Ariens Platinum 24 SHO (24") 369cc Two-Stage Snow Blower w/ EFI Engine

Bought Ariens 921053 from Snow Blowers Direct in November 2016 for use at my mountain home at 9300 ft elevation in Colorado. My property has a combination of concrete and lightly sloping gravel surfaces to clear. After several weeks of research, I chose this model due to high power on a machine that was sized small enough to be highly maneuverable, and robust enough to withstand frequent usage. I selected the new EFI option due to my remoteness from a servicing dealer and that carburetors sometimes have problems at this elevation.

I paid for lift gate delivery option, but by the time the truck showed up the road to my house had become snow packed and the truck couldn't make it. I found a couple of people and we unloaded it into back of large SUV. The good news is that SBD cheerfully refunded the lift gate charge.

I assembled the machine (the printed picture instructions were much less confusing after watching youtube video) checked fluids and gave starter cord a pull. The machine started effortlessly on the first easy pull and has operated flawlessly ever since.

I have used machine 8 or 9 times so far in snow depths from 4 inches to 2 feet and also tackled compacted piles from roof fall about 4 feet deep all with no issues. Simply put, this machine clears anything I want with very little effort. It is only in very deep compacted snow that the motor even begins to sound like it is straining a bit.

The transmission provides great speed options depending on the amount of snow I am clearing. The only time I've noticed auto steer getting a mind of it's own is when one wheel rolls over a large clump of ice or similar, but it corrects itself very quickly. I suspect most machines with powered drive wheels would behave much the same.

If you need an extremely powerful, reliable, yet maneuverable machine capable of handling varying surfaces, I highly recommend this one. A bit expensive, yes, but this one has exceeded my expectations. Well done, Ariens. And thanks SBD!

Bought Ariens 921053 from Snow Blowers Direct in November 2016 for use at my mountain home at 9300 ft elevation in Colorado. My property has a combination of concrete and lightly sloping gravel surfaces to clear. After several weeks of research, I chose this model due to high power on a machine that was sized small enough to be highly maneuverable, and robust enough to withstand frequent usage. I selected the new EFI option due to my remoteness from a servicing dealer and that carburetors... more

I ordered my unit on a Friday, and on Monday I called to schedule a delivery for Tuesday. It was delivered promptly within 30 minutes on the front end of the delivery window that I was provided.

Everything went together nicely by following the included instructions. I checked all of the fluids and the tire pressure, added premium gas, fully charged the battery, and went to start it for the first time. That's when things went poorly. The engine runs very hard as soon as you turn it on, and backfires every few seconds. It revs up and down over and over, regardless of throttle.

I had to bring it to a service center on the first night I owned it, and after unloading it onto their dock, it fired up and ran perfectly. After dialing the throttle up and down a number of times, we agreed whatever the problem was must have been temporary, so I brought it back home.

As luck would have it, as soon as I got it home, the problem returned. After many starts and stops, and letting the motor run between, it eventually did run well for me. I let it idle for about 10 minutes before turning it off. When starting it again, the problem returned.

The next day I loaded it back up and brought it into the shop, and they've now had it for a couple days. They've been working with the manufacturer directly, and have expressed their frustrations with the company. According to this service center, they've been no help, and shouldn't have even sold this model yet since there aren't even replacement parts available.

With snow on the way, and already having given away my old snow blower, I'm stuck with shovel in hand and a nearly $2000 snow blower sitting in the shop with no remedy in sight.

I ordered my unit on a Friday, and on Monday I called to schedule a delivery for Tuesday. It was delivered promptly within 30 minutes on the front end of the delivery window that I was provided.

Everything went together nicely by following the included instructions. I checked all of the fluids and the tire pressure, added premium gas, fully charged the battery, and went to start it for the first time. That's when things went poorly. The engine runs very hard as soon as you turn it on,... more

I too like the other reviewer have experienced the exact same problem. Engine runs hard and revs up and down and backfires. My issue is my local dealer will not work on these "new EFI" models.

I am hoping for some resolution as I too have a 1700 blower sitting in my garage while I was shoveling all day. As things progress hopefully for the better I will update.

Ordered the Ariens 921053 (24" Platinum EFI) from Snow Blowers Direct on a Friday evening, was notified Monday morning that it shipped and I had it by Thursday. Spending this kind of money online was a tad never racking, but the unit arrived in perfect condition and was boxed very well on a wood pallet.

