🎅🏿🎄🤶🏾Happy Holidays 🎄🎁🎄 Paul , As always your videos are always 💯 percent enjoyable to view & very educational 😀 Last week here in Central Pennsylvania we finally got enough Snow ☃️❄️☃️ for me to use My brand new Ariens Professional RapidTrak 32" Snowblower That I purchase March 2019 I remember watching your video on the Ariens professional 28 inch RapidTrak You talked about in 1 of your videos, I’m so Very pleased 😀 with my purchase 🤙 all thanks to your recommendation Ariens should be giving you some kind of 💰 💵💰 Your videos are always so informative ,I always 👀 look 👀 forward to watching each video Job well done keep making these awesome educational videos Stay safe 😷🦠😷

Thanks 👍

Very welcome!

Glad you liked it!

I know it will do a great job!

I can't find a HSS Honda anywhere to test the triggers to see if they are easier to pull and have less travel than the Toro's. The Hondas do use a different transmission than Toro. I do have a Husqvarna here that use the same transmission as the Toro and the trigger throw is also long but they are easier to pull.

Your wheeled version is balanced very well so all the weight is on the tires. I don't expect it to have any issues with traction.

Where in Minnesota do you live ??? I'm in Eden-Prairie.

Great tip!

Thanks for reminding me. I did not make the video last year because the snowblower I have is one of the original models made and it needed an update kit that included the belts and pulleys under the cover. Because of the pandemic and supply chain problems that update finally got done about 3 weeks ago. I get this video done soon.

The Toro is a little awkward to adjust but that sounds like too much. I suggest spending a little time with a wrench and socket and go around and tighten all the bolts on the track system. You may have one or more bolts loose that are causing the extra work.

I have both the Ariens Professional 28 Rapidtrak and the Toro TRX HD 1428 here. I hope to have a comparison video done by the weekend and the video will help you decide which one is best for you.

The changes needed were made in March of 2021. So, the 2021 models made later that year had the issues fixed. The changes were: 1. Redesigned the transmissions belt tensioner. The original tensioner wouldn't tighten the belt enough. (It actually wasn't the transmissions) 2. Added a few support brackets to the tracks and made sure all the bolts holding the track assembly together were properly torqued.

@@PaulSikkema Awesome. Thank you for the quick response. I have a 500' gravel driveway to maintain. My first choice was a Ariens Rapidtrak unit but logistically my closest Ariens dealer is over an hour away. We get 60-80" of snow a year so hopefully the TRX will serve me well!

That's a very tough choice because both of them are great snow blowers. I lean towards the Ariens because they have the commercial grade AutoTurn steering - it's the easiest commercial snow blower to use. The Ariens 28 Pro is about $2299 and the Toro 1428 is about $2499. Both have the 6 speed friction disk transmission and both can handle anything you get. Ariens also offers the Ariens 28 Pro Hydro EFI for about $2899. With that you get a infinitely variable speed transmission and the latest EFI (electronic fuel injection) engine. Any one of the three will last you years and years and years.

Is the 1428 wheeled version built like this unit minus the hydro?? Thanks

Yes, the 1428 is a commercial unit with the same specs as this one. It has the tried-and-true Toro 6 speed friction disk tranny.

@@PaulSikkema I live in west MI, I already have a small single stage. I’m looking at this 1428 or the 928 to take care of the “big” stuff that comes. Of these two, which would you recommend to take care of everything. My driveway is 2 car wide and 100’ long and of course the heavy stuff that the city plow leaves for me.

The 928 will work very well - the 1428 will just get the job done faster. By the way, The 928 has automatic steering. The 1428 has trigger steer and a lot of the components, like the handles are much heavier duty.

From the amount of snow you can get up there you need a machine with losts of power yet is very easy to use. My suggestion would be the Toro 928 OAE or the Ariens Platinum 30 SHO.

I never found that any of the sprays or oils last more than a few minutes.

@@PaulSikkema what about fluid film?

A lot of people use it but I never have. I really don't have problems with the newer snowblowers and snow sticking inside them. Even the smaller ones like the Troy-Bilt's don't pack up with snow. That said, every once in a while I will have snow build up on the auger gearbox and the front auger. When I'm done I like to clean that off so the snowblower doesn't freeze up. So, I shine a baby chick infrared heat bulb into the housing, in the garage until the snow is melted out of the snowblower. Here is a link to what I am talking about: amzn.to/3BkPdpJ

Yes, these engines have an internal oil pump like your auto engine.

1. I don't know. I suggest talking to a Toro dealer in your area. (I have been recommending the Ariens Pro with the EFI engines for high altitude - but - Ariens doesn't have a tracked version here in the U. S. at this time.) 2. Change the oil after the first 5 hours 3. Tracks will fix the traction issues 4. This Toro does not have any. The new Ariens only has two on the front auger.

