What snow blower would you choose from this list

[Boss302fan]

Toro and Ariens are both great machines.

 

[2cool]

Because I don't believe I'll get a second record-breaking blizzard here in Delaware, I opt for a single stage. Simplicity has a single stage with a B&S engine, light, chute control and weighs 84 pounds. I have used a 16" Powerclear 98cc 2-stroke Toro, and I still got the 26" of snow cleared in an hour or two. I just want to be able to throw a foot at a time farther than the little guy could do. It STILL runs like a champ, and my brother wants it for this winter. I think you could do well to look for a B&S engine.

 

[Bror Jace]

I will be clearing my mother's driveway as well as a few of her neighbors this winter (all short, urban driveways). I have used a few snowblowers in the past (John Deere, Ariens) and am likely to buy an Ariens for this task.

This $999 deal looks hard to beat:

http://www.homedepot.com/Ariens/h_d1/N-5...catalogId=10053

I think they key will be to get it delivered, make sure the pulleys are lined up correctly and the linkage for the drive and auger are correctly set. Years ago my Dad took delivery of a similar machine and performance was poor until I fixed all of those things.

Only other thing that concerns me is the machine's ability to throw wet snow. Dad's machine was amazing when throwing powder but poor in the wet and slush. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

Simplicity may be a better machine, but it's likely to be about 40% more $. The clients and fees I have lined up for this winter will just about pay for the Ariens machine the first year.

 

[boraticus]

"Dad's machine was amazing when throwing powder but poor in the wet and slush. I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

How well a machine throws slush depends on a couple of factors. Most importantly, the clearance between impeller and housing. My Simplicity has pretty tight clearance and it moves slush very well. In addition to close impeller clearance, the engine/gearing must produce sufficient torque to throw the slush. If the slush is deep enough, even a strong engine, properly geared machine may have difficulty getting rid of it. When that happens, proper technique is required to deal with it. Reduce the width of the cut and slow the speed down.

If the Ariens has too much impeller clearance, there's a product available that you can buy to correct that. It's called the Clarence Kit. It's a set of rubber and steel blades that you attach to the ends of the impeller blades. It's highly recommended by those who have used it. Particularly for throwing slush.

 

[Izzy_Normal]

The year before we had a horrible winter (Pittsburgh). I shoveled a lot of days 10 hours or more. At my age, 64 I won't do that again. Spent a bundle on a Honda ATS928 tracked machine. Only needed it one day last year BUT I know it's going to save my back when it comes in heaps again.

It has the electric start (I thought it was DUMB since A.C. is more likely to be off due to heavy snow) but not battery as the ones that are sold in Canada have. They seem to get better winterized products like cars, snowblowers, etc.

I use the emzyme additives to deal with the ethonal and drain it down at the end of the season and run it until the engine stops from lack of gas in the carb. I painted any scratches and waxed it before bedding it down for the summer (garage kept). This year I hope to build an insulated box for it to live in during the winter to save space the garage. Plan on ventilating the box to. By insulating and ventilating it rust is less likely to ocurr.

 

[Bror Jace]

boraticus, yes, I think it's the thin blades on the auger that prevents the Ariens from handling the really wet/slushy stuff. I know about the Clarence kit ... will consider it for year #2 if performance in medium-wet snow is unsatisfactory during year #1 (less than 3 months from now).

Izzy, good luck with that premium machine. I think you're going a bit overboard with off-season care ... but it's (still) a free country. I think you'd be fine with a wash down in the spring then hitting any rust you see with a rag and some oil.

If you have to start it in the winter cold, a synthetic engine oil is a must ... I found a Chevron dealer who can get me Delo 0W-30 and I would recommend you source a similar oil. Change the oil at last 2-3 times in the first dozen hours to flush out the break-in debris (there will be a lot).

 

[boraticus]

"Change the oil at last 2-3 times in the first dozen hours"

That's a bit over the top. No?

Engines aren't made as sloppy as they used to be.

Even Chinese engines are pretty clean. Since 2006 I've purchased at least five brand new four cycle machines with new engines. When I do the initial oil change, I strained the oil through a paper coffee filter to look for filings/machining grit. Every one was very clean, even the Chonda clone on my Champion generator was spotless! I don't think we need to be nearly as concerned about manufacturing debris as we did thirty or more years ago.

Take a good look at the first oil drained. If it's clean, refill and go to work. Change it as per manual instructions.

 

[Bror Jace]

boraticus, I think we've discussed this before when talking about new-engine break-in. My experience has been very different from yours with multiple brands of engine ... Tecumseh, Honda (not Chonda), B&S, etc ...

All that were run 6+ hours before their first change had their oil looking like mercury/quicksilver. So, I typically change oil at the 2, 6 and 12 hour marks before beginning a once-per-year schedule.

I will change the oil in my forthcoming Ariens snowblower (B&S engine) after the first storm and see what it looks like. This will be my first new piece of OPE since about 2005-2006 when dad bought his wood splitter. If it's clean, I'll go the rest of the season before the next change ... but I don't expect it will be.