Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Track Snow Blower Questions
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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New_Yorker
Preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary
Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: Nov 26, 2010
Points: 219
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Re: Track Snow Blower Questions
Reply #1 Dec 13, 2010 8:45 am |
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I used a track drive MTD-Craftsman for 14 Years, the friction wheel & drive plate mechanism that drives all machines except Honda's would wear under heavy loads, like compacted wet snow. I often felt that wheels would have served me better because when the machine becomes stationary from too heavy a job, the wheels might have slipped, rather than the rubber on the friction wheel. Tracks grip so well they never slip, so something else has to. In my case living alongside a busy main road that is heavily salted and plowed constantly, that caused me to learn a lot about the limitations and constant repairs of the friction wheel driven snow blower in such heavy load conditions. People with light powder snow would never have experienced what I did because the machine is designed for such snow, not the heavy sticky salt filled slush my driveway entrance encounters at almost every snow storm. What the driveway surface is would have little to do with the equation. Gravel makes you raise the skid shoes is all. Pavement allows the scraper to clean it close, with any machine. I hope this helps with your decision.
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Steve_Cebu
Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888
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Re: Track Snow Blower Questions
Reply #2 Dec 13, 2010 9:03 am |
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Are there any significiant advantages to a blower with tracks on flat concrete? Or they made for severe icing conditions and uneven ground?
I had a Tracked Honda a 928TAS The Tracks allow you to do inclines with ease and if you own a Honda the setup they use makes for doing gravel driveways easier. Tracks equal more grip but are a bear to move around except under power (see thread involving using dollys). All tracked machines are not created equally and if you just have a flat driveway you really don't need a tracked machine. I returned the Honda and paid a penalty for doing so. But I now have a wheeled Toro and it's very well balanced, easy to use and I do have an incline that at the EOD has to be used sideways as it's normally wet slushy crap.
So no significant advantages to tracks unless you have an inclined driveway. Cheaper to buy a wheeled unit and easier to move around.
"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England." "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
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hobbes
Joined: Dec 13, 2010
Points: 2
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Re: Track Snow Blower Questions
Reply #5 Dec 13, 2010 1:53 pm |
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Hi, I have a Honda HS1132TAS. This is a tracked snow blower. The advantages are that for slopes it is really good and it can handle my 300ft long driveway's 1:14 inclines. It takes me approx 30 mins to clear a 3-inch snow fall. Last year when New York got dunkned on, it took like 3 hours!!!! Mind you I had 18 inches. Alot of people think that steering is difficult. The trick is to stear the back. I.E. no point in trying to make the front move around or hold one side back. You cannot do it. What you can do is push / pull on the handles sideways and swing the back around. Once you understand that then it is quite easy to steer. Moving around the garage is a pain though. I *NEVER* run the snow blower in my garage due to the risk of carbon monoxide posioning. Pushing the Honda around with the engine off is not easy, but is manageable. I am only 5 feet 3-inch and have the standard middle age rubber tire middle!!! Honda Tracked snow blowers are also good for gravel. The bucket in one of the modes can be made to float over the ground. Hence you do not scoop up gravel. It is easy to start. I have the electrical start thing, but never use it. Too much of a bother. Easier and faster just to pull the start cord. If you want one of these I recomend buying it without the electric start and save yourself a few $US. Cheers, Mike.
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starwarrior
Joined: Oct 27, 2010
Points: 91
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Re: Track Snow Blower Questions
Reply #7 Dec 19, 2010 4:58 am |
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I had a MTD 26" 8HP Track for 14 years and I can tell you first hand that the Track drive along with the trigger mechanisms made the snowblower totally manuverable. The thing would turn on a dime right in the middle of the sidewalk. I was also able to maintain a nice close line and get really close to the car without worry. Keep in mind that the cog drivewheels are made of plastic and over the years plastic will get brittle and they are eventually will crack and break. I finally got rid of it because I was having a tough time finding parts. This time I am trying an Ariens wheel drive unit only I don't expect to get the same manuverability. The nice thing about the Ariens machine is that the Track drive is an option and can be converted from wheel to track drive. The MTD was Track drive only. It really was the trigger mechainisms though that made the MTD machine so manuverable. Additionally it had a tendancy to ride up in packed or heavy snow and it would take a couple of swipes. Most likely it was because the unit was a little light up front. For medium duty use where you need some manuverability in I would say the Track model is definately the way to go. If you have a real long stretch where you need muscle to plow through in heavy pack, I would suggest a heavy wheel drive. Starwarrior
This message was modified Dec 19, 2010 by starwarrior
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