# Snow blower?



## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

NATTY BUMPO said:


> In the NW Lower, Home of the Lake Effect Machine, there are two SB brands that the pros who plow and snowblow driveways for a living run:
> 
> HONDA and Ariens, *PERIOD* I luv my HONDA engines & yard machines, mowers, leaf blowers and snow blowers. I run an older HONDA 828 which has been bullet proof even during the record setting winter we had last year, 285" of the white s#%t here in Leelanau CO. My wife can easily start and run ours which she needed to do yesterday when we were driving back from deer camp.
> 
> ...


Honda does make a nice blower but to get one comparable to the Ariens I bought I would have had to spend nearly $3,500!!!!! They are nice but not THAT nice. Ariens still is made of thicker steel and the controls are better thought out than Honda. Another awesome blower if they are still made is a Yamaha but again, they are overpriced like the Hondas. (Btw, my father owns both a newer Honda and an older Yamaha so I do have actual working experience with them. )


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## NATTY BUMPO (May 12, 2001)

kozal01 said:


> Honda does make a nice blower but to get one comparable to the Ariens I bought I would have had to spend nearly $3,500!!!!! They are nice but not THAT nice. Ariens still is made of thicker steel and the controls are better thought out than Honda. Another awesome blower if they are still made is a Yamaha but again, they are overpriced like the Hondas. (Btw, my father owns both a newer Honda and an older Yamaha so I do have actual working experience with them. )


Hey Kozal, ever hear the old saying "Father knows Best".

I know Ariens makes a fine machine. When I look at Ariens blowers at the Home Despot, feature for feature, they are priced roughly in the same ball park as Honda. Not a whole lot of difference considering size and feature for feature. I happen to think that the Honda dealer here in TC is worlds better than the Ariens guy. Not even close, re sales and service.

The 828 has hydrostatic, what can be easier and more useful than that? Controls super easy to control machine and "no chains needed, ever". I've had that machine for 15 winters of hard use and it always starts first pull. I will say that when my neighbor's blowers won't start, broke down, can't get parts, "nobody will work on them", again, etc etc etc. Who 'ya gonna call??

Its like a Ford F150 vs a GMC Sierra, pick your favorite and be happy.


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## wyandot (Dec 5, 2013)

kozal01 said:


> Honda does make a nice blower but to get one comparable to the Ariens I bought I would have had to spend nearly $3,500!!!!! They are nice but not THAT nice. Ariens still is made of thicker steel and the controls are better thought out than Honda. Another awesome blower if they are still made is a Yamaha but again, they are overpriced like the Hondas. (Btw, my father owns both a newer Honda and an older Yamaha so I do have actual working experience with them. )


At $3500, your further ahead to buy a Bercomac blower to fit on your riding mower. I got rid of my 11/36 Ariens 3 seasons ago, and put a Berco on my Rider. Whole different animal compared to ANY walk-behind.


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

NATTY BUMPO said:


> Hey Kozal, ever hear the old saying "Father knows Best".
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The hydrostatic trans in the Honda is nice thats true but I've never had an issue with the drive system on my Ariens, or any other blower for that matter and it's super simple to work on and maintain. I priced out the Hondas when I was shopping because I do like my dad's but the $3000+ price tag from the local dealer was insane, it was nearly double what I paid for the Ariens. The model I have isn't available in the big box stores, it's a dealer only model and my local Ariens dealer just so happens to be my Stihl dealer that I buy all my equipment from so the support is great. As for starting, that Honda of my dad's is one hard starting machine, in fact it's the only blower that I've ever used the electric start on. Both my old blower with the techumseh and my Ariens with the B&S start first pull every time without fail. Also since Ariens is one of the biggest if not the biggest manufacturer of snowblowers and have been for many years getting replacement parts is no issue, even on old models. I helped get a friend's 25 year old Ariens up and running last year with parts from his local dealer. 

When you consider the OP's budget he could walk away with a brand new near top of the line Ariens (depending on his size needs and options) 


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

wyandot said:


> At $3500, your further ahead to buy a Bercomac blower to fit on your riding mower. I got rid of my 11/36 Ariens 3 seasons ago, and put a Berco on my Rider. Whole different animal compared to ANY walk-behind.