Take a look at the Ariens Pro 28" or 32" RapidTrak too. I looked at Honda, Husqvarna, and Ariens Pro. I ended buying the the RapidTrak 28" last year and absolutely love it. It's track system is so unique. Everything heavy duty. I do ❤️ the Toro chute and the single chute turn / rotate mechanism better than the Ariens. Wish we could pick and choose the best from each manufacturer 😂🤣.

@@PaulSikkema Thanks Paul.

@@Drewg351 Thanks Drew. Problem is no one has any tracked models on display. Asians, Toro, or Honda.

First, there are two types of Track Drive snowblowers. The Ariens RapidTrak and everything else. The RapidTrak is a tracked drive when you need it and a highly maneuverable wheel unit when you don't. If the 926/928 was a decent size for you I suggest the Ariens Platinum RapidTrak SHO. It is an excellent residential track drive that's agile like wheel unit and tracks when you need it. The other brands are only putting track drives on the most expensive snowblowers. These "conventional" tracks drives are slower than wheeled machines and they take a lot more room to turn around. I only recommend them if you really, really need the traction for steep driveways and "off-roading" out to outbuildings, etc. Check out this video for the difference. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e8iqd7dltd-5oJc.html

@@PaulSikkema thank you for the reply. I was thinking the toro 1400. Having something a little stronger and wider would help me

Check with your dealer. The 1428 and 1432 are limited and he may not be able to get one until fall.

I started my snow blower experience with a Craftsman 5/23 Trac-Drive I got for free because the old owner said it would not run. (Standard Tecumsah issues). Awesome little tank of a drive system, but way under-powered, and it took quite a bit of upper body strength to maneuver. My currant blower is a wheeled unit, and I miss the tracks A LOT!! IMO, unless you are just doing pavement or concrete, wheels suck.

Yes, no one wanted poly chutes so Toro switched a few years ago. That said, Sand the areas that have chipped and then spray those areas with Rustoleum. They make a red that matches.

That is what I plan on doing. However, there are no chips in the paint at all. It appears that it has rusted from the inside out. Bubbling the paint. Or almost like maybe the edge of the seem was never painted. Thank you for the reply. I still love the machine. I loved the older powermax I had as well. They throw snow like it’s nothing I also like that there are no sheer pins.

Any chance you would know which shade of rustoleum red matches a 2018 toro?

I don't know. My local Menards and local ACE have a huge selection of the Rustoleum paints and just go in a find a match.

The parts of the snowblower that are powder coated (painted) are dipped in a solution to remove all the oils and other chemicals that are used when the steel is made and formed before it goes into the paint booth. If the coating is flaking not all of those chemicals were removed completely at that step of the process. I don't know if Toro warranties the poly flaking off. I suggest talking to your dealer to see if they do.

The Honda HSS928ATD. is the comparable model to these. Engines: Honda 270 cc , Ariens 420 cc, Toro 420 cc Throwing distance: Honda 52 feet, Ariens/Toro 60 feet Capacity (Published): Honda 57 tons per hour, Ariens 79 tons per hour, Toro not listed but close to Ariens Drive: Honda Hydro with slow speed, low clearance 2 point tracks. Ariens Hydro with high clearance, high speed RapidTrak, Toro hydro with high clearance, 3-point, high speed tracks. Handles wet/heavy snow: Honda with chute modification kit, Ariens /Toro can handle any type of snow including slush. Where they are made: Honda, Ariens, Toro snowblowers are made in the U.S.A. Honda AX, Ariens, Toro engines are made overseas. Reputation: Honda: The older Honda HS series snowblower and AX engines gave Honda a stellar reputation. The new HSS series we are talking about here - not so much. Honda has had a few "glitches" with the hydro transmissions and clogging on heavy/wet snow. The electric chute control is slow. We'll see if the electric chute control and hydraulic strut for the height adjustment gives it problems later on. You have to move up to the HSS1332ATD to get the same performance as this 28 inch Ariens or Toro. But it costs $300-$500 more and it's still slower. The 32 inch Ariens RapidTrak and Toro Power TRX have quite a bit better performance than the HSS1332ATD Engines: Honda 389 cc , Ariens 420 cc, Toro 420 cc Throwing distance: Honda 56 feet, Ariens/Toro 60 feet Capacity (Published): Honda 82 tons per hour, Ariens 90 tons per hour, Toro not listed but close to Ariens Drive: Honda Hydro with slow speed, low clearance 2 point tracks. Ariens Hydro with high clearance, high speed RapidTrak, Toro hydro with high clearance, 3-point, high speed tracks. Handles wet/heavy snow: Honda with chute modification kit, Ariens /Toro can handle any type of snow including slush. Where they are made: Honda, Ariens, Toro snowblowers are made in the U.S.A. Honda AX, Ariens, Toro engines are made overseas.

