# 16''+ heavy, wet snow put my 28 Pro to the test!!!



## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

I started my beast and took a frontal attack out of my garage into the depths of my driveway. Impressed? My machine ran right into this stuff using 1st setting and there was NO stopping it! My neighbor was struggling with a 24'' something so after making my first pass, I went across the street, cleared plows deep snow and onward down his driveway. I cleared his whole driveway while he struggled to clear around his mail box.

YEAH, the Ariens 28 Pro lived up to my expectations. So after clearing neighbor #1, I started on neighbor #2 but the guy came out, thanked me and did the rest himself,

I am impressed! After all my less than positive comments about the auto turn, it is still about trade offs. I purchased the right machine. And before I put it away, I washed it with my garden hose. After that I connect my compressor to the water feed line for the hose and blew out all the remaining water in the pipe and hose. Done!!!! :thumbsup:


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## Mavaholic (Mar 13, 2018)

Nice! I look forward to the end of driveway with mine. 

Comparable to eating my favorite dessert...lol


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

One can never have too much power with a heavy, wet snowfall like this one!


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

foggysail said:


> I started my beast and took a frontal attack out of my garage into the depths of my driveway. Impressed? My machine ran right into this stuff using 1st setting and there was NO stopping it! :


Like this?


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

Ariens Hydro Pro 28 . Never once clogged or bogged down in 14 inches of wet heavy snow. The EOD was over 24"-30" high by 24-36" wide. I needed to break some of it with a shovel and cleaned it up with blower. This picture is after the first pass of the EOD.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Dang  Very cool! This kind of snow finally gives a lot of blowers a chance to play for real. This is a great time to have plenty of power and traction on-tap!


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

RedOctobyr said:


> Dang  Very cool! This kind of snow finally gives a lot of blowers a chance to play for real. This is a great time to have plenty of power and traction on-tap!


Yes RedOct, power and traction!!! I once thought I would need chains as I did with my Bolens. But the Bolens used a true differential so one wheel could slip and the machine would go nowhere. Well back to today’s Ariens! NO CHAINS NEEDED!!! I am a believer now.


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## Brammy (Mar 4, 2019)

After struggling with my Cub Cadet in wet snow, I am very jealous.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I saw a newer Ariens today throwing our wet slop a considerable distance.....it was one of the bigger models and was doing a FINE job! Also saw a smaller compact 24 struggling.......oh well.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

cranman said:


> I saw a newer Ariens today throwing our wet slop a considerable distance.....it was one of the bigger models and was doing a FINE job! Also saw a smaller compact 24 struggling.......oh well.


As you know, being down on the south shore, this was very heavy snow.


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## gixer2000 (Mar 2, 2019)

I used my Deluxe 30 today for the first time today and was also impressed. I'm sure it's nothing compared to the pro but it performed perfect all day

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## pd1340 (Jan 9, 2018)

Yeah used my 28 deluxe sho on about 14 inches of heavy wet snow. Unbelievable. Never even bogged down or clogged once even at the end of the driveway. Great machines.


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## guybb3 (Jan 31, 2014)

My TORO killed it yesterday. I live on a cul-de-sac and do all 3 driveways at the end. I was REALLY happy with how far it threw this wet, heavy stuff.


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## ColdinMontana (Nov 18, 2018)

These Ariens Pro machines are real beasts. Very happy with my Pro 32 that I bought a few months ago. We get wind driven snow drifts sometimes 2-3 feet tall. Went thru a drift that was over the auger housing probably 100 yards long without any problem at all. Just went slow and easy and it powered right through. The column of snow being thrown into the air was impressive. So glad I went with the Pro instead of the Honda I also considered.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

ColdinMontana said:


> These Ariens Pro machines are real beasts. Very happy with my Pro 32 that I bought a few months ago. We get wind driven snow drifts sometimes 2-3 feet tall. Went thru a drift that was over the auger housing probably 100 yards long without any problem at all. Just went slow and easy and it powered right through. The column of snow being thrown into the air was impressive. So glad I went with the Pro instead of the Honda I also considered.


