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

I'm looking to order a Honda HS928TA (recoil only) snowblower in mid April so I'm guaranteed to get one in late summer/early fall, but have no dealers on Long Island that have anything in stock, so I could see the physical size of this machine.

So forum members, any additional thoughts on this machine?  I have searched various threads and there are many people suggesting the HS928 over the HS724, basically because of the limited hp on the HS724.

I currently have a Ariens 624 for the last 5 years, good machine, served it's purpose, but looking to take it to the next level.  My biggest issue with the Ariens is the EOD issue, not easy but it does it job, now looking for something that won't have an issue. 

I would like to see the machine before placing a down payment, but these snowblower are very rare on Long Island (track version) and all dealers claim this is a special order unit, they don't stock them.

mikiewest wrote:
I'm shocked too.  Maybe Honda should put in 11.75 hp Kawasaki so those little snowflakes don't have a chance. 

I thought B&S stopped rating engines in hp for a few years now.  The higher torque number seems to sell snowblowers better.  My local Sears salesman insists that torque numbers are actual HP, at half throttle.  That's what you get when you buy a "Craftsman Professional"  :)

There hasn't been enough snow here for me to even clog my chute.    and people in the East are calling it Snowmageddon, where's my snow???

kderobertis wrote:
Sounds very interesting.  You must be in marketing.

All I see are the older core aerators.  Now where can I rent one of these revolutionary pluggers?

mikiewest wrote:

Well the 928TAS that I had did in fact clog with wet slushy snow. Maybe because it was so new? I don't know but it was easy to fix. Also it didn't have an 11hp engine just the 9hp.

The Toro 1028 I have has not clogged even once. That's just the way it is. The Honda is a great machine but the Toro is as well IMO.

Disclaimer:  I'm not a Honda dealer, just a passionate user.

I've had honda snowblowers for over 10 years now and the the only time they've ever clogged is when asked to throw something other than snow, like a snow shovel or blue tarp burried in the snow.  It ate the handle but clogged on the plastic blade.  I simply don't believe a Honda snowblower would ever clog in any conditions when dealing with snow.  EVER.  Slush is when they are the best.   Anybody's machine can throw powder.  I had an Ariens 1336pro that would clog so bad on even moderately wet snow I would have to let it thaw out!  

 Forget about comparing motor sizes, because a 9 hp honda is stonger than a 10hp run-of the-mill Briggs (excluding Vanguard) or SnowKing or whatever else. Difference with Honda and their motor ratings is well, they're honest.  The drive on the Honda is certainly more efficient than the slip-omatic of the competition, and the HUGE reduction in weight (these machines are very manuverable) gives you more power to throw snow.    I can't justify the cost, they are much more than the same size machine in another color, but I would compare the difference between a car built now and 40 years ago.  Yes, the old Pinto was much easier to work on and didn't have any of these new-fangled things like emmisions testers and fuel injection but boy, can anybody remember shooting ether into a carberator at 0 degrees and having it catch on fire?  Hondas are expensive but they are the  best, and a joy to use.

 The only caution I would give with a Honda snowblower is whether or not you need the trac, because unless you need a trac you don't want one.   Don't waste your money with electric start either,  a 6 year old could start one.

I call it as I see it. I has the electric start because the dealer threw it into the deal for $50. It was very easy to start and I knew that. Tracks were a bear for my tiny wife to use. We have videos of her on YouTube with the Toro. Fact is the Honda clogged twice, maybe because it was new, I don't know. I hardly thing clogging a couple of times is anything dramatic. The entire intake chute was chock full of slush tho. This was a brand new machine, first time being used. I did not let off on the auger. I don't dislike the Honda it's just that my wife can't use it as it's too hard for her 84 lbs. to muscle around on tracks. The wheeled one wasn't much better. The Toro has dual skid steer. If Honda had that on their 928 it would be awesome. I'm not biased against Honda, the unit clogged, why is that such a big deal it was heavy slushy crap and might have been because it was brand spanking new.

Why is it "Taboo" to say ANYTHING against honda? Their products aren't perfect - no products are. And as far as "honda HP is stronger than briggs HP because they are honest"....umm.....not really. Honda overestimates just as much as anybody else.

