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

One is shown here: http://www.powerlandonline.com/product/PDST24/Snow_Blower_24_65_HP_on_Sale__free_shipping.html

Any information on who makes it, reliability etc appreciated.  Searching online was fruitless.

It doesn't seem to have pinned wheels....  am also curious how easily it'd navigate.

I'll let you know about the ($549) Powerland snowblower. I recently ordered this unit through Costco and should be receiving it next week. I've spent some time researching and as best I can tell it has the same frame/body as MTD/Troy-bilt/White/Cub Cadet, etc...(without some of the stylish plastic parts found on the more expensive brands I just listed) but Powerland bolted on a Honda clone (196cc) 6.5HP engine vs. the (sometimes) temperamental 179cc Powemore (Tecemseh style Chinese) motors (estimate 5HP) that MTD uses. In fact after I ordered it on-line I saw the same size MTD brand version at the Costco store for $699 (it appears all is the same as the Powerland except for the engine). While I am taking a risk with the Honda clone engine my research suggests most Honda clones perform very well, after all, the original Honda GX200 engine is made in China. I'll put in Mobil 1 0W-40 oil and the engine should hold up fine.

Lot's of misinformation here.

These are not MTD's. They are MTD knock offs made in China, not Indonesia (though there's likely a trading company there that might be trying to peddle some). Could be manufactured by Chongqing Sanding General Power Machinery Co Ltd or another similar clone product manufacturer. Chongqing is a manufacturing base for such outdoor power products (Briggs' and Kohler factories are there). Many clone style snowblowers are made by Wuyi Zhouyi (but not this one).

If you look closely at the last 2 "reviews" it looks like Larry K of WA and David of IN are not so good at English if you take my meaning.

The engine is clearly not an LCT. It's not a Zongshen/MTD engine either. The Powermore is also not remotely a Tecumseh style engine. It's a Zongshen "Honda clone" as well. Note there are hundreds of "Honda clone" engine manufacturers in China with similar looking engines. They are mostly assembly factories that pull parts (recoils, crankcases, carbs, etc) from central consortiums that manufacture for most of them. Some are literally dirt floor startups with little expertise (who could get the reject parts passed on by higher quality manufacturers). Quality can be from dismal to good. The engine on this particular unit is not of quality winterization trim.

And lastly, the real Honda GX200 is not made in China...

For $549 you're not saving anything. You could get a real MTD for that at Sears for less money and not take a gamble.

WOW!!! These are amazing.  They are extremely fast and you can also blow snow inside your house

From their reviews: 
"My driveway is 50' x 35' and I can clear 6" to 12" in 15 minutes or less."  "Not only it's price is amazing but it really perform in my house."

You can't tell much from the pictures because the chute controls change depending on what picture you enlarge.  Take a look at the 32" snow blower.  Some of the pictures look like a cheap unit while a couple pictures look like an Ariens to me.  I'm sorry, but I'd rather pick up a quality machine from craigslist and refurbish it if necessary. 

Honda have been building gasoline engine powered generators in China since 1994. That's fifteen years. You can bet that many of their Chinese built generators are powered by the GX200 engine. To say that the GX200 engine is not built in China might be inaccurate. As difficult as it is to determine how intertwined Honda is with Chinese manufacturing, it would take a fair amount of in depth research to find out exactly what they produce there. Here's a couple links just to give you an idea:

http://world.honda.com/China/

http://world.honda.com/power/engines/

I have a power washer with a 6 h.p. Mitsubishi engine on it. Nowhere on the engine does it show country of origin. Despite being a Japanese company, I strongly suspect it was built in China. I've been using it for several years now and it has performed flawlessly.

I feel secure in saying that if you have a Honda engine and it does not have the country of origin labeled on it somewhere, it probably was built in China.

My recent purchase of a Chinese built Champion generator with the GX200 clone has tempered my view of these little engine. Only time will tell for sure, but this engine is one of nicest running single cylinder OPE power plants that I've ever seen or used. From outward appearances, it's built with the same level of finish and detail as any genuine Honda engines I've seen. I'm truly impressed.

