1st off, shout out to Lynn and Salem, MA. I grew up in Lynn and bought a house in Salem 6 years ago.

As far as the topic at hand, I don't have any experience using the hydro tranny's in either machine. I was in the market last winter for a 32" machine and was about to purchase a hydro pro Ariens but stumbled across a standard Pro32 on CL. The owner had just bought it 2 months earlier and only used it twice for a total of 4 hours. I got it for $1800. Couldn't pass up that deal. Anyway, I use my snowblowers commercially and I've seen several Honda's were the buckets were really beat up. All I can think of are the MTD buckets and how they rust out and curl at the bottom by the skids. I have never seen an Ariens Pro bucket in that kind of shape. It really turned me off to Honda. For the money, that part of the machine should have a higher build quality. For the amount of use and abuse my machines take if the bucket was the reason I had to park my equipment, I'd be an angry customer to say the least.

 

Amazing how people will spend $3K on a machine then have to modify it first thing to get it to work properly. Re-jetting, modified chutes, etc. No thank you. I wouldn't accept that on a $1K machine.

Btw, Ariens customer service is top-notch. My new machine came with a slightly frayed chute control cable. The plastic cover on it was damaged in one spot most likely in shipping. Not a big deal, still perfectly usable. I contacted them, gave them my info, and in less than a week I had a new cable in hand. They said to let them know if anything else is not to my expectations and they will take care of it. I've heard Honda customer service is less than satisfactory making customers jump through hoops to get satisfaction (see chute design flaw).

 

The last 3-4 years has introduced an element here we might see once..maybe twice a year. Snow...then rain...than more snow. This is about the 4th time this year so far.

We got a good 6-7 inches of heavy wet snow over the last few hours. I just went out and cleaned it up in steady windy rain. Later, it will freeze and snow again right into Saturday morning.

Cars have been over the driveway several times today so I got a chance to 'dig' too

The machine moved the wet snow quite nicely ...actually chucking it further than I figured. We have a 3 stall driveway and I had to blow maybe 2 cuts twice worth when I had the chute lowered and blowing into the stiff wind. (2/3rds with the wind---1/3 against) Today worked best in the normal track position. One of my minor complaints before was backing up in track position and dragging snow. Well you don't have to lift the front end to eliminate most of it. Just some downward pressure on the handlebars does the trick. The engine 'governed' well and I never hit the limit, but then I was moving accordingly because of the heavy snow. I'd guess 2 MPH?...maybe a tad more. The hydro tranny is great! I might add I run at full throttle and let the governor do the work. It's what I've always done.

I also used the dig mode to scrape up the car tracks the normal track position couldn't. It got most of it while going downhill at 1/2 MPH or so. It wouldn't do it going uphill

At any rate, I'm becoming much more familiar with everything about the machine and the various combination of hands and track positions to become 'smooth' as the term goes in the road track world. As for hours on the machine, I guess I'd say 2 full gas tanks worth so far.

As a little adder. One of the reasons I never used the electric start on the last machine or this one till now was that it only takes a 3/4 easy pull to start them up. Even out of winter storage with the old one. I don't have any plugs in the center piece between the garage doors so I sprung for a little cord reel and mounted it directly above where I need it for the machine. Works slick and I now have an extra 30 feet of cord for anything that might need it.

 

Started snowing overnight after the rain turned everything to ice and crust. The plow came by at 4-5 this AM leaving 1 foot to 1.5 feet of slushy snow turning to ice as the temp dropped. It's 25 and snowing now, dropping to 16 or so by 6 PM. We're supposed to get another 2-3 inches today.

So the story today is how well it took care of the half slush / half turning icy plow stuff. ...and my wife running over it with the truck at 7 headed for the gym.

It performed very well in regular track mode! It never ran out of grunt and chucked the wet stuff a good 25 feet going with the wind. I never had to take a 2nd cut to get lower nor did I have to 'work' the machine. My old big blower wouldn't have handled this heavy plow stuff nearly as well. Of course I was bulling a bigger machine around with a 36 inch cut.....but that's the very reason I went to this new machine.

My final observation was that some of this stuff was chute plugging material. My old machine took a lot to plug it up, but I may have had to clear the throat a time or two. When I finished today and was brushing off the slop from the bucket area, I looked down the chute. There was literally nothing in the chute throat or any residue on the impeller. It had moved everything right out of there. Impressive.

