What retailers deliver snow blowers? I don't want to do Amazon or Depot. I'm just worried if I buy from the web and it's damaged it will be a nightmare getting it returned.

 

And I think I want to go a little more high end than Craftsman.

My local power shop's prices are competitive (if you exclude tax) and delivers the bigger stuff, so I don't have direct experience, but my buddy bought his snow blower from www.snowblowersdirect.com and had no issues. He claims he saved a few hundred dollars and only took an hour to put it together.

I don't know if they're competitive on price but Grainger has excellent customer service and a generous return policy.

if you're looking for a snowblower, i think there's a guy right on here that reconditions them and sells them.......69mustang maybe?

I would buy it at a local power shop.   I googled and found "Northeast Equipment" in Cedar Grove. 

 

They will configure it and properly align the bucket.   They will get the engine running and make sure the belts and everything are properly aligned and tensioned.  This isn't to say you can't do it, but it can be done wrong.   They will also service it.  

 

If you're looking at decent brands, Ariens and Honda are two good ones.

Craftsman / Sears

 

I find craftsman quality excellent.

There is a small engine repair shop / dealer in Boonton, can see it from the south bound lane of 287. I believe they carry some of the popular brands. I assume they deliver and very close to Wayne. I had my Troy-bilt repaired there many years ago. I dont recall any issues in dealing with them.

I would second buying from a local dealer that also services what they sell. When the blower breaks you're going to want the service level the shop gives purchasing customers, not the level reserved for those who got the 'bargain' at Home Depot, Lowes or the Internet.

 

In the long run prompt service when you need it is equally as important as the equipment. Personally I run a 13 hp Toro and it's been a CHAMP. Even throws slush and water like I wouldn't believe. This is one of the larger models with the impeller overflow space in the auger shroud. Made a HUGE difference over my previous Deere.

On line snowblowersdirect.

Personally I suggest a local shop that supplies commercial equipment. When I bought my last SB (an ariens) the price at the local shop was the same range as the Depot, but I got a better model and knowledgable support.

 

As to manufacturers, ariens, honda or older/bigger Toros.

 

Avoid yardmachines, ytd etc.

Buy an Ariens and it will serve you many good years with basic maintenance - they are built excellent -

 

I have a piece of junk Craftsman that was a freebie hand me down and haven't had the heart to get rid of it yet, changed the plug and the oil and flushed the tank and it still runs well for  the most part, and the last few winters has only gotten used a few times so I haven't had the urge to go plunk down $1k on a new machine or even half that on a used one -

 

Should be a few guys selling reconditioned ones at small engine repair shops on CL - I bought my Scag mower from a landscaper on CL who was upgrading and its been 5 years and besides maintenance and a clutch its been a beast, I've gotten my investment back and then some

If your reference to “Depot” is Home Depot I don’t know if you’d be interested but Home Depot sells Ariens and will ship to your home FREE via an Authorized Ariens Dealer. At least that’s how it worked when I purchased my Ariens 24-inch from www.HomeDepot.com in 2014. In any case I like the Ariens all steel design opposed to the new Toro and Craftsman’s designs which use a lot of plastic on top on the controls and in some case plastic snow chutes as well.

 

If you buy an Ariens it not going to make much difference if you buy it from HomeDepot or your local Mom & Pop hardware store because all warranty repair issues still have to go through an Authorized Ariens shop.  If you’re local store is Ariens Certified you’re good to go otherwise you’ll have to seek out an Authorized Shop. Obviously after the warranty expires you could bring it wherever you like for service....

There is a small engine repair shop / dealer in Boonton, can see it from the south bound lane of 287. I believe they carry some of the popular brands. I assume they deliver and very close to Wayne. I had my Troy-bilt repaired there many years ago. I dont recall any issues in dealing with them.

That's Boonton Power Equipment, on Myrtle Ave. I've only been in to get mower parts, but I've been happy with the transactions I've had

 

Never needed anything for my snowblower; it's a 14 year old Craftsman 24" two stage that has seen a LOT of use. it still operates flawlessly.

