# New Arrival - EFI Platinum 24 SHO



## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

Well, it finally arrived - my new EFI Platinum 24 SHO.

When the machine unloaded, the first thing I noticed was how big the engine appeared on a relatively modest-sized 24" machine. That 369 cc power plant should throw snow to Nebraska. I also noticed the metal housing around the impeller is larger than on my previous machines (perhaps due to the 14" impeller?). Overall, a beefy look.

Also, due to the EFI, no widgets on the motor. No primer, choke or fuel shut-off valve. The engine block looks clean and simple.

The operators panel has all the controls, including the "On" switch (key), chute controls, hand warmer switch and wheel/auger handles. The most interesting feature is the "Power" dial, which allows one to adjust engine speed, and power output. On the the low settings, the engine is amazingly quiet. On high settings, it roars.

As advertised, the EFI engine starts with a single pull. The dealer assures me that it will start the same in any temperature, humidity or altitude. The CPU for EFI monitors and controls for those variables, and others. Also, with no carburetor, virtually no issues with gas left in the machine. Regardless, the dealer urged me to use fuel stabilizer, and at least 89 octane gas, with no more than 10% ethanol.

Once you turn on the switch, you hear a short one-second "whirr", as the EFI system activates. Then, one need only pull the recoil cord once. If it starts like this in mid-winter, as promised, I doubt I'll ever use the electric start.

The Autoturn feature works like a dream. I never tried Autoturn prior to the "re-balancing" Ariens did on this year's machines (moving the axel closer to the auger). But, this version works beautifully. Just a slight nudge on one handle (best when done in a "pulling" motion), and the machine easily pivots. Effortless!

My dealer here in western MA, Acres Power Equipment, did a great job of setting-up the machine. They installed the poly-skid shoes, as I requested, with about 1/16" clearance (I have a smooth driveway). The bucket is level, and the chute adjustment is perfect - no friction. They also zip-tied all the cables to the frame, and even filled the unit with gas and stabilizer. They also honored the $1799 "promotional price" (some dealers nearby offer the same machine for $2029). If you live anywhere near East Longmeadow, MA, I highly recommend Acres Power Equipment.

That's it for now. Once we get some snow, I'll write a proper review, with photos, and perhaps even a video (if I can conscript my wife into camera duty).

It's fun to finally have the machine. I look forward to confronting old man winter with this weapon. :blowerhug:


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

Looks like your helper approves of the new blower also. Now I want one.


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## markd (Oct 29, 2014)

Very nice!!!!


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

Hanky said:


> Looks like your helper approves of the new blower also. Now I want one.


That's Bailey, the Wonder Dog. Bailey assesses and certifies anything new brought into the home. 

Fortunately, the new blower received 3 wags of the tail - code for full acceptance. Whew!


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

*Wife Friendly*

One reason I went for this Ariens EFI 24 SHO, is the female factor.

I travel a lot for work. Hence, my wife is often left to fend for herself during snowstorms.

We can't have our driveway plowed because there's no place to push the snow at the end of the drive (it stays there all winter). The only option is a snow blower.

Our previous blower, a 10 HP Yard Machine, weighed 300 pounds and was a beast to handle - even for me. 

This new EFI machine, weighs almost the same, but it's effortless to maneuver. The Autoturn is amazing - like sports car handling.

Also, starting is a breeze. She can pull the cord with little effort.

Finally, the 24" size is handy for steering between cars.

After testing the unit for a short while on our driveway, I'm confident a 125 pound woman can handle it with no issues.


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

Very Nice! Many happy decades of ownership for you. 

Any chance you could do a vid? I wanna hear it start, and idle, and let it ripp full power.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

Awesome-ness !!!




Strato said:


> One reason I went for this Ariens EFI 24 SHO, is the female factor.
> 
> I travel a lot for work. Hence, my wife is often left to fend for herself during snowstorms.


 
^^^ Makes complete sense !


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

scrappy said:


> Very Nice! Many happy decades of ownership for you.
> 
> Any chance you could do a vid? I wanna hear it start, and idle, and let it ripp full power.


I should be able to handle that. I'm presuming I just export the video file as an attachment.

I'll give it a shot.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

*Video Link*

Well, I tried posting the video in the message, but it wouldn't load (maybe too big - 225 MB?).