The tracking system from the freight company was very informative (every step of the way) and their customer service was great on scheduling. I did pay the $50 lift-gate fee but feel it was totally worth it as the unit was delivered on a full sized tractor trailer. The driver was nice enough to haul it with a pallet jack up my driveway and into the garage. Can't ask for any better than that!

Now onto the snowblower: This is my first Ariens product and I'm coming from a 16 year old 5HP Yard Machine and have to say this unit is a beast compared to my old unit. It probably weighs twice as much, but with the large tires Ariens put on the unit it's actually very easy to maneuver.

The assembly instructions are not the best (all pictures) but they'll make sense as you move along the process. Just study the highlighted part in each pic. Ariens actually has a quick assembly video on Youtube which I watched a few times and it helped tremendously. After assembly no adjustments were needed. I was surprised the chute control worked perfectly right out the gate. Checked all the fluids and they were perfect. Even the tire pressure was spot on. BTW I love having EVERY control on the operators panel, and it doesn't appear overcrowded. Well done Ariens! Last I charged the battery which took approximately three hours to get the green light on the charger.

Now onto the long awaited start: I added 89 Octane with the Ariens fuel stabilizer, first going for the electronic start. Turned the key and heard the fuel pump prime for 1-2 seconds, hit the start button and the unit fired right up. I then ran it for 10 minutes or so trying every feature and everything worked perfectly. The Auto steer seems to be a very cool feature and I did not experience any abrupt jolts to one side or the other (granted there's no snow while testing). The heated grips, while took a while, get quite warm/hot (even though it was 75 degrees out while testing haha). I then shut it down, waited a few minutes and tried the pull cord which fired up on the first pull.

In summary: I am a person who loves toys and must say this unit is probably a little overkill for where I live (Southern New Jersey near Philadelphia) but we do get the occasional monster storm and my old 5HP Yard Machine would struggle hard. Especially with the wet deep stuff. Hopefully this unit will tear right through it.

If you have the coin...go for it! Ya live once!

Ordered the Ariens 921053 (24" Platinum EFI) from Snow Blowers Direct on a Friday evening, was notified Monday morning that it shipped and I had it by Thursday. Spending this kind of money online was a tad never racking, but the unit arrived in perfect condition and was boxed very well on a wood pallet.

The tracking system from the freight company was very informative (every step of the way) and their customer service was great on scheduling. I did pay the $50 lift-gate fee but feel... more

I purchased this snow blower from Snow Blowers At Jacks back in September. It only took about 10 days to arrive after making the delivery date with the delivery company. The delivery driver was courteous and helpful.

After unpacking the snow blower and setting it up, I discovered some quality control issues. The first issue was the shoot deflector. It did not work. I had to adjust the adjustment screw to get it to move up and down. After that I had to spray it with lithium grease because it squeaked so bad.

After charging the battery and putting gas in it, it took three pulls to get it started. I ran it for about 15 minutes with no issues. It would have been nice if Ariens installed a gas gauge.

After a couple of days I noticed oil on the floor. I checked under the snow blower but could not find the source of the leak. I ran it again and it ran with no issues.

The wires coming out of the stator could have been neater. I sorted the wires and used electrical tape to wrap the connections and tie wrapped them together.

When it snows I will be able to asses it further. For now, this is an impressive snow blower to look at.

I purchased this snow blower from Snow Blowers At Jacks back in September. It only took about 10 days to arrive after making the delivery date with the delivery company. The delivery driver was courteous and helpful.

After unpacking the snow blower and setting it up, I discovered some quality control issues. The first issue was the shoot deflector. It did not work. I had to adjust the adjustment screw to get it to move up and down. After that I had to spray it with lithium grease... more

I've seen the negative reviews and noticed they all come from units that were shipped in a box and left up to the individuals to set up and prep. People underestimate the amount of work that is done to prepare power equipment for sale. I sell tractors and other things for a living and we spend a lot of time setting up and tweaking units before selling. Cars are the same way, it is unrealistic to think that a machine will just pop together and function perfectly without this process. So consider that when deciding how to purchase your unit. I am pretty handy so it would not bother me to set one up, but as it happens I picked one up already prepped from a local dealer. Not suprising that all was well and the unit runs like a champ.

I have the 24 in sho platinum and it handles wet , icy snow very well. The motor starts on the first pull and the dial throttle works well. The auto turn took a bit of getting used to but now that I have practiced it moves fast. The dealer charged the battery but I hooked it up just for fun and it worked fine. I have a pull down cord on a reel in the garage so the short cord was no issue.