I would buy it at a local power shop. I googled and found "Northeast Equipment" in Cedar Grove.

 

They will configure it and properly align the bucket. They will get the engine running and make sure the belts and everything are properly aligned and tensioned. This isn't to say you can't do it, but it can be done wrong. They will also service it.

 

If you're looking at decent brands, Ariens and Honda are two good ones.

Got mine there years ago. Good place...

 

 

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Buy an Ariens and it will serve you many good years with basic maintenance - they are built excellent -

 

I have a piece of junk Craftsman that was a freebie hand me down and haven't had the heart to get rid of it yet, changed the plug and the oil and flushed the tank and it still runs well for the most part, and the last few winters has only gotten used a few times so I haven't had the urge to go plunk down $1k on a new machine or even half that on a used one -

 

Should be a few guys selling reconditioned ones at small engine repair shops on CL - I bought my Scag mower from a landscaper on CL who was upgrading and its been 5 years and besides maintenance and a clutch its been a beast, I've gotten my investment back and then some

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just plopped down some cash for a craftsman 24". $599 plus tax delivered.

Buy an Ariens and it will serve you many good years with basic maintenance - they are built excellent -

 

This.

I just grabbed an ariens from snowblowersdirect. They shipped it by freight the next day. PITA is I need be here waiting for it all day, but it was substantially better priced then other places.i m trying to schedule a deliver now.

I just grabbed an ariens from snowblowersdirect. They shipped it by freight the next day. PITA is I need be here waiting for it all day, but it was substantially better priced then other places.i m trying to schedule a deliver now.

Thanks for link?

When my craftsman walks towards the light I will buy an Ariens.

if you're looking for a snowblower, i think there's a guy right on here that reconditions them and sells them.......69mustang maybe?

Thamks for the referral but i dont have any snowblowers at the moment. Ive been too busy traveling for my day job to do much with the hobbies

Thanks for link?

When my craftsman walks towards the light I will buy an Ariens.

http://www.snowblowersdirect.com/Ariens-926065-Snow-Thrower/p67266.html

 

Free shipping too. I opted for the professional model, since it's my first and hopefully last one I will be buying for many many years. Home depot has this one priced 400 bucks more.

How much assembly was needed for the Ariiens from snow blower direct delivered ?

I'm going to check a local dealer in fair lawn they have Ariens and said delivery is $20

I would buy it at a local power shop.   I googled and found "Northeast Equipment" in Cedar Grove. 

 

They will configure it and properly align the bucket.   They will get the engine running and make sure the belts and everything are properly aligned and tensioned.  This isn't to say you can't do it, but it can be done wrong.   They will also service it.  

 

If you're looking at decent brands, Ariens and Honda are two good ones.

I don't know if Bill Sr still owns the place but he can be a bit of a douche at times. I bought a Dixie Chopper from them years ago when Bill Jr was working there, Bill Jr was a great guy to deal with. That said, I would still buy from them over a big box store or online since they know know what they are doing.

 

There is a small engine repair shop / dealer in Boonton, can see it from the south bound lane of 287. I believe they carry some of the popular brands. I assume they deliver and very close to Wayne. I had my Troy-bilt repaired there many years ago. I dont recall any issues in dealing with them.

Boonton Power, great people to deal with, but you would need to see if they will deliver to Wayne - I know they deliver to NYC Central Park, but they've had a relationship with them for a very long time.

If your reference to “Depot” is Home Depot I don’t know if you’d be interested but Home Depot sells Ariens and will ship to your home FREE via an Authorized Ariens Dealer. At least that’s how it worked when I purchased my Ariens 24-inch from www.HomeDepot.com in 2014. In any case I like the Ariens all steel design opposed to the new Toro and Craftsman’s designs which use a lot of plastic on top on the controls and in some case plastic snow chutes as well.