The key to snow blowing deep or heavy snow is going slow enough so the engine doesn't bog. Time and time again, I see people going too fast for the conditions. Listen to your engine, it will tell you.


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## rslifkin (Mar 5, 2018)

russ01915 said:


> The key to snow blowing deep or heavy snow is going slow enough so the engine doesn't bog. Time and time again, I see people going too fast for the conditions. Listen to your engine, it will tell you.


Of course, there's always those of us (me) who will be left thinking "if I can't go as fast as I want to, the blower just needs more power." My Pro 28 is a great blower, but when the snow does get really deep, I wouldn't mind a bit more impeller speed to process snow faster and another few horsepower, as that would mean less time out in the cold and wind moving snow. Somewhere around 1400 rpm and 20-ish hp would probably be good, compared to the 1100 rpm and approximately 13.5hp it's got now.


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## Homesteader (Jan 12, 2019)

cranman said:


> I saw a newer Ariens today throwing our wet slop a considerable distance.....it was one of the bigger models and was doing a FINE job! Also saw a smaller compact 24 struggling.......oh well.


Some of the older Ariens models don't struggle either ...I didn't have any problems bogging down or clogging, even with a full bucket of this heavy dense snow and throwing it 30'-40'. No issues re-blowing the stuff I already piled up, either.

An oldie but a goodie.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

rslifkin said:


> Of course, there's always those of us (me) who will be left thinking "if I can't go as fast as I want to, the blower just needs more power." My Pro 28 is a great blower, but when the snow does get really deep, I wouldn't mind a bit more impeller speed to process snow faster and another few horsepower, as that would mean less time out in the cold and wind moving snow. Somewhere around 1400 rpm and 20-ish hp would probably be good, compared to the 1100 rpm and approximately 13.5hp it's got now.


Change the crankshaft and auger pulley size and see what happens? 
You can play around here: http://www.blocklayer.com/pulley-belteng.aspx

Check out this discussion:http:///www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/general-snowblower-discussion/111706-max-rpm-auger.html


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## rslifkin (Mar 5, 2018)

I've thought about pulleying it for more auger RPM, but based on what it takes to get the engine loaded down, I don't think it would help processing speed, just throwing distance (which is already fine). It would need more power to go along with it before it made a difference in how much snow it could process through.


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

Homesteader said:


> Some of the older Ariens models don't struggle either ...I didn't have any problems bogging down or clogging, even with a full bucket of this heavy dense snow and throwing it 30'-40'. No issues re-blowing the stuff I already piled up, either.
> 
> An oldie but a goodie.



*HEY!!!! What are those shovels doing in a snowblower forum*


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

foggysail said:


> *HEY!!!! What are those shovels doing in a snowblower forum*


Backup!


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

No problems for me either. I measured 13.5" of dense snow in the middle of my driveway. The Pro 32 (2015) I have at my house threw it a measured 42'. (I just had to know, haha) If this was a powdery snow I can easily see north of the Ariens rated 60' throwing distance. 

Also no issues when I left to do my commercial accounts using an '05 and an '18 Pro 32 machines. The '05 with the "rated" 13hp Tecumseh had to go a little slower with a little less throwing distance but nonetheless powered through. Also I'd say the '18 machine threw maybe a few feet further than my '15. Another note on the '18. With the ridgid channel bars replacing the tubular bars, the machine feel so much more solid with zero flex and minimal vibration. Overall a smother feeling to operate.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

JJG723 said:


> No problems for me either. I measured 13.5" of dense snow in the middle of my driveway. The Pro 32 (2015) I have at my house threw it a measured 42'. (I just had to know, haha) If this was a powdery snow I can easily see north of the Ariens rated 60' throwing distance.
> 
> Also no issues when I left to do my commercial accounts using an '05 and an '18 Pro 32 machines. The '05 with the "rated" 13hp Tecumseh had to go a little slower with a little less throwing distance but nonetheless powered through. Also I'd say the '18 machine threw maybe a few feet further than my '15. Another note on the '18. With the ridgid channel bars replacing the tubular bars, the machine feel so much more solid with zero flex and minimal vibration. Overall a smother feeling to operate.


