Walk behind snow blowers....who makes the best?

[Mr. 856 170]

Not having used one but from what I hear Ariens and Simplicity seem to be to king of blowers. I have been using a 80's Sears/craftsman 26" 8hp 2 stage. It does the job after I went through it but after getting the driveway just about finished today it once again has lost all gear functions. It was to cold and snowy to look any further but this got me thinking........maybe its time to invest in a newer, nicer one? I like the idea of a new simplicity. Went on there site and checked some things out. Anyone own a newer model? pros/cons? Should I consider another brand? Everybody and there brother makes blowers these days but only half are worth a crap. Would love to hear some reviews.

I have a blower for the 856. I plan on using it at some point but I like having a walk behind as the go to. I take care of my stuff and am a believer in you pay for what you get.

Any reviews or advise would be appreciated.

[Ken B 3,116]

I can't speak for anything brand new but I do agree, the Simplicity and Ariens are at the top of the list. I use a 10hp Simplicity at work and an 11 hp Simplicity at my father in laws house. One machine is as good as the other and will throw the snow wicked far. Both were built too last! Both machines are 10 yrs. old and look and preform like new. Any of the other machines I see are inferior to these two brands...The new Toro's would be my third choice.. JMO.

[C-85 653]

At my family's business we used to be very strong Ariens dealer.  We became a Ariens dealer about the time they came out with them and we sold hundreds if not thousands of them.  That was long ago and times have really changed.  From what I've seen all the new snow blowers are made cheaper than they used to be.  I would stick with what someone else mentioned, a Ariens, Simplicity or Toro.  The main thing is to stay away from any of the many MTD brands (just about all other brands are MTD), even Troy Built, so don't be fooled by those name brands. 

 

One other option could be if you could find a good used older Ariens, Simplicity, or Toro snow blower, they were really made better.

 

Please take some time and compare each of these, on easy and quick way to compare is to check the weights of each machine, the better ones usually weigh more.

 

On a different note, I think it's wrong for companies to buy up brands, cheapen them up and stick a name like Troy Built on it.  The Troy Built name used to mean something (superior quality), but now it's just another cheap brand .  I just think a form of false advertizing.

 

Good luck in finding the right blower for your needs.

 

C-85























 

[MAH 50]

I have what i'm guessing is a late 60's Hahn 24" 2 stage blower. Thing is built like a tank (heavy as one too) but as with just about anything equipment related, they really used to make things to last. We recently had a wet and heavy snow and it did well. I recently got it for the perfect price and after using it a few times I see a restore on its future. I dunno they just don't build em like they used to. 

[RJR49 121]

I think if i were in the market for a large walk behind I would really consider a Wheel Horse. I have only seem them so I don't know anything about the mechanicals but what a machine they are. Extremely heavy duty! They weren't made very many years so there could be a mechanical weakness, but I'm betting they were too expensive. As far as new machines go I can't say enough about my Honda. I bought it to clean up on the days my 42" Wheel Horse snowblower is overkill, and it is unbelievable. 

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,125]

I have a 13 year old Cub Cadet built by MTD ,8.5 hp and 26" wide cut.  Never have had to fix anything on it , just oil changes and a few shots of low temp grease where required. pumps through any type of snow and has never let me down.  it also goes through the city plows snow curl with no problem( better than my neighbors newer Ariens 8 hp machine.

 

You have to give MTD a little more credit than others.   my employer bought three new Toros a couple of years ago here where I work.  the Toros have some nice features, but I don't like them as well as my MTD...don't seem as well balanced or something... and I don't care for the newer briggs snow engines either.....not very good runners in my opinion.

 

Just my 2 cents

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I have a 2008 24" Ariens with a 9 hp Tecumseh and differential as opposed to a sold axle. When I bought it I had a 26" gate that I needed to pass through otherwise I would have gotten a wider unit. It was pricey at the time but has been really great for removing snow. The blower housing is about 24" high and deep so it really gathers the snow. The only issue I have had was the chute rotator locking cable broke and was actually replaced with a different assembly which meant "design flaw." I had to pay for the new parts.

 

I would look for an older model with a Tecumseh and steel housings. A differential is easy on the operator as you don't need to fight it. Like other forum members have mentioned, an older unit might be the best choice. My suggestion with the units for sale in today's market, pay the most attention to the engine. Even Ariens has an economy brand in Sno Tek. Also look at the design of the blower housing . The current MTD's design is very shallow and does not perform well. Ariens has changed the design of the auger drive this year so it is either cheaper, or better.

