Ariens Compact – Deluxe – Platinum | What’s The Difference?

Ariens Compact – Deluxe – Platinum – Professional  | What’s The Difference?

Ariens 2-stage snow blowers are unique.  Instead of taking one basic machine and adding or subtracting features to change the price, Ariens makes four designs that give you the performance and features you need for your particular yard or job. When you move up one level to another you also move up in longevity.  I am going to go through the three designs that work best for homeowners and explain each one so you can make a better choice as to which snow blower is best for you.

Ariens Compact Snow Blowers

The Ariens Compacts are designed as lightweight snow blowers that are robust and dependable. A unique feature they offer is the folding handlebars. With the handlebars folded the snow blower takes up less space than your walk-behind push mower.

The Compact series only comes in two sizes.  The Ariens 22 inch Compact works well for single car driveways and can easily handle 12 inches of snow. The Ariens Compact 24 works well for driveways 2 cars wide and up to 60 feet long. They both have plenty of power and capacity to cut through the drift the city snow plow left at the end of your driveway and throw it far away. Many city homeowners buy the Compact 22 because it has the power to cut though what the city snow plow left but is small enough to fit into your limited garage space.

One unique fact about Ariens Compacts is there is very little plastic (Polymers) on this snow blower compared to most other brands. The chute, dash, impeller and handles are all metal.

The Compacts are not the easiest snow blowers to use. They do not have trigger controlled power steering or Auto-Turn, but they are lightweight and you won’t notice this very often. If you weigh more than 140 lbs you will be able to easily use this snow blower.

The Compact Series does have a system called pin-lock. What this means is during normal use you pull a pin on one of the drive wheels. Only one wheel drives the snow blower but this allows the snow blower to turn easily. When you get hard to move snows or need the extra traction just insert the pin and both wheels pull the snow blower through. This is a very simple and practical method and works well for most of us that get 40 inches or less snow every year. It works very well if you primarily clean driveways and sidewalks. This type of drive is very dependable because it has very few parts to break or wear out.

All Ariens Compacts have 110 volt electric start.

The chute is all metal and the controls are very simple. One crank quickly turns the chute from side to side. You stop the snow blower to adjust the deflector on the end of the chute.

Why you may not want this snow blower:

If you have a sloped driveway you may want a heavier machine for more traction, consider the Deluxe models. The Deluxe models also have more aggressive tread tires. If you had a hard time turning your old snow blower or have a bad back consider moving up to the Deluxe with Autoturn. If you sometimes wait until the next day to move your snow and the snow gets packed down the Compact may be too light and you will have to hold the front end down (or add the front weight kit) If you have a driveway larger than 16 by 60 feet I suggest purchasing a larger width snow blower.

You can purchase the Ariens Compact through your local Ariens dealer or The Home Depot. Here are the links to purchase the snow blower through The Home Depot.

– 24 Inch Ariens Snow Blowers. Compact 24 in. Two-Stage Gas Snow Blower
– Track Drive Ariens Snow Blowers. Compact Track 24 in. Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower

Ariens Deluxe Snow Blowers

The Ariens Deluxe Sno-Thro series 2 stage snow blowers are a significant step up in clearing size and efficiency. The two features that make this happen is a larger 14-inch, 3-blade high-speed impeller, and twin drive belt design. These features allow you to quickly clear through 16″ of snow and throw it up to 50 feet. You’ll throw more snow in less time so you can get back to what matters.

The Deluxe series also is a large step up in features and heavy-duty components. If you are looking for a long life machine that will power through most snow, the Deluxe Series is arguably the best. I’ll go through a few of the features that make the Deluxe series one of the best on the market for homeowners.

Deluxe Series Features

Auto-Turn™ steering technology: Auto-Turn is a significant breakthrough in using a snow blower. It gives you “power steering” without levers and cables. It is intuitive and easy for anyone to use. The Auto-Turn component itself is bullet-proof and does not wear out or fail.

 Dual Belt Drive: A unique 2 belt drive system for the auger provides smooth maximum power and less maintenance.

Cast Iron Gear Case: The large cast iron gear case is commercial duty with alloy steel gears, synthetic oil and a leading 5 year limited warranty. The case is cross-braced into the housing and gives you a solid dependable snow handling system. It’s the strongest on the market.

Extremely Dependable Ariens AX Engine: I really like the available torque on the engines in the Deluxe series. The Ariens AX engines are quickly gaining the reputation as the best in the industry. Electric start, throttle control, fuel shut-off and long life. Use a fuel stabilizer and you won’t have any problems with these engines.

Ice Auger Chute Control: The chute rotation control is simple and it works. 2 and a half cranks from one side to the other and 220 degrees of rotation.

Locking Chute Deflector: Other brands use friction nuts to hold the deflector in place. The problem with this is the deflector always wants to ride up or it’s too stiff to move. Ariens uses a notched lever that firmly locks the deflector where you want it, yet it can easily and quickly be adjusted if you need to throw your snow closer or farther away.

