I can't speak for the Ariens or Snapper units but I own a 16 year old 21" Toro Recycler Personal Pace. After 16 years it still starts on the first pull. I love the Personal Pace feature where some do not. No shifting required, just release pressure on the handle and it stops. The more pressure you put on the handle the faster it goes. Some people claim to have difficulty pulling it backwards, I don't have that issue. There are times I only use one hand operating it, having to avoid obstacles in my mowing pattern.

I just picked up a used 2002 Toro Super Recycler, they are reported to be have superb recyling abilities and come with an aluminum deck. They must be dealer bought since they're not available at the big box stores.They too are variable speed Personal Pace equipped. I found the regular recycler I have didn't do a great job mulching and has poor pickup when bagging, Since I haven't used the Super Recycler yet I can't make any comments.

You don't say if you plan to bag to mulch, it does appear that self propelled is a priority. I suggest you go to dealers and try out the models you are interested in and features that are important. Don't let the salesperson sway you, once you narrow it down go back home and read reviews and learn the pro's and con's for the models you are interested in.

Hopefully others will chime in and report their opinions of the Ariens and Snappers.

Thanks for your reply itzbinnice. I will be bagging pretty much all the time. Salesmen, haha, yeah the guy told me the Ariens trans is pretty open and dirt and dust gets in it and that's what kills them. He says the Toro is much better sealed and will be the best one on the market, of course we're talking the commercial units here for $1400. I'm not sure the Toro is worth $500 more than the Ariens. I'm hoping to get to a Snapper dealer today and see what they're like and the cost. If anyone else has some experience with these mowers, feel free to ad your thoughts. Thanks

Toro Personal Pace or Variable Speed is the best mower drive going. Don't even consider any FWD mower.

Thanks for the reply 1saxman. No, I'm not looking at FWD mowers. Called the Snapper dealer and he doesn't carry them anymore, too expensive he says. I'm considering the 22290 (variable speed w/FJ180) and 22297 (3 spd. w/KAI) but they are high dollars. The variable not as much but still a lot more than the Ariens. I have to wait till the dealer gets them on the floor so I can have a look. I could also stick the self-propel and get a Honda push for $500, IDK.

Check out the Toro 22156. Its expensive but worth it. I doubt if there is a finer mower. Anyway, going back to your question of differences in drives for pulling back, I can speak only of the Toro drives. The Variable Speed is best at this because it is bail-control. When you let go of the bail, the drive belt is loosened and the wheels are completely released. To drive, you can feather the bail to go as slow as you want or hold it tight for top speed. Personal Pace, while mechanically similar to Variable Speed, is not my personal favorite mainly because it tends to not release when you stop the mower and then the wheels drag when you pull it back. The procedure is to stop walking but let the mower coast ahead about 12" with the sliding handle all the way up, which releases the wheels for pull back. You can learn to do that, but there are mowing conditions in most yards where you'll have some close-quarter back-and-forth; this is where you might start disliking PP very much, because there may not be room to disengage the wheels, so you end up dragging the mower back. This is particularly unpleasant when pulling back against a slope. Also, going uphill, you feel like you're pushing the mower instead of it pulling you. Even so, many people love PP, and I have to admit it is a huge success for Toro. This drive was actually developed by Lawn-Boy before Toro bought them. I think they called it 'Automatic Drive'. The top handle slides up and down. Keeping your arms stiff, you walk forward, which puts pressure on the handle, which slides down, and through the operation of a bellcrank, tightens the drive cable, tilting back the transmission driven pulley, which tightens the drive belt, driving the mower. The belt is designed to constantly slip but belts last a very long time. Variable Speed is essentially the same except it has a conventional bail control to tighten the cable. I have one Variable Speed mower, a 10684 (2004) that has the original belt. My other mower, the original Lawn-Boy version of the Toro 22156 is a 2007 and still has its original belt too.

Hi 1saxman, I think I would prefer the 2 bail variable speed control over the PP based on your description. The 22156 shows limited availability on the Toro website, not sure if my dealer could get one. The 22290 seems comparable in that it has the variable speed bail control and the lower end FJ180 engine. It is also a lot heavier than the 22156 and maybe a little beefier all around. I am going to go back to the dealer next week to see about the 22156. Thanks again for your input.

What do you mean '2 bail'? They only have one drive bail.

Oh, the variable speed Toro has a bail for the engine (like zone start) and also one for the variable speed control.

You did not mention looking at a Honda?

Ariens and Snapper are garbage made by MTD. You need to have your head examined

Lololol @overheadvalves!