# ''Tis the season....Snowblower shopping



## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

So looking to replace a 15 yr old Ariens snowblower. Since we seem to have quite a few Canadians here and people that live in snow belt.......I'm sure I can get a good recommendation.....Toro or Ariens? Budget is $1500


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## JTQ911 (Jul 2, 2017)

Picked up a Ariens 24" deluxe last year for $1000.

We got one big snowstorm with heavy snow here in SE PA. All the neighbors snowblowers were barely throwing the stuff, 2-5 feet.

The new Ariens was almost throwing it too far. I live on a corner lot and I had a hard time clearing the driveway without covering my sidewalks.

Highly recommend.

I'm one of those people who research for weeks before purchasing and obsess over reviews.

Jim


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Check out the Toro Snowmaster 824 QXE. It's what I bought. Excellent so far.


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

Great question with a simple answer.

Either Toro or Ariens, you can't go wrong.

I've owned two Ariens and one Toro snow thrower over the last 30 years and both have been perfect performers.

Always start, always perform their function very well and I would buy either again without question.

My present Toro is the model Toro Power Max 724OE, after 3 snow fall seasons of use up here along Lake Erie with 'lake effect snow' etc snow, I love it's performance.

My two former Ariens were great too, but both had ancient 'flat head' engines. Very noisy and fuel guzzling

This newer Toro of mine starts quicker than the flat-head old-style Ariens ever did in cold weather. I'm sure that the newer Ariens engines with OHV's, like my newer Toro, would start and run just as well.

You can't go wrong with either brand, IMHO, based on 30+ years of ownership.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

I've had both Ariens and Toro. In my opinion Toro makes some of the best snowblowers. I'd go with the  Toro Power Max 826.

Being you have a budget of $1500 you can spend a bit more and get the 28"  Toro Power Max HD 928.

The single handle shoot adjust is great on the Toros. They will blow the snow at the end of the driveway from the plow with ease.

Nothing wrong with Ariens but IMO Toro is a better machine.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

Thanks people I'm thinking Toro from what's recommended here and research. I think I'll go with Heavy Duty model too, I hate after blowing the snow and next morning get plowed in and the blower not having enough power to do the end of the driveway.

My next question is do I pay extra $100-$150 and buy from local dealer or less at big box store? Sooner or later you end up at the dealer for repairs, everybody knows your waiting forever when you bring in a HD or Lowe's machine in for repair. Not sure it's worth the extra money though


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

NJ-lawn said:


> Thanks people I'm thinking Toro from what's recommended here and research. I think I'll go with Heavy Duty model too, I hate after blowing the snow and next morning get plowed in and the blower not having enough power to do the end of the driveway.
> 
> My next question is do I pay extra $100-$150 and buy from local dealer or less at big box store? Sooner or later you end up at the dealer for repairs, everybody knows your waiting forever when you bring in a HD or Lowe's machine in for repair. Not sure it's worth the extra money though


When I buy high-dollar long-term equipment I purchase the equipment at an authorized brand service and sales dealer and not the big-box store. The unit will be assembled by a service tech not by a generic big-box employee.

I have been told, but can not verify that a big-box Ariens (lower price) has a few corners cut in the materials used to build it than an Toro dealer unit. My former Ariens dealer that repairs the Ariens line told me that. They should now, right?

I had brought my Ariens mower (bought from Home Depot) in for warranty work and the Ariens shop owner gave me a hard time, really surprised me. We almost had a shouting match over it.

So now I buy from the dealers only. I build a relationship with the shop owner and tech and I believe, but can't prove, that I may get preferential treatment on my equipment because the shop's labels on clearly seen on my machines.

And about price, I find them to be competitive or exactly the same. PLUS, the dealer can offer you special deals like increase the warranty a year or two as part of a promotion or by buying a same basic matanace kit at the time of the machine purchase. I DOUBLE the warranty on my Stihl blower just by buying a six-pack of Stihl brand 2-clcle oil along with the blower.

