Review: Ariens Hydro Pro Track 28 Snowblower

This snowblower, in my opinion, is just awesome.
No, it is not perfect, it has some flaws. But overall, I'm very please with it and the way it performs.

Also, it does not feel cheap. It is sturdy, the metal is thick, it feels like it will last many, many years.

Lets begin with the basics.

• 28" wide x 23.5" tall bucket.
• Briggs & Stratton 420cc Polar Force Pro 2100 engine.
• 16" augers.
• 14" impeller.
• Manual controls.
• Hydrostatic track driven with locked/unlocked differential.
• Throw snow up to 50 feet (so far I've seen about 50-55 feet in dry, powdery snow) 

My impressions

First, the controls.

No, they are no like a Honda, they are not controlled with an electric joystick and motors. They are manual, but how effective!
I can rotate the chute from far left to far right in a split second!
Same thing with the deflector.
The right handle lever controls the blower, while the left handle lever activates the hydrostatic transmission. While both levers are activated, you can let off the right one while holding the left one, and it remains locked in position, giving you a free right hand to operate the controls. Then you start moving forward or reverse with the hydrostatic speed control lever.

Moving forward is done at a good speed, but I think the reverse could have been faster. The transmission does not feel as powerful going reverse compared to forward, and sometimes it just stops moving if there is too much resistance such as a little slope.

The transmission can be locked for better traction or unlocked for better handling. I tried both and personally, I prefer the locked position because when the terrain becomes uneven, one of tracks spins quite easily and the snow blower stops moving. Locked position gives a lot of traction, especially when moving on packed, uneven snow.
However, on a flat surface, such as moving in the garage, the unit steers remarkably well when the differential is unlocked. It can be done one-handed!

I'm not a fan of the way we can unlock the differential, because there is no control for that in the handlebar area. It is done by turning a knob inside the right track. You have to stop moving and lean to change its position.

Now comes the best part: snowblowing!

One word: Monster!

This machine eats through everything in front of it.
From wet snow to wind packed drifts, it just keeps going and shoots snow far, very far. In fact, I got to watch myself because I blew snow in my neighbors driveway one time, which is a good 50 feet away from mine. At least I saw it fast and changed the chute direction!

Look at these videos, At the end of drive there was 2 foot of packed snow and the unit was still throwing 30 feet away!

You can also see how the unit keeps going forward and does not tend to climb the snow, but goes through it.

So far, I really recommend this snow blower. It offers Honda performance, at a lower price.

Feel free to ask any question, as I probably forgot to mention many things.