Alternatively, here's a Dropbox link, which should open when you click on it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pf52zud5jwmo4p0/IMG_1926.m4v?dl=0

I hope that works.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

cant see the vid...but congrats on the new machine, you may be the first on the forum to have one of those efi units !


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

Vid works here... sounds good!


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Congrats on that sweet new beast! I know you waited awhile for it, certainly worth the wait. She purrs like a kitten. I had a question if you don't mind is the gas cap on that the tabbed radiator type design or a traditional screw on type? My carbureated version has the radiator type which can be a bear to put back on unless the strainer is removed, just wondering if they went back to the screw on threaded design.

I'm sure you can't wait for a significant snowfall to test it out.

All the best.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

Cardo111 said:


> Congrats on that sweet new beast! I know you waited awhile for it, certainly worth the wait. She purrs like a kitten. I had a question if you don't mind is the gas cap on that the tabbed radiator type design or a traditional screw on type? My carbureated version has the radiator type which can be a bear to put back on unless the strainer is removed, just wondering if they went back to the screw on threaded design.
> 
> I'm sure you can't wait for a significant snowfall to test it out.
> 
> All the best.


Thanks for nice comments.

Alas, the gas cap is the one downside I've found thus far. It appears to be the "radiator" type, which is indeed a bear to put on. With all the technology they packed into this beast, I'm surprised they didn't re-work the gas cap. It's been universally panned.

Ariens claims fuel-efficiency is much improved with the EFI engine. If that means fewer times to open the ornery cap, I'm grateful.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

scrappy said:


> Vid works here... sounds good!


Great! Good to know it works.

BTW, the red on my hands isn't blood. Just painting today 

When I started the unit in my garage, at full power the sound was deafening. Much less offensive outside.

On the low setting, it's whisper quiet. Not sure how much power I'll have on the lowest setting.

Interestingly, the power dial also works as an accelerator. When I have the unit in gear, it'll speed-up or slow down as I twist the power dial.

I found this feature useful in reverse, when I sometimes want to go faster.


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

:3tens:

:bowing:

Very Nice! Gotta love that fuel injection!


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

Noticed the Briggs & Stratton baggie that has the owners manual in it. What is up with that?


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

GoBlowSnow said:


> Noticed the Briggs & Stratton baggie that has the owners manual in it. What is up with that?


Good question. I had to go back to the video and the pictures to recheck and the bag does say Briggs and Stratton. :smiley-confused013:


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Strato said:


> Interestingly, the power dial also works as an accelerator. When I have the unit in gear, it'll speed-up or slow down as I twist the power dial.


 Yes, it is the "accelerator" (when you increase or decrease engine speed, if in gear the ground speed will increase or decrease respectively as well as the impeller and auger speed if engaged). 
It looks like a much more convenient engine speed control, but it does "kind of" the same work as a throttle control on a non-EFI engine.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

GoBlowSnow said:


> Noticed the Briggs & Stratton baggie that has the owners manual in it. What is up with that?


I checked the manual, and the engine is definitely not Briggs & Stratton. It's the Ariens AX 369cc.

However, the pro models, I believe, do have the Briggs engine.

I expect the bag is simply one Ariens provides to all customers.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

*CPU Charging Cable*

This charging cable was in the bag with manuals.

Apparently, the CPU governing the EFI system recharges automatically when the machine is running at a level any higher than "efficiency" on the power dial.

However, when the machine is dormant, the manual suggests charging the battery every 3 months, for no longer than 48 hours.

The CPU battery is tucked under the dash, and almost impossible to find under the cables. But, the connector, where the charger plugs into, is fairly accessible.

I imagine I'd only charge the unit once per year, perhaps in mid-summer, as the unit won't be operated until November (usually).

During the winter season, we get enough snowfalls that I doubt charging the CPU will be an issue.


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

I've also noticed that when I activate the "On" switch, the "whirr" sound is followed by noticeable gas smell.

I suppose that sound indicates the system is injecting gas into the cylinder, which is why it starts so easily with one pull.


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## sony1998 (Dec 18, 2014)

"The Autoturn feature works like a dream. I never tried Autoturn prior to the "re-balancing" Ariens did on this year's machines (moving the axel closer to the auger). But, this version works beautifully. Just a slight nudge on one handle (best when done in a "pulling" motion), and the machine easily pivots. Effortless!"
Can anyone confirm the actual dimensional changes Ariens made to the axle placement on the new model compared to older models? This is interesting as to all the complaints regarding the past autoturn models trouble. I wonder if the "new" lower end chassis would work as a replacement on older Ariens blowers (since autoturn was introduced). 

