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

Wow Throtchko, your story sounds almost exactly the same as mine. (with the exception ot the 66% return)

You did great. I could have held out for more but settled for 30%. (woulda shoulda coulda ???) But man the bucket and drive parts on mine were in serious need of renuvation. 

The biggest problem with mine since the cog wheels that are made of plastic was the drive wheels started to get stress cracks right around the hub and one disintegrated without warning.

Lucky me did not have much more to do and finished up with a shovel. I was able to find a drive wheel last year and this year I noticed the same stress cracks on the other one. I should have bought both drive wheels when I had the chance but not figuring on the other going bad I went the cheap route. Actually I thought a rock had gotten caught between the tread and the cog and the wheel just broke. Well as luck will have it the same part that I found so easily last year was discontinued by the OEM this year. Man the only way I was going to get a replacement was to order the part from a different machine that had a different part number and hope it was the same. I even went so far as to call MTD and when they found out the age of the machine simply responded with the perverbial "Oh Well".

Well I had to make a decision and since a different part number usually means there is going to be something different about the part and really not wanting to end up in the middle of my driveway with a yard ornament, I sold it.

Sometimes it is not worth pulling your hair out trying to salvage a clunker. Well it was out with the old and in with the New so not unlike yourself, I am now charting new territory.

The other dilema since this is a seasonal issue (thank goodness) was last year when I ended up grounded in the middle of February started to scope out the newbees, I would have had to settle for what was left in stock rather than what I wanted, which was either the top priced models or the dogs.

Starwarrior 

Tkrotchko and starwarrior,

    It would be interesting for you guys to later post how you judge your current machines to your old MTD tracks after a number of outings.  Handling and bite will surely be different but just how much and worth the price, advantages, disadvantages & etc.  You’ll both have new engines with full compression and remembering old tired motors. 

Most from the days of old and some quite worn out but newer units are generally handed down or sold to neighbors rather than sold online. A rare and lucky find if you act fast.

I do disagree also, If price were not an issue, snow removal efforts would be contracted to a dedicated service rather than a cold weather exercise routine for the cousin Eddie's of the world.

I am as motivated and enthusiastic as anyone just to get out there and enjoy the briskness of a snowfall but after the first storm or so, unless there is an absence of brain activity the fun part of a snow storm is dedicated to snowball fights, ski enthusiasts, sleighs, igloos, and snow angels, not shoveling snow.

In respect to worn out engines Trouts2,  a 10 year old unit amounts to nothing in terms of operating hours for the average homeowner regardless of where they live.

These engines can handle thousands of operating hours, if they are maintained properly.

Starwarrior

p.s.      Ask our midwestern friends how much fun they are having this year.

What I had to replace:

1) Cables

2) Springs

3) The bolts that held the handle to the body (sheared off after 13 years of muscling the thing around. Great fun getting them out mid-snowstorm

4) Plastic drive wheels

5) Friction wheels overheating after 5-6 hours of continuous use (we could argue if I exceeded the design characteristics of the the drivetrain and I'll accept your judgement either way).

What I did not have a problem with was belts. The MTD had dual auger belts and although I replaced them ever few years, they were still good. The mechanism inside was built to last longer than me. The core of the MTD was rock solid, but the little doo-dads that attached and made the thing functional were a problem.

Hey Trouts2,

I am surely looking forward to making a comparison. Not only the difference in how much better (or worse) the new one will eat and spit out the the snow but also how it handles.

I really was extremely satisfied with the MTD Track manuverability and quite honestly after 14 years of service, the machine doesn't owe me a dime.

A unit that was built 14 years ago offshore would genrally not stand up to the domestic heavyweights but let me tell you, this MTD really did hold it's own.

I will surely keep you all posted. All we need now is snow here in New Jersey so I can report a real assesment.

Starwarrior

P.S.

Merry Christmas  ~~~ >)))'> ~~~  >)))'> ~~~  >)))'> 

That said, after I get some snow here in MD, I will post a full report comparing and contrasting.

My only reference point is my son who looked it over and said "Whoa, dad, this thing is built like a tank compared to the last one".

Yea and they burn rice. Honda was no doubt the exception to the rule.

They wrote the book on precision machines way back and raised the bar on the entire yard equipment industry.

Yamaha has some pretty impressive machines on the market also.

Ok so you have a manual automatic model too. That one is better than all the snowblowers in existance.  LOL

We do need a reference, They have forcasted the possibility Sunday night into Monday. So far in Central Jersey we have had a total of 1" which wasn't worthy of even firing it up.

It will happen and when it does we are without a doubt both locked and loaded.

Have a nice Holiday

Starwarrior