Also I use non ethanol canned gas, available at any hardware or home center for 18 bucks a gallon. That eliminates the issues with stabilizer and storage. Before you start any negative thoughts, real world talking here. Have you really saved any money when you have to spend money to get a snow thrower serviced in the winter due to bad pump gas? Nope. I use 2 cans max across the whole winter in the NE even with heavy snow.

So overall its a win and if you think its too much money Ariens offers many other cheaper models that are also solid.

I've seen the negative reviews and noticed they all come from units that were shipped in a box and left up to the individuals to set up and prep. People underestimate the amount of work that is done to prepare power equipment for sale. I sell tractors and other things for a living and we spend a lot of time setting up and tweaking units before selling. Cars are the same way, it is unrealistic to think that a machine will just pop together and function perfectly without this process. So consider... more

I bought this machine from a local dealer here in NY. They assembled (for free) and delivered it to my house and showed me how to use it. My machine runs flawlessly! I think some of these issues in the reviews are people not assembling the machine properly themselves because of shoddy instructions or using the wrong fuel.

My machine doesn't squeak, backfire, leak anything, ect... I would advise having it professionally assembled, if possible, by a local dealer so you get a perfectly working product. I can tell you that nothing LESS than '89 gas is allowed into the unit because of ethanol ratings. Maybe these other people are using "regular" gas in the machine without knowing. Personally, for an $1,800 snowblower, I put Premium gas in it. The dealer gave it to me with a little bit of 0% ethanol gas to get it going, but that stuff is $110 for a 5 gallon jug. So '93 it is.

I would also recommend buying the Ariens maintenance kit made for 2-stage Deluxe & Platinum snowblowers. It comes with enough fuel stabilizer for a 5 gallon gas can, 3 replacement shear bolts, Sno-Jet liquid polymer spray so the snow doesn't stick to the auger, impeller or in the chute, and a quart of oil. I also bought mine with the polypropylene skid shoes because it makes the auto-turning function much smoother and it won't scratch up you driveway like the stock metal ones can.

Even though the snow blower doesn't have a carburetor, I would definitely recommend using fuel stabilizer in every can of gas you get. The liquid 4oz bottle is good for 20 gallons. You just add it to the gas can when you go fill it up. It keeps the fuel fresh for up to 3 years and helps protect internal engine components from ethanol build-up. You spend this much on a snowblower, you should go the extra mile to make sure it will continue to operate trouble free. Plus the gas that's left in the can will be good for next season with stabilizer in it.

As for functionality... I have a 4-car driveway and a very long driveway for our tenants. I'm disabled and had the job done in a half hour with a foot of snow. Make sure to let go of the throttle before changing speeds, as per the manual. It also states that the OPTIMAL snow depth for this unit is 18 inches, but I can say it plowed right through 12 inches of the wet, packed snow at the end of the driveway like nothing. That's where that Sno-Jet spray comes in handy so you don't get a clog. It also comes with a small plug-in battery charger and you charge the battery once every 3 months, but the manual says that running the machine charges the battery as well (like an alternator for a car does). There's a small connector under the dash that the charger plugs into. But the charger looks like something you'd use for a phone and only has a 3 foot cord as well. I guess they didn't take into consideration that not everyone's shed has a power outlet in it. You're going to need an extension cord unless you're parking the thing right next to a power outlet and it's to charge the EFI function to boot. The one "con" the machine has.

If you are deciding between the Deluxe 30 EFI or the Platinum 24 EFI, go with the Platinum 24. It isn't a small machine at all and has a much more powerful engine than the Deluxe does (306cc vs 369cc). So you basically have a bigger snowblower with a smaller engine. Doesn't make much sense. The Deluxe is the one you can get at Home Depot. The Platinum 24 can only be bought from an Ariens dealer.

After getting over the fact that I spent over $2,000 on a snowblower and accessories, I don't regret it one bit. Having peace of mind that I have a top notch snowblower that will fly through a foot of snow without breaking a sweat is all I wanted. And being disabled means I needed a unit I could maneuver but also has a ton of power that could handle anything I can throw at it. It starts with one gentle pull. If you treat it right, I see it lasting a VERY LONG TIME.

I bought this machine from a local dealer here in NY. They assembled (for free) and delivered it to my house and showed me how to use it. My machine runs flawlessly! I think some of these issues in the reviews are people not assembling the machine properly themselves because of shoddy instructions or using the wrong fuel.

My machine doesn't squeak, backfire, leak anything, ect... I would advise having it professionally assembled, if possible, by a local dealer so you get a perfectly working... more

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