Given your self admitted age and size of your driveway, I think a 30" machine might be overly large. The 24" comes with the AX 369cc engine, more than double the 175cc lameTroy-bilt.
The 24" new Ariens should be night and day and give you the needed HP....

 

Thank you! After visiting the dealer I completely agree. Both are much larger machines than what I have now, but the 30” one made me chuckle a bit given its overall size: massive! My plan is to buy a 24” tomorrow from a dealer 5 minutes away from my house (they were closed today).

 

Either will be a massive upgrade. The 30" will get you done a little quicker but a the cost of space and your personal ability to handle a larger machine. Take each one for a test drive at the dealer to get a feel for them. Then go from there.

 

Superb advice, thanks you! That’s exactly what I did. I went to a dealer today and stood behind the 30” blower and wow. It’s big. It’s also a lot longer than what I have now. Physically I’d have no problem at all handling it, but it’d indeed be too tight of a fit where I live. The 24” is a lot larger than what I have now: taller, longer and heavier but exudes power and that’s what I need.

 

Big driveway, decent size garage? get the 30" and be done with it. Nothing says "I hate you snow" like big machine.

 

LOL! So true! I’d love to brag about having the biggest and meanest snowblower on my neighborhood, but after further measurements it’d be tight in my garage. That thing is indeed a beast compared to what I have. Thanks for taking the time to write a reply!

 

From the description of your driveway, it is not that large and with garage storage limitations, I would choose a 24" machine.
Also easier to navigate through any man doors or fence gates that you might have to go through.
You are looking at a couple of extra passes for the 24" compared to the 30", so you would save a few minutes with the 30" machine.
Both machines have great power to handle the snow conditions you mention and the Platinum 24 SHO has a little better HP/bucket width ratio.

 

Thanks for the valuable info! Your comment about the man gates is spot on. I even decided to measure the room in my garage and a 30” would work only on one bay and still be very tight. Love the ratio you’ve mentioned!

 

ALOHA!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks so much for all your replies, I read them all attentively.

I have an Ariens dealer less than 5 minutes away from my house, but they close on Mondays. So I drove another 1/2 hour to the next one, just to compare these two machines.

OK, when I saw them for the first time (I had only seen them on YouTube / internet) I started chuckling; they’re both much larger than my puny Troy-Bilt!! It’s like I was driving a scooter and now I’m looking at a couple of Harley Davidsons.

The salesman was a bit snarky so I looked at everything on my own. Grabbed the handles, moved both snowblowers a bit and they’re not hard to move — knowing it’s another story during a storm — played with the shoots, checked some EFI options, electronic controlled chutes, etc. and took my time.

The 30” is indeed massive and it won’t fit nicely in my two car garage. On one side I have a truck and one the other one I have a sedan. I keep the snowblower in the middle. The max width between the garage door and the truck bump is 28”, but on the sedan side I have more room, but it’s tight.

Anyhow thanks so much for your help. I’m driving tomorrow to my local dealer and the plan is to order a 24” from them. Once I get it, I’ll post some pics here and I’ll be praying for a blizzard ;-).

P.S.: I saw a few large ones from the professional series going for almost $5K. Those were monster snowblowers.

 

the more i re-read your post.. the more im looking at a 24SHO in your future ;something about a small very easily handled snowblower just beckons lol add a power plant worhy of being called POWERplant ( lets be honest.. 369CC engine on a 24in bucket width.. this is a SMILEmaker machine) now.. the 30SHO isnt a slouch either.. but if an aging body wonders.. whats fine and dandy this year.. might not be in 10-15 years down the road.. and lets face it.. lifespan of a platinum ariens.. even the new today ones.. should easily reach over 10 years..

for the record.. im not a fanboy of ariens.. but ill totally admit.. in this day and age.. for the same price.. look at Toros offerings too.. but specsheet to specsheet.. the plat 24 sho wins it by a decent margin

 

Thanks so much for your feedback! Indeed, aging bodies is always a concern .

I did look at Toro and the company is bigger than Ariens but I have an Ariens dealer 5 minutes away from my house and the closest Toro one is about 40 minutes away.
I’m not mechanically inclined, so I’ll go as far as changing the oil in the snowblower but anything else I usually take it to the dealer.

 

Well, enough suffering. I want a snowblower that cuts through snow like hot butter.