If the wheels were in fact moved forward, this would make the bucket lighter, much like the Toro with its lighter bucket. 

If this is a fix for poor handling Ariens blowers, Ariens screwed up big time and should provide us owners with this updated chassis for free. Can't we all pull together????


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

sony1998 said:


> "The Autoturn feature works like a dream. I never tried Autoturn prior to the "re-balancing" Ariens did on this year's machines (moving the axel closer to the auger). But, this version works beautifully. Just a slight nudge on one handle (best when done in a "pulling" motion), and the machine easily pivots. Effortless!"
> Can anyone confirm the actual dimensional changes Ariens made to the axle placement on the new model compared to older models? This is interesting as to all the complaints regarding the past autoturn models trouble. I wonder if the "new" lower end chassis would work as a replacement on older Ariens blowers (since autoturn was introduced).
> 
> If the wheels were in fact moved forward, this would make the bucket lighter, much like the Toro with its lighter bucket.
> ...


When Ariens acknowledged the change to Autoturn, it was surprisingly subdued. No grand announcement, and little mention of it on their website or anywhere else. I believe the reason was they didn't want an avalanche of disgruntled customers demanding restitution for what amounted to a design error.

People on this site are aware of the Autoturn design change, as are the dealers. But, if you ask the average consumer who purchased an Ariens blower last year, I'll wager most are completely unaware of any significant changes.

Ariens didn't want upheaval. Plus, many dealers still carry 2015 stock, which they can't move if people feel those machines are compromised.

When I called Ariens this summer inquiring about changes to this year's upcoming models, a customer service rep told me that most changes were simply "cosmetic". I wouldn't consider the Autoturn change cosmetic. It's been a huge issue (40,000 views on this forum).

I don't really blame Ariens. They're as good a company as you'll find anywhere. My interaction with them has been overwhelmingly positive. But, they still dance the two-step when potential problems like this arise.

I'm interested to see if Ariens is willing to make any accommodation to customers unhappy with the earlier version of Autoturn.


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## BTM4 (Feb 12, 2016)

Question for anyone who might be knowledgable on this. I just got my EFI Platinum 24 from the dealer. When I took delivery, they had already filled up the gas tank. Chances are, I will not be using the blower for about 2 months or so, unless we get an earlier snow fall. Is that too long for gas to be sitting in the tank? I know that the EFI models have the new "sealed unit" as Ariens describes, but is there any harm in me letting the blower sit with the gas in the tank?

This is my first snowblower, so pretty excited to use it. When I got the snowblower home, I noticed the scraper bar was a little bit uneven on the housing, so I adjusted it to make it even. I then reset the bucket and poly skid shoes. Other than that, everything seemed in order!


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## Dextar (Sep 26, 2016)

BTM4 said:


> Question for anyone who might be knowledgable on this. I just got my EFI Platinum 24 from the dealer. When I took delivery, they had already filled up the gas tank. Chances are, I will not be using the blower for about 2 months or so, unless we get an earlier snow fall. Is that too long for gas to be sitting in the tank? I know that the EFI models have the new "sealed unit" as Ariens describes, but is there any harm in me letting the blower sit with the gas in the tank?
> 
> This is my first snowblower, so pretty excited to use it. When I got the snowblower home, I noticed the scraper bar was a little bit uneven on the housing, so I adjusted it to make it even. I then reset the bucket and poly skid shoes. Other than that, everything seemed in order!


Throw some seafoam or a cap of Star Tron (you should be able to pick it up at home depot) and you'll be fine. I'll be using premium and the stabilizer.


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## BTM4 (Feb 12, 2016)

Dextar said:


> Throw some seafoam or a cap of Star Tron (you should be able to pick it up at home depot) and you'll be fine. I'll be using premium and the stabilizer.


I actually have a bottle of seafoam in the garage, so I will go ahead and add some of that to the tank. Thanks for the advice.


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## BTM4 (Feb 12, 2016)

I've got another question about my Ariens efi. There is a small hose that is tied off with a zip tie. So it's only connected to the engine on one side of the hose. The other side of the hose leads to nothing, but it is tied off with the zip tie. Anyone know what this is? I circled the part that I am talking about (third picture).


