Ariens Sno-Tek (24") 208cc Two-Stage Snow Blower

We had a relatively late snowstorm in Virginia during the 2012-2013 Winter. It snowed in March and we had about 12 inches of accumulation of a very heavy wet snow. The power was out for a few hours in the morning due to tree branches falling on the power lines. Most of the snow happened during the night but it would continue to snow off and on most of the day, sometimes hard and fast.

The car was well covered with snow and the long driveway to the street would have to be cleared in order to travel, especially if there was an emergency.I had done this work for years by shoveling but have been diagnosed with COPD, a breathing disorder, I just can't do it anymore that way. This was the main reason for my snowblower purchase and it did the job quickly where it used to take me hours. It would have been virtually impossible for me to clear the snow by shoveling and could have been the last thing I ever attempted to do had I tried.

We had a relatively late snowstorm in Virginia during the 2012-2013 Winter. It snowed in March and we had about 12 inches of accumulation of a very heavy wet snow. The power was out for a few hours in the morning due to tree branches falling on the power lines. Most of the snow happened during the night but it would continue to snow off and on most of the day, sometimes hard and fast.

The car was well covered with snow and the long driveway to the street would have to be cleared in order to travel, especially if there was an emergency.I had done this work for years by shoveling but have b... more

I would like to say that my new Sno-Tek is a great machine and I am very pleased with it up to this point. Putting it together is pretty much straight forward. It took me a while to get the starting procedure down with the electric start mode, but I think I have it now.

I had a fair amount of snow one afternoon and thought I would give it a try. I got it started and made my first pass- it was wonderful. It threw the snow a mile, and I said " this is great ". Then I backed up a bit to make a turn for another pass, engaged the auger and nothing- no snow coming from the chute. "What could be wrong? This is brand new, and I've only made one pass."

So I got out the book and read the section that covered the auger operation and discovered that there was too much slack in the cable that actuates the PTO. Well that didn't work, so I took off the cover for the belt pulley area only to discover that the idler pulley plate assembly was bent over to the right a good amount and the pulley was way right of the belt. I had to bend the plate back and line up the pulley in relation to the belt assembly.

It seems to me that this was misaligned at the factory and thus caused the belt to jump the pulley and bend the plate that it's mounted on. It might be a good idea to make note of this and pass it on to the factory to avoid this happening in the future.

Except for this little hiccup, "so far so good". I love the machine.

SBD RESPONDS: You have a Factory Warranty for this unit, so you may want to give the folks at Ariens a call directly at 920-756-4688. They will be able to advise you on proper setup for your unit, or refer you to Authorized Service in your area if it's needed.

Just be sure to have the serial number of your snowblower handy when you call Ariens; they may ask for it.

I would like to say that my new Sno-Tek is a great machine and I am very pleased with it up to this point. Putting it together is pretty much straight forward. It took me a while to get the starting procedure down with the electric start mode, but I think I have it now.

I had a fair amount of snow one afternoon and thought I would give it a try. I got it started and made my first pass- it was wonderful. It threw the snow a mile, and I said " this is great ". Then I backed up a bit to make a turn for another pass, engaged the auger and nothing- no snow coming from the chute. &qu... more

I purchased my snow blower just after the last storm in Jan 2012, so I never really had a chance to use until today. The whole experience has been great.

Buying the snow blower couldn't have been easier. Snow Blowers Direct has a great selection, but I already knew I wanted an Ariens two-stage machine. I opted for the lift gate delivery to my door. I live on a very narrow dead end street which required he driver to back down the street. All I can say is that he was a VERY GOOD driver.

The machine was boxed on a pallet. Assembly was pretty straightforward and the instructions were clear and easy to follow.

Any way, I finally had a chance to use it today as we got the first significant snowfall since the purchase. When I arrived home from work there was approximately 6 inches of heavy, packing snow on the ground. I gassed up the snow blower, checked the oil and followed the start-up procedure as outlined in the instructions.

It started on the 1st pull- Really!! Without being too long winded, it cut thru those 6 inches like butter. It was throwing the snow some 25 feet into my neighbor's yard.

My driveway is approximately 100 feet from the street to my garage and about 1 1/2 cars wide. It used to take upwards of 2 hrs to shovel. The snow blower cut that to about 25 minutes- unbelievable!!!!!!

