Ariens Deluxe Platinum 24
$1,499
- Type: Dual-Stage
- Engine: 249cc OHV 1150 Series
- Clearing Width: 24" (61 cm)″
- Starter: 120 volt/recoil
Snowblower Specifications
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Engine
Brand Briggs & Stratton Type 2 stage Horsepower 249cc OHV 1150 Series Starting System 120 volt/recoil Fuel Tank 2.9 qt (2.74 l) -
Overview
In-Dash_Headlights Standard Halogen Headlight Heated_Handles Handwarmers Weight 224 lb (101.6 kg) Consumer_Warranty 3-Yr Limited Commercial_Warranty 90-Day Limited -
Axle System
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Drive System
Drive Disc-O-Matic™ Forward_Speeds 6 forward Reverse_Speeds 2 reverse Tire_Type Directional Snow Tread Tire_Size 15" x 5" (38.1 x 12.7 cm) Skid_Shoes Reversible -
Chute
Material XS Aluminum Chute_Rotation Quick-Turn remote Turning_Radius 200° Max_Throwing_Distance 3'–50' (0.9–15.2 m) -
Auger
Clearing Width 24" (61 cm) Clearing Height 21" (53.3 cm) Material All steel -
Impeller
Diameter 14" Profile Steel 3 blade
Snowblower Reviews
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Ariens Deluxe Platinum 24
By Bob(Owner), Jan. 30, 2011
My Ariens ST24DLE Platinum 921017 was purchased on-line for $1285, the lowest price I could find at the time (Xmas 2010). It was delivered on-time in a sturdy cardboard box, on an old wood pallet. I’d also paid an extra $50 for the tail-gate service because I knew I’d be in work when it arrived. When I got home at 4pm, I saw the top of the box was indented. Although my fiance’ said she had pointed this out to the driver, I saw no mention of it on the delivery ticket (bill of lading). Since the fine print on that ticket said any visible external damage to the packaging should have been noted at time of delivery, I was apprehensive. But when I looked inside, I was relieved to see the impact had been to a ‘mid-section’ area where there was empty space inside the box (over the engine area): there wasn’t a single dent-bend-scratch, so I had lucked out.
It was dusk when I first started raising and re-bolting the handlebar, and it was dark as I began tackling the cable linkage(s) and the long rod that links the control lever on the “dashboard†to the chute, to control left-right chute rotation.
Trickiest part was getting that chute linkage bar (a long, hexagonal rod) to align with the hand-control lever in the handlebar ‘dash’.
Each end of the bar has three small holes drilled in it, all in a row. Once the hexagonal bar is fed through the close-fitting hole in the upper chute bracket, it is ‘fixed’ to a certain orientation. But as I continued feeding the rest of the bar through until it reached the hand-control lever, I would discover the holes in the bar were out of alignment with the corresponding hole in the control lever, preventing the big cotter pin from being re-inserted to attach the bar to the control lever. (Directions said there should have been an alignment ‘guide markâ€, but none was seen. And getting that rod through the control lever is tedious, due to the restricted access in the underside of the handlebar “dashâ€. Each ‘miss’ is frustrating & time consuming, best to be avoided.)
Instead of having the holes all aligned, Ariens should drill the holes in the one end of the bar (the end that mates with the control lever) so that the orientation of each hole is rotated 60-degrees from the previous one. This way, no matter which way you initially feed the bar through the “fixed†upper chute bracket, you’ll still end up having one hole that happens to be correctly aligned with the hole in the hand-control lever.
I just wanted to assemble it quick so I could wheel it into my shed. But the circumstances had me working by dim flashlight in 25 degree weather. It took me 2 hours, but if working under sensible conditions it should take only about an hour. (An experienced guy who’s done it before, could probably do it in 20 minutes.) I was happy to see the headlight was already mounted, and that the blower had come with a plastic “clean-out†shovel, fitted into a handy clip attached to the outer housing where the snow gets scooped up. The tire pressure was OK as is.
I unscrewed the gas cap, put in some 89-octane gas, checked the oil level, made sure the handle-grip safety-feature was working, pressed the ‘prime bulb’ a couple times (a sort of squishy-feeling bulb, not firm, as if it’s mainly filled with air), set it to full choke (the 10 o’clock position), set the throttle (located on the rear of engine, down near your right knee) to about ¾ speed, turned the key to “ON†(clockwise), grabbed the pull-start rope, and gave it a pull. It started on the 2nd pull. And, if I hadn’t given such a weak pull the first time, I think it would’ve started on the very first pull, right out of the box.
