This is the snowblower I want:
http://www.sears.ca/product/craftsman-305cc-24-dual-stage-snowblower/71529070?ptag=1

305cc Briggs & Stratton, Snow Series engine, 13.5 ft lbs torque
Steel remote chute
Remote chute controls
Remote axle lock / Power steering

Where is this for sale in the USA for a similar price? The Ariens Deluxe Platinum 24" is the closest I've seen but it's a smaller engine and costs more. I live in Utah and while we do get lots of storms, the snow doesn't get too deep where I live. It does, however, get VERY wet at times. I looked around at the higher end single-stage Hondas and Toros, but for the price, I'd only be $100~$200 away from getting a good dual-stage. Even if I only had to have the power of a dual-stage once or twice a year I'd rather be prepared and not stuck with a blower that works most of the time but not that time where it really counts.

So, back to the topic at hand. Is there a similar snowblower to be found in the US for around the same price?

Looks like this guy:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07188728000P?vName=Lawn+%

Snapper 305cc 28" path Two-stage Snowblower

For a list of the fulfilling retailer(s) to your MyGofer pickup location, click here.

Sold by Sears | Online only | Sears Item# 07188728000 | Model# 1695572

or this one

Craftsman 277cc 28" path Two-stage Snowblower

Sold by Sears | Sears Item# 07188791000 | Model# 88791

Either one will get you through the winter, first one is $1300 and second is on sale at $930 (US)

If it is wet, you just need to make sure you take your time and not take a full cut of the snow, but take them at smaller cuts.  Otherwise you'll end up bogging things down too much for the auger and impeller...

The craftsman you posted is basically a husqvarna (definitely made at the same place just different "trim"):

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/12524sb/#specifications

This one is bigger but in the same price range:

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/1827sb/#specifications

Here in the states, craftsman sticks to MTD for snowthrowers.  I have not seen a husky style sno thro at a local sears.  I think it because they can get away with the price/market.  The United States has a market that favors the disposable cheap product.  That is what craftsman provides here.  Ariens beats Husky here, since you can get a deluxe 27inch for $100 less.

I looked at both of those during my search for a new snowblower and niether one had a Briggs or the steering feature. You need to step up to the Landowner series to get the features of the Sears unit.

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/14527sb-ls/

If you look at Sears closeout center you might find a few Husky build units for sale. I looked localy by me but there were none left.

I believe that the is the 12524SB closest. I'm not interested in going over 24".

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/12524sb/#specifications

Does anyone know what the turning control on that model is? If it has is the handle trigger to unlock the left wheel, I think I've found my snowblower. Seems to have all the features I want and a good engine.

The interlock allows both the auger and drive levers to stay locked down. so you can use the other hand to operate the chute.

None of the home owners series have the power steering. If I am not mistaking to get this feature even in the Poulan Pro line by Husky you have to go to a 27" or 30" model according to poulans web sight

I guess not many 24s come with upper level turning control. I know the Deluxe Platinum Ariens 24" has an automatic disengage and the 27" Deluxe has the trigger to manually disengage. I just with there was a 24" with the manual disengage.

I suppose it just has to be man-handled or a bit of forward, reverse, forward?

To the op, have you looked at the Simplicity units? http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snowthrowers/large_frame_dual-stage/

They have the features you are looking for in your price range as I just sold one. I had the equivalent of the large frame 26" L1226E and paid roughly $800 in 2007, and sold it for $750 the other day. They are built like a tank, much better build quality than the Sears units I looked at. And they keep their resale value, at least here in MI. That same unit is now selling for $1100, other than a model number change I could not tell the difference. I sold mine as I am now retired and here during the day to keep up with the snow. I purchased a couple of the Toro Power Curve units to replace it, well one to replace it, a 221QE for the drive and a 180 to clear my deck.

Mike

Not for this model year but last year they did. Mine is a Husky clone. opecrazy wrote:

I guess I would have to compare the 27" Ariens Deluxe to the 24" Husqvarna.

27" Ariens: http://www.ariens.com/products_snow/s_deluxe_group/s_deluxe_27/pages/default.aspx
24" Husqvarna: http://www.husqvarna.com/us/homeowner/products/snow-throwers/12524sb/

I could also consider a 27" Simplicity (http://www.simplicitymfg.com/products/snowthrowers/large_frame_dual-stage/specs/index.cfm) but I'm not sure if the additional $200 is worth it. The Simplicity and the Ariens seem VERY similar.

I don't really need a 27" snowblower, which is why I've been looking at the 24" lines. Also, the 27" Ariens and Simplicity have smaller engines than the 24" Husqvarna. How does the Husqvarna engine compare to the Briggs & Stratton. More torque/power in a smaller frame should allow me to cut through ice, slush, etc easier than a larger frame with a weaker engine.

The biggest selling point to going to 27" by what I see is the easier turning. Oddly, the Ariens releases the left wheel and the Simplicity releases the right wheel. I have seen a few machines (Craftsman I think) that allow you to release either wheel (trigger on each handle).

Thoughts?

AFAIK all Husqvarna models in current lineup have the dual trigger release for wheels. You can see them in the pictures as the blue levers on handles. I'm not sure about the Husky motor. Mine has a B&S. alexsha wrote:

hiualexsha wrote:

Your in Utah, and have wet snow. Well I'm in MI and get a 30/70 mix, sometimes dry, but mostly wet in my little area. I had the large frame Simplicity and can tell you it will do the job, but... I was gone all of the time, for days and weeks, and would come home to one hell of a mess. My wife would get the neighbor to cut a path out of the garage to the street and I would play clean up on the rest with the Simplicity, as we have a large pond, almost a lake in front of the house and we face due West. The drifts can get pretty large when left unattended and a large frame fit the bill when I got home to open up the drive. But, these large frame units are not the most nible pieces of equipment to use and I am not a little guy. But now I am not traveling and home 24/7, and I honestly felt I had no need for the Simplicity, so I sold it and replaced it with a new Toro Power Clear 221QE and a smaller Toro PC 18 inch model for my deck.