I am looking forward to the next snowfall. This was the best purchase I've made in quite a while.

I purchased my snow blower just after the last storm in Jan 2012, so I never really had a chance to use until today. The whole experience has been great.

Buying the snow blower couldn't have been easier. Snow Blowers Direct has a great selection, but I already knew I wanted an Ariens two-stage machine. I opted for the lift gate delivery to my door. I live on a very narrow dead end street which required he driver to back down the street. All I can say is that he was a VERY GOOD driver.

The machine was boxed on a pallet. Assembly was pretty straightforward and the instructions were ... more

Had an older 18-20 y.o. Ariens 20". Worked well over the years, started having gas leaks too often and tired of putting money in it, thus it was time to shop for new one with my wife's blessing. Received the new one in good time. Got it together, few instructions had to read several times, but got it together, checked oil and other things before firing it up. Took quite a few pulls before it started but hey, it's brand new and when it did Oh the power I heard....

Took it out the next day and used the electric start of which it started immediately, ran it along the edge of the driveway to knock back previous drifts, also cleared a path to the shed through the yard... Just had to try it out.... lol. It threw the snow 30-40' away. Had to chute it down when close to neighbors' houses.

Only thing I still have not figured out are two screws and nuts that are attached to a retainer type of item which is wire tied to the chute tower. These screws/nuts were not in the instructions nor does it mention them.

I'll probably need to call someone ask what they are for.

Had an older 18-20 y.o. Ariens 20". Worked well over the years, started having gas leaks too often and tired of putting money in it, thus it was time to shop for new one with my wife's blessing. Received the new one in good time. Got it together, few instructions had to read several times, but got it together, checked oil and other things before firing it up. Took quite a few pulls before it started but hey, it's brand new and when it did Oh the power I heard....

Took it out the next day and used the electric start of which it started immediately, ran it along the edge of the dri... more

The roller skids do not provide adequate ground clearance over other than paved surfaces. I get about 1/2 inch - same as the skids I replaced after doing about $500 worth of glass damage to my wife's car with crushed stone from my driveway. They could have easily added another inch of clearance. I'm disappointed.


SBD RESPONDS: Skids are not designed to give additional ground clearance, they are designed to prevent wear and tear on the snowblower auger and housing. In the case of roller skids, they are designed to improve maneuverability and protect against scraping pavement, concrete or pavers. If you use the Roller Skid Universal Adapter Brackets you can adjust the Roller-Skids downward. Problem solved!! For whatever reason, Ariens located their mounting holes on the Sno-Tek Series 2” above the bottom edge of the auger box. Because of this the Roller-Skids just barely touch the ground.

The roller skids do not provide adequate ground clearance over other than paved surfaces. I get about 1/2 inch - same as the skids I replaced after doing about $500 worth of glass damage to my wife's car with crushed stone from my driveway. They could have easily added another inch of clearance. I'm disappointed.


SBD RESPONDS: Skids are not designed to give additional ground clearance, they are designed to prevent wear and tear on the snowblower auger and housing. In the case of roller skids, they are designed to improve maneuverability and protect against scraping pavement, concrete ... more

I researched this model for several weeks before purchasing. It seems Ariens uses their gearbox and drive system from the orange 20 inch model, an older design of auger and housing, a plastic chute, Chinese tires and engine and omits the headlight. Then they sell this model at about half what the orange models sell for.

I have found the LCT engine to be reliable and easy starting and extremely fuel efficient. It used about half a tank over three hours of hard use.

The rest of the unit is also well built. It can bust through the icy end of driveway mess with ease. I was chewing through snow up to the top of the intake with ease in low gear, blowing it at least 30 feet away. This thing ran circles around my neighbors Simplicity's and MTD's during last years blizzards.

The only thing I would change is to add slightly larger tires...The standard ones function fine, they just look way too small.

I researched this model for several weeks before purchasing. It seems Ariens uses their gearbox and drive system from the orange 20 inch model, an older design of auger and housing, a plastic chute, Chinese tires and engine and omits the headlight. Then they sell this model at about half what the orange models sell for.

I have found the LCT engine to be reliable and easy starting and extremely fuel efficient. It used about half a tank over three hours of hard use.

The rest of the unit is also well built. It can bust through the icy end of driveway mess with ease. I was chewing thr... more