Anyone want to give opinions on snow blowers? Will be buying one in the near future. Looking for 2 stage under $1000.

Top of my list right now is a Husqvarna ST224

Windy City Ag said:

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How big??

I had a shared driveway that I had to clean for years and I went with an undersized Poulan that got snarled up in heavy snows. I eventually upgraded.

If you are not leaving the snowy region anytime soon, I had great luck with my Husqvarna ST 224. I would endorse that purchase. Other models my neighbors had include the Toro Snowmaster and the Troy Built Arctic Storm,.

Best tip I can give you though . . . ,,move back south and do away with the need for one, I left my bags of salt and my snowblower for the family that purchased my home as part of the transaction. It was a great feeling!

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Not going anywhere anytime soon, but I have intentions of splitting time between TX and MT.

I actually enjoy using the snow blower. A lot of what you need depends on the size of the area, density of snow and how often you have to use it.

I have an Ariens deluxe 24. Some features I like on it are having two reverse speeds, smart turning (where when you turn one wheel stops moving), and easy access to the oil drain.

My current driveway is about 150' with and elevation gain about 10'-15'. I feel like the 24" is a good width and it rarely bogs down. If it's a heavy snow or really deep you just have to go slower.

If I had to choose between wider and more power I'd go more power every time.

They are super easy to maintain. Just run it out of gas at the end of the season and change the oil at the start of the season.

Fairview said:

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I actually enjoy using the snow blower. A lot of what you need depends on the size of the area, density of snow and how often you have to use it.

I have an Ariens deluxe 24. Some features I like on it are having two reverse speeds, smart turning (where when you turn one wheel stops moving), and easy access to the oil drain.

My current driveway is about 150' with and elevation gain about 10'-15'. I feel like the 24" is a good width and it rarely bogs down. If it's a heavy snow or really deep you just have to go slower.

If I had to choose between wider and more power I'd go more power every time.

They are super easy to maintain. Just run it out of gas at the end of the season and change the oil at the start of the season.

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My neighbor/coworker has that same model and I borrowed it this winter when we moved up here. Doing some looking around, I was seeing it running around $1100, so more than I've gotten the okay to spend. Current situation is about 50ft of driveway plus sidewalk and then an area for the dogs to crap. But with the anticipation that we'll be buying acreage in the near future, so possibility that it could be bigger. I was able to knock that area out in about 20-30 minutes when we had 2ft on the ground.

I'll do some more comparison on the Ariens.

I don't know the model but my Dad had a Husqvarna when they lived in Maine that he ran the snot out of. I think it broke twice on him in 9 years but that thing moved a lot of snow.

When the weather turns, I take the mower deck off the lawn tractor and attach the snowblower. Blowing snow in Nov and Dec is always fun. Becomes less and less fun as the winter drags on and by Mar it is a chore. April and May snows are usually too wet to blow so I use the ATV blade and just push it.

I have lived in Wisconsin for the past 11 years...Ariens is the most reliable...made in U.S. (Minnesota) and not much plastic on it. Most snow blowers have plastic chutes and other parts. Plastic gets real brittle in the subzero temps and breaks. I had a second hand Ariens that was 25 years old before giving up. Replaced it with another one. Having a headlight is a nice feature, but you can just attach a light to the handlebar easily if you don't want to spend another $100 for that feature. Also, if you are in an area with lots of snow and wind, the windscreen attachment is nice! Heated handle grips is not necessary as you will most likely be wearing gloves and won't notice a difference. An Ariens classic 24 should be around $800.

+1 for Ariens due to quality of build. Live in snow country and haven't had a snow too heavy for my Ariens to handle.

The best man at my wedding lives in Wisconsin. He swears by his Ariens.

Lived in Newfoundland for several years and had good luck with Arien

Bigballin said:

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Lived in Newfoundland for several years and had good luck with Arien

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NF snow was incredible - marine wet snow....multiple feet (meter up there) at a time.

Back to the OP, I have an Ariens and agree w posters' comments above. I would add one recommendation - electric start. Really helps on those 5*F mornings.

wyoag77 said:

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Bigballin said:

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Lived in Newfoundland for several years and had good luck with Arien

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NF snow was incredible - marine wet snow....multiple feet (meter up there) at a time.

Back to the OP, I have an Ariens and agree w posters' comments above. I would add one recommendation - electric start. Really helps on those 5*F mornings.

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Yeah, the electric start is on the must have list, but more so because I'm lazy. The lower Clark Fork doesn't get into single digits very often.

I'm leaning towards either the Ariens Classic or Compact. Anyone have thoughts between the two?

Go with the Ariens Classic...has the features you want and is heavier than the compact...the extra weight will help keep it from riding on top of the compacted snow that will be piled up at the end of your driveway after the snowplow clears the road.

FYI - Lowe's has the Ariens 24" Classic listed on their Labor Dale sale catalog. Online doesn't indicate how much it's going to be discounted though.

All the cool kids in my hood in Northern MN have an Ariens.

Except for the old fart down a couple of house down that attaches a plow blade to his John Deere tractor. He's all right with me though since he let's my JD loving boy ride it.