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

After reading a lot of posts and reviews thinking of several possibilities. May give up the track idea due to the expense as Honda is beyond reach. So... an Aries 7524E 24" blower or a Toro 6000. The Aries seems like a little powerhouse with the OHV 7.5 hp engine. Got a long driveway and doing the math, a (roughly 12' wide driveway, maybe less), a 24" blower could do it in 6 passes (24x6=144). The Toro being 26" would cut 26 x 6 = 156". The Toro would allow for some head room. A friend of mine who has a 27" blower is upgrading to a 32 as he wants a bigger cut. Another guy tells me a 5hp 24" blower is all I ever need. So... I haven’t used a blower in over 15 years and know my calculations are more theory, and do not want be out all day with a 24" blower if it doesn't cut it. Then again Honda sells a lot of 24" blowers and those who own them love em.  This is a bit of a rant so hang in there. Now the reason for the smaller possible blower is the ease of handling. Thus the second idea... a steer able Toro 28". The 24" Aries has an OHV engine thus powerful. The Toro has an L head engine not OHV type, but is that a big deal?  Sears is selling a Briggs OHV 9 hp 27" steer able unit for the same price as the 28" Toro. Toro seems like a better build from my research. Thought I'd jam as many questions in my posts and submit this to the experts as I hate to keep posting different threads and appear dumber than I really am. Thanks for any replies.

You don't mention your location or how much snow you're likely to get. I'm about to begin my third year with that Toro you spoke of (a 726te...now called the 6000). It's a 7hp 2-stroke and I had no problems at all going through 14 inch drifts with it. I like it very much and I'm glad my salesman suggested it and saved me $100. The 8hp Tecumseh perhaps is okay, but after reading many posts about Tecumseh engines I'm glad I have the Rtek. For my needs one more hp would not make a difference. I use it to clear a 160 ft single lane gravel driveway and I wouldn't want a 28 or larger.  I love the quik-stik chute control and it can easily throw the snow 30 or more. This machine now costs $949 (50 more than 2 years ago) and is still a good bang for the buck, IMHO.

AZ

Where?

Location, Lakeside Nova Scotia, (right outside Halifax) Canada. Snowfall varies from year to year. Two years ago need a back hoe to do the driveway, snowfall was excessive, plow couldn't handle it. Was stuck and left to the whims of the plow man as to when I could get dug out. Have a long driveway at least 200 feet.  I do not know average snowfall but the weather these days is erratic and un-predictable. Seems like it goes from one extreme to another. Two days we had a record high warm day. Now we are being told a cold front is on the way. Also had a hurricane 2 years ago, something unheard of in these parts. Lost power for almost 2 weeks, some places a month. Was thinking how a snowblower is almost like a recreation unit, gets one outside and do a little exercise while clearing the driveway also.

Sure does sound like you need at least an 8/28, maybe more if you can afford it.

Howdy,

I think the best snowblower size for most people is 28".

smaller = too many passes, longer time blowing

larger = storage becomes an issue, manuverability, extra weight, strength needed

Good Luck, John

If your driveway is 3 car lengths or more I would recommend an 8 horse with at least a 24" cut. I had an old Toro for a long time that was 8horse 24" cut that did me pretty well. I upgraded to a 11horse 28" cut Simplicity and I do notice the extra power.