Reversible Skid Shoes: Yes everyone has reversible skid shoes, but these are thicker and will last longer than most other brands. When the bottom side of the scraper shoes start to where they can be flipped over and used a 2nd time.

Halogen Headlight: For working in low light conditions to safety at the end of your driveway with oncoming traffic the heavy duty halogen light is an added bonus when you least expect it. Yes, LED’s are all the rage, but if you want the brightest, white light halogen is still the best in class.

Optional Heated Hand Grips: The Deluxe can be equipped with heated hand grips. Just slide them on and plug them in.

Great, Long Life Machine

You can purchase the Ariens Deluxe Series through your local Ariens dealer or The Home Depot. Here are the links to purchase the snow blower through The Home Depot.

• – 24 Inch Ariens Deluxe 24 at Home Depot with Auto-Turn Steering
  – 28 Inch Ariens Deluxe 28 in. Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering
  – 28 Inch Dealer Only: Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO (Larger Engine)
  – 30 Inch Ariens Deluxe 30 in. Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering
• – 30 Inch Ariens Deluxe 30 With EFI. Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering and Electronic Fuel Injection

Ariens Platinum Snow Blowers

Ariens Platinum snow blowers give you all the robust features of the Deluxe series and add more creature features and power to make you snow clearing more enjoyable and faster.  The Ariens Platinum Sno-Thro series 2 stage snow blowers again are a significant step up in clearing power. At this level, the Platinum Series adds big, powerful engines. Coupled with the larger than normal 14-inch, 3-blade high-speed impeller and twin drive belt design these snow blowers have enough power to muscle through any snow quickly and efficiently. These features and performance allow you to quickly clear through all types of snow and throw it up to 55 feet. When running at full capacity you’ll have people stopping to watch these awesome machines throw snow. You’ll throw more snow in less time so you can get back to what matters. If you are looking for a long life machine that will power through any snow, the Platinum Series is arguably the best.

All the Platinum models include state-of-the-art features including Auto-Turn™ steering technology, Quick Turn chute rotation, and hand warmers. The Platinum SHO takes snow removal to a level of unmatched comfort and ease. These snow blowers have the reputation of being a smart investment that you can pass on to the next generation. Ariens advertises this series as “The King of Snow” and every feature is built with that in mind!

Platinum Series Features (Includes features of the Deluxe Series)

 Extremely Dependable Ariens AX Engine: I really like the available torque on the engines in the Deluxe series and the Platinum series adds to this with larger and more powerful engines for the size. The Ariens AX engines are quickly gaining the reputation as the best in the industry. Electric start, throttle control, fuel shut-off and long life. Use a fuel stabilizer and you won’t have any problems with these engines.

 Quick Turn Chute: The chute is so simple and quick that it took me a few minutes to get used to it. All you have to do is pull back on the joystick style handle a rotate your wrist. It quick. It’s fast. It’s built Ariens-tough.

Heated Hand Grips: The Platinum series comes standard with heated hand grips. The industrial grade switch to turn them on and off will last as long as the rest of the snow blower.

Large, Tall Tires: Extra large lugs and tall, narrow tires give the Platinum Series the traction you want to power through packed down and hard snow.

For a smart investment, you can pass on to the next generation, look no further than Ariens Platinum Series, The King of Snow!

You can purchase the Ariens Platinum Series through your local Ariens dealer.

Platinum 24 SHO

Platinum 24 SHO EFI

PLATINUM SHO RAPIDTRAK 28

Platinum 30 SHO

Ariens Professional Snow Blowers

If you want the best. If you need a snow blower that will work for weeks at a time without a break. If you wore out your current snow blower in a year this is the snow blower for you. Powerful performance is an understatement. No other walk-behind snow blower can match the dependability and functionality of the Ariens Professional Sno-Thro. This snow thrower is built large to put you in complete charge of the most intimidating snow from deep drifts to thick, snowplow packed driveways.

• Powered by a 420 cc Ariens polar force 2100 by Briggs and Stratton engine. (12 volt key start on the 32 inch model)
• 28 in. Wide housing with a rolled top lip and offset leading edge brings in more snow to the blower housing
• Six forward speeds and two reverse speeds
• 120-Volt Electric provides a quick and easy solution to start your snow blower with the push of a button
• Heavy-duty cast iron gear case with alloy steel gears and L-3 synthetic severe-duty gear oil provides continuous reliability and a longer gear life
• 14 in. Three blade impeller provides the driving force necessary to powerfully discharge the snow
• Heavy-duty cast iron gear case with alloy steel gears and L-3 synthetic severe-duty gear oil provides continuous reliability and a longer gear life
• Large in-dash halogen headlight provides extended snow removal time and added safety
• Dual handle interlock system conveniently frees one hand for chute and speed adjustments on the fly while maintaining operator safety
• Automatic traction control, all wheel drive to optimize maneuverability with no levers or triggers, steering is effortless
• Heated hand warmers- with the flip of a switch the hand grips kick into action providing warmth to your fingers

You can purchase the Ariens Deluxe Series through your local Ariens dealer or The Home Depot. Here are the links to purchase the snow blower through The Home Depot.

Professional 28