This is why, Ariens is the King of Snow. Solid heavy duty machines that deliver.


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## JJG723 (Mar 7, 2015)

This is why, Ariens is the King of Snow. Solid heavy duty machines that deliver.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more!


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## Steve70 (Nov 12, 2018)

russ01915 said:


> The key to snow blowing deep or heavy snow is going slow enough so the engine doesn't bog. Time and time again, I see people going too fast for the conditions. Listen to your engine, it will tell you.


Exactly right. That's what makes the hydro tranny so nice. Infinite speed control. The other thing you need to keep clear is the exhaust manifold. Many times I've chewed through drifts with my old ST1236 that were higher than the exhaust manifold. Once in a while it would bog from not getting the exhaust out. Other than that the old 1236 worked just fine. I wasn't home long enough to give the new machine a good test. From the 100 inches I did do , I can't say the new one was any stronger than the old one, but it is better in so many other ways. 

Nice to see some more reports on the new Hydro Pros showing their oats in some snow storms!


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'm of the opinion that your engine slowing down a little is ok. Once it starts to slow (ignoring governor sag), that shows it's maxed out, and putting out 100% power. 

If it never slows, maybe it's at 95% power, maybe it's at 50% power. If I paid for 8hp, 10hp, etc, I want to use it  

And given hours of use, I consider it unlikely that I'll wear out a snowblower engine, so I don't mind making it work hard, so I'm finished sooner.


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

I know this, improbable that I will wear out my machine during my lifetime


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

Speaking of wet snow: I finally found some that bested our new 2018/2019 Ariens Pro32. But to be fair, it was more like the consistency of a melted snow cone... lots of liquid water content with just enough slush to kinda sorta hold its shape in the chute. I don't believe ANY amount of engine power could have fixed it because it just basically extruded out of the chute opening, and as more got shoved in by the impeller the same amount extruded out and slid down the outside of the machine.


So there is a limit, even with an Ariens and a B&S engine.


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## russ01915 (Dec 18, 2013)

That shouldn't clog it at full throttle and proper speed. I've been in every imaginable situation possible and have never once cleared a clog chute that I can imagine. We get a lot of storms that start out as snow and turn into a full rain storm. But I came across this great machine that does an incredible job with slush. I use a single stage machine for slush.


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

russ01915 said:


> That shouldn't clog it at full throttle and proper speed. I've been in every imaginable situation possible and have never once cleared a clog chute that I can imagine.


 That slop in the video looks a lot like what I was dealing with. In my case, it was the result of salt being spread on ice+snow, resulting in a thick brine that was just freshly melted. It would hold its shape if "sculpted". It piled up in the bottom of the chute like in the video, but formed a plug across its whole opening such that the impeller couldn't "throw" things up and away. That's why it acted like an extruder... the impeller had plenty of power to force more material up and into the chute, but the stuff that was already there was so heavy and sloppy and self-adhering that it couldn't be thrown, and just got pushed up the chute until glopped over due to gravity.


When I cleared the chute with the little Ariens shovel/brush, the stuff stuck so well to the shovel that I had to "fling" it off. It wouldn't even shake off. Ever laid tile using mortar? That's the consistency. I could have troweled this stuff.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

Those toros are pretty impressive with slush. That stuff is a disaster for most snowblowers. 

My Modded HSS throws that junk 30ft+ 🙂


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Yuck, that stuff is a mess. I would certainly try my SS with that. My 2-stage, with an impeller kit, has done quite well in slushy/wet conditions. I can usually avoid a clog by maintaining enough forward speed that there's a decent amount of snow moving through the impeller & chute. Or if it starts to close up, clear it by driving it into a snowbank, to try and blast the chute clear (usually works, but not 100%). 

Moving slowly is more likely to cause problems, from what I've seen. I'd try clearing out the chute (with a tool), if it gets clogged, then use the fastest ground speed that you can. 

I don't have any experience yet with Toro's ACS, but it sounds interesting.


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