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

After shovelling 8-10 hrs. a day last year I swore to get a good snowblower.

Decided on the Honda HS928 without seeing one first hand.  My first impression

is that it's a bit short for most Americans who are tend to be taller than people

from other parts of the world.  I also thought some simple design aspects were

overlooked.  Mainly no tie down plates so you can transport the blower to other

places.  Considering this model is a commercial grade you'd think they'd have

thought of it.

The machine is difficult to maneuver without the engine running.  I'm thinking a

set of "training wheels" might do wonders for a tracked machine.  A kick plate

that would flip some wheels down to turn it around would have been one way

to solve the problem.  I also thought there should be a way to steer by braking or

even reversing either track like a tank.  Even a way to shift either track into neutral

would make steering pretty nice.  (I used to drive VW Beetles that I had equipped

with a JC Whitney dual lever parking brake adapter that would allow the driver to

pull on either handle to brake rear drive wheel. The other wheel would push

the car in the direction of the wheel that was being held with the handle.  It used

the braked wheel as a pivot enabling you to steer with the front wheels and the

one rear wheel.)  

I still think my choice was good.  I had purchased a used Honda Weed Trimmer

(UMK 431) last summer and was very impressed with the quality (other than the

stupid design of the line spool which I substitued with an aftermarket design that

uses short peices of line (about 9") stuck into three tabs (I spray a bit of wd-40 into

the holes to make feeding the line peices easier).  I also purchased an older Honda

Van (2001) and was also impressed with the design and reliability.  Have ridden a Honda

Scooter for past 5 years with no complaints there either (it's the PS-250 Big Ruckus).

I was a bit disappointed with the dealer's instructions (failed to mention the fuel shutoff

which I think is VERY important) and I didn't see any grease on parts such as the chute

directional control, etc. 

To get it into the lowest position, I had to pick the back of it up. After I worked it a few times, it seems easier, but doesn't work the way I expected it to.

tkrotchko wrote:
I have the same model.   What you are experiencing is normal going from high to middle, then low.  There are gates on the pedal mechanism which requires pulling up the handlebars beyond the engagement point while holding down the pedal.  Takes some practice to get used to, a little more challenging to put one foot on the pedal while the other foot is on slippery ice.  But it's like driving a car with manual transmission, like a Ferrari gated shifter, after a while, you just do it without thinking about it.

Hi, I have a Honda HS1132TAS. The three level shifting thing is a bit weird at first. Actually it still is and this is my second season. I find that sometimes the positions do not catch. And once I let go of the handles it just goes back to what it was before. In general I try a few times and eventually I get it. Sometimes I think I pull to much and go from level 0 cruise no-snow collection, to level 2 digg down, skipping over the "Normal Position". Fortunately the dig down position makes alot of noise, so you know you have over cooked it :).... Cheers, Mike.

hobbes wrote:

You've made me feel better. That's precisely how this thing works and I was afraid it was broken.

tkrotchko wrote:
Once the operator is broken in, everything seems to work just right.  :)

These finely engineered machines are like a great woman, you have to know how to work them or you'll just be wasting your time! Just my .02 cents.....

Yes, I got this finicky woman figured out.  Every crank and lever, left turn, right turn, reverse.  She's got a special parking spot, towards the inside wall where it's warm.  The problem is not getting enough seat time. 

 congratulations to all you new honda owners!!! Your going to love your new toys!

I wish we would get some snow here in Jersey..

Well, actually, a lot of snowblower owners just got done with clay and wax so we don't want any of that white stuff coming down and mess up our good work.  :)

aa335 wrote:

That's right it would ruin all that hard work we put into making them nice and shiny and we'd have to do it all over again! Don't want that. All that salt and EOD muck getting in all the cracks that we spent hours cleaning our snowblowers with a box of Q-tips.