 

If you buy an Ariens it not going to make much difference if you buy it from HomeDepot or your local Mom & Pop hardware store because all warranty repair issues still have to go through an Authorized Ariens shop.  If you’re local store is Ariens Certified you’re good to go otherwise you’ll have to seek out an Authorized Shop. Obviously after the warranty expires you could bring it wherever you like for service....

If you buy from a big box store you are probably going to get a different model made especially for the mass merchants, a lot of companies make cheaper quality products just for them. The other issue is getting it serviced. A lot of power equipment shops won't service something that came from a big box store - "authorized" or not.

If you buy from a big box store you are probably going to get a different model made especially for the mass merchants, a lot of companies make cheaper quality products just for them. The other issue is getting it serviced. A lot of power equipment shops won't service something that came from a big box store - "authorized" or not.

I bought mine from Home Depot 12 years ago. I haven't had any problems with it, even after heavy use. Much like any piece of machinery, if you take care of it, it will be fine.

How much assembly was needed for the Ariiens from snow blower direct delivered ?

I cant imagine much, if any. I'm pretty sure it's delivered on a pallet like you see the store models sitting at HD or Lowe's or any other store.

I've been running a Craftsman for about 5 years (also a Craftsman riding mower). I checked reviews and bought the cheapest two stage or maybe the model just above that, ~ $650 or less I think. I have actually tunneled through 5' snow banks with the SOB. I just gotta dig out the chute so it can spew the snow since the snow was higher than the chute. For a little 100' double driveway with triple parking area it kicks ass even with a couple feet of snow and large drifts. Only thing I didn't like was when I got a hose in it. Should have put the hoses away for winter. Man if screwed up that hose and took me 20 minutes to get it all out.

 

Buy a couple shear pins. I've never had to use one. But if you need a snow blower, it usually can't wait for you to have a replacement shear pin delivered.

 

I don't have a truck, called my buddy and picked it up with his truck. I'm sure they would have delivered, they will usually deliver and setup their stuff for a small charge.

 

I would avoid Kenmore dishwashers unless their rep turns around. Mine sucked (and repaired twice) and my parents' also sucked. But their mid range powered yard equipment seems to have been good for a while now.

If you buy from a big box store you are probably going to get a different model made especially for the mass merchants, a lot of companies make cheaper quality products just for them. The other issue is getting it serviced. A lot of power equipment shops won't service something that came from a big box store - "authorized" or not.

 

With all due respect “probably” is just an assumption on your part. I have no doubt in some instances part of what you are saying is true but that was NOT the case with my purchase.  I have an authentic Ariens unit, it not some Ariens-HomeDepot joint ventured cobranded unit. If you think about what I posted previously (which you quoted) I ordered from www.HomeDepot.com and my order was fulfilled by an Ariens dealer. So how much sense would it make having the regional Ariens dealer delivering some half-Ariens/half-HomeDepot  units (if one even existed) to homedepot.com customers and then turn around and sell full-fledged authentic Ariens units to their local walk-in customers?

 

As far as Warranty service I’ve already been down that road too and NO issues... My fuel shutoff valve failed at the beginning of season #2.  The shutoff valve fail to stop fuel from entering the carb so it would continue to run with the valve in the Off position. I discovered the issue last November while getting the unit ready for the upcoming season. I opened a trouble ticket thru the normal channels over the Ariens  800 phone number and I took it to the Authorized Ariens repair shop of my choice, more about later. The Ariens repair shop I selected took care of it in a timely fashion.

 

I didn’t mention the negative events in my earlier post because I wanted to avoid a rant but since the big box stores are drawing some fire let me just say the original Ariens dealership staff that executed my transaction were total A-holes. The first strike was they screwed up the delivery date and if that was the only issue I would have let it slide. The second strike was they delivered the unit with a cracked fuel cap which I didn’t see until they pulled out of my driveway. The third strike was none of the linkage controls were adjusted correctly to spec causing issues with the gear selection. The linkage adjustments is one of the basic tasks that should be completed by the local dealer when preparing the unit for delivery.  So my first go around with the initial Authorized Ariens Dealer staff was a bust to put it kindly.

