2016 Ariens Compact 24 Snowblower Walk Around

Shopping for a snowblower is frustrating! This year I settled on an Ariens model based on my price point and the available competition, including Troy Bilt, Toro, Husqvarna and others. In this video I do a complete walk around pointing out the features and design details which sold me on the Ariens Compact 24 model 92021. It's only September as this is published and I haven't been able to use the blower yet, but I wanted to get the information out there for other potential buyers. I'll update these comments after the first snow! Update March 2017: After having a chance to do some snowblowing in recent storms I have a few more comments. I agree with one comment that the light tends to shine up in your eyes. I put a piece of black tape over the top of the lens, and that did the trick. The unit ships as "one wheel" drive, which makes turns easier. However, the right hand wheel can also be a drive wheel if you pull the cotter pin and reinstall it through the wheel hub and the inside hole of the axle. Doing this will make a big difference in driving through wet, heavy snow but it will also make turning more difficult. I found that I was able to take one hand off the blower clutch to adjust the chute direction as I went along, which is nice. All in all, I remain satisfied with my purchase and I think this unit will last. March 2018 update: After removing the bottom plate (six bolts) to look into the axle area, I was somewhat alarmed to see that there was originally little or no grease applied to the drive gear or the axle itself. Since it was already showing signs of corrosion, I highly recommend opening this up as soon as you buy the unit and greasing the gear and the axle, both where the speed control slides and where the wheels slide over the axle. Though the wheels are pinned to the axle and don't turn on it, the grease there will help keep the wheels from becoming welded to the axle with corrosion.