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#1
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Snowblower suggestions
Making the move up to Rhinelander, WI area in December.
Homeowner is taking his 2 stage snow blower with him sadly. The driveway is a long one and at an incline to the street so a 2 stage blower is what I need. I want to buy from one of 3 small retailers in town for future service work - not interested in going to one of the big box hardware stores. The brands available to buy include Toro, Airens, Husqvarna, Troy-Bilt, and Honda. Electric start is a must at my age! Any suggestions as to what brand to buy / stay away from? Thanks
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#2
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I bought a 28" Ariens back in about '08. It's been pretty good. I got the one that has the little brake handle for disengaging the differential. Worked well for a while, but last winter I had my small local shop remove it because it kept seizing on me.
I too have an incline towards the road, and in the wet stuff, it doesn't "scrape" the driveway as well on the incline as it does going down. It still climbs just fine, though. I thought about getting the 24" model due to the weight difference. But because I have so much concrete, I decided the 28 was the way to go. As I get closer to retirement, I think the smaller one would work better for me (If I don't hire it out, that is) Mine has a Briggs and it's been perfect. I treat the gas before storage and when I pull it out in the Fall, I'll use the electric start to get it going. After that, it's starts on the first (easy) pull every time. Good luck. No idea what they cost nowadays. Mine was about 1K and it came with the heated handles. Those are nice on the super super cold days. But really, it's kind of a workout heaving that thing around, so I stay pretty warm |
#3
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Quote:
Ariens. I have had mine for nearly 25 years. Been flawless. Looks and runs like new. First one I would look at if/when I replace it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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#4
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Ariens,
Three of my brothers have one. Both of my sons have one and I have had one in the past. In a word - they blow snow very well and they are extremely well made. The sizes used by everyone range from 24 inch to 30 inches and they all blow snow very well and very far. |
#5
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You also mentioned that you had access to the Husqvarna blowers.
These blowers are very very similar to the Ariens and also do an excellent job. |
#6
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Here is a pretty good article which speaks to the history as well as current status of most of the snowblower brands being sold in the USA today.
https://movingsnow.com/2020/2020-sno...es-each-brand/ |
#7
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My guy charges $30 to plow my driveway. For the money I'll let him continue. I have one of those little light snow throwers I use on the sidewalk. I have switched over to non-ethanol for all my small engines.
Keep in mind I live near the Canadian border where climate change has lessened the snowfalls. It's darn near tropical up here.
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Is life without laughter worth living? |
#8
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Ariens
Another vote for Ariens. I have a Deluxe 30 for about 6 or 7 years now. Works great. Had a Toro before that and it was good, but not built as well as the Ariens. Wisconsin based company too!
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#9
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You can't go wrong with Honda, especially with small engines.
I have one of their 20", single stage blowers that I use for snow that is less than about 8". I just sold one of their 1132 tracked blowers. That thing was an absolute monster, unstoppable in any amount of snow I encountered with it. The downside was that it was big and heavy, and could be unruly to maneuver. I travel for work and wife won't use that machine, so I am going to downgrade to either a 24" or 28" wheeled model. In all the time I have had both blowers, I don't think it has ever taken more than two pulls to get them started. The 1132 had an electric start, but I never used it as getting out the extension cord to plug it in would take longer than tugging the rope one time. All that said, if you want something for this season, you might be limited to what your dealer has in stock. Just like so much else these days, snow blowers are in short supply. At least around here they are. |
#10
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The best snowblower I ever owned was the one I gave my neighbor when I moved south!!! Lol
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