<TomSawyerMode>
I can't help you on the Ariens, but if you want to come over and try my Honda HSS1332AATD next time it snows, just PM me...
</TomSawyerMode>

 

😀!!
I have no doubt Hondas are top notch (I used their generators in the past) but their price is a wee out of my budget and it seems harder to get them these days (plus, to my knowledge there are no dealers nearby, although I’m sure many shops can repair them). Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

 

One thing to keep in mind is that no snowblowers will likely perform like your neighbor's anymore. Either of these will have more power but will probably also be lighter and more balanced, which means they are more prone to riding up in heavy packed snow (though less so than your Troy-Bilt). Something with tracks may not be a bad idea, like the 28 SHO Rapidtrak. It will be harder to handle than the 24 in easier conditions though.

 

Interesting observation 🤔

I do have that problem now with my little puny blower and that’s one of the reasons I’m always fighting it. It’s brutal.

I haven’t looked at the track ones yet, but I’ll check them out. Ironically it’s snowing today and this is the day I wanted to buy the snowblower, but the plow guy (the one I hired temporarily) hasn’t come yet and there’s no ETA for that. He may come tomorrow, so I can’t leave the house yet. Meanwhile, I’ll check your recommendation.

Thanks so much for your time reading my post and replying 🙏🏻.

 

Honestly, with a driveway that large, with that much snow and your are, have you considered a Simplicity or John Deere garden teactor with a blower attachment and enclosed cab?

I'm in my mid seventies and run a 24" Platinum. A 39" machine is heavier and would take up more room in the garage. Have a two-car driveway, slightly curved and perhaps a 4° down angle to the street. And I often do my neighbors and the cul-de-sac. Honestly, a 30" wouldn't save any time in reality. (In my specific case).

I use a Simplicity lawn tractor and if I had a drive as large as yours, I wouldn't hesitate to add a blower attachment to it.

 

Honestly, with a driveway that large, with that much snow and your are, have you considered a Simplicity or John Deere garden teactor with a blower attachment and enclosed cab?

I'm in my mid seventies and run a 24" Platinum. A 39" machine is heavier and would take up more room in the garage. Have a two-car driveway, slightly curved and perhaps a 4° down angle to the street. And I often do my neighbors and the cul-de-sac. Honestly, a 30" wouldn't save any time in reality. (In my specific case).

I use a Simplicity lawn tractor and if I had a drive as large as yours, I wouldn't hesitate to add a blower attachment to it.

Thanks so much for your reply 🙏🏻
Unfortunately I don’t have any room to store a tractor. I was hoping to buy a shed at one point, but once I called the town about zoning codes they also told me the shed I wanted could add another $100 - $200 bucks to my property taxes. Forever. I digress.

I appreciate the insight about the 30”. I wanted to buy myself out of my problem and was looking for the best non-commercial grade snowblower. Platinum was great and the 30” model has the largest engine. However, it seems too big for my needs and it looks like it wouldn’t save me that much more time, so the 24” made more sense. I just ordered one today and it’ll be delivered 2 days from now.

 

You're gonna love it. Of course it will be a year or two before it snows again. (lol)

BTW, if the shead is tied to the earth (concrete floor with footings) it requires a building permit and is taxable. But if it sits on a floating wood floor and is not tied to the earth, (like mine which is a prefab wood building with a treated wood floor and free floating), it's NOT taxable.

 

Wow, I did not know that about sheds! I may take a second look at them this summer.

 

Have you considered the Ariens Professional 28? Why not compromise just a bit on size, yet not at all on performance?

 

I did consider and I loved it! Well, until I saw the price: $2,800. I wouldn’t mind paying for what I need but that was a bit out of my budget. My wife was already asking if I really needed to spend 2 grand on a snowblower . So, you know how this goes. Still, I ended up ordering the 24” SHO Platinum that has a bit of a smaller engine, 369cc, but it’s still powerful enough for my use case.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and reply 🙏🏻

 

Cal your local county assessor's office. They should be able to tell you what is and is not taxible in your county.

 

Women should have no input concerning machinery. We know best as to what is needed.


(Don't tell my wife I said that).

 

I guess I'm the only guy that likes a new 30" big azz snow blower, but then again I do have two 28" Ariens so what's 2 more inches on a bucket.

 

I guess I'm the only guy that likes a new 30" big azz snow blower

Yeah, well I now have a 30" Ariens and a 32" Honda... You're not alone.

 

Oh good grief. It's a size thing. LOL