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

So I've had a 26" MTD track drive snowblower for about 14 years, and these past few snows have started knocking the thing apart.  I purchased the MTD for price, and I can say have I have no issues.  It's just that snowblowers take a beating and I'm at the point now where I'm fixing it too much in between snows. 

I have a very long driveway, with one short, steep hill, all paved.    Since I want this to be my last snowblower, I'm looking at the brands that I believe will simply work well.   My first thought is to get an attachment for the front of my tractor, but as this winter is unusual (I hope so), I think that may be clumsy and overkill.   I guess it comes down to that I believe I'd still need a hand blower even with the tractor.

I'm not sure if I want another track drive or not.  I have no issues with it, and I've finally gotten used to how to make it move in tight quarters, make it turn on a dime.  I like that you can hold onto it on the one or two steep hills.  But I think I could live without it.

So, I'm leaning heavily in favor of Ariens.  I like the all-steel construction, and they have a great reputation.  I'm thinking of something either in the prosumer or pro line.  I'd like something with at least a 30" clearing width.  I have experience with Honda portable generators and I consider they beautifully made, and so it makes me consider Honda seriously as well.   Their lineup seems smaller than Ariens, but all in all, I'd have to include them on my list.

I'm interested in folks recommendations here, keeping in mind that I want something that will be serviceable for a very long time.

I'm not trashing it.  I have a bunch of spare parts in my parts box.  I'm going to lube it and replace a couple things on it and either sell it or give it to my sister and her husband who are retired and got snowed in real good.  By March our snow is done, so I'll probably spend a Saturday afternoon fixing it and selling.  People will still have snow fever, so they'll still be thinking snow.  The motor is strong, doesn't burn a drop of oil so that is not a concern.

As I read people trashing MTD, I don't quite get it.  I've had this snow blower since '96, and it has gone through 36" drifts and hard packed snow, Yeah, I've replaced a few things on it, but that's true of every piece of power equipment I own.  It's built like a tank.  The plastic chute has never give me any trouble (I don't like the manual deflector angle setting, but that's a nit).  And now that I've used track drive, I'm pretty convinced it was the right choice, although it took me a few years to get used to it.  So people who use it once or twice who say "it's clumsy", they don't get that once you get good at steering it, you can make the thing dance.

Since I've only ever used a track drive, I was surprised to learn this week that most of the wheeled blowers only turn one way, so I'll still look at how the Ariens differential works on their pro unit.  But I'm adding Toro to the mix because it appears it allows you to control wheels individually.  But I'll likely end up with a Honda as it comes closest to my "wants".

tkrotchko wrote:
Maybe most but Toro has dual steer so it will turn either left or right. Ariens and Simplicity only turn one way as you say, although I'm not sure why. The Toro is very easy to steer and will compare favorably to your tracked MTD with dual steer. I had a tracked Honda and gave it up for the Toro because of the steering and the awesome chute controls. Honda is quality but there is no steering on it at all so it's a bear to move around. The honda does have the really nive transmission and very easy to start. tracks are awesome but need dual steer. If they had dual steer I would have kept it. Because my wife would have been able to use it. The Toro is easy to move around when it's off just squeeze both triggers and it's easy but the Honda had to be used under power for everything.

xmastruck - Your track probably has an HMSK80 and takes a 35373A rod which is hard to find.  It's been superceded by 36897A which is available.  Check your crank journal which could be .1.1860 or 1.1865.

You mean most track drives do not have dual steer?  That does change things considerably.

tkrotchko wrote:
Some might but I know for a fact that Honda doesn't, at least not until you spend $8,000+ and import it from Canada. I'm not sure about Ariens tracked models since the dealers here don't carry them. They say they have problems with the tracks.

In any case, I plan to visit the dealers before I make a decision.  I want to try them out first.

tkrotchko wrote:

That really is the best way. I know it swayed us. I hope you have the chance to try a Toro with the dual steering and their joystick chute controls. We really like ours and have videos up on YouTube. You really can't go wrong with any of the top brands.

They don't have a track model but you can get dual steer and a hydrostatic transmission on the Husqvarna models. The latter option being the higher end models.

I hadn't considered a Husqvarna snow blower, and it turns out my hardware store about 5 miles up the road sells them ?????.  I've never seen them there.  I usually go over Sunday morning to get some supplies to fix "stuff".  I'll bet they're special order only.

In any event, yes, they have an interesting mix of dual steer & hydrostatic transmission.  It's interesting looking at their line that they use their own engines on their consumer line, but B&S on their high-end line, despite the fact that their own engine produces more torque.  And hey, grease zerks, weight bar, hand warmers.    I'll have to hunt around for opinions on them. 

Thanks for the tip.

I just purchased a slightly used Honda HS928TA (track drive) from a friend who got transferred to North Carolina. He only had about 5 hours on it and sold it to me for a very favorable price. I've been using a Honda HS624WA (wheel drive) for the past 10+ years with no issues but I'm looking forward to the trying the track drive. 3 extra ponies + 4" more clearance should make things a bit easier. I bought it in mid March which usually produces at least 1 or 2 good storms before the arrival of spring however this year was an exception. I'll have to wait for next winter before I play with my new toy, err tool.

I can tell you this about a Honda Snowblower - they work really, really well! They are easy to maintain, start up on the 1st or 2nd pull EVERY time and they get the job done without any issues. The only items have replaced on my HS624WA are standard wear items - a few sets of skid shoes, (1) scraper blade, several shear bolts, spark plugs and oil and I added a light kit. I paid $ 800.00 for it about 10 years ago, it was 2 years old at the time. I plan on selling it for about the same $$$ this fall - still looks and runs great . Talk about a piece of OPE holding its value!