I don't think the big box stores can do that.

That's my experience and I hope it it helpful.


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## NJ-lawn (Jun 25, 2018)

@DIY Lawn Guy Thanks for your detailed response. I'm thinking the same thing. Actually in reading some of the reviews online, I've read people complaining about problems resulting from assembly. From big box stores, so I'm leaning towards the dealer.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

I bought a Craftsman (MTD) 28" 277cc off a guy for nearly nothing down here in AR A few months ago who realized he didn't need it after his move from Utah.... I'm taking it with me when we make the migration back up north next month. I'm excited to put it to work. Hopefully it moves some snow.

If I didn't come across someone trying to unload one for nearly nothing and I was buying new, I would likely get one if the Toro models.


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

717driver said:


> I bought a Craftsman (MTD) 28" 277cc off a guy for nearly nothing down here in AR A few months ago who realized he didn't need it after his move from Utah.... I'm taking it with me when we make the migration back up north next month. I'm excited to put it to work. Hopefully it moves some snow.
> 
> If I didn't come across someone trying to unload one for nearly nothing and I was buying new, I would likely get one if the Toro models.


Similar story here. For a brief time in my early retirement, I was buying used power equipment on a small scale off Craig's List, refurbishing them and then reselling them. I made maybe $100 to $200 profit after expenses per machine.

So, I found a really nice John Deere 2-stage snow-thrower, 24" with an 8hp engine on CL (I think that Ariens built the J-D branded snow-thrower, so good quality). The owner had lived in a home with a long driveway to clear in the past, but he had moved to a new home with a really short driveway and bought a new single stage for his new home and put the J-D on CL.

The J-D machine was in great shape, started right up and he had the manuals that came with it. I paid $200, put it on my little trailer and took it home. But rather than sell it, I just gave it a minor tune-up and gave it to my son. That was about 5 years ago and it is still running well today.

There are deals out there for sure, sometimes really great deals if a person is diligent in searching and has patience and has good people skills to win over the seller for the best price.


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## bmitch05 (Oct 29, 2018)

I picked up a Toro 521 yesterday from a co-worker that is moving and simply doesn't need it anymore. The unit is in fantastic shape and considering the age, I believe its about 15 years old. Everything that I've read online about the 521 is that it is an absolute tank, should last me many more years if maintained properly.


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## Olathean (Dec 30, 2019)

The big box store may advertise a cheaper price but sometimes a dealer will match that price, never hurts to ask.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

NJ-lawn said:


> So looking to replace a 15 yr old Ariens snowblower. Since we seem to have quite a few Canadians here and people that live in snow belt.......I'm sure I can get a good recommendation.....Toro or Ariens? Budget is $1500


I used to live in the Mid-Hudson Valley, was an OPE tech for a good period too.

Toro all the way. Nothing wrong with the Ariens but the Toro's have so many great features.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

DIY Lawn Guy said:


> 717driver said:
> 
> 
> > I bought a Craftsman (MTD) 28" 277cc off a guy for nearly nothing down here in AR A few months ago who realized he didn't need it after his move from Utah.... I'm taking it with me when we make the migration back up north next month. I'm excited to put it to work. Hopefully it moves some snow.
> ...


Bolens, Ariens, Noma, and Murray all got in on the action for building JD walk-behind snowblowers. The Ariens-built "D" series were by far the best of the lot. Parts for all of them can be a challenge now as Deere exited the market years ago and is notorious for weak support on products they did not build in-house. I did a major repair on an 828D years ago, had to locate a new gearbox housing via cross-referencing the casting numbers to Ariens units that used the same gearbox. Took me awhile to run one down. The machine came out gorgeous and I'm sorry I sold it when I did. It was an absolute beast! Not the first time I sold a blower and regretted it either. I sold a Simplicity unit that I wish I had held onto as well!


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