# I've been thinking about trading my HSS1332 for Ariens Rapidtrack



## Zero1 (Jan 26, 2016)

Hi Guys, anyone have any experience with the Ariens Rapidtrak? I'm not that impressed with my 2 year old HSS1332 and have been thinking of trading it. Any info will be appreciated, thank you.

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=148631&stc=1&d=1542465448


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## LDRider (Jan 24, 2018)

Just curious but what is it about the Honda that is disappointing you and what is it about the Ariens that you like or think you will like better? I am curious because I just went through the process of choosing one of them and went with the Honda and am wondering what you find lacking about it? (not trying to argue, it is a genuine and honest question)

I just bought a 1332 after long considering other snowblowers and decided on it over a Rapidtrak for a couple of reasons: the first is that the Ariens can only put additional pressure down on the bucket while the Honda can lift it and hold it there. The second is the auto- turn feature of the Ariens vs. the trigger clutches of the Honda; not sure if the Ariens works well or not given the mixed reviews but the ability to manually and fully disengage a track (or wheel) and then manually and fully lock it again seems more positive to me. 

Brian



Zero1 said:


> Hi Guys, anyone have any experience with the Ariens Rapidtrak? I'm not that impressed with my 2 year old HSS1332 and have been thinking of trading it. Any info will be appreciated, thank you.
> 
> https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=148631&stc=1&d=1542465448


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I'm curious too. :feedback:

.


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## Zero1 (Jan 26, 2016)

I just had the chute replaced, added the bucket extender and I thought it looked great and hoped it would handle the wet snow. a day ago when we had the wet snow, I had a lot of trouble with the chute, it kept plugging up, my HS928 never had that issue. I used the Auger Height Control but my machine never could stay at a height I wanted it, I'm not sure if the bucket extenders weight has something to do with it. Every time I raised it because my driveway is very uneven, it kept lowering itself. 
I saw a few videos of the Ariens Rapidtrack, it looks much easier to handle, the steering on my Honda, never seems to work right, and it's always a struggle, specially moving to the right. I'm just thinking out loud if I should go and check it out, I figured if anyone, it's all the guys here know their stuff. 


LDRider said:


> Just curious but what is it about the Honda that is disappointing you and what is it about the Ariens that you like or think you will like better? I am curious because I just went through the process of choosing one of them and went with the Honda and am wondering what you find lacking about it? (not trying to argue, it is a genuine and honest question)
> 
> I just bought a 1332 after long considering other snowblowers and decided on it over a Rapidtrak for a couple of reasons: the first is that the Ariens can only put additional pressure down on the bucket while the Honda can lift it and hold it there. The second is the auto- turn feature of the Ariens vs. the trigger clutches of the Honda; not sure if the Ariens works well or not given the mixed reviews but the ability to manually and fully disengage a track (or wheel) and then manually and fully lock it again seems more positive to me.
> 
> Brian


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Zero1 said:


> ...the steering on my Honda, never seems to work right, and it's always a struggle, specially moving to the right...


It's too bad you didn't have the dealership look at the steering when you had the chute done. Still under warranty... I have the bucket extender on my HSS1332 as well and the height adjustment stays locked in place just fine, so perhaps your gas strut or the locking mechanism has a problem.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Zero1 said:


> Hi Guys, anyone have any experience with the Ariens Rapidtrak? I'm not that impressed with my 2 year old HSS1332 and have been thinking of trading it. Any info will be appreciated, thank you.



PM me with a price for your HSS - I'd "take a chance" on it.


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## LDRider (Jan 24, 2018)

Yeah, the whole concept that Honda has about these machines leaving a 'variable' amount of snow behind by adjusting the height of the bucket (and especially, the scraper when moving the bucket up - down) never worked for me with a gravel driveway either. Instead, I use side skids and simply use the bucket adjustment to put a light amount of pressure on the skids, and then adjust it as needed due to the changes in the curve of the ground. Used in that way, the new machine works absolutely fantastic, at least it seems to do so for me.

I just finished setting up a new 1332 using Armor skids and set them so the scraper is about 3/4 to 1 inch off the ground. 

The key is to set only a light pressure on the bucket (the skids actually); too much pressure and the skids, or worse yet, one skid, tries to dig in to the ground below the snow. Especially on anything other than polished, perfectly flat concrete. Too little or no pressure and the bucket can ride up, much like a wheeled snowblower, and then the tracks climb up onto the [too much left] snow and the whole machine ends up riding up above the ground somewhere 'in' the snow. Also, too much pressure and these machines become almost impossible to turn either by using the track clutches (the levers under the handlebar) or 'man- handling' the machine around. 

