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

Not sure what to replace new (December 09 ) Honda 928 track drive with..I love the Honda smooth and throws snow like crazy and goes through anything  ( also have an older Honda 828 track drive at a rental property )...I went out bought this new HS928 tarck drive late December 2009 for my own home so i wouldn't have to transport the 828 back and forth...I  used this new Honda  for literally 5 whole minutes but need to replace it with a snowblower with some type of steering . I know i'm going to lose a few bucks on the new Honda but for this driveway i really need some sort of steering I live in Massachusetts have about 150+ feet of a circular driveway.. I was at Lowes the other day checking out the new 2010 model 1330SE "Simplicity built" John Deere machines with easy steer and dual electric shute controls, heated hand grips etc.. Any ideas?

I suggest Simplicity snowblowers so you can get service directly from a local dealer rather than going through Lowe's.  Your money better spent on a Simplicity product rather than paying for John Deere badge engineering and custom green paint.  I'd go with a Simplicity Signature Pro line 28", model P1628E, unless the Deere have features you want that the Simplicity does not.

"I love the Honda smooth and throws snow like crazy and goes through anything  ( also have an older Honda 828 track drive at a rental property )...I went out bought this new HS928 tarck drive late December 2009 for my own home so i wouldn't have to transport the 828 back and forth..."

Just curious how you can run the HS828TA with no problems but not the HS928TA? Is the layout of your home property a lot different than your rental property and therefore better suited to a wheel drive unit? I ask because I believe the only difference between the two models is the HP of the engine.

FrankMA wrote:

My house is just too tough to do without some sort of steering system and the rental is very small just a short single car driveway so a couple passes and I'm gone. I don't understand why Honda does not design a steering system for all their blowers it really makes sense especially seeing that they have such fantastic machines that have been around for a long while now, they don't even have a steering system on the wheeled models when almost every manufcturer has some type of steering to make your job a little easier...

I just wanted to let you know that Honda DOES make units with steering.  It is a HM1226ic Hybrid. It not only has steering but you can run it with remote control too.

bus708 wrote:

I have heard of the 1336ic Hybrid but not the 1226ic..I saw the 1336ic a few years ago in a picture when they were released..Trouble is I would have to remortgage my home to buy one..Slick looking machine though..But at that point I would consider a truck with a snowplow and stay warm while clearing the snow

"I don't understand why Honda does not design a steering system for all their blowers it really makes sense especially seeing that they have such fantastic machines that have been around for a long while now, they don't even have a steering system on the wheeled models when almost every manufcturer has some type of steering to make your job a little easier..."

I don't understand this either. Honda makes a great product (particularly their snowblowers) but they have not made any major or significant improvements on the HS line in many years. You pay a premium price for a Honda Snowblower and other brands that cost half as much or less have independent steering controls and features that should be incorporated into the HS line. This is one thing that has always bothered me about Honda. 

They don't even include the headlamp as standard equipment until you step up to the HS1132TA. I always wondered if they think people only blow snow during the daylight hours as this (to me anyway) should be not be considered an optional item like say an electric starter or heated handgrips (i don't think you need either but that's just me). During the winter months the sun sets around 4:00 pm where I live so by the time you get home from work and get the kids fed or help with homework, etc..., its pretty dark outside. Same for the morning hours - does'nt get light til about 7:00 am. I'm usually out there at 5:30 - 6:00 am getting my fairly long driveway, etc... cleared out. I think they would sell more snowblowers if they made these items standard and lowered the price just a bit to be more competitive in the big box store society we live in now.

Honda is a big company with diversified products from small string trimmers to engines, and cars.  Snowblower is not their core business.  While snowblower companies introduce new models or reinvent model names/numbers yearly to excite consumers and stimulate sales, Honda won't care if snowblower sales are down this year because they can still sell motorcycles and lawnmowers.