 

You might even consider a Honda snowblower. I know someone with a 1332 tracked unit and it is some machine. The problem with track machines though is they need to be running to move as you cannot wheel them. Great on inclined driveways though. On another forum there was a fellow with a track unit who made a platform dolly so that he could move it off-season in his garage.

 

Here are a few shots of mine. The first shot is when this part of Maryland had the 2010 "Snowmagedden." 38" fell in five days and my neighbor is running the snowblower as I was still back in Illinois completing a teaching contract. The next is the 2011 Winter (I was here then), and with the new cab. I treated myself to a cab for it this year as I found a JD dealer that had the OTC cab priced with the 2010 price! It actually hasn't been used with the lack of snow we are having.

[grnlark 479]

I have a 12hp Husqvarna that is the craziest beast I've ever used. Nothing stops it. And like someone mentioned above, most machines today are cheap crap including the new Ariens. The Husq machines aren't particularly cheap, but I think that's because they're solid.

[Ken B 3,116]

If price is an issue all I can say is the the Honda's ain't cheap! I've never had the distinct pleasure of running one but I've heard good things. The issue with a tracked machine is if you ever have to push it, good luck!  Ask me how I know...

[Forest Road 594]

I have a commercial Ariens for about 8 years now. It's been good. The internal disc drive and gears are much heavier than the Home Depot Ariens. The motor blew up last year. $100 for a used Tecumseh I was back up and running.

My dealer stopped carrying Ariens right after I bought mine. $60 profit doesn't pay the bills. He still carries Toro and has since grabbed Honda. He's not a fan of Honda 2 stage blowers. They're intake is 2-4" shorter than Ariens and Toro. Ground speed is slower than the competitors. Handle bars are lower my Ariens, at 6'8" I just happened to notice.

On a plus Honda engines are the best hands down. The track drive is the best in the industry. They climb wooden stairs with ease. Reliability is second to none.

Now shell out $1000 more than a comparable commercial machine.

[grnlark 479]

If price is an issue all I can say is the the Honda's ain't cheap! I've never had the distinct pleasure of running one but I've heard good things. The issue with a tracked machine is if you ever have to push it, good luck!  Ask me how I know...

 

Yeah, if you go tracked you have to bite the bullet and get the power steering. Well, they call it power steering but theres really no power involved per se. It's just a brake on each side. I have that feature on my wheeled Husq and without it, any larger machine is a bear to maneuver - especially tracked machines.

[bmsgaffer 2,043]

http://powerequipment.honda.com/images/models/HS1336IAS_PE_IMGLG.jpg

 

91 tons per hour, with electric (no start) transport mode...

 

[Martin 2,130]

I have a 2009 Ariens Deluxe 24. (smallest one available in 2009 with the heavy duty XS gear case). it runs the BS 1150 snow series engine which i feel has plenty of power for the job.....

Still very happy with it although its taking a backseat to the 416H/blower combo this season. Bought it new in 2009, gets serviced regularly, waxed and cleaned. Heres one of the few times i took pics using it clearing one of our better snowfalls........

 

 

 

[Terry M-(Moderator) 2,125]

Sounds to me like there's all kinds of really good snow blowers out there in many sizes and brands....older and newer.      

[Forest Road 594]

Like our tractors. Go to a local dealer of pro equipment and stick with name brands. Simplicity, Ariens, Toro, Honda. You really can't go wrong.

[Mr. 856 170]

Well checked the blower out when I got home. Sheared the bolt for the large gear. No big deal. popped a new one in and it is back in action to serve the rest of the season to be retired by me to probably my wifes father or something. I'm going to keep my eyes open for an older ariens or simplicity. I put my hands on a 32" simplicity that felt rather stout the other day. All the machines I have owned have had techys on them and I know they do the job however id much prefer a briggs. Does simplicity use Briggs exclusively? The Honda machines look nice but everything Honda is double what the other competitors top of the line model would be. If it even says "Honda" that costs you $250. We have an old Snowbird that runs great but the tires are like slicks and you literally have to wrestle it through the snow. Theres a Hans Eclipse "Snow Giant" around to but that's not mine. It looks to throw well but the owner seemed to be struggling with tire slippage. I will say my sears/craftsman does pretty well with chains on it and the new drive disc that I put on it prior to using it this past storm. Im going to put the sheared bolt into the "coincidence" category unless it happens again................hopefully just a few more storms or less to get through. 

