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

So who exactly is still making snowblowers with the best parts?I keep reading about ball bearings as opposed to metal bushings or plastic bushings etc?Is it Simplicity?Or Honda?Do they use the better more reliable parts?A store next to me is selling a left over Simplicity Pro model 28" width with the crank handle for the chute rotator not the electric rotator.Would that have the better internal parts?

Paul7 wrote:

if proper maintenance and usage is performed, I would expect the motor to outlast the blower, esp with a 4 cycle!

rubinew wrote:
Especially with the cheaper build quality of the newer blowers. With an older blower -- say mid-80's or earlier -- I would say the opposite.

Bill_H wrote:

Depends on what is considered normal maintenance. For me, anything beyond Cleaning, Lubrication and Belts, and Spark Plugs is extra. I would be surprised to see a blower, even one from the 80's, go 30 years without a pully, bearing, etc, being replaced.

The problem is, most average ppl can change blower parts on their own, sometimes with a little direction. When it comes to the motor, these can sometimes be repaired with cheap parts, but can be knowledge and labor intensive.

Ex. I had a Honda CRX that had a timing belt fail premature, bent a few valves, needed a tow home. The average person would have taken it to a shop, cost around $1000 to fix. For me, it was <$200 and a day in the garage, better than before the damage.

Tthe average 4 cycle motor 'should' be good for 1000 - 1500 hours of use(likely more, just a conservative average), with proper maintenace and proper use.

With an average of 50 hours/year, that is 20 - 30 years that the motor should be good for. I would be surprised to see the rest of a snow blower go 20-30 years without some form of repair.

I'd consider replacement of wear items (bearings, belts, drive wheels, etc) as normal maintenance, along with the usual clean/lube/oil change/etc. for "us".
In regards to "average" person? I don't think the average person would be here. Most of us will get 10+years out of a machine, the average person will get  ... 8, 6? The thin sheet metal on many newer machines will rust through in 4-5 years if not taken care of. Trouts sees a lot of old machines that need repair, he could probably give us a better idea of what the average homeowner gets.

rubinew wrote:

50 hours a year with a snowblower I'll bet is way more than the average homeowner puts on a snowblower. In fact, I don't believe that engine wear is the leading cause of snowblower failure. I'd be stunned if that were true. If I had to do a guess on small engine failures, #1 would be clogged carburettor. After that, you probably see failed/failing belts and rust/corrosion damage of some sort.

tkrotchko wrote:

Oh Yes, 50 hours is way high! I just used a high number to show that even with that kind of use, the motor should outlast the snow blower.

For the record though, I did put ~50 hours on mine, Oct-Dec of 2010, but my case is extreme.If I was to guess, the average is probably closer to 20, depending where one lives.

Well Just seen Paul7 post, so I guess maybe 50 hours isn't high for some other people.

tkrotchko wrote:
I don't know about that.  I live in an area that has less snow relative to others on this forum.  We get a few 5-10 inch snowfalls plus a few times a season we'll get the noreaster that will dump 12 to 18 inches of snow.   When we get a sizable snowfall my driveway takes around 1.5 hours by the time I hit the EOD and clear the mailbox.  THEN I do the driveway for the divorced woman across the street.  Then my snow blower gets passed around between 4-5 other able bodied neighbors that don't have snow blowers...sometimes I don't see it again until the next day.  I'd guess that each snow storm results in around 10 -12 hours of use on my machine.  Four to five storms a season and I'm at the 50 hour mark.

Paul7 wrote:

Fair enough, but do you consider that "average use"? It seems that you fall into that "extreme" category that is almost a commercial use.

tkrotchko wrote:
Considering that we only get a handful of snowstorms all season I thought that it was average.  I guess not though.  It's just that I'll often read about posters here using their machines to clear one 10 inch snowfall after another.  We get nothing like that where I live.  But I see what you mean...if it was just my driveway then it would be well below twenty hours a year.

I live in central Canada.  No stranger to snow.  We get an average of 83", just under 7'  per year.  My snow blower sees approx. 20 hours of use per year.  I, on the other hand see considerably more because if the snow doesn't warrant a machine, I'll shovel it. 

I've yet to see a snow blower with a blown engine.  I've seen quite a few in the scrap yard with the engine removed but seldom if ever with a damaged engine.  Not saying it doesn't happen but one would have to be very neglectful to let an engine destroy itself.  From what I've read, the old Tecumseh Snow Kings didn't like to run low on oil and gave little or no warning when they let go.