• A winter wonderland is beautiful, but a snowblower makes it functional.Snow image by ljc from Fotolia.com
  
  Ariens opened as a family-owned company in 1933 that specialized in manufacturing a variety of home and commercial machinery for landscaping, nurseries and plantation growers. Ariens was the first company to develop an American-made rotary tiller and the company branched into the snow removal business on Dec. 15, 1959, when product design began. March 1960 saw the first prototype, and production began in July of that year. In this first production, Ariens manufactured 1,865 snowblowers.
  
  

Area Cleared

• The Ariens 1128 snowblower clears a width of 28 inches, one of the smaller widths for snow clearing compared to other models. Other Ariens models in the same series can clear snow in an area of up to 36 inches. For ease of clearing snow, model 1128 has rotation control on the handle bars and remote deflector control. The snow chute is angled at 220 degrees, which is the standard angle for an Ariens.
  
  

Engine

• The Ariens 1128 snowblower runs at a maximum of 11.5 horse power. This is the mid-range of horse power for this brand; other models have 8.5 or 13 max horse power. The 1128 model has an 12-volt electric start, which is lower than other models with a 120-volt electric start. It has a 4-quart fuel tank capacity, which is standard in Ariens snowblowers.
  
  

Impeller and Auger

• The Ariens 1128 snowblower has a 12-inch diameter impeller. This is the average size for an Ariens model, with the exception of one model in this series with a 14-inch diameter. It runs at 1,310 revolutions per minute. The 1128 model has has a 16-inch-diameter auger which runs at 131 revolutions per minute. It has an auger brake, attachment clutch and a Disc-O-Matic drive. The 1128 has six speeds and two reverse speeds, which is standard in all models in this series.
  
  

Size

• The Ariens 1128 is a mid-size snowblower in the Ariens line. It is 60 inches long, 30.5 inches wide and 43 inches in height. It weighs 320 pounds and rides on pneumatic tires. Other models in this series from Ariens can weigh up to 328 pounds and as little as 250 pounds.