 1028 will prove far more useful. 

Figured that might help your decision making. I know my 1128 making 16.5 torque should be more than enough to handle anything. The 1028 isn't far behind. But the 928 is. 

All I can say is, you can't have too much power in a snowblower, but you sure can have too little. 

Either way, all great units!


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

Yes, I'm leaning towards the 1028. The dealer said he would give me a "good deal" but we didn't specifically discuss price.


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

Well at least you can compare it to snowblower direct for pricing for instance. There should be other retailers that will give you a good indication of what a good deal is compared to your dealer. 

When do you think you might pull the trigger? I know pre snow fever is starting to grab hold of people with models taken from the sales floor often....it could snow anytime in the next few weeks. YAY!!!


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

UPDATE:

I purchased the 1128 - it's a beast and beautifully built. I looked at getting a Ariens Pro 28 and a Yamaha YT624 (new one). The toro literally takes the best of both of those units mentioned and combines it into an easy to handle, powerful, directed chute, snow thrower. The triggers are gold BTW. You can't go wrong with any of these units, but the toro just kept coming to the forefront of my mind when making this decision.

And yes I love the plastics on the Toro. Some plastic parts are fibre reinforced, others a dedicated polymer of some sort. Good to minus 100deg. I know it will hold up. Also, the shape of the ACS system all but eliminates the use of metal to form that shape. There is no discernible advantage of one shoot material over another, as long as we are talking about Toros plastics. Other brands I can't speak to. 

One interesting point. The toro runs tighter clearances on the impeller than does Ariens. To the point where it's fractional and an impeller kit would be unnecessary. They can do this because of the anti clog setup, as the impeller (after throwing snow) passes by the ACS part of the system and that area is opened up. This is one of the reasons the toro throws snow like a beast.

Hopefully that was interesting info on some level. 

Cheers - can't wait to post results of my first few snow falls. We could have a dump as early as Halloween.  BRING IT ON!!!!


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

MAZEL TOV on your purchase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## 03eunos (Oct 18, 2014)

Good informational post... I am the owner of an 8-year old 826 LE which is starting to get a little run down after 8 Canadian East Coast winters so I started looking for a new machine this morning. I dropped by Home Depot and they only stock the 826 OE. It looked so pitiful lined up against the Ariens machines, but I know it works very well. I then dropped by the local Toro dealer and saw the 1128 HD OXHE and what a difference. Loved it, but a bit too costly.

The 928 HD OXHE is right at my price point $1499 compared to Home Depot's 826 OE for $1189. All the Toro's had great balance making them appear much lighter than other brands. 

My only concern is that the 826 has the B&S engine while the 928 has Toro's own engine. Is the Toro engine made in the US and is it good quality? In 8 years, I have never pulled more than two times on my 826 even in -25 C weather. And as you mentioned, the plastic parts are like they were the day I bought it.

Wondering what you mean by the spring loaded scraper bar???


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## MagnumB (Oct 1, 2014)

03eunos said:


> Good informational post... I am the owner of an 8-year old 826 LE which is starting to get a little run down after 8 Canadian East Coast winters so I started looking for a new machine this morning. I dropped by Home Depot and they only stock the 826 OE. It looked so pitiful lined up against the Ariens machines, but I know it works very well. I then dropped by the local Toro dealer and saw the 1128 HD OXHE and what a difference. Loved it, but a bit too costly.
> 
> The 928 HD OXHE is right at my price point $1499 compared to Home Depot's 826 OE for $1189. All the Toro's had great balance making them appear much lighter than other brands.
> 
> ...



That's a great unit! The nice thing about the toro premium is that Toro supports them directly. Also they are cast iron sleeved, triple piston ringed and have the same guaranteed to start promise as always. Toro is pretty proud of that engine, you only see a Briggs again on the 1128 where they provide little info. 

The nice thing is that the toro premium is built to their spec and standards. My friend who owns the toro dealership I go to has absolute confidence in either engine. 

If you can find a gently used 1028 - you will get a good bump in torque. But either machine will throw snow like a son of a gun. The nice thing about the 928 over your current unit is the bump in torque with horsepower. It's a good match to the width. If you need TRUE HP for heavy snow, then a stretch to 1028 is quite significant, it produces torque more prodigiously because it's a bigger engine period. It can produce quite a bit more torque than the 928 and by all reports is a beast. 

Please know, toro doesn't underpowered thier machines at all. So you will be very happy with any of the 28" models. My argument for a 1028 consideration is based solely on the type of snow you get. I know you can get hit pretty hard. Here in ALBERTA, we get very cold and lots of powder....anything works here.

Will the new one be a better performer than your old one? I'm guessing your current unit is not OHV?? If so, a new toro with OHV engine will never let you down. 

The spring loaded scraper bar acts a bit like a trip edge on a snow plow blade, it contacts the ground, clearing to the ground and scrapes well. Most concerns about it are from some issues back in mid 2000's. Toro has literally run the spring loaded scraper bar for 20 years....so yes they have the kinks worked out. 

Also prevents the handle bar in the gut if you catch an edge on something. It rotates back and up and saves you and the machine. 

Cheers ��������


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