Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Going to get a snow blower and keep changing my mind faster than I can eat a burger at a greasy spoon. Like to be able to load the machine in my van and transport it to do some sidewalks for some disabled friends. I was thinking of a used Honda,(if I can find one) with it's lower profile could fit. Anyways, the goal is to get an excellent machine for a gravel driveway, good for slush. The other half of my brain tells me to get a steerable unit like the Toro or Craftsman. Though not track driven read some nice reviews about the steerable snowblower. I guess I will get the measuring tape and check out the clearences in the van. Would like your advice or comments. BTW, my driveway is long and tired of the plow guy making a mess every year, thus seriously thinking of doing it myself with a blower.

Amount of snowfall? Budget?

Initially my budget was $1000.00 but in the long run, after reading posts on this forum, I think my best bet is to go for $2500.00 taxes in Canadian  thus have something that will last, thus cheaper in the long run.  The reason Honda pops in my mind is the dealer said it moves slush better than any blower. A new Honda is out of the question, but if a used one comes up in excellent shape I may consider it. I read a lot of reviews that the Honda track models are a bit to handle, so the steer able wheel models like Toro etc. look good.  I don't mind a bit of work but hate to spend 2k to find I'd be better off with brand "A". Snow fall varies. Two years ago, had a massive snow storm, honestly, my plow guy could not handle it, and needed a back hoe. The kicker is the mess and time it takes for my plow guy to perform. Had new gravel on my drive way 3 years ago. The first winter my regular plow guy couldn't make it so he subbed it out. The new guy was a toothless redneck whose idea of plowing was to create a new driveway. He plowed (his truck had no muffler) my new gravel in a big pile at the end of the driveway, got stuck, made a mess. I got more stressed out by my wife freaking over the mess he made than dealing with the redneck. The slush removal is important because when that stuff freezes in the driveway it makes it difficult to exit the premises. The plow guy doesn't cut it for slush.  Learning allot from this forum so your responses are well appreciated. As a side note, bought a Craftsman 10hp/32 some 16 years ago. The forth season, the bucket separated from the housing, and its ability to throw snow is not good, as the bucket was re welded to the housing. I moth balled that clunker years ago and went the plow route. But now seriously thinking of getting a quality blower, and not going the cheap equipment or money route. So to put it in a nutshell, a quality machine, a slush mover, good for a gravel driveway, maybe the steerable feature.

Not many choices for track drive. There is Honda, and then everything else is a MTD or MTD clone, including Sears with one, and Cuc Cadet. The Honda is nice that it can have the bucket off the ground, saving your gravel, Honda reliability and all that. But most people agree honda parts are EXPENSIVE, and can be tough to come by in certain parts of country.

You could buy a wheeled blower form the big 3 ( Toro, Ariens Simplicity) and fabricate some nice large skid shoes to ride over the gravel, alowing you more power at a lower price.

drumsonly

 I have a honda 928 (HS928TAS=track drive with electric start).  It will work very weel for your needs.  pricey?- yes.  but you have a specail need.  Like the guy with a big lawn needs a rider. ( I have a small 22 degrees lawn=smallest push mower on a rope). The honda has 3 positions- the highest one floats the auger  about an inch off the surface. 

 I think the high cost is in the HYDROSTATIC DIVE.   It is a great feature!  

If  you find a new honda for sale, plan to buy it that day ,because they only seem to build so many a year(and you would have to wait untill neaxt year).

18 degrees

I would stay away from track drive unless you really need it, such as with a steep incline. Track drive hard to manuver, which will make it more work to use. It's also more complex and expensive to fix if it breaks. Wheel drive is the way to go, and there are various options available.

Howdy,

I have the 9hp 28" Honda wheeled snowblower.  Love It! I really like the hydrostatic drive.

Because I blow a long gravel driveway I have my skid-shoes way down. So when I do my blacktopped driveway I do leave a 1" layer of snow that I shovel up.

My father has a step driveway and has the smaller tracked honda.

So having used both now, what would I recommend?

The Tracked Honda, it's dual height will give you the clearance for gravel yet scrape right down on your sidewalks and paved stuff.

