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

My local dealer still has several 11526dle's in stock for $100 or so more than the 926dle ... or 13528dle's for $300 more.  They only have the Tecumseh models because they refuse to carry B&S. 

Is the 11526 worth any more than the 926?

Is the 13hp worth a $300 upgrade?

Are the B&S engines less prone to carb clogging than the Tecumsehs?  That's the only thing I didn't like about my old snow blower, if I wasn't careful about flushing the carb at the end of the season it'd gum up.

I've read all of the threads and am still confused..

Thanks!

my '05 926dle never seemed underpowered, but there's nothing wrong with having more power.

Keep in mind the Tecumseh 13hp is counterbalanced and the others are not. There is minimal vibration with the Tecumseh 13hp engines; unmatched smoothness. The Briggs and even the Honda snow engines do not have this feature (although they might not need it as badly due to their slant cylinder design and lower relative displacements). I would narrow the choices to the 926DLE and 1328DLE of these 3, but that's just me.

I agree with Snowmann. I have heard good things about the 926DLE and would have gone with that model if I had doen more research before getting my 11528LE (which has served me well). Regarding carburetors gumming up, I use Stabil year ropund on all my OPEs and have had no problems with starting up after a summer or winter layover.

As with most questions the real answer is "It depends".

I have a 10528 sized machine with a new 13HP engine on it, here is what I've learned from this setup.

Most of the time the wider swath won't buy you anything since for a normal driveway it will save you no more than one swath which means you're down at the end of the driveway and have to come back anyway. If you are doing ice rinks then maybe it will make a difference.

I spend a lot of time "muscling" my machine around so for me something a bit lighter and agile would REALLY be worth while.  Being able to backup under power and to turn easily without having to spend time unlocking the wheels is more important than having a lot of excess power. Personally my next machine will be the 926DLE ( or whatever they decide to call it).

As far as power is concerned my only real problem was when I was going too slow and the automatic throttle didn't kick in because there wasn't enough load. As soon as I went faster the engine roared and the snow flew. If I have a problem with too much snow then its normally not because the engine is bogged down, its because the auger/impeller  can't eject the snow as fast as its coming in. A slower speed or backing off a bit seems to solve the problem.

Try moving the machines around in the show room and then look at how you plan to use it and store it. That might  help you decide. Good luck.