This year Ariens introduced a completely new way to use tracks on a snow blower. I’ve had a chance to use and deconstruct the new Ariens RapidTrak Hydro 28 Pro Model 926060 so in this article and videos, I’m going to go through my thoughts on this new machine.
Why review a commercial snow blower?
- Many more people today are looking for snow blowers that will do the job well, be very easy to use and will last and last. That combined with the fact that today’s automotive fuels are simply problematic for lawn & garden engines many people are not afraid to spend well over $1000 to get a machine they can trust will start every time and one that will do the job quickly.
- Even Consumer Reports has realized how the market has changed and they have upped their game this year. CR has started to review the deluxe, high capacity and commercial snow blowers. Of course, this commercial 2-stage Ariens RapidTrak Hydro Pro just blows away everything else they have tested before it.
Who is this snow blower for?
- If you have a huge area to clear.
- If you get a lot of deep, wet snows.
- If you have to clear areas that vehicles drive on.
- If you have to clear sidewalks that get snow piled on them from the city snow plow.
- This is a very easy to use snow blower. Yes, it’s big and heavy but with the tracks in the “wheel” position the weight is balanced and that makes it easier to turn and maneuver than any other model with trigger style power steering. Even moving it around inside your garage is a breeze.
- The hydro is designed so you can vary the speed and shift directly into reverse without stopping the snow blower. If you have a lot of corners to clear and obstacles to go around this is your dream machine.
- If you have a sloped driveway that is too steep for a wheeled snow blower. This snow blower is a good choice for you.
- The Ariens RapidTrak Hydro 28 Pro is built for the commercial user but anyone else who wants the very best in capacity, long life and ease of use will appreciate this snow blower. It’s newest feature is the RapidTrak system that allows you to have the speed and maneuverability of a wheeled snow blower and also the traction and cleaning power of a tracked unit. The RapidTrak is completely different than any other track drive on the market. I go into detail about those differences in the first video below.
- It features a commercial grade Briggs & Stratton Pro engine that combined with the design of the machine gives this snow blower more power and throwing capacity than any other 28 inch snow blower on the market. It’s an engine that the commercial users trust to last them years and years. In fact, it has 38% more listed capacity than it’s only competitor – the Honda HSS928ATD. (Listed Specs on the Honda site are 57 tons per hour versus 79 tons for the Ariens)
Enough writing – I made videos!
Below are two videos on the new Ariens RapidTrak Hydro 28 Pro.
- The first video goes into detail on all the components of this new snow blower.
- The second video looks inside the belt area and inside the transmission case.
If you like these videos and would like me to make more please click on the Youtube logo in the bottom right corner of video window. That will take you to YouTube. Then hit the big red subscribe button.
I’ll be posting videos of the snow blower in action soon.
Feel free to check out the Ariens website for more details and specs on this snow blower: Ariens RapidTrak at Ariens.com