Actually, I think a really nice change would be to have the ability to unlock the gas cylinder that controls bucket height- this would allow just the bucket weight to hold the bucket and skids down and yet rise and fall over uneven ground as needed. It would act like a wheeled machine in that way. Then when it was needed, we could unlock the gas cylinder so that it maintains as much force as needed to keep the bucket down while going through hard- packed snow, end- of- driveway garbage, etc. Of course some type of bungee cord could be rigged to keep the cylinder release lever down to allow exactly that to happen.....

But to be absolutely honest, I understand your frustration with this machine on rough ground- they really do require more attention and effort than a wheeled machine under those conditions, at least in my opinion. Of course Honda does make wheeled machines, just not in that particular size (1332); I wonder if wheels could be retrofitted to a track driven machine? Still, a more conventional, wheeled machine might well be easier for your specific conditions- I have been fighting with an old design HS928 for several years and was completely frustrated before last winter was over and determined to replace that machine with something that suited a gravel driveway better. I happened to choose the newer style HSS and a 1332 specifically because of the auger protection system because an additional problem I had was the 928 eating shear bolts like it held stock in the hardware industry.

Brian



Zero1 said:


> I just had the chute replaced, added the bucket extender and I thought it looked great and hoped it would handle the wet snow. a day ago when we had the wet snow, I had a lot of trouble with the chute, it kept plugging up, my HS928 never had that issue. I used the Auger Height Control but my machine never could stay at a height I wanted it, I'm not sure if the bucket extenders weight has something to do with it. Every time I raised it because my driveway is very uneven, it kept lowering itself.
> I saw a few videos of the Ariens Rapidtrack, it looks much easier to handle, the steering on my Honda, never seems to work right, and it's always a struggle, specially moving to the right. I'm just thinking out loud if I should go and check it out, I figured if anyone, it's all the guys here know their stuff.


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## partypants (Nov 18, 2018)

No snowblower is going to steer properly when blowing through snow. The wall of snow you are going through and the friction of the skids on the pavement just prevents it, that's physics. If you need to adjust direction while going through snow, just manhandle it. It's not hard. Now, when it comes to turning around at the EOD, tilt bucket up and it will turn on a dime no problem when there is no bucket friction to cause resistance. That's just how it is with any of them. 

I'd put a #110 main jet in the carb and see how that goes. I really don't think you'll find a better machine.


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## northeast (Dec 29, 2017)

partypants said:


> No snowblower is going to steer properly when blowing through snow. The wall of snow you are going through and the friction of the skids on the pavement just prevents it, that's physics. If you need to adjust direction while going through snow, just manhandle it. It's not hard. Now, when it comes to turning around at the EOD, tilt bucket up and it will turn on a dime no problem when there is no bucket friction to cause resistance. That's just how it is with any of them.
> 
> I'd put a #110 main jet in the carb and see how that goes. I really don't think you'll find a better machine.


I would agree! I do have armor skids on mine and I do try to keep the skids lightly weight when I am working the blower, But it’s so nice to have the option to tilt that bucket down hard when I need to get through the crud. It takes a little time to figure out how to use it but if you spend some time running them you end up loving them it’s by far the best blower I have ever used.


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## Zero1 (Jan 26, 2016)

All good advice guys, thank you. I will call the dealer and have these issues looked at.


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## relaycruz (Sep 14, 2018)

I had the ability to try a Rapidtrack last winter as I was looking to buy a tracked unit for this year. It was not good. Very hard to steer, no infinitely adjustable bucket height, and rough working chute adjustment. Bought a Honda HSS1332 this year and it is a Cadillac compared to the Ariens. Absolutely zero effort required to run it compared to the Ariens. I had an Ariens wheeled Pro machine that I just couldn't tolerate the bucket riding up over everything any longer. The Honda has no problem with that issue. There are videos on Youtube I saw last year where a guy had the Rapidtrack loaned to him and hated it for the same reasons I did. Trust me, the Honda is a superior machine. Put on side skids and set them to only touch when digging in.