Since it was a brand new, cold engine, I felt it would be prudent to give the oil a chance to circulate a little and give it a chance to warm-up & “break-inâ€. So within about 20 seconds I’d reduced the throttle setting while I ‘opened’ the choke, to get a steady slow idle, and just let it run for about 15 minutes. I then put it through the various forward and reverse gears, checked operation of all the controls, and got my hands thawed out via the nice hand-warmers. Satisfied, I pushed it into my shed and went looking for dinner.
About 5 days later, we got about 3 inches of snow. I probably could’ve hand-shoveled (hand-pushed) this little coating off my smooth asphalt driveway in less time, but I couldn’t wait to try-out the snow blower. It started on the FIRST PULL, and I ‘played’ for about 45 minutes, at ¾ to full throttle. But it was only throwing this ‘thin’ snowfall about 30 feet, -not 50 feet.
I next took it out to the street at my driveway entrance, where passing plow trucks tend to ‘plow me in’ with orangish ‘road snow’ loaded with salt and sand. The snow blower cut through this deeper stuff with no problem, but I noticed it was no longer throwing the snow, and discovered this ‘salt-snow-slush’ glop had frozen to the inside of the chute, partially clogging it. Now, I had a reason to use the attached plastic shovel: I shut it off and within a minute the clog was history and I was re-starting it (again on the FIRST PULL, -I’ve never had to use the 120V ‘plug-in’ starter feature).
I personally have no trouble handling this 230 lb. unit (incl. fuel wt.), but I’m a 6-1, 210 lb. guy who is reasonably fit. I imagine my fiancé would find it a bit more challenging. The forward speeds are plenty fast. The traction-control and knobby tires let this thing run through snow quite well, and it backs itself out of a jam with no problem.
The hand-controls allow quick, single-handed adjustment of the chute through a full 200-degrees (sharp left -to- sharp right) without stooping, and allow similarly easy adjustment of the deflector at the top of the chute to control how far away the snow gets thrown. You can easily aim it to shoot the snow into ‘safe spots’ away from delicate landscape shrubs or low-voltage lights. Unless you have three hands, you’ll have to pause your snow-blowing for a second while you adjust the chute via a control knob, but you get pretty quick with your hand-action. Left hand controls the wheel engagement or the chute: right hand controls the auger or the forward-reverse gears selection. It cleared the snow down to about 1/8†to 1/4â€, to where the dark asphalt could be faintly seen underneath. Later, after this coating had melted/evaporated on its own (I try to avoid using salt), I saw it had left no marks on my recently-paved driveway.
Fuel consumption is surprisingly good: fuel usage varies with snow depth/type, but even chugging through a foot of ‘heavy’ snow at full throttle, its 3 qt. tank will last well over an hour. At idle, it can barely be heard from 100 feet away. At full throttle it’s no louder than a small motorcycle with a quiet muffler. My unprotected ears don’t ‘ring’ after using it for an hour or two. There’s no fuel gauge, but it’ll usually ‘warn you’ it’s about to run out (rev’s get erratic) instead of just suddenly stalling.
It throws 12-inch, heavy snow about 40 feet --not 50 feet! I can guess it throws light, 3-inch snow only about 30 feet, because the auger isn’t really getting loaded enough to do its job properly. If you read all the Consumer Reports stuff, and all the manufacturer’s claims, but then mentally substitute “30-40 feet†where they say “50 feetâ€, you’ll know what you’re buying.
Having said that, let me repeat that it starts for me on the very FIRST PULL every time, has conveniently laid-out hand controls, has good maneuverability and traction, is good on gas, is fairly quiet, can throw the snow with pin-point accuracy, keeps your hands warm, and has a very sturdy construction with a good coating of durable, epoxy-looking paint. My Ariens ST24DLE Platinum 921017 snowblower generally seems like it will last many, many years. It’s a really good unit, --but I do wish Ariens didn’t have the price set as high.
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Performance
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Interior
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Quality & Reliability
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Overall Value
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