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

I'll check out chains today. Last time I looked, they were $70. plus tax. I'm sure I can do better.

RE chains / studs;

My driveway entrance has a substantial slope for the first 50' or so. When it's icy, it can be very tricky to walk on. I have to sand that hill in order to take my car out, otherwise, it slides down the hill.

I've actually fallen while shoveling, and slid right down to the EOD snowbank. Had that snowbank not been there, I might have slid right into traffic. Pretty scary stuff when it happens. The street in front is a main thoroughfare, so plenty of traffic.

Welcome fellow Quebecer. My response would be to get the right width for your situation (if you read trouts website you are already well informed) then go for the biggest motor they have on that width machine. I've seen 24" machines with 10hp and 32" machine with 10hp. Which will perform better when trying to take full width cuts?
I think that like any other machine and longevity, it's how you use and maintain it that counts. I'm close to your age & I got tired of shoveling (was pretty easy last year). But I'm cheap so I stuck to used machines, so I've seen some well maintained and some not so much. With respect to the cost of new vs a contract the question is, will the contractor always be there promptly? Besides, I think it's almost therapeutic blasting that snow across the yard.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks GtWtNorth, and possibly fellow "hoser"  Hello from Lachute.

Well, I went shopping again today. Looked at a Poulan Pro 27" at Costco, some Toro's, and Ariens Deluxe & Platinum series at Home Depot,  and a couple of Ariens Pro's (28" & 32") at an OPE dealer. I'm trying to calm myself down here, cuz this is getting out of hand pricewise. I got offered a couple of good deals on the Ariens Pro's $2400.tx incl. on the 28", and $2900. tx incl. on the 32".  Ariens is also offering a "win your Ariens snow-thrower" contest. Your name goes in a draw, and 2 lucky winners will have the price of their purchase refunded.

There was more to the Pro series than I had originally realized; for example, the impeller/auger pullies (dual pulley drive). The gear hub for the auger is massive, with cast-iron gears. I was a bit surprised to see 14" impellers on these Pro Series throwers, since I thought I had read somewhere that the new-model Pro Series machines had 16" impellers this year. The ones I saw today had 16" augers, but 14" impellers. Hmmmm. I'm wondering if these were last years models, with new engines (Briggs & Stratton). Financing is available,,, at 0% for two years. Not bad. The dealer is expecting another shipment of Pro Series machines next week, and we're going to compare the impellers to his current floor models. As for tires, I was also a bit surprised to see 4" wide tires on the 28" Pro model. The 32" machine (and larger), gets 6.5" wide tires.

This $3000. price-range is nudging me closer to a Honda 928 (uh oh). The HS928TC has tracks, and is $3399. No financing deals however, and the dealer is selling at full MSRP. Typical Canadian dealer I'm afraid. I can't seem to find any detailed specs on the Honda's. like impeller diameter, rotation-speed, etc. All I'm seeing is throughput in metric tons. As for promotions, Honda is offering a chance to win an all-terrain vehicle.

My head hurts.

The pricing for those Honda is quite astronomical.  I've heard that about Honda's in Canada, selling at full MSRP every year.  This is both bad and good.  MSRP = bad, but resale = good.

However, as a HS1132TAS owner, I think the HS928TCD is the cat's meow.  Just the perfect weight / width / power ratio for the average homeowner.  The electric chute control and onboard battery start is great.  Too bad this model is not available in the US.

I wouldn't mind being in your shoes now.  My head wouldn't be hurting, I'd get that HS928TCD parked in my garage ASAP.

DON'T tempt me,

Thank God my local dealer doesn't have one (HS928TCD) in stock. He has only one, and it's an HS724TCD. Why can't I find any detailed specs on these machines,,,, argh !!! The HS724TCD looks too small for my needs, but,,,, mebbe not.

Hehehe.  It's not too hard to tempt anyone who has entered the Honda arena.  Like you said, it's like a Swiss watch, i think it's more like a classic Leica camera.

The HS724TCD is a bit small and could use a bit more horsepower, IMO.  However, if you don't have a huge area and not in a hurry, I think it would be a easy to handle machine.  The HS724 has been criticized for being too small and weak for it's price.  However, the HS928TCD really has no peers, there's only one like that with the tracks, features and performance.  You can get an Ariens and Simplicity/Deere to equal in snowthrowing performance, but you can't get it in a tracked version.

aa335,

Any idea what the impeller and auger diameters are on these machines? I'm also wondering if the 928 is a 9 HP machine.

drifter wrote:
My quick and dirty measurement of the HS1132 came to 12' impeller and 14" auger.  This is the same on the 928 and 1132, not sure on the 724 though, it may have a 10"  impeller.  When I was shopping for snowblowers, Honda impeller and auger sizes were fairly conservative, smaller, as compared to Ariens and Simplicity.  I don't think they win any bragging rights for size, even the intake height was middle of the road.

The 928 has a 9 hp engine.  It maybe a rounded up number though.  It's not the most powerful 28".

I think Honda snowblowers are kinda like BMW cars.  Conservatively rated, but well designed and makes efficient use of the power.  Quirky and expensive, yes.

Thanks aa335.

On a side-note, I just found out that my annual average snowfall is not 7 feet. That number was for Montreal. I'm in the Laurentian foothills, close to the Ottawa River valley, and the annual average snowfall for Lachute is 10.5'. Geesh,,,,no wonder I'm tired of shoveling.

I wonder if a military-surplus flame-thrower might be a cheaper alternative.