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## Zero1 (Jan 26, 2016)

Thank you for this.. I just adjusted my side skid pads, they were way too high and the steering was not working with it low. I lowered them about 1/4" and now it is moving like butter and the steering was awesome too!!! I can't beleive I didn't think about the skids before.. Now I can't wait for some good snow.. Thank you guys..



relaycruz said:


> I had the ability to try a Rapidtrack last winter as I was looking to buy a tracked unit for this year. It was not good. Very hard to steer, no infinitely adjustable bucket height, and rough working chute adjustment. Bought a Honda HSS1332 this year and it is a Cadillac compared to the Ariens. Absolutely zero effort required to run it compared to the Ariens. I had an Ariens wheeled Pro machine that I just couldn't tolerate the bucket riding up over everything any longer. The Honda has no problem with that issue. There are videos on Youtube I saw last year where a guy had the Rapidtrack loaned to him and hated it for the same reasons I did. Trust me, the Honda is a superior machine. Put on side skids and set them to only touch when digging in.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:goodjob: And life is good again. Now you need to go out and put a coat or two of wax on that 32" to show it how much you care. :wink2:


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## hockeyman5150 (Aug 22, 2018)

Zero1 said:


> I just had the chute replaced, added the bucket extender and I thought it looked great and hoped it would handle the wet snow. a day ago when we had the wet snow, I had a lot of trouble with the chute, it kept plugging up, my HS928 never had that issue. I used the Auger Height Control but my machine never could stay at a height I wanted it, I'm not sure if the bucket extenders weight has something to do with it. Every time I raised it because my driveway is very uneven, it kept lowering itself.
> I saw a few videos of the Ariens Rapidtrack, it looks much easier to handle, the steering on my Honda, never seems to work right, and it's always a struggle, specially moving to the right. I'm just thinking out loud if I should go and check it out, I figured if anyone, it's all the guys here know their stuff.



I went through the same dilemma, but was coming from an old tracked Honda. Simply put, the Ariens setup does not accomplish the same tasks. The tracks keep the bucket down at a fixed height, which I imagine would not be ideal for a gravel driveway. Second, in track "mode" the RT is a beast to turn - wheeled mode works ok, but what is the point of a tracked unit if you are going to use it in wheeled mode to turn it? The Honda turns like a dream with the finger triggers, and I absolutely love the joystick chute control - no walking or creeping left/right or up/down. While the 420cc would be nice at times, I love the smooth Honda GX. I assume you are looking at the Ariens Pro with the Hydro, the unit is also considerably larger with a 23" housing height, and larger auger which, I would imagine spins slower than the Honda does. I have no regrets, and love my new HSS.


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## partypants (Nov 18, 2018)

Zero1 said:


> Thank you for this.. I just adjusted my side skid pads, they were way too high and the steering was not working with it low. I lowered them about 1/4" and now it is moving like butter and the steering was awesome too!!! I can't beleive I didn't think about the skids before.. Now I can't wait for some good snow.. Thank you guys..


It's gonna steer easily when there is no friction with the ground. If you are trying to steer through heavier snow, you will still have some manhandling to do. Through the fluffy stuff it will steer good. That goes for any snowblower.


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## relaycruz (Sep 14, 2018)

hockeyman5150 said:


> I went through the same dilemma, but was coming from an old tracked Honda. Simply put, the Ariens setup does not accomplish the same tasks. The tracks keep the bucket down at a fixed height, which I imagine would not be ideal for a gravel driveway. Second, in track "mode" the RT is a beast to turn - wheeled mode works ok, but what is the point of a tracked unit if you are going to use it in wheeled mode to turn it? The Honda turns like a dream with the finger triggers, and I absolutely love the joystick chute control - no walking or creeping left/right or up/down. While the 420cc would be nice at times, I love the smooth Honda GX. I assume you are looking at the Ariens Pro with the Hydro, the unit is also considerably larger with a 23" housing height, and larger auger which, I would imagine spins slower than the Honda does. I have no regrets, and love my new HSS.


I had a similar experience as you. The RapidTrack I tried was a pain to turn in track mode unless you had it in wheel mode where the bucket would easily ride up over everything (typical Ariens). The Briggs 420cc has good power but I feel as though the GX390 is equivalent stock. Re-jetted the Honda gives up nothing in power. I can't express how easy my HSS is over my Ariens Pro (now sold) to use. You don't get fatigued at all. The RapidTrack will wear you out like their wheeled machines.


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## SimplicitySolid22 (Nov 18, 2018)

Is the impeller gap the same as your old machine????


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## SimplicitySolid22 (Nov 18, 2018)

Whoops.....Was on page one of convo. missed page two.....Glad the forum came through for you.


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