Customer Reviews for Ariens Deluxe 28 in. 2-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower with Auto-Turn Steering

Starts easily with one pull - haven't had to use the electric start. Powerful machine, doesn't give up on heavy snow. Only complaints are that I wish the one handed operation was on the right handle rather than the left, so I can adjust the chute a bit easier. I lubricated the gear drive for the chute and now it slowly vibrates to a different position while operating, my own fault.

I had an ariens blower for ten years before this one. Only sold it because it was getting tired and rusting out. The first storm on the third year of the new one it blew the flywheel ring gear and I also found a broken bracket. (that's about 6 10 8 storms worth) Check the pics. Fixing this (insert whatever word you would like) and buying a Honda next year.

I have taken the fuel tank off twice now and flushed it out and still new debris develops inside of metal tank. I have replaced the carburetor. I have replaced the fuel lines and now I have put a fuel filter on it after replacing the carburetor. I went on the Internet and found that other people are having a problem with metal in the fuel tank. I don’t know where it’s coming from. I use the same fuel in every other small engine and have with zero problems. On top of that compared to my previous 28 inch Ariens snowblower this one is under powered.

Overall, the Deluxe 28 is very good snowblower. I'm very satisfied with the machine overall and would recommend this machine over any of the comparable Cub Cadet & MTD built machines. ->Pros of the Deluxe 28: -Very well built. Steel pieces in important places, beefy wheel bearings, iron gearbox -Steel output chute is built with clearance at pivot base to minimize freeze up. -Throws the snow an honest 50 ft in calm conditions, Ariens is not exaggerating. -Auto Turn works very well (I was a skeptic when shopping) -Sufficient power when getting into deep snow (not a lot extra, but enough) -Easy handling for the size -Leaves a clean driveway while clearing a full width cut, with minimal spill out the sides -Has minimal spillage from the output chute. Some machines leave a trail on the driveway. -Can handle a lot of snow -I have not experienced slippage of the drive belts or drive disk. My past MTD machines were horrid in this regard. Very nice to have that problem behind me. -After adjustment of the linkage, forward and reverse speeds are just about perfect. -Engine is very easy starting and excellent running. -Speed shift lever and deflector control work very easily and will be long lasting. No plastic positions like Cub Cadet. -Optional Ariens heated grips are really nice. Only buy the correct Ariens grips btw. -If you want the chute to rotate about an additional 15 degrees in each direction, take a look under the black plastic cover and you'll see what to do. ->Cons of the Deluxe 28: -Controls are opposite hands from my previous MTD & Craftsman but I am getting used to it -The chute crank is sort of awkward with the reach over but I am getting used to it -Gas tank should be larger. -Home Depot sold me a last year's model but at today's higher price. The price was $100 less a year ago. I bought early in the season and I didn't realize I had an old build machine for a few months. I think the only difference between my carryover machine and the current models is that the newest build machines have an on/off rocker switch on the engine. I feel ripped off that I paid current price but received old product. I read on an online forums that Home Depot sells old models fairly often, so be wary when picking out your machine.

I had purchased this brand new Ariens Deluxe 28 Snow Blower from Home Depot on November 11, 2019. The unit was delivered to my house (pre-assembled) on Wednesday November 13, 2019. I was hoping that the unit would arrive in a box as I have read stories on internet forums where the pre-assembled models tend to be from 2016 to 2017. I have yet to use the snow blower as we have not received any real amounts of snow this winter season in the northern suburbs of the Chicagoland area. I basically checked over the delivered snow blower (connections, oil level, manuals, tire pressure, etc.), added gasoline and started it up and tested it out for 10 minutes (Auger, Quick-Turn capabilities, Speed Settings) w/o having snow to touch. On January 13, 2020 I noticed that there was a small pool of oil on my garage floor below the snow blower. I initially thought this was gear oil from the transmission housing, but after researching information on online forums, I removed the belt housing cover/shroud (black plastic piece) and noticed that the oil is coming from the gasket area where the rear output blower shaft casing attaches to the engine (PW6HK17750178EABGILOQUVX59E1M) - this seems to be a common defect with models from 2016-2017. Obviously, this was very disheartening because this is my first ever Ariens product and I haven't had a chance to use it yet because of it's defective motor seal. Working with Ariens was a waste of time, because there only solution was to contact a local authorized repair shop and work with them to get it fixed. I opened a case file with them online and contacted them through Facebook - I could not find a customer service phone number for them. Ariens also never bothered to contact me through the phone. They honestly seem like a company that only cares about product marketing and just dumps off their product's problems onto their authorized dealers. Home Depot is not listed as an authorized repair shop on Arien's website and the shop that I contacted wanted to charge me $80 to pick-up, repair and drop off my snowblower. I requested to Ariens to pay this fee since my snowblower was still "new" and not used, but they said I'd have to work that out w/ the repair shop. The repair shop, who laughed at me for buying the snowblower from Home Depot, did not want to wave the $80 fee or seek reimbursement from Ariens. The repair shop also did not have favorable reviews as a few people said their units had more broken items/hardware after a repair or service from them. I would have no issue paying the $80 had I actually used the snowblower! Luckily for me, Home Depot's great customer service came through for me and allowed me to return my defective unit and I then ordered a Honda (should have done this from the beginning). Ariens may sell a great products, but their customer service needs a lot of work.

We are very pleased with our purchase. My 76 year old mom wanted one at the farm so we could help out. The snow thrower is so easy to use and control that she is even able to run it with ease. Even though it has an electric start, she wanted to try and pull start it. She was able to pull start it with no problem. After reading a lot of reviews and watching many videos, I settled on this one for our needs. I would highly recommend this to anybody no matter their age.

Awesome machine throws the snow withe no problem

Easy to operate, easy to assemble, part are available but not cheap, most of it is metal

I purchased the Ariens Deluxe 28 in November 2017, and it replaced an older MTD Yard Machine that was simply tired and ineffective. This new blower has light-duty usage on walkways/paths at my residence, as I utilize a truck-mounted plow to clear my driveway. Due to the fact that our last two winters in central Maine have been mild in regard to snowfall amounts, the unit has less than 15 hours on it. The blower is always garage-stored and is well cared-for; it still has the original shear pins in use. Last week I removed the bottom cover of the transmission housing to perform annual lubrication process, and I discovered three sheared bolt heads lying on the cover. A quick diagnosis revealed two were from the right axle spindle, and one was from the left axle spindle. My local dealer provided me with the new parts which I installed yesterday, and he believes the cost will be covered by warranty (hopefully). He claims that Ariens was using bolts that are too hard, although a quick internet search reveals that bolts are often over-torqued at the factory (which makes more sense to me). As I was finishing the preventative maintenance this morning, I decided to make sure some crucial bolts were snug before normal operation. With light, two-finger pressure on a small wrench I broke the heads off two more bolts...one on the auger spindle and one on the shift linkage bracket. The core of all bolts broken are black and decayed, which leads me to believe they were compromised during the manufacturing process. I am convinced poor quality fasteners and/or over-torquing are the reasons for failure. The spring-loaded check valve in the press-in grease fittings have also failed, allowing most of the grease to purge out as fast as it went in. I will be contacting Ariens first thing next week to discuss these issues. Due to the chronic ailments of this snowblower, I do not expect much in regards to longevity. Poor craftsmanship, in addition to cumbersome ergos (Auto-Turn, throttle control, headlight, etc) will likely force me to sell this blower in the Spring (most likely at a loss). It does throw snow well, but I am expecting a catastrophic failure of components at any time due to faulty fasteners. This will most likely be my first and last Ariens purchase.

Excellent unit. Throws snow very well.