I am planning to purchase a new snowblower this week and would be grateful for your suggestions. I have researched a number of brands that are available here in the Chicago area including Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, Ariens, and Poulan. I understand that American Yard Products (AYP) manufactures most of the lower and mid-range brands that are sold at the big box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot) and that companies like Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, MTD and Poulan simply add their own labels to basically the same product. I especially noticed that Craftsman and Troy-Bilt are identical. One of my concerns is that many of the contributors in these forums state that the Tecumseh motors are loud and vibrate strongly, and that Tecumseh is going out of business this year. Most prefer the OHV Briggs and Stratton motors because they are smoother and quieter than Tecumseh. Would you agree? Troy-Bilt claims that their motors are "Troy-Bilt", but are they really Tecumseh or B & S? The only brand in this price range that I have seen equipped with the B & S is the Craftsman. Poulan definitely has the Tecumseh "Snow King" motor.
I have an 80 foot long by 15 foot wide driveway that connects to a main street. The city snowplows tend to pile up the heavy wet snow at the end of my driveway when they make their passes down the street. Living in the Chicago area means I can get some significant amounts of snow, but most are typically in the 4 to 8 inches range.
Regarding features, I am concerned that the "joystick" equipped models (Troy-Bilt, Craftsman) with exposed wiring will gather ice while in use and freeze up making the chute control worthless, so I prefer the simple crank control. And the plastic chute's durability concerns me too. Most of thse models have 6 forward speeds and two reverse speeds.
I would like to spend less than $1000, which means the Ariens, Toro, John Deere, and Honda are out. What brands (Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, Poulan) would you recommend? What horsepower would you feel I need to clear a driveway of this length? And what about the swath size - 24", 26", 28"? Finally, do you prefer the B & S motors over the Tecumseh motors?
Thank you, I really appreciate your advice!