Good Luck, John

Jwcamp wrote:
Why not just adjust the skids? Get two pieces of  1/8' thick wood, place them under the scraper bar and loosen the nuts on the skids until the scraper comes down on the wood. Tighten and away you go on the black top. Do the same thing with thicker wood for the gravel.  It takes more time to type in the description than to do it.

Howdy,  

In reply to nibbler: QUOTE "Why not just adjust the skids? Get two pieces of  1/8' thick wood, place them under the scraper bar and loosen the nuts on the skids until the scraper comes down on the wood. Tighten and away you go on the black top. Do the same thing with thicker wood for the gravel.  It takes more time to type in the description than to do it."END QUOTE

Hey! Thats the way I adjust my skids too,  though only at the beginning of the season.

I do not have any faith in the soft Japanesse nuts and bolts to keep adjusting them a couple of time each time I go out snowblowing. I don't think I'd want to have to mess around carring different wood spacers and wrenches out with me while I'm snowblowing either.

Good Luck,

John

FYI: Three Canadian Craftsman snow blowers have auto/hydro transmissions:

http://www6.sears.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&categoryId=10155&langId=-1&rrc=1&productId=158231164

http://www6.sears.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&categoryId=10155&langId=-1&rrc=1&productId=158345637

I'm seriously considering the 11.5HP/30" and 13.5HP/27" models. These are the only snow blowers I can find with Briggs & Stratton OHV Intek snow engines. Has anyone had any experience with these models? Thanks.

I seen the 13/27 B&S at Sears last Friday. Seems like they put some nice features on that blower. With the 13/27 it should blow snow exceptionally well. Looks like their flagship of their blower line. It was well balanced and easy to push (on the showroom floor). The chute control was smooth, almost as good as the Toro, but Toro's chute control is the best.

You go from Honda to a Sears?

You will be a satisfied as eating at a "greasy spoon" than you would like to admit.

LordVader,

I believe that Drumsonly is on a budget like myself. Here's what I think:

Honda --> Good, but over my budget (need at least a 10.5HP)

Ariens --> Loud Tecumseh OHV engines; To pricey for the features it has; Steel substitute for non-critical parts doesn't impress me and they are over priced compared to the equivalent HP models from other brands. Toro and Craftsman models which have plastic have been great over a number of years as per owner reviews at epinions.com

Simplicity --> Truly a good blower with a good price point, but not widely available in Canada.

Toro --> Good choice, but I'm looking for a B&G OHV engine.

Craftsman --> Chockful of features, great price, Sears service, same as the reliable Husqvarna brand (AYP/Electrolux). Despite people knocking Craftsman/AYP here, long term owner reviews at epinions indicate they are no different from Honda, Ariens & Toro in terms of reliability.

Bolens / Yardman (MTD) --> Good choices and have great chute control rivaling Toro. Affordable and easily available here in Canada.

I've never owned a blower before, but the above is what I've gathered from reading up extensively and looking around the stores.

Cheers, Sabesh.

 The Sears 13hp, steer able blower appears like a great unit but my gut tells me to buy a steer able Toro first. Mind you, the Sears blower looks like one of the best they ever offered and I am sure it's a great machine.   What I really like about the Toro, believe it or not, is the "plastic chute". No painting, snow doesn't stick to it. Plus in 10 years, no rust. The gearbox is heavier than most other brands, thus less sheer pin issues. The flagship Sears blower looks like an excellent unit and is a bit tempting, but I like the build of the Toro better. I appreciate the goodies Sears put in the  27" 13 OHV Briggs & S. blower. Sears has great service also. Nonetheless, my first choice for new  was the  Ariens 24" 7hp, but decided against it as my driveway is over 300' and 11.5' wide.  Thus the 28" Toro is the next choice. I like the Toro 6000 but after cutting a blown down tree on my property yesterday,  my bad back is telling me the steer able Toro.  I love Honda and will but one if a used one at the right price, but then again my back is telling me why not go steer able with Toro. At the moment got a 20 year old Craftsman I pulled out of a shed at my father's place, and decided to rebuild it if time permits. If I can get it working, use that and save for the Toro. So after reading many posts, and reflecting on what is what, the Toro keeps popping into the picture. Also, can anyone tell me how to post a picture as I'd like to show some snow pics in front of my house? Thanks for the replies.

