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

To all,

I was wondering if I could get perhaps a little input, I have done some searching since January on purchasing a snowblower and used this forum quite a bit.  I am down to a couple of brands/models and was hoping for a little input.  I have only chosen these models due to availability/pricing and requirements, many brands like snapper/simplicity/Husq and Poulan for some reason are unavailable/not found yet in my area (200Km radius).

I am looking for approx 27-30 inch bucket with anywhere from 9 - 11 HP (not sure of Torque conversion), I am not much for features so hand warmers, auto-chute and power steering are of no real concern to me at the moment.  I am still young enough to tough it out (except shoveling :-) )and don't want to spend more than I need for comfort options right now and just want reasonable reliability.

Craftsman 13.5 torque B&S OHV, 27 inch - $1,299 - I have no model number (Made by AYP)???
Ariens 927LE 9HP Tec L, 27 inch - $1,149 (From HD, local retailer has the same one for more money and further distance)
MTD brands, numerous names like MTD, YardMan, YardMachine, Troy - 999 - 1,299 (Most widely available in my area) ips

I am trying to get some pricing (CAD) on a John Deere 928E (Frontier Equp??) but have no information on that yet, the dearler is almost walking distance from my house.  Unfortunately the local Toro dealership I find way to expensive, the cheapest was an 8HP for $1,899 and price was not flexible so ruled it out.  Same reason for ruling out a honda, I like there cars and have one myself but ther blowers seem overpriced to me. 

I can also get a used 12 year old Noma 10 HP tec/30 inch for about $300, needs some work and has some rust but apparently blows snow as is.  I don't mind picking away at a machine but I don't want to be fixing it all over winter with the work schedules of my wife and I.

Right now I am leaning towards the Ariens from HD when they have their purchase snowblower get a gift card special which should be between now and the 2nd week of Oct, I have a heated garage to store it in the winter.

Thoughts?

Tired of shoveling!

Something that I got caught on at first. The throttle on the blower really only sets the "idle" speed. There is an governor that gives the engine more gas when when the throttle is fully open and the engine comes under load. When I first used my blower I had wet snow that dribbled out the chute, I tried going slower to no avail. I finally gave up , put it in the 6th ( high) speed setting and started towards the garage, the engine started roaring and the snow started flying. I hadn't put enough of a load on it to have the governor kick in. I tend to start at the fastest speed, If I start to get bogged down I go to the next slowest, repeating as necessary. That way you have the highest speed that the blower can go while handling the most snow. Given the thickess of the heavy wet stuff you probably had it set OK. Listen for  the engine picking up and actually starting to work, if its not happening then try a faster speed setting. Once you ge tthe hang of it it becomes second nature.