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

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.

drifter wrote:
Probably, but you can only have so much fun until the neighbors call the cops.

I prefer spending winters in Florida over the flame thrower.

drifter wrote:
Geez,

What are you complaining about?  With that kind of snowfall per year, I'd be tempting you to get a Kubota tractor with a front mount snowblower. 

And that's with a heated cab and a rocking stereo system.

I have a new found respect for you, to be able to shovel that much snow and still have energy to chase down the missus.

drifter wrote:

Hi drifter: I just sold my Honda HS624WA (wheel drive) that I used for 10 years - what a great machine. IMO this is the perfect combination of compactness and power in a 2 stage snowblower. You do have to take a smaller bite sometimes, especially at the EOD but that is offset by virtue of its compact design if that is a consideration.The only reason I sold it was a friend got relocated down south and no longer needed his barely used Honda HS928TA (track drive) so I scooped it up before he moved. I have quite a bit of area to clear - 150' of sloped driveway with a good sized EOD area, several walkways that lead to the back of my house, 12' x 40' deck, runways that lead to my firewood stacks, etc... It usually takes me about 3 hours start to finish for an 8" - 12" snowfall, sometimes a little more if it's real wet and heavy, sometimes a little less if it's real light and fluffy.

I have not had the opportunity to use my new 928 yet as I picked it up in mid March of this year and we unfortunately did not have a good, snowy winter last year. The last storm with any marked accumulation was in late February so needless to say, it has been a very long spring, summer and now fall for me waiting to use my new toy! I had originally purchased my 624 as a used 2 y/o machine for $800.00 and sold it this past August for $750.00 one day after I posted it on CL - not a bad ROI for a 12 y/o snowblower. I probably could have got more if I held out until this time of year but it kept getting in my way in my garage so away it went for $750.00. The only items I ever replaced were several sets of skid shoes, 1 scrapper plate, 8 or so shear pins and an oil change/spark plug every year, all standard wear or maintenance items. I purchased and mounted a headlight kit and put tubes in the tires as it was a PITA to air them up every fall after they went airless during the downtime, getting the beads to seat properly with a handpump was the problem.

I had a much smaller property when I purchased it and had considered it a bit too small for my current property when I first moved but as I said earlier, you just have to take a smaller bite in some areas, EOD in particular. I was actually starting to peruse CL in late February/early March for a HS928 as that is the time when a lot of people are starting to unload their used snowblowers for fairly short $$$. My friends situation developed at this time and the rest is history. I think you would be well served with the HS928TCD for your situation and would definitely benefit from the track drive model. I did not mean to be so long winded but I thought this information would prove helpful in your purchasing decision. Good Luck!