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

>>Trouts2, my only fear with the 28" machine, is that the 12" impeller

 

   Starting in the middle of the driveway the toss distance is ½ the driveway width which is not far for a 1 or 2 car wide driveway.   For a few areas you may want a toss much further and even further than your snowblower can do.  If your area does not have many very long distance spots then you can double toss them.  For most storms going over a few double tossed to places is not a big deal.  For a few storms when the snow is high and wet it will be a struggle but also get done.  Getting a monster machine to cover worse case isn’t required.  You’ll be clearing mostly smaller storms during the year.  Even for 12 inch levels double tossing is not a problem for average weight snow.

   A 28 would probably take care of you.  Companies have a ballpark number for tossing speed out of the chute.   A 12 or 14 inch impeller machines usually have different size drive pulleys that make the final fan speed approximately the same.  Smaller fan big pulley.  Big fan smaller pulley.  Both run at roughly the same ft/sec output.  The numbers are worth looking into when you go to dealers.  The bigger machine with 14 inch usually come with bigger motors so an advantage for distance.   

 

>>I'd probably go with the Ariens Platinum or Deluxe in that event.

   You can get the manuals online for any Ariens you are interested in.  The spec’s section of the operators manual lists the fan speeds.  Ariens run 1300 rpm fans on 12 inch machines and 1075 on 14 inch.  With the drive pulleys different both machines output is about 3900 ft/sec so that element alone equal.  The 14 machine may come with a larger motor.   

 

>>BTW, the 357cc/ 33" Troy-Bilt I've been looking at, does indeed have the "power steering" feature.

    In case you missed it the 28 Craftsman has power steering also.   Craftsman has 28 models with and without it.  

   The 4 way chute on the MTD machines is not the best.   For a low angle on the chute hood the joy stick is down and forward and moving left or right from that position ok.  For a high hood setting the joystick is up and hard to move left and right.  It requires putting some force on the joystick.  There's a lot of slop in the movement and if it were to be used in the high position all the time would take it's toll over the years.  If you go back to check out the 33 inch try moving the joystick with the hood down then up and you'll see that I mean.  The feel is not the best. 

 

>>Honda.  Built like a Swiss watch. Prices seem a bit crazy up here however.

    I’ve been told and it was years ago that a Bently was one of the cheapest cars to own over the long haul.  It’s tough to layout the money for such a car.   I’ve also been told that people in Japan buy a snowblower and expect it a lifetime purchase.  They expect quality and put up with the initial cost. 

 

>>As for auger rotation, I'll try to get that info for you trouts2. I presume it's 1/10th the impeller speed.

   Generally that’s the case but not always.  Some Ariens machines run 130 rpm on the augers on machines that have 12 or 14 inch impellers. 

 

>>BTW Trouts2, what are your thoughts regardaring "tracks" vs wheels?

Wheels or tracks are both ok depending on your area.  MTD’s can come with triggers like on the Troy.  MTD uses the same trigger drive on wheels and tracks.  They are a breeze to use. 

Honda and Yamaha don’t have powered steering and a bit harder to turn than a wheeled machine especially wheeled machines that have some sort of free wheel or differential.  Most of the time your underway and guiding a track is no problem.  When not running the motor and trying to move one they are a pain.  You have to get used to using them.   

Trouts2,

Thanks again for the info. I also checked-out your website,,,, nice work.

Regarding the chute/deflector on the 33" Troy-Bilt, there are two separate controls. The joystick controls only the deflector. There is a separate hand-crank for chute rotation. I like this arrangement, since it's probably easier on the cables. On some machines that I'vce seen, the handcrank can be a little stiff to turn, but, that's usually an installation/assembly issue as far as I can see. The hand-crank shaft passes through an eye-bolt with a plastic or rubber insert (eye), and if that eye is not perpendicular to the hand-crank shaft, it can cause resistance. Simple adjustment.

Re; snow accumulation,

I'll probably only use the thrower when snowfall exceeds 2 1/2". I'm so used to doing it by hand with a scraper, that it probably wouldn't be worth the effort to use the thrower. Mind you, I'd probably use the thrower for "pushing back" the snowbanks along the perimeter of the driveway after several light snowfalls, and for doing the EOD.

re; studded tires,

It's a shame you don't see these things offered as an option. For hilly driveways like mine, where ice/freezing rain can be a problem, I'd imagine these would be quite handy. Apparently, the Ariens dealer I spoke to offers this option through a private installer. The guy charges $100.

Ooops!!! One more point regarding the deflector on the MTD/Troy-Bilt machines. The deflector tilt can get a little sticky, and that is caused by the end of the chute, rubbing on the inside of the deflector. This occurs when using acute deflector angles. A simple touch-up along the top edge of the chute with a file, would deal with that issue quite easily I would think.

>>On some machines that I'vce seen, the handcrank can be a little stiff to turn, but, that's usually an installation/assembly issue as far as I can see.

 

   Yes, once adjusted they are fine.  The setup is simple and inexpensive but lasts forever.  The 33 I looked at would not even turn the chute at all.  Great display setup by Sears.

 

   You probably won’t need chains or studs.  Chains work very well and are much cheaper. 

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.