I'm not going to do a review of the Signature Pro at this time. Why? 1. It's one of the oldest designs on the market and although it's built very well it doesn't have the capacity of these new Toro and Ariens machines. 2. The snowblowers were built in Maine. Four years ago they moved the assembly line to Milwaukee. Now they are moving the assembly line back to Maine. 2. Briggs & Stratton who own Simplicity, Snapper and Ferris put the brand up for sale last spring. 3. Briggs couldn't get anyone to buy the brand. Then in Sept Briggs field for bankruptcy. 4. It's unclear at this point if Simplicity will be sold off or if it will just disappear. 5. Personally, I'd like to see Generac/DR Power buy the brand and update the snowblower. (right now they are buying Chinese machines and putting their name on them)

@@PaulSikkema Lots of good points. What I like about it is that it *looks* like a commercial-duty blower. The private equity firm that now owns B&S says they have tremendous assests and capital and that now, after bankruptcy, since all of the old debts are wiped away and with new leadership (they basically cleaned houseand fired everyone), B&S will get back to their vaunted position at top of the industry. If they end up doing away with the entire Simplicity brand, hopefully they will just merge this particular product (or an updated version of it) into one of their other product lines. Though I could be wrong, I just have the sense that it's sturdier, more durable and generally solid than any of its competitors.

15 years ago they were at the top of the pile. But, there have been no improvements for a long time. They need a few upgrades to get back to the top of the pile. We'll see, Briggs - even with all the money in the world - is spread pretty thin. Industrial is where the money is at - not residential so it will be interesting to see where the company goes over the next 5 years.

@@derekmarkovic Seems like you did a fair amount of research, I also like the tank build quality of the Simplicity Signature Pros, don't like the electronic chute controls which many have complained about. I would suggest sticking with Ariens top notch customer support without the uncertainty of the future of Briggs.

Tracks give you considerably more traction that a wheeled unit. They are the best for steep driveways. Toro sells the same snowblowers at The Home Depot as they do at a dealer. Dealers give you a "better" experience because they will assemble the unit and have it ready to blow snow for you. If you have any issue with your snowblower a dealer will quickly get the problem resolved. A dealer also has more of the snowblowers in stock. For example, you would have to order this snowblower if you bought it from The Home Depot but most dealers will have one in stock - ready to blow snow.

@@PaulSikkema thank you

Got to use it this weekend - video is on it's way.

1. Water/snow on the belts will not cause them to slip - not adjusting the belt tension will! I suggest you go back and read the comments on the Redneck's videos. This person bought a snowblower online - it came in a box on a pallet. When he assembled it he didn't bother to read ANY of the instructions and his biggest mistake was not adjusting the cable tension and setting the skid shoes for the type of loose gravel he wanted to clear. I really want to tell you what I think of this person but instead, I suggest you go back to the videos and read the comments. ALL of us tried to tell him it wasn't the snowblower - it was him. 2. Snowblowers do not have sealed transmission cases. They are designed to let any moisture/water/or snow run out the bottom. Moisture does not hurt the components inside. In particular, the new Ariens friction disk transmission will operate without any lube for many years. 3. The RapidTrak has a sealed hydro transmission inside the tranny housing and the gears/chains and auto turn that makes up the rest of the internals don't spin fast enough to throw off the grease that was applied at the factory. Even so, if you buy a disk-o-matic (friction disk) Ariens recommends opening up the bottom every spring and "using your finger" rub a little grease on the sliding shaft, chain, and gears. Ariens has a video over on their channel for how to do this. 4. The shafts that don't have things sliding on them will develop a patina over the years. It looks like rust but it's actually the steel protecting itself. (Look at an old piece of farm equipment that has no paint on it and you'll understand what I mean) If you don't like that nice brown finish just carefully wipe a thin film of grease on those shafts every spring. 5. The 1332 uses a hydro so it doesn't have the disk. I'm very confused about "dirt on the disk" because the disk-o-matic sits vertically in the transmission so dirt would fall off. 6. The clear-out tool is required by law for all 2-stages snowblowers sold to come with it mounted on the unit. Toro's stick is located under the dash. 7. The 1332 RapidTrak and the Kraken are the same "base." The Kraken just has a lot more options like the 360-degree lighting, electric chute, larger gas tank, and power track adjustment

@@PaulSikkema Okay Paul, I’m glad to have read your reply. Now i’m back to where I was still loving the Kraken and the commercial 21” SSRC. Do you know dates for when final model information is released each year for both Toro and Ariens for their snow machines. Oh, yes, with the Kraken I gain the EFI motor, this is a big plus to me.

I don't expect any changes to the Kraken or the PowerTRX this fall. That said, the final specs don't come out until Sept for the public. If you ask me again in July I'll find out for sure if there are changes.

@@PaulSikkema Thanks again Paul, I put a note on my calendar to shout out to you and confirm about any changes.