 

I reached out HomeDepot to correct the delivery scheduling issue with the local Ariens dealer.  Ariens Warranty service sent me new fuel cap with just a phone call and I adjusted the controls myself as per the manual. Lastly since the purchase was over $250 (or whatever the HD credit card requires) it qualified to be eligible for No Interest for 6 months so I took 5 months to pay it off. So for my money on this purchase the Big Box store beat the snot out of the local dealer.

With all due respect “probably” is just an assumption on your part. I have no doubt in some instances part of what you are saying is true but that was NOT the case with my purchase.  I have an authentic Ariens unit, it not some Ariens-HomeDepot joint ventured cobranded unit. If you think about what I posted previously (which you quoted) I ordered from www.HomeDepot.com and my order was fulfilled by an Ariens dealer. So how much sense would it make having the regional Ariens dealer delivering some half-Ariens/half-HomeDepot  units (if one even existed) to homedepot.com customers and then turn around and sell full-fledged authentic Ariens units to their local walk-in customers?

 

As far as Warranty service I’ve already been down that road too and NO issues... My fuel shutoff valve failed at the beginning of season #2.  The shutoff valve fail to stop fuel from entering the carb so it would continue to run with the valve in the Off position. I discovered the issue last November while getting the unit ready for the upcoming season. I opened a trouble ticket thru the normal channels over the Ariens  800 phone number and I took it to the Authorized Ariens repair shop of my choice, more about later. The Ariens repair shop I selected took care of it in a timely fashion.

 

I didn’t mention the negative events in my earlier post because I wanted to avoid a rant but since the big box stores are drawing some fire let me just say the original Ariens dealership staff that executed my transaction were total A-holes. The first strike was they screwed up the delivery date and if that was the only issue I would have let it slide. The second strike was they delivered the unit with a cracked fuel cap which I didn’t see until they pulled out of my driveway. The third strike was none of the linkage controls were adjusted correctly to spec causing issues with the gear selection. The linkage adjustments is one of the basic tasks that should be completed by the local dealer when preparing the unit for delivery.  So my first go around with the initial Authorized Ariens Dealer staff was a bust to put it kindly.

 

I reached out HomeDepot to correct the delivery scheduling issue with the local Ariens dealer.  Ariens Warranty service sent me new fuel cap with just a phone call and I adjusted the controls myself as per the manual. Lastly since the purchase was over $250 (or whatever the HD credit card requires) it qualified to be eligible for No Interest for 6 months so I took 5 months to pay it off. So for my money on this purchase the Big Box store beat the snot out of the local dealer.

I don't sell power equipment, so I can't tell you what differences, if any, there may be between the models the big box stores and the small shops sell. What I do know, is that the big box stores hammer their suppliers to sell them products at the cheapest prices possible. This often causes the suppliers to create products specifically for these stores that are of a lower quality. I sell tools in my other business and one product I can give an example of is a Jackson 6 cu wheelbarrow. HD sells a version of this wheelbarrow that is not listed in Jackson's complete catalog. Even though it looks the same, it's not. The handles are a little thinner, the steel is thinner - and it's priced accordingly. I've been told by plumbers that HD's  plumbing fittings and valves and what not are the same quality you would get from a plumbing supply - but I'm not a plumber, so I wouldn't know.

 

As for your experience with the Authorized dealer, there are good and bad shops of any size. If that dealer was no good, find another one.

 

I would recommend going to a power equipment shop before buying from a big box store and ask them what the difference between the models they sell are and the big box store models - I would be surprised if there isn't a difference.

I think I'm going to use an Ariens dealer in Fair Lawn. Depending on how much painful it is higher than Blowers Direct

 

Anybody have thoughts on their "compact". Versus next up models? The site says the cutoff is about 16 inches. I'm all for buying better quality but the price jump is not negligible. I mean how many 16" storms do we get a year?