 

Yesterday and today, I was able to put the machine to a good test (28 Hydro Pro EFI, wheeled). The blower did a great job of chucking the snow, nice to have the power available to move the deep stuff. I too am working on becoming more proficient on the sequencing of hand movements...look kind of awkward at the moment.
The only complaints that I have are:
Ridiculously small fuel tank. Will only give me 30 minutes of run time...real pain in the rear to have to keep the gas can nearby.
I am not a big fan of the chute rotation control...it is a little to sensitive for my liking; end up flinging the snow all over the place before I get it dialed in. Today I noticed that there must be some ice build up going on in the chute gear cluster, it seemed to not lock in as well as earlier.

I am looking into fabrication of a larger fuel tank as I am sure Ariens/LCT will just send back a reply to my emails of "thank you for bringing this concern up to us, we will make sure to consider this on our future development of our products...blah, blah, blah" and then do nothing for the present.
Robert

 

I initially thought the chute swing too sensitive, but am quite used to it now and like it. Part of the process was getting the hand movements down. I've not had any icing issues with the chute control gear box, but our machine comes into a garage when done.

I don't get the gas tank reasoning at all. We have 1.5 gallons. Plenty of run time. There's no way the EFI is that much more efficient. Check out this thread. Post #9. Might be a factory adder?

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/134570-new-ax-efi-fuel-capacity.html

 

I wish I had more than two quarts. You are right EFI is not much more efficient. For some reason the 420 cc EFI Hydro has a miniature tank (the engine is made by LCT not Briggs). To hide the fuel pump stuff my bet is the industrial designer did not want to deal with a taller tank so just made the bottom up higher.
I am checking with some metal fabricator shops to see what they might be able to do for me to make a larger tank.

 

My snow year winds down as warmer climes beckon We got about 6 inches last night and about 90 inches to date. It looks like I'm not going to get a good 2-3 footer to play in with the new machine before leaving next Saturday. The plow will be by once more, but it won't be a big deal.

I did get to chop some icy stuff up yesterday. I should have taken a picture of the load in our driveway before, but didn't. This one, just to the right of the driveway, is what the driveway was full of for the 1st 10-15 feet along with regular plow stuff. One chunk was a good 2.5 feet of pretty solid stuff. Some of my neighbors chose to chop and shovel rather than risk breaking a pin. My old 1236 machine chopped this stuff up pretty good so I wanted to compare. Again, I was impressed. With the machine in regular track position, it chewed right through with pretty much zero bouncing. It did see saw from side to side (which is normal) a few inches as it chopped it up. Yes, I did let it digest as it chopped through. I didn't have to work the machine at all. My old machine would do it, but I had to work the machine some by pulling up on the handlebars. No pin issues at all! We were high 20s yesterday coming off of even warmer. Today the temp is 10F and no machine would chop these chunks today. They're solid ice.

I'm quite satisfied with the new rig. The dig position works well going downhill and very slow. It will peel up moderate car ruts nicely. The auto turn works just fine IMO. As one might expect, the wheeled position affords the easiest maneuverability, followed by regular track, and then dig. The chute mechanism, while very sensitive at 1st use, works very well after some 'human' training on force applied. I really like the notched available positions on the upper chute. I'm also very pleased with the hydro tranny. The hand warmers could have a tad more juice going to them, but work well enough to wear lightly insulated finger gloves. I'm guessing they wouldn't be warm enough much below 5-10F. No biggy to put the old choppers on when necessary.

Perhaps if I had another 100-150 inches of snow to do this winter when it gets much colder, I'd find some cons, but to date, I'm content with my purchase and how it performs. Unless some unknown event happens in the next few days, I'll spend the rest of the winter reading and learning here. Props to all those who manage this forum and all those who contribute input to it.

 

Today was really the 1st good test of this machine since I bought it last fall. Granted, it mopped up 100 inches before we left in early January last year, but it was never really tested. We got a good bit of very heavy stuff since early this morning. Looks like we have several more hours to go. Estimates in our weather warning ranged up to 27" earlier. We'll see.

For starters, my old 1236 would have worn me right out. This machine performed excellently! Mine's a 28, but a bigger bucket wouldn't have cleaned it up any faster. The track system worked very well. Even experimenting in the wheeled position going downhill and a smaller cut(going slow) I was able to keep the front end down with minimal effort from me. With the tracks in the normal down position, I could take a bigger cut, go faster, and no extra effort from me. Just let the machine do all the work. Our driveway is on a slight incline, but the curb at the end is a bit of a drop off. I always had to fight my old wheeled machine there going across the driveway. With this tracked machine, I put one track on the road and the other up on the driveway and moved along with zero traction issues. The hydro tranny worked slick!