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## Shoresh (Dec 4, 2016)

Where do you plug the charger? I got the same snowblower today.


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## Shoresh (Dec 4, 2016)

Where do you plug in the charger?


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## ih8thepackers (Jan 4, 2014)

sony1998 said:


> "The Autoturn feature works like a dream. I never tried Autoturn prior to the "re-balancing" Ariens did on this year's machines (moving the axel closer to the auger). But, this version works beautifully. Just a slight nudge on one handle (best when done in a "pulling" motion), and the machine easily pivots. Effortless!"
> Can anyone confirm the actual dimensional changes Ariens made to the axle placement on the new model compared to older models? This is interesting as to all the complaints regarding the past autoturn models trouble. I wonder if the "new" lower end chassis would work as a replacement on older Ariens blowers (since autoturn was introduced).
> 
> If the wheels were in fact moved forward, this would make the bucket lighter, much like the Toro with its lighter bucket.
> ...


the dealer told me today that since the front of the bucket was lighten from moving the wheels,ariens added 4lbs to bucket with more metal...???


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## Strato (Aug 6, 2016)

Shoresh said:


> Where do you plug in the charger?


A good question. It's not obvious from looking at the unit, and there's no diagram in the owner's manual. A bit weird.

Under the dash, toward the left side (from the operator's position), you'll see a white plastic wire connector with a red and black wire entering and exiting the connector.

Simply unplug the connector, and plug-in your charging unit. 

You won't need to worry about this until the off-season, as the CPU battery charges automatically from the engine. But, in the summer, they recommend re-charging the CPU battery every 3 months.

Ariens says the battery will last at least 5 years.


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## Pauljp (10 mo ago)

Well I guess Canada is a few years behind you guys.
I was at Lowes in Kanata Ontario and saw these new units being introduced.
All the guys were crowding around it saying things like "Ohh and Ahh".
They even agreed that the $2,949 price was a great deal for this new state-of-the-art machine.
.


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## Tseg (Jan 29, 2021)

Pauljp said:


> View attachment 204155


Bullet #4 on sign: Eliminates Maintenance Costs*

Fine Print:
* ...as long as the fuel pump is under warranty.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Pauljp said:


> Well I guess Canada is a few years behind you guys.
> I was at Lowes in Kanata Ontario and saw these new units being introduced.
> All the guys were crowding around it saying things like "Ohh and Ahh".
> They even agreed that the $2,949 price was a great deal for this new state-of-the-art machine.
> ...


EFI has been available at Ariens dealers in Ottawa for many years. Perhaps it is new to Lowes.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

BTM4 said:


> I've got another question about my Ariens efi. There is a small hose that is tied off with a zip tie. So it's only connected to the engine on one side of the hose. The other side of the hose leads to nothing, but it is tied off with the zip tie. Anyone know what this is? I circled the part that I am talking about (third picture).


That hose is the engine breather hose open to the atmosphere. The other end is pressed into the valve cover where a baffle helps prevent oil spillage from crankcase gasses. That hose is present on EFI and non EFI Ariens engines. It is typically found on all small 4 stroke engines in one form or another.


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## Sam Am I (Oct 28, 2021)

Tseg said:


> Bullet #4 on sign: Eliminates Maintenance Costs*
> 
> Fine Print:
> * ...as long as the fuel pump is under warranty.


Tiny blip on a HUGE radar in a otherwise flawless run since Arien's EFI's hit the market in 2016? Gwad, 6 yrs now and running? And we've just had a few resent pump failures more than likely because someone had a bad day at work that day.......We've tracked only 6 or so here lately in a few 2021 models? ....Probably far more issues out there due to stuck floats, upside down stickers, loose bolts, flat tires or gummed up jets due to corn gas.....It takes tops 30 mins with kitchen drawer tools to change one @ $36.00. 

My EFI runs flawless, wouldn't trade it for the world even if I had a 2 or 3 bad pumps, it's a solid design and serious beast when its under a HUGE load, never felt anything like it. It's scary how strong this thing gets under a load........


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Tseg said:


> Bullet #4 on sign: Eliminates Maintenance Costs*
> 
> Fine Print:
> * ...as long as the fuel pump is under warranty.


. . . and if not, then it is still stupid cheap and easy to replace . . .


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