Snowblowers with the Auto Turn functionality

I’m looking at getting a new Ariens and see some pros and cons with their Auto Turn functionality. Apparently is works well on level, fresh snow, but anything rougher than that and you are fighting the auto turn. What has been your experience?

I’ve never had a problem with normal fixed axles so I’m just wondering if this supposed feature will be more of a problem than not. I have far from an even, smooth surface to plow.

i do not own one but my buddy does snow removal and i was asking him the same question last winter. he hates the ariens auto turn. every time to scraper bar or edge of the blower catches on something they try to turn and you have to fight it exactly like you said.

he much prefers toros over the ariens and he said the ariens have had alot of mechanical problems according to him.

2 neighbors got them last winter. Moderately steep driveways. One hates it because he says fighting the auto turn when he doesn’t want it to turn makes it more work than his old blower. The other one likes his. He says he had to re-train himself to let the blower do the work.

My dad likes his. It’s important to keep the tire pressure equal.

I have a Areins hydrostatic with auto turn. No handling problems and the thing throws snow high and far.
Starts easy to.

I hope this gets a lot of feedback from owners or those w specific experience vs random opinions… I’ve been so close to pulling the trigger on one of these for several driveways I do – but have the same concern.

I bought one last winter and at first I loved it compared to bucking the old blower around. As the winter wore on I come to hate it. It was a constant battle to keep going in straight line or follow the trail. I have a gravel driveway plus I blow some walking trails for my wife and as stated above if the cutter bar briefly catches anything it steers in the direction of the bind. With the bigger wheels compared to my old blower I do like that there is better speed control. The Cub branded engine doesn’t have the lugging power of the Tecumseh engine on my old one, but it does start easier.

I do have the shoes on mine jacked up as high as they will go since most of my drive is class 5. Maybe that is the difference.
I also engage the auger drive, then the hydro static and steer woth 1 hand and control speed with the other. Auger stays engaged as long as I am holding hydrostatic dive lever down.

I have one and can’t say that the feature is a problem for me. We have blacktop and concrete, no crushed rock so I am sure that makes a difference.

I was in the garage working a while ago this morning and pulled the blower out in the drive and started it up and let it run for tem minutes. I have the Areins 824 and it started on the first tug.

My Troy Built has manual turning levers. Come in handy because it’s such a large machine. I purposely chose not to get automatic after reading lots of reviews last year.

It’s just one more thing to go wrong in the long run.

If I am not mistaken, this feature on the Ariens can be disconnected so how.

I had 1 for about 2 months last winter I clear my drive way, 3 elderly neighbors and occasionally another neighbor when they go to Arizona for a month. I lived the power but hated the auto turn I could not get used to it. The drives i fo have a lot of cracks that have risen up substantially i ended up taking a loss and trading it in on an st327 huskvarna. I have really liked the huskvarna so far only got it at the beginning of February last year so don’t have a ton of time on it