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

aa335 wrote:

aa335: Which position do find yourself using most often? I have not had the opportunity to use my new toy yet and am curious about the transport mode position. Seems like this allows the operator the choice of having the scrapper bar make contact with the pavment or having it slightly off the pavement.

I rarely use the scraper setting (bucket angled down, lots of weight).  It's too much strain on the snowblower.  If I do use it, I go very slow give the auger plenty of time to chew the ice up. 

I use the normal (middle) setting for clearing snow, and the transport setting (bucket up) at the end of the row for making tight 90 and 180 / u-turns.  I do use the pedals a lot to go from these two settings.   Hence, the a hydraulic lift assist and lever would be much more convenient over the manual lift and pedal.

I'm still so new to these machines that I didn't realize there were different methods for raising the augers. I'll check-out that hydraulic system when I go back.

On a side-note; I'm checking out the "used" market today, and I just missed an 11-32 for $2000. I don't know how old it was, but it looked new (newly repainted).

I was surprised to see that for the most part, 2 year old and less HS928's, are going for $3200. plus.  I'll keep looking, but that 1 year-old HS11-32 which the dealer is receiving, is starting to look attractive at $3500.

FrankMA wrote:

I had a 928TAS and believe me there is no way you can move it with one finger unless you are "Andre the Giant". Yes you can freewheel the tracks as has been stated but you are still moving 200+ lbs. on tracks. The lever to tilt the bucket is a cool feature and it actually has 3 positions way up like 2 inches high and then near the ground and then scraping the ground. That's how mine was setup anyway. Also a cool feature as the machine tends to stay put and not ride up.

Guys, I'm starting to think there might be a "blue" snow thrower in my driveway shortly.

I dunno,,,, that Yamaha YS928J sure is starting to look VERY attractive to me. I really liked how quiet this machine was. It has 12vdc start (battery), the engine shroud which keeps noise levels down, serrated scraper-bar, teflon-lined chute and impeller housing, fuel gauge(need to verify), drift-cutter, auto-choke, and electronic chute control.

http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=3537&section=td&group=G#contentTop

drifter wrote:

Supposed to be a great machine but expensive. If you do buy one take pics of it. :)

Will do Steve,

I have to go back and take a closer look at both,,, the Honda and the Yamaha. They're both the same price when you choose the electric-start models.

I want to actually operate the bucket-lift mechanisms, and I want to move both machines around. Small detail; I'm not certain the Yammy has hand-warmers.

drifter wrote:

drifter: That is one impressive machine! Looks very up to any snow clearing task you could possibly throiw at it - at 373 lbs. it's a real beast. Please keep us posted and don't forget pictures when (not if) you buy it and get it home.

FrankMA wrote:
Hehehehehe , I dunno there FrankMA. It's a tough call. The Hondas are lighter, but noisier. Yamaha has a 1 year commercial warranty, vs 3 months for the Honda, which doesn't really affect me, but may speak to the ruggedness of the Yamaha. Both have the same 2 year residential warranty.

The Yamaha definitely has the advantage as far as noise levels are concerned. If I come home late at night, and the snow-plow has buried the end of my driveway, I can fire it up without disturbing the neighbor.

I'm still uncertain as to the electronic chute controls on both machines. Strikes me as a possible failure-point. I wonder how reliable those things are, and what your options are in the event of failure.

I also want to find out about back-up start, in case the battery dies on the electric-start models. The Honda has a manual back-up starter on the TCS models.

Last but not least,,,, justifying spending that kind of money on a snow-thrower at my age. Mind you, the re-sale values are so good, that it probably wouldn't cost much in the long run, and I'd be working with a top-flight machine. The flip-side of that argument is, will I still want to be doing my own snow-removal after I completely retire (2 1/2 years at most).

That is a lot of $$$. I bought both of my Hondas as used machines and saved a bunch a dough (I kind of stumbled upon both). The only suggestion I could make is to scour CL or other similar sites every day, many times/day and be prepared to jump on a new posting immediately. You could also try "searchtempest.com" which is a tool that allows you to search CL and E-Bay outside of your typical geographic area. I found my Garden Tractor employing this technique and it works - you just have to be very diligent. Have your $$$ ready and get as much info from the seller as possible or you might end up wasting a bunch of your time. Some people's idea of "excellent condition" or "like new" can vary widely.