I have an older Toro, a CCR2000(?), I think that is what it is. It is around 15 years old and on its last leg. She is getting to be a bear to start and the wife doesn't like the mixing of the fuel ritual, not that it is hard. But anyways, that little Toro never let us down, and now that I am home I figured it was time to retire her and go get another Toro. Much easier to maneuver compared to the 2 stage and honestly, the little Toro can move the snow, even the wet stuff as long as you catch it in time.

I would say that if you are in a residential area with say a modest drive, I would look at the Toro or a small two stage, as a large frame is a bit of an overkill for most folks and not the easiest unit to move around. And then we have the wife acceptance factor, if you are married, can your wife use the snowblower if you are not around? The reason I went with the Toro and the electric start, she can handle that as long as I have a few cans of pre mix ready to go.

Mike

I would agree that I should see less snow than some areas of the country. I have some fun problems that I'm running into that make me still consider the 2-stage route to be better.

1) Both my wife and I work and leave early and get home late. At most I barely have time to shovel my car a path out to the street.
2) The street I live on is rarely plowed and snow builds up. When it does get plowed, they do the far side first then come around to my side and put a wall of slush, ice, snow, etc into my driveway. The driver p;lows about 6~8 feet from the curb on my side. Nice guy. Really.
3) Along with this, my mailbox gets buried and I have to clear it for the mail deliverer. I feel bad for them where I live. You can se their tire tracks as they have to plow into the snow banks to get to the boxes.
4) I hate plastic. Nothing durable should be made out of plastic. If they made a single-stage with a metal shell, I'd be more inclined to consider it. It's probably a personal quirk, but everything plastic I've used in the cold ends up breaking very quickly. I don't want to buy something that I'll have to replace or repair just after the warranty expires because some plastic bit broke.

In the end, I only want to have to make 1 purchase and have it last a long time. I can maintain power equipment just fine as long as it's well build and isn't going to fall apart under normal use. I'm totally fine buying something a little overkill for those 1 or 2 times a year when it would come in handy.

One last thing I need to consider is that I do not need an electric start. I don't want to run an extension cord from inside my house to start a snowblower. Every single box store and dealer around here has all the single stage blowers with electric start. All the non seem to be special order even though they're $150+ cheaper. If I have to pay $800ish for a single stage w/ electric start, to me there's nothing wrong with paying $1000 for a dual-stage.

There's not a snow ball's chance in hell that I'm getting out of bed every two hours to clear my driveway because my single stage can't handle 18" of snow. Don't understand that thinking at all. I'm also retired and home 24/7 when I'm not out of the country on vacation for a few weeks during winter. When we get a big storm, I just sit it out and watch the show as others go out there even with two stage snow throwers, trying to stay ahead of the dump. We have to get one hell of an accumulation for me even to have second thoughts of going out while the storm is still in progress. Nope. if we're getting a big blast, I'll let it accumulate to three feet before I take out the Simplicity unless it's really heavy wet stuff. Then I'll tackle it when it's half that amount. If you live in an area where big dumps of heavy snow can occur, you're better off with a dual stage with plenty of power.

borat wrote:
I don't get out of bed every two hours to do anything. I'll let it build up like you do and hit it then. If it is a huge snow fall, I still have a medium frame 26" 2 stage for that but really do not expect to use it but she is ready to go if need be. Now the Simplicity large frame I had was great when I did come home after being gone for a week and had 4 foot drifts and all sorts of crap in the yard. But, in my case, I am home now and can wake up in the morning after the snow fall and not kill myself removing it.

Not knowing what the op was faced with, and now we know, it sounds like a 2 stage would be a better choice.

Yeah. Good idea having a two stage for back up. You must have a good size garage to house three snow throwers!

I don't think I'll need multiple snowblowers for backup. One should do nicely.

I just spent an hour last night digging out my mailbox. Probably would have been done in 10 minutes with a good snowblower.

I think we really need ą la carte snowblowers. Pick your type (single-stage, dual-stage), pick your engine size, pick your frame size, add on accessories. Just pay for what you need. It'll never happen though. I really think the Ariens 24 Deluxe would be perfect if it just had the wheel lock trigger like all the other bigger Deluxe. Bad omission on Ariens' part.

alexsha wrote:

Why not look at the Platinum Deluxe then?  From people I have talked to the automatic traction control works great and is a lot more convenient than the trigger lock, plus less cables/linkages to freeze up because the ATC is all internal.

I'll agree with the trigger lock comment as I had that on the Simplicity, I really did not like it as it would engage at the worst times if I was not careful and give me a good jerk.

borat wrote:
She is around 4.5 cars, stick built 2x6, insulated, finished, heated, cooled, with a 2nd story loft and 3 10ft doors. If it had plumbing I could rent out the upstairs as an apartment. Me and the neighbors built here a couple of years ago and saved a fortune over having a contractor come in so we went a little bigger, just paid for materials and beer, lots of beer. I really love the area around here and the neighbors, I feel very fortunate to live in such a place.

The more I keep looking, researching, and thinking, the more I'm inclined to go over my $1000ish budget. By what I understand, an Ariens snowblower could last me 10+ years (if not 2~3 times that according to some people). So if I spend a few hundred more I'll have all the higher end features for that amount of time.

Making me want to spend more is mean to my wife

alexsha wrote:
Spend the money now, get it over with. Take care of it and it should easily go 15 years with regular maint. Heck my little plastic Toro CCR2000 is 15+ years old, she is a little long in the tooth but still moves snow.