Simplicity I1224E (24") 250cc Two-Stage Snow Blower

After purchasing this in early November, I was disappointed that we didn’t get a good snowfall until January. Now that I’ve able to use the machine a few times, I can write a complete review. Let me start out by saying I work for Power Equipment Direct, but I don’t work with snowblowers on a day to day basis.

These machines are shipped in a crated box, which provides plenty of protection during shipping. Most of the unit is assembled, so set-up in minimal. If you can use a wrench, you shouldn’t have a problem. After checking the oil (came filled from the factory) and making sure that all the bolts were tight, it was time to start this machine up.

The Briggs engine on this snowblower includes a fuel stabilizer cylinder that snaps into the gas cap. I really like this feature because you don’t have to mess with mixing it in with your gasoline. Just remember to remove the freshness seal on the cylinder before you snap it in.

After filling it with gas, and putting the choke on, I pressed the primer twice and it started easily on the first pull. The electric start is a great feature, especially if you’ll be cold starting this machine. I let the engine warm up for a few minutes and turned the choke off. The engine sounds great and runs very smooth. You can hear the power as soon as you start the engine. It made the single stage snowblowers my neighbors were using sound like toys.

The I1224E has plenty of power to handle wet snow and it handles the fluffy stuff with ease. After a 7” snowfall, I was almost able to throw the snow onto my neighbor’s driveway. The specs on this machine state that it can throw up to 40-feet. I truly believe this in an accurate statement, and it was evident when the snow started to melt. There were no large piles of snow on the sides of the driveway. It was pretty evenly spread across the whole front yard.

I was surprised that it didn’t even bog down when I hit the foot of crud left by the city plow at the end of my driveway. It was able to handle this with ease, which is a plus because that’s the stuff that kills your back when you try to shovel it.

Here are a few tips I’d like to add. Two-stage snowblowers are mechanical by nature and require adjustments from time to time. After my first pass, the machine kept jumping. The skid shoes were set too high and the auger was catching. After a minor adjustment to the skid shoes, basically lowering the skid shoes to raise the auger's clearance a little higher off the ground. I also adjusted the scraper blade because one side was slightly higher than the other.

Two-stage snowblowers are supposed to leave some snow on the pavement compared to a single stage machine. You’re able to move more snow this way compared to a single-stage model. Also, the controls take time to master, so give yourself a little bit of time to get use to them.

At first I thought it was very odd that Simplicity was using an amber lens on the light. Compared to other brands that have a clear lens on the light, it would make it seem the amber would be a disadvantage. If you’re ever turned your high beams on in the rain or snow, you notice that much of the light is bouncing back off the precipitation. The amber lens prevents the light from bouncing back off the snow.

After purchasing this in early November, I was disappointed that we didn’t get a good snowfall until January. Now that I’ve able to use the machine a few times, I can write a complete review. Let me start out by saying I work for Power Equipment Direct, but I don’t work with snowblowers on a day to day basis.

These machines are shipped in a crated box, which provides plenty of protection during shipping. Most of the unit is assembled, so set-up in minimal. If you can use a wrench, you shouldn’t have a problem. After checking the oil (came filled from the factory) and makin... more

For 5 years I've lived on a hill in New Hampshire elev. 1250' and 'gotten by' (i should say survived) with a piece of junk, bought used 179cc yard machine with a plastic 10 inch impeller that clogged more often than it threw. Gravel driveway... in other words, I shoveled mostly by hand. We're talking 3 foot drifts and a 4-5 foot wall at the end of the 80' driveway. Finally decided to not be a maniac and get a real snowblower.

After researching and reading many reviews, i picked the Simplicity 250cc 24" for general overall quality although the comparable Ariens was a close second. I don't know if it's true but I've heard of quality issues since they went with home depot and I'm not planning on hauling this monster in for repairs mid-winter. Paid $100 more for 250cc over 208cc with 16" tires vs 13" on the other 24" Simplicity. Looks awesome, set up quick, did have oil in it and it sounds gooood....No doubt I'm ready for winter.

Mainly wrote this to get the ball rolling... I'd like to hear from guys who've actually used it. Will write a follow up in the spring.

For 5 years I've lived on a hill in New Hampshire elev. 1250' and 'gotten by' (i should say survived) with a piece of junk, bought used 179cc yard machine with a plastic 10 inch impeller that clogged more often than it threw. Gravel driveway... in other words, I shoveled mostly by hand. We're talking 3 foot drifts and a 4-5 foot wall at the end of the 80' driveway. Finally decided to not be a maniac and get a real snowblower.

After researching and reading many reviews, i picked the Simplicity 250cc 24" for general overall quality although the comparable Ariens was a close... more