Yo Steve:

When you had the clogging issue with the Honda, did you have it running at full throttle?   I'm not challenging the fact that it clogged.  I'm just wondering why it did.  It's certainly not a common occurrence with Honda and not too common with other well designed leading brands.  I've put my Simplicity 928 through some nasty stuff and it's never flinched.  This year the snow conditions have been very unusual.  We didn't get any cold weather snow up here.  We got three or four dumps of wet slush/rain approx. 4" deep.   The furthest it could be pushed with a snow shovel was maybe a foot or two.   The Simplicity didn't have any trouble with it.  However, it sounded more like a vaculator sucking water than a snow thrower.  It was throwing it a good distance too.  

Who knows?  Maybe the Honda's belt needed adjustment. 

I haven't used every snowblower ever made.  I would have liked one of the older Simplicities, or an older whatever.  Strip it down, new motor new paint and I'd have a better snowblower than 95% of what is being sold today.  Honda's are a different approach to building a machine to handle snowblowing.   Instead of parts+weight the need for the part is removed.  I waited 2 years to find one used because I wouldn't pay the new price of 3k for a 1132tas. 

 Honda snowblowers may not be worth the money.  Here's 10 things wrong with them

. 1.)They are WAY expensive to fix.

  2.)They're a smaller/lighter machine with less steel. 

 3.) They may be uncomfortable for a user over 6'. 

 4.)They don't come with handwarmers, or a battery start as even an option. 

 5.)The light is pretty weak.

 6.) If you get a trac model its difficult to turn on dry pavement compared to a wheeled version. 

 7.)They don't come with a differential, so a wheeled version is more difficult to turn than a competitor's on dry pavement

8.) The transmission doesn't really unlock even when you disengage it, so if you have to push it around in the Summer, you're going to end up starting it up-unlike its competitors which turn and are very manuverable when the engine is not running.

   9.) The auger gearbox aluminium instead of cast iron, and its not as beefy as the competitors.

10.) They only come in one color.

Here's 10 things that make them better than other snowblowers, and why the 10 things I could find wrong with them don't count. 

 1.)  You don't have to fix them because they don't break.  The Honda GX motor has been the de-facto commercial small engine for about a zillion years.   Its worth about three Snowkings and an Intek.   If you use your equipment much you'll even notice the savings in gas.

 2.) Because they don't weigh their machines down with an extra 200lbs of steel to make up for weak de signs, they can  put the weight forward and you can still move the machine.  Some ORANGE machines ride up at the first sign of packed snow because the weight  is under the wheels instead and will ride up no matter how hard you pull up on the handles to try and dig through a snowbank.

  3.) Well, what do you want, all the handles are the same height.

  4.) They're so much faster to use you're not going to be out there long enough to get cold hands.  Who the hell doesn't wear gloves?  Altenators and batteries are another waste of money/weight and are more parts to make up for the cheap motors used in manufacturing that don't decompress on startup.

 5.) This is mine, but I think the new ones are coming with LEDs which will last forever and are much brighter because of the efficiency.

  6.) Who the hell uses their snowblower when there's no snow on the driveway? 

7.) Again, the lack of extra weight makes this a non issue for anyone healthy enough to be using a snowblower or walking for that matter.  Kinda neat in the showroom, but a differential is more parts and more weight again. 

 8.) I don't take my snowblower for walks in the Summertime.  I may be alone in this, but this is a useless advantage.

 9.)  The gearbox doesn't need to be that strong, because Honda's shearpins are actually designed to be CHANGED, UNLIKE OTHER AUGERS!!!!.  When you hit something with a Honda the shearpin is going to break, shear off and fall out.  I can change one in the dark with gloves on and one wrench.  You spin the auger, line it up, place the nut in the pocket, put in the bolt and tighten it.  You DO NOT have to line up the auger and knock out the old bolt before you replace the new one.  Good luck with that at 2:30 AM at the end of the driveway. 

10.)  I don't mind red, but some folks who prefer the two-toned orange+rust of some competitors may be out of luck, because other than spots where the inside of the bucket has been scratched there is no rust on a Honda. 

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Marketing.... I couldn't sell anything.... but I know a good product when I see one.... here is the website: http://www.lawnsolutionscp.com/

nhmatt wrote: