>> MTD is the 'Fast & Cheap' manufacturer, not the innovator.
Incorporating good features versus innovator as in "the first" is fuzzy. Tough to say who was an innovator of a specific feature. In the early years designs were all over the place. Many designs were tried and dropped only to become standard later. For example very early Hann Eclipse machines had an engine head mounted chute crank that ran from the handlebar dash to the back of the chute similar to what most use today. There may be some now long gone maker before Hann who was “first”. Ariens and others used this design later for many years. Remote hood is another that I believe was introduced by a lesser maker and adopted by the big brands. MTD makes an O-K product, nothing great, lots of stuff that rusts, making such a machine last is costly, labor intense, and requires deatiled care. I'm still comfortable with my previous assesment of them.
I’d give MTD credit for a few things. They seemed to be early in the use of a roller bearing on the hex shaft. They use (now “used” unfortunately) double auger belts for many years and I don’t see that in going back quite a way in other machines. I think Ariens introduced some models with double auger belts much later and touts them in their literature. MTS’s screw chute worm is a marvel of cost reduction and functionality.
How about a little credit for the MTD triggers? Not sure if they were the innovator but certainly the ones who peaked the design which has proven itself over many years. Previous comment sustained.
>> These machines were OK for most people, but they became problematic in heavy wet snow.
They are not a Ferrari. If you expect Ferrari performance from a Chevy you’ll be disappointed.
If you push it to perform like a Ferrari they will crap out as you know. Once the machine is set so that the Friction Wheel rides at the center of the drive plate it is as slow as it can go, and has as much power as the design can transmit to the tracks. I "push The Machine" because it simply would not move at all otherwise. Ferrari ? Chevy ? I Wish ! Try Rusted Out Yugo, a car I understand often required pushing to make it go.
>> The original drive plate is still in the machine despite its regualr roughening, after 14 years. That suggests you'd be dead wrong about wearing the disk faster.
The reference was the not wearing the drive plate. The reference was to the increased wear to the friction rubber. The rubber that was in need of replacement every 2 years because it was too narrow, make that flimsy, and wore when driven at its lowest most powerful and slowest speed into heavy wet snow. This machine is fine for light powder, unsuitable for Wet, Heavy, Salt Laden, Driveway Blocking previously Plowed pile blocking the driveway.
>> The Reason one buys a Honda, at 3 times the cost of the rest, is that it reliably drives itself under load unlike the friction wheel gizmo.
For you maybe but most people have no idea how a snowblower works and seldom a factor in the purchase of a snowblower. They might learn from a salesman about “hydrostatic drive” but have no idea what it really is and certainly not realize any difference to a friction disk which they don’t have any knowledge of.
I’ve got a Honda HS70 here that is a friction disk design and an HS80 which has hydrostatic. It’s doubtful that either one will be a big advantage over the other. The HS70 as a sub-transmission to give more range to the speeds so should be fine for slow and fast clearing. When purchasing a snowblower in 2010, as I just did the choice was between the Friction Wheel system I had already discovered the hard way, that was labor intensive, maintenance intensive, and proved to be poorly suited to the heavy work I purchase such a machine to perform, and the machine that had the better system far more likely to have less maintenance and repairs, but most important of all, one that would Do The JOB ! As to what Other People do, or need to be done, I sincerely doubt that I could possibly Care Less about that.
Merry Christmas !
>>I doubt the augers and impeller turn any faster than most other machines, after all that part of the machine mimics all the other snowblowers.
Take a look at an exploded view of your Honda auger gearbox and housing.
In a very general sense all toss about the same for size and horsepower and most who want distance just swamp the consideration with a bigger engine. But some machines have a big difference in the refinement of blower section. Honda and Yamaha use, with some slight variation in various models years, four roller bearings in the auger gearbox. The augers are supported on roller bearings not flanges and as all an auger drive on a roller bearing. Yamaha runs at 4000 rpm and Honda at 3600 but they have higher impeller and auger speeds than most. They both get great distance when tossing and pick up wet snow very well.