The Honda snowblower models that are available to the US market are watered down compared to what's available for Japan domestic market and Canada.  It is already expensive compared "American branded" snowblowers.  Everyone is looking for bargain basement sales with rebates and other incentives from the Big Box stores which diminish unit profit for the manufacturer.  Big box stores puts a lot of price pressure on manufacturers.  I don't think that's part of Honda's business model and it shows.  Look at Honda lawnmower at Home Depot, you won't find the lowest price there.  Better luck at your local dealer who will throw in some oil and sharpening service.

 To be price competitive, Honda snowblower will have to be cheaper-built with the same sparse features to compete with other "American branded" snowblowers.  You and I can bet where our money is going towards, most features for our buck.  When that happens, Honda is left holding the bag with inventory of snowblowers unsold.  I don't see that happening.

Why don't you go with a nice Ariens or Toro? I have a Ariens 924108. It has never gave me any trouble. My driveway is about 800 ', I've just went through my first set of belts in 10 years. I recomend them to anybody. Even though mine is a 8 hp Techumseh - Briggs makes good engines too- Just dont buy a blower with a Clone engine. Get a nice Ariens or Toro with no less than 300cc- the bigger the better .

337cc and I want more.  Arrrgghh arrghh.  :)

I'd go for the Toro 1028 it's a breeze to steer and throws snow as good as the Honda. I had the Honda 928TAS so I know it throws snow well but is a bear to turn for some people.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

 Thank's, I was thinking about going to my local Toro dealer this week and checking out the 1028 or 1128 models..My biggest fear about selling the new Honda is losing the great snow throwing distance it has..I have read and have seen you tube vids where the Toro really seems to do really well with throwing distance. I see that the shute stick is plastic how easy does the control work in the cold weather?

Don't worry, the recent Toro, Simplicity, Ariens, and Troy Bilt are no slouch when it comes to throwing snow.  Unless you are into impressing your neighbors or putting your snow on their driveway, I'd say get what you are comfortable with.  Now, if you're talking about throwing slush, well,  Honda literature doesn't say anything about pumping water.  :)

zekeman wrote:

Try the 1028 it's a great machine the 1128 has a weird part on it that can hang up on things I'm told so I didn't bother with it.

Here are some vids from YouTube of my wife using our Toro. She weighs 84 lbs. and has no trouble steering it. The first Vid is me doing the EOD and it's really nasty stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeU7CGw4r0Q

This one is my wife doing the driveway with the Toro 1028. My wife was new at using it and tried to hold it back. LOL :D  You can see how much it throws that was heavy wet snow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uUBRE7vsRU

Steve_Cebu wrote:
That part is a pivoting scraper.  It is designed to move out of the way when catching on pavement.  It's not a totally new idea, I seen this on older Toro's.

aa335 wrote:

Yes that's it and supposedly it's a PITA to deal with. Our local Toro Dealers don't sell many 1128's compared to the 1028. The guys who do the walks at the colleges all use Toro 1028's here. They also use the wheeled hondas.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
That's usually the sentiment with some OPE shops I have talked to.  If it can't be taken off in 5-10 minutes, they usually $#%* about it.  I guess they rather charge someone $80 to change out a carburetor in 10 minutes rather than fiddle with a stuck pivoting scraper for 30 minutes.  It's all about $$$.

Good thing they only work on OPE and not cars.  They have no idea what it takes to change a light bulb in a newer BMW with HID bulbs.  :)    It involves one floor jack,  5 wheel bolts, 10 fasteners, 1 fender liner, 2 clips, and a few choice PG rated expletives.

I don' t think the pivot scraper is all that much trouble, I usually maintain my equipment judiciously so CLA (cleaning, lube, and adjusting) are normal practice.

aa335 wrote:

Yeah, they said the guys using them don't like the pivoting scraper and I guess it jams which is a bad thing when you have to clear a lot of walkways. I figure simpler is better. No fun having to deal with a lot of snow and getting the scraper stuck and dealers are always busy in the winter so there is a lot of downtime if something breaks.