The engine performed as I would have expected and took everything within reason I gave it. One shovel full of this stuff is heavy. Another 1/2 inch had fallen as I finished. Our road in the pic probably won't be plowed until later tonight or tomorrow. I have a AWD truck, but the snow in the road is deep enough and heavy enough that I'm not going to test my clearance...no need to.

This machine is definitely a keeper IMO.

 

I too struggled with making a decision: Ariens Pro RapidTrak 28" or Honda 1332. It's the reason I just shoveled my driveway the past two days. I simply couldn't make up my mind. I loved both machines. But honestly, I don't need a 32" machine and I wasn't buying the 28" Honda. As far as I'm concerned, it's practically a "no-brainer" choosing the Honda 32" over the 28", as there's such a difference. With the Ariens, the 28" is virtually identical in specs to their 32" so buying either, is just about size. If the 28" Honda had the same larger motor as their 32" and the added features, especially shear pin protection, I very well might be having a Honda delivered this upcoming week instead of an Ariens. My garage is already packed with stuff and I don't have a monster driveway so 28" was what I really wanted. I was also able to save 10% with a Veterans discount and get 0% APR for 24 months on the Ariens so that pretty much sealed the deal. I'm certain I would've loved the Honda if I bought it.

 

We've gotten the below snow in 2 dumps. Last Wednesday and Sunday. Wednesday was really heavy stuff. I'm liking the Rapid Trak more and more as I learn to work it right. My neighbors wheeled machines struggled a fair bit more than I getting through the plow stuff. They are all big 2 stage blowers. In fairness, ours is the only tracked machine on the street.

The only thing I can report which is a tiny gremlin is that under heavy blowing the sides of the chute get a little snow build up after 2o minutes or so and the chute won't sometimes go to the extreme position on either side. ....That is pointing slightly backwards. No biggy.

BNSFguy: You hit the nail on the head on engine size and snow moving ability between the 28 Ariens and 32 Honda. Also the shear bolt breakage issue with the Honda due to the auger and bucket design. And then the chute clogging issue...which should never happen on any 2 stage blower these days, much less one in the upper price range.

 

Stwve70, VERY NICE PIC !!!!! Wow. That's impressive. Snow looks 3 feet deep. Awesome picture. Thanks for sharing. My 28" RapidTrak just arrived today. Can't wait to give it a shot. Living in Minnesota, I'm sure it won't be too long.

 

Welp, just picked my new RapidTrak up tonight. Bought it at Lowe's and told them I'd take it in the crate. Hoping I don't get called out to work too early in the morning as I'm itching to put this baby together. I was surprised to see these ship with oil filled in the engine. I'm pretty sure if you buy a Honda or similar equipment they ship "dry" with several quarts of oil in the crate. Mine is full.

 

I just purchased a Rapidtrack Pro 32" and I'm selling my Honda HSS 1332. I just bought it last year and have 10 hours on the Honda. Nice machine, but it has some annoying features I can't get past.

Anyway, I tried the Rapidtrack out again and decided to pull the trigger. The machine is a leftover from last year and I got a great deal. Taking delivery Friday! Can't wait!

 

I assume if it's last year's model, it's the 926060 with Briggs & Stratton motor and huge fuel tank ?? I purchased mine about ten day's ago and couldn't find last year's. Had to go with the 926078 with LCT motor and half the size fuel tank. While I'll probably would've preferred the much larger tank, I try and console myself by saying "well at least you'll always have fresh gas" (LOL). I went back and forth between the Honda 32 and this RapidTrak 28. Reading your post made my decision feel even better. I would bet if you list that Honda now, this time of year, you should be able to recoup almost all your money, assuming your not able to return it for a full refund.
I didn't have the opportunity (like yourself) to try the Honda. Just curious, what were those few things you really disliked ???

 

Enjoy your new toy ….

I'm sure many people were starting them with no oil …. putting it in saves a lot of hassle for everyone …

 

I worked in a Sears Hardware store, and could tell you stories. Like a guy who bought a semi pro 36" walk behind, wanted it in the crate to save setup fee. It came back 5 days later, seized engine, and the free included oil still in the bottle. He wanted a new one. Says there was oil on the stick, even though there was a bold note saying to fill with included oil in crate :surprise:

 

Sorry, I posted part number's for the 28" RapidTrak. I assume you got the 926069 32" with B & S motor, larger tank, not the 926079 32" with LCT motor and much smaller gas tank, correct ??? Don't forget, if your interested, Ariens is running the extended warranty on all their machines, including yours, for $99.00 It extends the full warranty out to 5 year's. For the Pro model it's normally $345.00 so it's a pretty enticing offer. You can buy it directly on their website if you're interested.

 

Yes, it is the Briggs motor. Hopefully it will serve me for years to come.

My dislikes about the Honda

1) clogging with wet snow
2) insanely slow chute rotation
3) not as easy to steer with the triggers. Felt like they were slow as well. Ended up muscling the machine more and more
4) under powered engine that would bog.

Just my experience. I had the " it won't happen to me" attitude about the clogging issue. It was worse than I thought. I get it, I could get a new chute and do a carb re jet but the other issues weighed in on my decision as well. Poorly engineered in my opinion and not equipped to take on the lake effect snow that we get in this area. Live and learn.

Anyway, I tried the Rapidtrack out again and decided to pull the trigger. The machine is a leftover from last year and I got a great deal. Taking delivery Friday! Can't wait![/QUOTE]


I assume if it's last year's model, it's the 926060 with Briggs & Stratton motor and huge fuel tank ?? I purchased mine about ten day's ago and couldn't find last year's. Had to go with the 926078 with LCT motor and half the size fuel tank. While I'll probably would've preferred the much larger tank, I try and console myself by saying "well at least you'll always have fresh gas" (LOL). I went back and forth between the Honda 32 and this RapidTrak 28. Reading your post made my decision feel even better. I would bet if you list that Honda now, this time of year, you should be able to recoup almost all your money, assuming your not able to return it for a full refund.
I didn't have the opportunity (like yourself) to try the Honda. Just curious, what were those few things you really disliked ???[/QUOTE]

 

Yes, it is the Briggs motor. Hopefully it will serve me for years to come.

My dislikes about the Honda

1) clogging with wet snow
2) insanely slow chute rotation
3) not as easy to steer with the triggers. Felt like they were slow as well. Ended up muscling the machine more and more
4) under powered engine that would bog.

Just my experience. I had the " it won't happen to me" attitude about the clogging issue. It was worse than I thought. I get it, I could get a new chute and do a carb re jet but the other issues weighed in on my decision as well. Poorly engineered in my opinion and not equipped to take on the lake effect snow that we get in this area. Live and learn.

Anyway, I tried the Rapidtrack out again and decided to pull the trigger. The machine is a leftover from last year and I got a great deal. Taking delivery Friday! Can't wait!

Wow. Great information on that Honda. You must've been really disappointed. I know I would've been. I was soooooo close to buying the Honda too. I actually ordered it from Snowblowers Direct and than canceled it.
I haven't had the opportunity to try my new RapidTrak but I've moved it around the garage plenty of times and it's really easy to move. I'm surprised how easy it is for a track machine. Looking at the design, I figured it would be easier than the Honda, and from your experience, it certainly sounds like it is. Can't wait to try this blower out. Hoping for a really big snowstorm for Christmas (lol).

 

Would love to hear from anybody in Ct with a rapid track. They are a slow selling model, really have to either be a enthusiast, or have a genuine need for the tracks.

 

I can give you my first impressions from MN if you’d like.

 

I was disappointed to say the least. The clogging issue is completely unacceptable and the speed of the chute rotation is ridiculous. Anyway, it's sold now. Took about 4 hours on craigslist. Got most of my money back. Lesson learned.

 

I'm becoming 'one' with my new machine given the limited time I've gotten to use it. Like last year, we'll be leaving on 1/4 till May. We had 100 inches down when we left last year. We're about 60-65 right now

I have to add one more comment about the dig mode. It's more versatile than I initially thought. We've had another 15" + of snow since I last posted. A couple of 6 inchers of what I would call normal snow. Even with car tracks in the driveway to get up , the dig mode can move along at a nice moderate pace and do a fine job. A quick release of the trigger releases the dig mode from hampering backing up or turning quickly. The auto turn in wheeled or even normal track mode turns very easily if you use a little momentum to aid the turn. In wheeled mode, it will spin around on a dime with practically no effort at all

Once you get used to the really fast turning chute, it can be worked very effectively for quick turning around, while continually moving, to head back the other direction or at a right angle when needed.

The big gas tank on the Briggs goes a long ways. I'm guessing I've used maybe 3 gallons so far

My prior experience was with the same machine for 30 years. That machine had chute icing up issues...especially the top chute. I would spray up the linkages after every use with WD40 type stuff...I use MP from Amsoil...to prevent freezing. Failure to do so was automatic icing. I give kudos to Ariens for this chute linkage design. I've had zero issues with any chute ice up. It works perfectly

As I stated above, the only thing to date that maybe could have been a little better thought out is how the snow builds up at the base of the chute. It prohibits getting the slight backward angle which I really like...especially when coming out into the street. It does get a full 90 degrees to either side, so it's not that big a deal, but none the less worth mentioning

 

I have to add this into the mix here. Especially regarding my last post about the dig mode working well. In reality I was in the regular track mode and here's how. Please read this thread from post 36 down. Check out the attached video link on post 38. It links to Paul Sikkema's very recent review of the track system where he too was unaware that the float position was not the locked in 'normal' track position. The owner's manual is remiss in not describing how to get into the normal track position. It merely says squeeze the trigger to drop the track. Nothing about lifting up a tad to lock it in.

https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/116929-new-ariens-rapidtrak-28-420cc.html

My 'float' mode works maybe better than intended as it won't go into normal rack lock position as easy as maybe it was intended. I have no intention of adjusting it. I like it fine the way it works now. Maybe they should have marketed this as a 4 position track set up?

My earlier posts about the actual dig mode are valid as I entered the mode per the book instruction. In this mode, one needs to go pretty slow to peel stuff up or the tracks will spin. Enter the infinitely adjustable tranny

 

I have to add this into the mix here. Especially regarding my last post about the dig mode working well. In reality I was in the regular track mode and here's how. Please read this thread from post 36 down. Check out the attached video link on post 38. It links to Paul Sikkema's very recent review of the track system where he too was unaware that the float position was not the locked in 'normal' track position. The owner's manual is remiss in not describing how to get into the normal track position. It merely says squeeze the trigger to drop the track. Nothing about lifting up a tad to lock it in.



https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/ariens-snowblowers/116929-new-ariens-rapidtrak-28-420cc.html



My 'float' mode works maybe better than intended as it won't go into normal rack lock position as easy as maybe it was intended. I have no intention of adjusting it. I like it fine the way it works now. Maybe they should have marketed this as a 4 position track set up?



My earlier posts about the actual dig mode are valid as I entered the mode per the book instruction. In this mode, one needs to go pretty slow to peel stuff up or the tracks will spin. Enter the infinitely adjustable tranny

I've found that instead of lifting on the handles to lock the track, using the foot to push down on the bar does a pretty good job.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

Similar to the notion that "there's no such thing as too much power", I feel like there's also "no such thing as too much traction". For me I could always use more traction for digging into berms, as well as scraping down into hard-packed snow/ice.

To that end, I'm wondering if anyone has tried putting ice studs on a RapidTrak machine?

When I've asked this before outside this forum, others have responded as if nobody should ever feel like they need more traction than they get with the stock RapidTrak setup.

 

Machine worked perfectly today with about 5" of wet, slushy snow. The type the HSS1332 would plug up with. I'm a happy camper!

The autoturn works great and the chute turns fast! Great machine!

 

Honda n CNY, glad to hear you’re happy with your new Rapidtrak, I’m currently looking at both Ariens and Honda now and been following your post.

 

I have no regrets in selling the Honda but it is a good machine. Just make sure that you get the new chute. For me, the Rapidtrak is an easier machine to use and doesn't beat me up as much after using it. The auto turn is a gem, especially in wheeled mode and the 1st track position. I have used it a total of 3 times now. All three times the snow was heavy with moisture, which would have been an issue with the Honda. The chute is fast which was another annoyance. I will keep updating with an honest review. I'm not a fanboy of any machine. My one knock on the Ariens is the fuel shutoff seems to be a bit cheap. Although I store my machine in the garage, I have always shut the fuel off and let the machine starve out. I'm a bit concerned with the shutoff and I'm wondering if maybe I don't need to starve it out every time. I use non ethanol fuel. Anyway, I'm careful with the shutoff.



Good luck with your decision.

 

Yes, I was looking at a rapidtrak 28 with a Briggs and noticed the fuel valve also, almost bought it but they were asking full price on a leftover. Was looking at reviews on both engines but not a lot info comparing the two. Didn’t find any negatives on either one so that’s a plus.

 

The Briggs fuel shutoff feels cheap, but mine is holding up fine so far. Personally, I shut the fuel off after every use, but I don't run the carb dry. I turn the valve off after shut down. I do that on any engine with gravity fed fuel supply just in case the carb float / needle valve assembly leaks, that way I don't end up with a crankcase full of gas or a bunch of gas spilled in the garage.