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

First Post for me ( so be kind):

I would love to have a 2 stage snowblower.  However for both space and financial reasons, I want to know what is the most powerful used single stage snowblower on the market?

Here are my requirements:

A) Must be able to clear up to 12" of wet or dry snow.  We usually get in the 6-8" range of dry snow here in Michigan.

B) Paved drive.  I ruled out 2 stage also because they don't clear all the way down to the pavement.

C) Must be able to make a good dent in the end of the drive snowplow buildup.

I considered a Toro CCR 3000 (5 HP Suzuki engine - model year '97 - '99),  a Toro 3650 (6.5 HP - R Tek Lawn Boy engine - model yr 2000 - 2007), an Ariens 722EC (7 HP),  or a Honda.  I found it interesting that when I talked to my local Toro dealer, he told me that the Toro CCR 3000 was actually stronger than the R tek  Lawn Boy engine in the 3650. He said it  was an underated Commercial engine that would be less prone to "bog down" in the deep stuff. When I called Toro about it, they told me that the 121cc Suzuki engine makes the same 6 ft/lbs of torque as the Larger 141cc Lawn Boy Duraforce engine in the Toro 3650. They also told me that the Suzuki engine had a Net HP of 5 and the Toro 3650 only had a net HP of 4 .  (6.5 HP Gross).

Anyone with first hand experience or knowledge here, please weigh in.

Many engines especially newer Japanese ones (Honda/Suzuki/Kawa...) are underrated in order to meet stringent environmentalist lobby-induced restrictions in certain states especially California.It seems that few environmentalists have a sound understanding of mechanics and therefore don't know that "reducing" hp rating can be as simple as stating a lower value. For this reason HP ratings on Japanese engines tend to be very conservative.

most powerfull single stage?

i think the hands down winner of this contest is the BCS tractor with a 13hp honda engine and your choice of 20", 24" or 28" single stage snowblower.

regarding your desire to get down to blacktop, a two stage with a properly adjusted scraper bar will get you real close to bare blacktop. in fact i think the new toro's have a "floating" scraper bar that will allow for pavement irregularities and still give you "down to blacktop" most of the time.

oh wait, you have space and money issues, never mind.

Anyway Gaken, to answer your original question I guess the Honda HS520AS which has a 160cc engine is one of the most powerful walk-behind single-stage out there, the nominal 5hp rating is misleading but you know that already. Capacity is 55 tons/hour, Honda engine is as reliable as they get and quiet (for a snowblower). That's the good. The bad is that it's one of the most expensive single-stages, even used ones are pricey when you can find one.

From some reports I've read, the Honda single stage units are not as effective a moving snow as the other brands.   You'll get more bang for your buck buying something else.

borat wrote:
That's a pretty bold statement, could you provide more details? Your post lead me to think that Hondas had some terrible flaw that made them the absolute worst choice but after googling it for an hour I get the opposite impression. Do you or have you owned a single-stage Honda and had a bad experience with it?

Gelid wrote:

Bold?  Why would you say that?   Are Hondas beyond reproach?  They're just machines like the others.  Seems you might be over-reacting just a bit.  No? 

I believe there were at least two posts over at the other OPE site where I read a less than favourable comment about the Honda single stage machine.  I'm not that obsessed about the subject to go looking for them.  Feel free is you so desire. 

borat wrote:
Jeez dude get a hold of yourself I was only asking why you think one specific brand is so bad, no needs to get all up in arms about it. Sheesh!

Gelid wrote:

OK.  I have a hold of myself.  Now what?  I don't own a Honda sooooo........no funny stuff.  Know what I mean? 

gaken wrote:

krislu wrote:

Thanks everyone for your response.

Krislu,

I don't think my reasons are flawed, also when I say space is a consideration, weight goes along with it.  I am used to lifting a snowblower or mower and putting it in the back of my car (for service or to clear a relative's driveway.  Not so easy to do so by yourself with  2 stage snowblowers (find a pickup truck, ramps,  second person......)   If you can benchpress 80 lbs, you are golden for "tossing " a single stage in a typical car trunk.  I like that superior power to weight ratio of  2 cycle engines.

If I am out of town when a snow storm hits, my wife will start up a single stage and clear "some" of my driveway (enough to get out).  With a 2 stage, forget about it, I better hurry home.  Maybe your wife is different.  Get my "drift"?