I didn't want a tractor mounted blower and I wasn't going to spend $3500 on any snowblower. I'd have bought an old truck with a plow before I spent that much on a snowblower. Lol 



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## REG (Oct 25, 2002)

Ariens-The orange one, which is made in WI. Smooth as butter and built to last.

If anything, Do Not get the black SnowForce made by Ariens, which is Chinese made POS.


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

REG said:


> Ariens-The orange one, which is made in WI. Smooth as butter and built to last.
> 
> If anything, Do Not get the black SnowForce made by Ariens, which is Chinese made POS.


Are you talking about the snotek models? They are still made in the us but have China engines and have a bit more plastic on them than the Ariens. Still decent blowers in their price point though.


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## REG (Oct 25, 2002)

kozal01 said:


> Are you talking about the snotek models? They are still made in the us but have China engines and have a bit more plastic on them than the Ariens. Still decent blowers in their price point though.


Yep. Ask me how I know?:lol: My old MTD was much better than the Snotek. I bought my neighbor's, who was moving to Dallas. He had a brand new one that he only used 2X, also this was a guy who took care of his stuff. So I thought the same thing too, lets save some bucks. During the summer when they were about to move, I started it up, played with it a bit and it was all good. Right?....wrong. Some of this stuff you pick up on only when you buy it and get to use it.

First thing about them is the controls are set up wrong. The shoot control is set up on the wrong side, thus you have to reach across yourself to operate the control while engaged in gear. Also, it pulls hard to the right, making it even more difficult to operate one handed. Had a problem with the fuel filter, had it back to HD a few times, they replaced and still starting problems, also pulling. Have a real hard time starting manually, must use electric start which I don't trust as starters are easily fried. The best I can say about it is that it works most of the time for now. 

Previous to that talked my sister into getting a small 24" real (orange) Ariens, which she did. However, coming off her Toro S200, she's a bit intimidated by the machine. So, last winter in one of the snow storms, I went there and used it. First off, even though it had been sitting there for almost a year, it popped over like nothing. Then, using it, the controls were good and it worked extremely smooth and like a quality blower should. Also, quieter. Note to myself- take foot..kick self in ass.

Like I said, my previous 2 stage to this was a MTD, which gave me good service for the money for 12 years, and is still working for a friend of ours we gave it to, who previously had a Toro electric broom style, so even though I felt it didn't have the power it once had, big upgrade for them. Over the 12 years, besides oil changes and tightening cables periodically, and replacing a couple of shear pins, a pull rope(which broke again) and replacing a electric starter, it worked and handled fine.

Just my experience with what I have and got.


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

REG said:


> Yep. Ask me how I know?:lol: My old MTD was much better than the Snotek. I bought my neighbor's, who was moving to Dallas. He had a brand new one that he only used 2X, also this was a guy who took care of his stuff. So I thought the same thing too, lets save some bucks. During the summer when they were about to move, I started it up, played with it a bit and it was all good. Right?....wrong. Some of this stuff you pick up on only when you buy it and get to use it.
> 
> First thing about them is the controls are set up wrong. The shoot control is set up on the wrong side, thus you have to reach across yourself to operate the control while engaged in gear. Also, it pulls hard to the right, making it even more difficult to operate one handed. Had a problem with the fuel filter, had it back to HD a few times, they replaced and still starting problems, also pulling. Have a real hard time starting manually, must use electric start which I don't trust as starters are easily fried. The best I can say about it is that it works most of the time for now.
> 
> ...


Oh man, thats a bummer. My buddy has a Sno-Tek, I think its the 26" model and he really likes it. It is made more cheaply than the Ariens, no doubt about that. I briefly looked at them myself but I didnt want another flimsy snowblower like my MTD. My MTD was decent, I got some years out of it but it was just so cheaply built that once it got some age to it the thing just started coming apart at the seams, literally. Had a great engine but the rest of it was a mess when I got rid of it.


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## REG (Oct 25, 2002)

Sounds like the one I got, it's a 28". It does clear the snow. Another maddening thing is that at times in heavy stuff, like where the plowing from the street builds up on the end of my driveway, it will sometimes quit when it gets bogged down. But then, it takes alot after to get started afterwards, where my old MTD never did.

Another funny thing is the price keeps coming down on the Snotek every year. The year before I bought mine, I think HD was selling them for 799.00. Last winter they were 729.00, now this year they're 699.00.