The Honda GX200 was made in Japan up until about 6 years ago; now it is made in Taiwan. I suppose some might say that -is- China; I wouldn't (nor would anyone that lives in Taiwan, hence the political tension). From a manufacturing quality standpoint, they are certainly two different places as well.

Snowmann wrote:
I agree that overall, Taiwanese manufacturing has been well established and building products to western standards considerably longer than main land China. However, when you look at how much Honda relies on China for auto parts manufacturing, one would think that their confidence in Chinese manufacturing is secure. As much as I hate to admit it, Chinese products being imported into this country have improved immensely over the last ten years or so.

Approximately twelve years ago, I was in a building products store buying some lumber. I noticed they had Chinese built vice grips in a big box on sale for $5.00 a set. They looked very much like brand name vice grips so I bought a couple pair. Weeks later, when I finally got around to needing a pair, I tried a set of the Chinese vice grips. At the time, I was fairly fit and did a fair amount of physical work and would consider myself a bit stronger than some men my size but certainly not powerful. When I applied pressure to the vice grips with one hand, the bottom handle and locking mechanism actually bent sideways rendering them useless. Talk about crap! These days, things have changed. Almost all tools sold in the big box stores are Chinese made and pretty damned good too. They also have life time warranties. I own numerous Chinese built tools and haven't had a problem since the original cheap vice grips. From this perspective, it's hard to ignore the fact that Chinese manufacturing is making huge strides in quality while we watch our own industries stagnating or sliding backward. It's disconcerting to see how our domestic manufacturers are building cheaper and less reliable products. Large appliances are a prime example. Washers and dryers don't last anywhere near as long as those built twenty years ago yet they cost twice as much! What's up with that?

Sorry to make assumptions when I said it appeared to be a MTD line of machine and LCT engine. The LCT is a Honda knockoff and I didn't want to imply that it is of low quality (I have one on my blower). I did want to point out the image and specs are the same as some MTD models. If it is a knock off, then the question of reliability should be addressed.

Sport

I had never heard of the LCT engines before so I checked them out. From the specs and appearance, the 208cc engine looks very much like the Mitsubishi engine on my pressure washer. I'd say that it's more of a Mitsubishi clone than a Honda. Either way, they look like nice engines too. If it runs anything like my Mitsubishi, it should be a fine engine. Here's a link for anyone interested.




http://www.j-thomas.com/Catalog/164_lct_engines.html

My Powerland 24" 6.5hp snowblower arrived today. I was a little nervous when I saw 2 belts just laying in the box and no air filter in the air filter container. I called Powerland and found out the belts were replacement parts and that snowblowers don't need/use air filters because filters tend to get wet, freeze up and bog down the engine in freezing weather. I have since verified this of most (if not all) snowblowers searching the web. The engine started with one pull and runs smooth and quiet.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see the discharge chute was metal and similar to Ariens design vs. the plastic version used on MTD machines (as well as seen in some older Powerland machine photos.. or maybe non-Costco versions) .

However... it was obvious the metal chute attachment got smashed somewhere from the journey from The Far East to my house, causing the base of the attachment to be out of round and an obvious significant ding mark nearby. After applying great pressure (practically standing on it) I was able to round it out enough to fit on the connection however it did not rotate smoothly. I called Powerland again and they offered to mail me a new metal chute and volunteered to throw in extra shear pins for my troubles, obviously all free of charge. I did not have to beg or plead. They even called me back later to give me the tracking number and advised the part would arrive by the end of the week.

Only time will tell whether this machine is durable but it appears solid, runs smooth and quiet and the customer service so far has met, if not exceeded my expectations. I can't wait for the first big snow... hopefully only a few weeks away. Hope this helps.

Also, it appears the manufacture is Chongquing Sanding General Power (based on some web surfing I've done) and uses a 168F engine. They have factories in China, Viet Nam and Cambodia according to their web site. American SD Power is the company name on the box and appears to be a subsidiary of Sanding. To your other question, the balance is pretty good but since this is my first snowblower it is hard for me to compare on it's ability to navigate vs. others.

The snowblower and the engine should give you years of service if you do the standard maintenance. Keep us updated on how it works for you.

I'll start a new thread on the LCT engine so that this one doesn't get highjacked.

Sport