Drumsonly: I considered the Toro as well, but I'm leaning towards the B&S OHV engines as I need something a bit quiter since I'll be blowing snow early in the morning after coming home from work (2am). The Toro is  tempting as my local dealer (Cliff's lawn) is offering the 1028LXE for $2000 + taxes delivered and gassed with a don't-pay-until-June option. However, the Craftsman with it's auto tranny and 13HP B&S OHV engine for the same price is even more tempting (actually $100 less).

You can upload your photos to this site:

http://www.photobucket.com

Then you can post the URL of the uploaded photo using the image button on the reply/post window here (third button from right). Cheers, Sabesh.

The hydrostatic transmission on the Sears is a nice touch. The picture was taken 3 days after a snowfall. Needed a backhoe to get the driveway clear. A good blower would have done it. My neighbours up the road used their blowers. I think just getting outside and doing something, snowblowing or anything to get out of the house with a little exercise is good for anyone. Today spent some time cutting up a big tree that landed in my driveway. Just cutting it up with the chainsaw, got me outside. I am thinking of snowblowing as a low impact exercise more than just snow removal.  I hope the picture appears that I am trying to post.

Drumsonly: Just reposted for you. You forgot to put the ".jpg" at the end ;) .. Sabesh.   FYI: The Sears is also steerable (have trigger releases for individual wheels).

I was set on buying a Craftsman model this morning. However, the controls are way to stiff. The salesperson tells me that they will get loose over time, but I don't have the patience for it. Too bad, the Craftsman has a TON of features for the price.

I then checked out Ariens. The chute controls were stiff or didn't work properly at HD or at a dealer (some worked properly at the dealer, other didn't). Ariens really should make setup of controls easier so that dealers and owners don't have to sweat over getting it to work properly. Bad design IMHO. The Ariens units look like ancient designs. Ugly as heck. Not my cup o' tea.

The Bolens/yardman models had way too much plastic and rubber IMHO. However, their chute controls were only second to the Toros.

Checked out the Toros. Wow. I couldn't believe how easy they were to handle. I just don't like the Tecumseh engines on the 1128LXE model, but might have to settle for it as only Craftsman carries B&S OHVs in my area (Simplicity: Where are you?). I do like the plastic chute and the wide opening at the impeller. They are also balanced just right.

Is it difficult to change out an engine on a snowblower? I read somewhere that the Tecumsehs and B&Ss have the same mounting slots. If it can be done, I might buy the Toro now and swapout the engine a few years down the road.

Cheers, Sabesh.

I gather from you last post that you don't have a Simplicity dealer near you? Even if it's a bit of a drive, it's worth it. I have one of their intermediate machines (755E) and I love it. When I was shopping for a machine a few years back, it had the most sturdy feeling handlebars and it was the only on in it's size/power range with the "one hand" feature (i.e. hold one control down and the other one locks down).  It was more expensive than a similarly sized Ariens, but the price was within my budget and the extra expense was worth it. I have not had one problem with it and it has not needed any service or adjustments.

Having said all that, I wish I could have afforded one of their professional/commercial machines. Talk about sturdy - the handlebars are massive pieces of steel bar stock at least 1/2" thick, and these beasts weigh 270 lbs. on up. Back then they had Tec engines, but they have since switched to Briggs. I think one of these machines is worth a look if you really want something serious and you can justify a bit more of a drive to find a dealer. If you make the drive, chances are you'll never need to go back since these are really robust machines. Snapper is also owned by Simplicity and from what few pictures are on their website they appear to be the same machines (at least the pic of the intermediate machine anyway) although I'm not sure if Snapper has the commercial units or if they are exclusive to Simplicity.

Good Luck!

Chris

 

Thanks Chris. I spent 4 hours this morning trying to locate a Simplicity dealer with no success. I guess means I'll have to take a harder look at the Toro (The Missus likes it too). Cheers, Sabesh.