honda vs ariens

[lovemytoys]

where online? how good of a deal? been thinking for my walkways
steve
bx25

honda can not be shipped or sold online you need to find a dealer.the best i found is 200 off retail on the honda

 

[9973720wb19]

I purchased a 32' Pro Ariens at SnowblowersDirect.com. I've had it two seasons and it's work fine. The only problem i had was that the cable to engage the blades is under engineered and the hardward (not the actual cable) broke. I fixed it easly and better than orginial with $4.00 worth of parts from the hardward store. The engine seems great and starts on the first pull every time. I have a hill drive, tractor is very good, turns fine. I purchased the weight bar for the top to keep it on the ground more (not that this was an issue). One more peice of advice, I purchased replacement shoes for it from SnowblowersDirect for $44 buck, and later that day saw them at Lowes for $28!!

 

[Scooby074]

YES.

I have a 928. About the only thing id trade for is a 1132. Not because the 938 is underpowered, Its not, but the extra 4" might shave a bit of time. Honestly though, i doubt those extra inches would be a benefit in practice.

I do my drive in 4 passes (2 down-up). I then follow up later with a 3rd pass along the perimeter to widen it out. A 32" wont really shave much off.

Its kinda hard to compare the Honda's to the other brands as you do get some extras for your money, like electric chute angle and deflector adjust (which hasn't let me down in 8 years), Hydrostatic (invaluable) , Track drive, and self contained electric start (no need for cords).

 

[peterc38]

First off, I love Honda's and am a big fan of their commercial GX engines. I had a Honda 1132 track drive. Bought it with cash in the middle of a July heat wave and got a good deal. I used it for two years and sold it for the same I paid for it. It was very powerful and blew snow to beat the band, but I didn't end up liking the track drive. I found it difficult to manuever and it tended to ride up on packed snow. Also, it broke a lot of shear pins in comparison to other blowers I have run. Just my own personal experience.

I never ran an Ariens so I can't comment. Right now I am looking for a 3 PT blower for my Kubota and I have a 30 year old Toro 826 for backup.

 

[ccsial]

The thing I like best about my Honda blower is the hydrostatic (HST) drive.

 

[lovemytoys]

i found a 1132 but it 3000.00

 

[IslandTractor]

I don't know either of these snowblowers personally but I've owned Honda power equipment for years. IMO, Honda is now over rated and still charges a premium. The Honda premium might have been justified in the past. I'm not knocking the quality of Honda at all but the other manufacturers have developed engines that are just about as reliable as Hondas so why pay the premium? In the past B+S or other common small engines were far less reliable than the Honda equivalents but that isn't the case anymore.

 

[crazyal]

The Honda's are just built better. At a dealer they had some parts cut apart to see how they are made. One of them was the worm gear assy (the part that transfers the power from the impeller shaft to the augers. I've had mine apart because a hidden block of wood got caught between one of the augers and the impeller split the worm gear housing.

When I saw the display I immediately reconized the the Aries part. The Honda one had real bearings, not bushings like the Aries, in it. It was thicker and just beefier than the Aries. I probably only run my snow blower an hour each season to clear a path to bring wood into the cellar to burn and since it was given to me I really can't complain. After seeing that display I did buy a Honda 4 stroke weed wacker.

 

[tsteahr]

The Honda's are just built better. At a dealer they had some parts cut apart to see how they are made. One of them was the worm gear assy (the part that transfers the power from the impeller shaft to the augers. I've had mine apart because a hidden block of wood got caught between one of the augers and the impeller split the worm gear housing.

When I saw the display I immediately reconized the the Aries part. The Honda one had real bearings, not bushings like the Aries, in it. It was thicker and just beefier than the Aries. I probably only run my snow blower an hour each season to clear a path to bring wood into the cellar to burn and since it was given to me I really can't complain. After seeing that display I did buy a Honda 4 stroke weed wacker.

I don't understand why a bearing is better than a bushing in this application?

 

[lovemytoys]

well i pulled the trigger i pick-up a honda hs928 for 2100.00.now i have to wait till next winter