In general models with the hydrostatic transmission have a relief valve so you can push them around but it's very hard to do. I have an old furniture mover (plywood with caster wheels underneath) that I put tracked snowblowers on to move them around in the summer.

With the Ariens RapidTrak Pro, there's a lever at the bottom front you can pull in or out to disengage the transmission. With it out, you can easily move the snowblower and turn it, especially with the patented RapidTrak track design. It's easy to move around the garage without starting it.

It's been a while but: 2-stage O-Overhead Valve E- Electric start Two letters like OE - Solid Axle H- Handwarmers A- Automatic Steering X-Trigger Steering No letter designation for friction drive or hydro. Single Stage R-C Recoil Start, Commercial Duty Z- Base Model I forget what the rest of the letters mean for single stage and snowmaster.

The engine is a Toro Premium - made to Toro's specs by Loncin

@@PaulSikkema ok thank you

No, The larger models are hard to store and won't fit through the side doors on my garage and porch. That said, the 1432 will perform just like the 1428. It has plenty of power to handle any snow you get. The extra 4 inch width will let you clear the same area 10-15% faster than a 28 inch. But it's also heavier so make sure everyone who will use the machine is comfortable with the larger size.

Thanks for your review!

Toro is working on a fix and I expect they will let the dealers know soon. First guess is the transmission is not strong enough and it's failing. (It is the largest hydro available for snowblowers so the repair/fix is going to be interesting) They may have to go to separate trannys for each wheel like Honda did. (Honda had the same issues when the HSS series first came out. They replaced every transmission on the first year models)

@@PaulSikkema I had a clue you would know, Paul. I'm surprised that a company such as TORO would not have caught this during R&D. Thanks, Paul!!

I not blaming Toro for this problem. Why? because this transmission is the strongest available and it is used in virtually every wheeled hydro snowblower with trigger steering. It's also used in all tracked hydro snowblowers with power steering except the Honda. (I have the Husqvarna ST430T here and it's worked flawlessly) The wheeled units are also pretty much bulletproof. Personally, I think this Toro has too much track on the ground and weighs more than the transmission can handle and it's tearing out the steering. It's also overheating and that's why the units are stalling out. It's not the belt tension like some owners are claiming. (All the other track drive units that use this tranny have a lot less track on the ground.)

I know it sucks that the manufactures have to use a crystal ball to foresee which units sell and which ones don't. Snowblower production starts in July - Mower production starts in December. Mowing season starts in a few weeks and there is already a huge demand for the new models.

@@PaulSikkema I honestly didn’t think that’s How it works but I guess I’ll wait to next year...

Have your dealer call the Tomah and Bloomington plants and ask them what the assembly lines are set up to make. By now they are all switched to ZTRs.

The videos you are watching was when the snowblower first came out. Basically the v-belt that drives the hydrros is not tight enough. Tor has an updated that fixes it. The problems have been identified and this years models have been changed. If you have a first year model just go to the dealer you purchased it from and they have a service bulletin to get it running correctly.

@@PaulSikkema So in other words you do recommend this snowblower now that it's been fixed and it's just as reliable as all the other ones Toro makes?

Yes, Prove-design/Pre=production testing can't find everything so every brand has had one or two issues with a completely new design. Cub Cadet had a problem in 2013, Ariens in 2014, Honda in 2015, Husqvarna in 2018 and now Toro in 2020. Everyone has been very good at diagnosing and getting the issue fixed as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the Internet keeps things forever so many of the issues that are fixed right away still haunt the brands.

Yes, there is a relief valve for the hydros but it is still really hard to move. If I have a snowblower in long term storage where I might have to move it I'll drive it up on a furniture dolly and leave it on the dolly. Here's what I'm using: www.harborfreight.com/30-in-x-18-in-1000-lb-capacity-polypropylene-dolly-59563.html

@@PaulSikkema really?! Wow! I’ve always had to turn it on to move it 😅 is this in the manual?!

I'm sorry, I misspoke - on that unit pull both steering triggers at once. That release the turning dogs in the transmission and it will now freewheel Too many snowblowers to keep track of....

The Toro is having a few issues and they will have them sorted out for next season. In the meantime if you really want the Toro I strongly suggest you get it through your local dealer.

@@PaulSikkema I have an offer to purchase one for $3000? Is it worth it? Its a returned unit.

Please read what I wrote to Paul Mysliborski . Toro is having a few issues with it. There are no solutions as of right now, DO NOT BUY IT UNLESS YOU GET THE FULL WARRANTY.

@@BaconRanch absolutely not.... For 3k you can buy a brand new proven machine in a different brand with all the same features as this one.

@@PaulSikkema Thank you Paul

No, metal gas tank with a poly cover over it. (Too make it look bigger?)

The fuel tank is actually metal - that's just a pretty shroud around it.