# Ariens 24" Or 30" Handling Difficulty



## morfred (Oct 20, 2013)

I am 65 yo, live in the north east and about to buy a new snowblower. I was all set to pull the trigger on an Ariens Platinum 24" w/ a 291cc engine approx. $1350. BUT...My local dealer has a few of last years model Ariens deluxe 30" 305cc for $999 marked down from $1599. I know that I can handle the 24" model at my age for at least the next 10 or 15 years. The 30" is a heck of good deal but I do not know if it will be too much for me in the future. I have never used one that size. I tried one in the parking lot but without snow I really can't tell very much. Will it be more difficult to handle? Any help or suggestions are appreciated.


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## SnowRemovalFan (Oct 12, 2013)

It is going to be hard to tell how maneuverable it is in a parking lot....those things just don't want to turn when there is no snow! But according to Home Depot (since it does not show the weights on the Ariens site) they both weigh 254 lbs. But the 30 might be a bit harder even if they weigh the same. But another source says the Deluxe 30 weighs around 25 lbs. more.  Just wanted to give you some specs.

Ariens Platinum 24 in. Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering-921028 at The Home Depot

Ariens Deluxe 30 in. Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering-921032 at The Home Depot

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Ariens ST24DLE Platinum SnowBlowersAtJacks.Com

Ariens ST30DLE Deluxe SnowBlowersAtJacks.Com


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## Pythons37 (Nov 9, 2012)

I'm 65. I am a retired car hauler. I've been pretty active my whole life. I still am. My blower is an old 27" 10 horsepower NOMA/Murray. Not the same quality you are looking at. A little lighter, but not much. I still have a guy plow and I use the blower for close in work, clearing a path out back, and cutting back the piles left by the plowing. It does a good job. It is as manuverable as a reluctant elephant. It moves a lot of snow and quickly, but it is too big for close in work. I have my eye out for a single stage 20 or 21 inch rig. I think a 24" machine is more user friendly and practical, unless you have to clear a long driveway. If you get the big one, I bet you are looking for a small one soon after. Another consideration is the size of the bucket. These things work best with a full bucket. A 30" machine is hard to fill up. Even 6 inches isn't enough to get full use of a machine that big.


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## morfred (Oct 20, 2013)

Thanks for the help. I also have a large (3 car wide) driveway plowed and I use the old/tired 24" that I have now for clean-up and walkways. I never used a 30" and the price is tempting. It sounds as though the 24" will be easier to move around in tight areas.


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## SnowRemovalFan (Oct 12, 2013)

It is one thing with a lawn to get a wider mower, but with a driveway, being a lot smaller than a lawn, 6 inches is not going to make much of a difference in time savings. So I think the 24" will be good for you.


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## CarlB (Jan 2, 2011)

I would lean to the 24" and maybe even look at compact 24 since you have the driveway plowed anyway and you don't need the big machine for close in work.


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## morfred (Oct 20, 2013)

The 24" is what I am leaning towards but the compact model only has 205cc's. I think I need the model with 291 cc's. My current Toro 250CC is not powerful enough for some of the wet stuff. Ariens makes a 250 cc but that would probably be just the same.


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