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so i was waiting until after thanksgiving to make the purchase in case there were any deals to be had. any thoughts? i was pretty comfortable with that plan but now we have a little snow predicted coming and im getting nervous. this upcoming snow wont be much im sure but it demonstrates a possibility that i could end up with a substantial snow and not be prepared.
I don't think there are any deals to be had right now considering snow is starting to fall around the country and demand should be at it's peak right now.
Since the box stores don't have any of the Ariens models above the Deluxe trim level, and the closest Ariends dealer was 30 min away and i'd have to borrow a truck, I ended up getting mine from www.Snowblowersdirect.com. They seem to have plenty of inventory. Shipping was free but I did have to pay $50 for liftgate service to allow for delivery at my home. It shipped the same day and was delivered within a week. Think I threw the delivery guy $10 tip as well. Had to do some minor assembly once it was in my garage but no big deal.
I think the warranty on my model is 3 years. They had extended warranty plans and even offered me 0% financing for 24 months. I can't comment on specifics however as I didn't take either.
I don't think there are any deals to be had right now considering snow is starting to fall around the country and demand should be at it's peak right now.
Since the box stores don't have any of the Ariens models above the Deluxe trim level, and the closest Ariends dealer was 30 min away and i'd have to borrow a truck, I ended up getting mine from www.Snowblowersdirect.com. They seem to have plenty of inventory. Shipping was free but I did have to pay $50 for liftgate service to allow for delivery at my home. It shipped the same day and was delivered within a week. Think I threw the delivery guy $10 tip as well. Had to do some minor assembly once it was in my garage but no big deal.
I think the warranty on my model is 3 years. They had extended warranty plans and even offered me 0% financing for 24 months. I can't comment on specifics however as I didn't take either.
last night i took a few minutes and searched for last years snow blower deals. there was nothing that i would be interested in so i just assumed a similar situation this year and pulled the trigger on my purchase.
Single stage in NJ? LOL. Then a big storm hits. Your screwed. Just get the 24inch ariens. If you dont get it now, they will be gone till next winter.
Except a nice light, fast single stage will be so much better for 95% of the snows the near-coastal Mid-Atlantic (excluding NY and West/North PA) actually receives. Quality single stages, and especially something like a Toro Snowmaster will rip through almost all the typical conditions and clean down to the pavement in half the time it takes to struggle with gear shifters and attempt to maneuver a bigger beast around. That's not even counting storage space.
Most areas in NJ and Southeastern PA are only going to see about 20 inches a year. That requires a totally different machine than somewhere North that sees double or triple that. This isn't one of those things where bigger is better; you want to get the right tool for the job.
Except a nice light, fast single stage will be so much better for 95% of the snows the near-coastal Mid-Atlantic (excluding NY and West/North PA) actually receives. Quality single stages, and especially something like a Toro Snowmaster will rip through almost all the typical conditions and clean down to the pavement in half the time it takes to struggle with gear shifters and attempt to maneuver a bigger beast around. That's not even counting storage space.
Most areas in NJ and Southeastern PA are only going to see about 20 inches a year. That requires a totally different machine than somewhere North that sees double or triple that. This isn't one of those things where bigger is better; you want to get the right tool for the job.
that is my feeling. i dont get a lot of big snows. last winter i got 2 snows with substantial accumulation. one was about 6 inches and the other was closer to a foot. i was definitely leaning towards something like the Toro Power Clear 721 E 21 in. Single-Stage Gas Snow Blower for a bit but ultimately decided that if i encountered a larger accumulation i would regret not going for something more substantial.
that is my feeling. i dont get a lot of big snows. last winter i got 2 snows with substantial accumulation. one was about 6 inches and the other was closer to a foot. i was definitely leaning towards something like the Toro Power Clear 721 E 21 in. Single-Stage Gas Snow Blower for a bit but ultimately decided that if i encountered a larger accumulation i would regret not going for something more substantial.
You'll be fine. My other snowblower is a 22" 5HP 2-stage craftsman. (I think I incorrectly quotes 21" in previous posts) We've got plenty of nuisance snow of 4" or so and I was able to easily clear it with that thing. Speed set on highest speed and just run back and forth without issues and it was gone. Never really felt it was awkward to use or too big for that sort of snow. It was fine.
But where it struggled was when we got 22" of snow last year in one storm. I had to go out twice to take care of that snowfall, and 2+ hours each time. It struggled, and therefor made more work for me. I was exhausted.
So, i'd rather have too much snowblower, than not enough. That's why I bought the model I did. I just wasn't looking forward to another winter of struggling with an undersized machine. I still kept the smaller machine though. If we get 2" of snow, that's the one I'll probably use.
Last edited by BostonMike7; 11-15-2018 at 01:03 PM..
Having lived in Boston and Chicago, I was very familiar with snow blowers. I wanted to help the OP so I decided to go to Lowes and update myself on newer features. Guess what? They had none in stock.....LOL
A lot of snow-blowers have open intakes, i.e. no air filter. While you don't need an air filter for snow, me, I would find the appropriate sized K&N pod type air filter and install it. I would definitely not store the thing without at least putting a rag or whatever in the intake to keep foreign material out, even if you do run it with no air filter at all. Put something in that open carb mouth that is big enough to plug it up well and big enough that you can't pull it into the carb if you forget to remove it before trying to start.
I mentioned these in another thread, BCS has "walk behind tractors" with mower, tiller, and snow-thrower attachments, a guy who does not already have old lawn mowers, tillers, etc. like I do might consider getting one of these, one advantage is that the engine unit does not see an "off season", you keep using it year-round. The BCS looks like a quality unit, they are priced pretty high but have good features and should last well.
A lot of snow-blowers have open intakes, i.e. no air filter. While you don't need an air filter for snow, me, I would find the appropriate sized K&N pod type air filter and install it. I would definitely not store the thing without at least putting a rag or whatever in the intake to keep foreign material out, even if you do run it with no air filter at all. Put something in that open carb mouth that is big enough to plug it up well and big enough that you can't pull it into the carb if you forget to remove it before trying to start.
I mentioned these in another thread, BCS has "walk behind tractors" with mower, tiller, and snow-thrower attachments, a guy who does not already have old lawn mowers, tillers, etc. like I do might consider getting one of these, one advantage is that the engine unit does not see an "off season", you keep using it year-round. The BCS looks like a quality unit, they are priced pretty high but have good features and should last well.
Some people theorize that an air filter is bad for a walk behind snow blower, as it is possible to get snow and water on the filter that will freeze and choke the motor. I'm not sure if that theory is actually true and suspect there is not enough data to say either way, but I'll say that my blower turned 51 this year, and there are tons of well running old blower that obviously never had a filter -- I'm not sure of any model of blower that has a filter. Honda uses the same engines across machines, so they actually have the filter box on many of their snow blowers, but never put a filter in it for the snow blowers. Again, I really have no idea if the filter could be a negative, I'm just throwing some "internet wisdom" out there, right or wrong.
I'm sure putting something into the intake for storage is a great idea and certainly can't hurt. Of course, I've not done that either, but its something to think about.
so i ordered my snow blower from lowes wednesday night, and the truck pulls up early saturday morning for delivery. came unboxed and completely assembled, just need to add gas and start annihilating snow.
Mine came palletized and boxed up. I spent about 10 mins assembling it and had to add oil.
Now it sits next to my other 22" 5hp thrower waiting for the inevitable nor'easter.
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