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

Hi, I am looking at purchasing a 2 stage cub cadet snow blower soon. It's a 208cc 24 inch clearing width.  My husband and I are asking for any information on this machine.  We appreciate your input. Thank you :)

Mousy- . It would be helpful to know if the area is a steep grade and how long the gravel has been down. Is it frozen continually throuhout the season or does it keep thawing. Where is the machine to be stored? Once you get over 24" it becomes problematic if the unit is to be stored between two cars in a typical suburban garage.

Gravel can be tricky and this is important information.

With regard to the Cub Cadet - Not a real heavy duty machine and while the price is attractive I consider it poor value.. They were at last report being made by MTD a company that is trading off of Cub's prior reputation. Try and stay away from the big "box" stores and find a local reliable dealer. They tend to sell higher end units and after sale service can be of great importance.

Marc

 The driveway gravel has been down for at least 3 years or more I would say. We just bought it last spring. The drive does not have any steepness it is flat and straight. It is about 150 feet give or take. Yes it does thaw out occasionally and drains well. We are in Ashtabula co. ohio, the snow belt. The snowblower will be kept in a well insulated garage, room is not a problem for that. I am so confused about snowblowers, that's why were on here asking for help.              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Thanks again

                                                                                                                           

Marc,

  I also wanted to say that we learned a prior lesson with buying a john deere tractor from home depot instead of from a john deere dealer.   And the cub cadet has adjustable shoes which is that as imporant as I think it is for a gravel driveway. If we do decide on cub cadet, we will go to a cadet dealer.

Mousy-Given your description you could use a 2 stage machine between 24" and 30" inches. You don't want to dig up the gravel when turning around so I think some form of differential steering is a necessity. All of the machines are going to have skid shoes that are adjustable so that is a non issue. I would stay away from units with a floating or self adjusting scraper bar and one that has tracks instead of wheels  because of your surface issue.

As far as differential steering is concerned the best type is full time non trigger/lever/cable type. This is the kind found on the more expensive Ariens machines. Toro,Simplicity,Deere,Husquavarna all make machines that have the trigger type steering but not the full time type.

I would stay away from units with electric chute controls even though initial reports have been favorable. It's just one more thing that can go wrong.  At least one manufacturer has stopped using them. You should recognize this along with my comments about differentials as a personal prejudice of mine as many users like them. 

In closing let me say I don't think the Cub Cadet units that you may find at a dealer are any different than the ones at the box stores.

Marc

mml4 wrote:

I don't understand why you would say don't use a differential lock like on a Toro? I have th Toro and tried the Ariens auto lock and found it to be awful to turn. My wife couldn't muscle it around at all.

The triggers make it a breeze to turn. The Ariens is like an old school snowblower but turns a whisker more easily if you put your back into it. We used to have a gravel driveway and they are nightmakres to deal with so his height would have o be up at least an inch depending on the grade and how smooth the surface is. Chances are if it's like ours was it won't be all that flat and will have some bumps and ridges.

Gotta agree with the electric chute controls not fun if that breaks. Our Toro quick chute works like a dream and is faster than any electric system.

To the OP i myself wouldn't buy a Cub Cadet, but if you do try and get an extended warranty.

mml4 wrote:
I personally think that trigger differential unlock is better than Arien's "auto" differential.  If I want to turn, I squeeze the trigger.  Toro has trigger on both sides so you can chose which direction you want to turn and still have power going to one of the wheel. 

For the electric chute control, I think several manufacturers have got it down right.  That one manufacturer that stopped using them probably didn't do their home work it has caused too much warranty claims and complaints from users. 

Just imagine, if every has no faith in power windows, we all still be using manual crank windows now.  These days, you cannot sell a new car without power windows, door locks, ABS, and air conditioning.  All these features are expected as standard.  Failure rates for these are very low.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Steve-I didn't say don't use trigger lock differential I said full time differential was better. That is my opinion after having used and worked on both over time. Your opinion is just as valid as mine and certainly you are entitled to it.

AA-I like all the bells and whistles when it comes to cars. When it comes to outdoor power equiptment and motorcycles I prefer to keep it simple. Once again this is a matter of opinion and mine is no more or less valid than any of the other posters found on line.

Marc

Well here I am again. I thank each and everyone of you for your time, and oponions, and will certianly take all into consederation. We still have a few weeks to decide on what we will purchase and when we do, I will come back and let you know what we got, and give my review from a woman's point of view from handling and performance. And I will see what my husband has to say also. After purchasing one, I will be anxious for a big snowfall and ready to bring it on, and we will probally have light snowfall all year!! LOL  ( Never know)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Thanks once again,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Mousy

Mousy,

If you haven't already, I suggest you read Trout's web page about selecting & using a snow blower.
http://www.kedawei.com/snowblower.htm
It's a very good read & he covers a lot of aspects you might not normally think about. If you are not handy or do not want to do the regular maintenance or repairs the will happen, then you must buy from a reputable local dealer. Once you decide on a brand, go in & talk to them a few times before the seasonal rush starts. Try & talk to some other customers while you are there about the service they receive. Unless you have a method of transport, make sure the dealer can do it for you. Think about it, if you were a dealer, wouldn't you give quicker service to people who helped support you & bought the machine from you.

I didn't have to make a choice, I was given a 24" machine for free. But, after having used it for a year, I realized that it was the right size for me. The only consession I made to my inner Tim Taylor was to re-engine up from a 5Hp to an 8.

Good luck

I second that.  You can ask professor Trout anything.  Lots of useful information.  He's a walking wikipedia.  :)