In the end, as long as it works, it beats shoveling.:lol::lol:


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## Rudi's Dad (May 4, 2004)

kozal01 said:


> Ariens hands down! All steel and built to last. I shopped blowers a couple years ago and it was easy to see that Ariens builds their blowers a cut above the rest. Just go look at a few, you'll see what I'm talking about.


I just sold a 30+ yr old airens 8hp 32" cut. Held a lot of value compared to what I paid. It also ran well, and still did the job.


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## sylvan19 (Sep 13, 2009)

ajs8000 said:


> Ariens, built in Wisconsin by Ariens family members and supports an entire town whereas Honda is less supportive of our economy over here. I did buy a Honda lawnmower once, but the legendary engine leaked oil within it's first year of operation. Great reputation, but nobody is bullet-proof.



Ariens!.. I replaced my Craftsman lawnmower of 18 years (and it still ran good) with a Honda. I wanted a new one with rear wheel drive. Three years after I bought it new the motor died on the Honda.


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## papermouth (Feb 5, 2007)

I want to thank everyone for the replies they have been helpful.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

I happened to be a Lawn & Garden shop yesterday (Wayne Lawn & Garden) picking up a repair. They had a nice lineup of Ariens snowblowers. A REAL nice lineup. They may cost a tad more than other machines with the same size engine, and housing, but they are really well built. When/if I finally kill my Craftsman, I'll probably upgrade to Ariens.


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## mooneye (Feb 24, 2008)

Had the same Ariens for 30 years.


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## don (Jan 20, 2001)

Happen to have a Home Depot in your area ?
You won't find a better deal on a 28" Ariens snowblower than this. If you happen to be a veteran with a service connected disability ask about their 10% every day military discount as it makes the deal even sweeter if the store has one in stock. I have a service connected hearing disability and have never been denied the 10% discount on any in stock item whether on sale or not, I just show my card when/if asked.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ariens-D...rn-Steering-921030/204266986?N=5yc1vZ2ciZbxau

*Here is the official policy on the Home Depot Military Discount:
All military personnel and veterans are eligible for a 10% discount at all The Home Depot store locations during national holidays such as Memorial Day, July 4th and Veterans Day.

Additionally, the 10% discount is available to active and reserve military personnel, retired or disabled veterans and their spouses or dependent children, every day, upon request.
To receive the everyday discount, we ask customers to present one of the following IDs to verify eligibility:

Common Access Card (CAC is a standard identification card issued to active duty and reserve personnel)

United States Uniformed Services Privilege and Identification Card:
Tan - Dependent of active duty member or retiree

Red - Retired reservist and reservist dependent

Blue - Retiree

A VA Medical Center &#8220;Veteran Identification Card&#8221; (it MUST state &#8220;Service Connected&#8221

The maximum for both 10% discounts is $500 on a single-receipt purchase at The Home Depot U.S. stores only and cannot be applied to installation products or services, Gift Cards, special buy appliances or in addition to any other offers. The discount is not available for online purchases.
If you are veteran and do not have a service connected disability, you are only eligible on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran's Day.


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## Nighthawk (Jan 8, 2010)

My Ariens is 30 yrs old. Looks and runs like new. Every year.

"If you are veteran and do not have a service connected disability, you are only eligible on Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran's Day. "

The HD 10% military/vet discount applys year round. I just ask and if need be show my DD214


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## don (Jan 20, 2001)

Depends on the store or more likely the store director, some require a card that states Service connected disability [Saginaw, Thomas Township for example] and some do not [Mt Pleasant]
It would be wise to ask what the store policy in question is just to be on the safe side as it definitely is not the same from one store to another.....


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## Ron Matthews (Aug 10, 2006)

Ariens deluxe 30 is a giant machine, Awesome- but really large. 
I went with a new Toro 826OE. Wife can actually move this machine, easy for her to balance on the wheels and move around.That Ariens had handle grips Almost to her armpits!
If I lived on the lk. shore I would have spent the 1400.00 on ariens, But I don't.... The One feature that sold me on Toro was the joy stick control for discharge shoot, Very easy for her to adjust up and down side to side, she could bang the Toro against the pavement to help clear build up. Ain't no way she'd use the Ariens30 more than once or twice, not a very good buy for me.....


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

No matter what you choose, get out and get it soon! I was at my Ariens dealer this week ordering some drift cutters and they are completely sold out of snowblowers already! 


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