[Ken B 3,116]

The 32 incher sounds like overkill for home use to me, course I don't know how much you have too clear.. Most times a blower like that isn't needed. At work I have the Ariens ST 10/28. Lots of sidewalk area to do here and there is always drifting, its a beast. I also use a smaller sno-thrower for the smaller stuff. This past fall I bought a new Ariens 7/22 Path Pro single stage job to replace the some what tired 9 yr old Ariens two stroke singe stage thrower. The new Path Pro is the bomb, with the 4 stroke engine it really digs in on the deeper heavier stuff. Squonk probably knows, with lots of walk way to clear ya gotta have options! Sometimes smaller is faster... My father in laws Simplicity is either an 11 or 12 hp Briggs. While a Tecumseh will get the job done it is so much easier on the ears listening to the purr of the Briggs... I don't have a headache when I'm done using it!

 

I had a Snow Bird, it was an absolute tank and it would really throw some snow. No problem with traction on mine. I got rid of it, way too much of a work out to use. I was worn out after using it and I'm not really a little guy...

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

Ken, I like the sound of my one Tecumseh on the 924DLE. It has a "meaty" sound in my opinion. But it is a toss-up for the best sound from the tractors. The Daihatsu diesel - or - and Onan P220G.

 

I sometimes wish that my 24" was a 32" but it only means one less pass on a 10 ft. wide driveway, plus it is a bit lighter. The nice thing with the 24" is it fits my PA Bluestone paths.

Edited January 29, 2015 by shallowwatersailor

[Jack Fate 7]

I own a 928 Honda for the last 12 yrs. unit starts so easy it's scary ( pull start) the bad is its hard to steer . It will power through anything I've put it through. The thing is excellent on gas consumption. And yes its heavy and even if it's drive is disengaged it's still hard to move. (Put on dolly) personally I won't buy a Briggs, but that's just me

[wheel-mule 45]

Simplicity is owned by Briggs.But they do or did (i've not looked for a while)use other brand engines on some models of mowers,I don't know about the blowers.

[Mr. 856 170]

Ken B...........I wouldn't buy a 32". I was just saying that machine felt stout. Nice Bird you had. I have the smaller version. Think its a 5hp. It doesn't get used but I keep it running just in case. With some tires it would be a useable machine. It has those solid rubber tires that are now hard and like slicks. I think a 24-26" would be ideal. I have a 26" now and wouldn't want to go any bigger. Shed space is at a premium here. My current blower for what it is 8/26 doesn't throw nearly as far as I expected it to. Maybe 15' depending on snow conditions. If its real heavy wet stuff the machine basically just pukes it into the next path. If its light and fluffy it will throw it far enough to not be an issue. New belts and drive wheel this year. Runs good but doesn't throw like other brands.

[can whlvr 991]

a Honda is the only one I would buy,i had an 826 toro,it was nice and was one of the first joy stick chute control,liked tha t,had a tecky that ran like crap.sold it and bought my c160 with deck snow thrower and had change to boot

[C-85 653]

Thanks very much "R/S expert" for putting that picture of the "Snowbird" on this site, that brought many memboriess back.  As I mentioned earlier in this I grew up in a family equipment business and we were a big Ariens dealer.  Before we had Ariens we sold Snowbirdds, and at the time they were the best thing going.  I forget exactly, but I know the shear pin set up off the right wheel was kind of a weakness of them.  I was trying to think, it seems that if the shear pin sheared, the wheel drive wouldn't work either, so if the pin sheared, you'd have to drag it back to put in a new one.  The other bad part of Snowbirds was that they buried the engine under all kinds of covers, so if you had to work on them, they were always in the way.  But they did blow snow!

 

We sold Snowbird snowblowers and Earthbird Roto tillers back then.

 

Thanks again for the memories!

 

C-85

[Digger 66 3,476]

My 1966 Ariens still kicks tail today .

Dug me out from under 7 feet of snow last November while other folks were hiring skid-steers 

 

 

Yes there's a snowmobile trailer under all that 

 

[squonk 38,908]

My Grandfather had an old Ariens in the 60's stripped the plug and he bought a new Toro in the late 70's and hated it. We got 5 blowers at work. A big Husky with power steering that is a PITA to use and wears you out. All of them the handles are too low for me. Back gets sore. That's why I brought my own Horse to work. Why walk when you can ride?