Review:
the $4,500.00 snowblower came in a severely damaged box, so better packing would probably have been wise. fortunately there was minimal damage and jack's sent me the replacement parts when they got them from ariens.
assembly was slightly complicated but i managed ok after i called and got advice from ariens.
so far we have not had any snow to test the unit, but i am confident it is operating correctly and should keep our road open as needed this winter.