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

Im kinda of on the fence in regards to "if I made the rite choice"? First impression was good, got out last nite in the middle of the storm and at first I was very happy. Motor fired rite up even thou it was 22 degrees or 14 degrees with the wind chill. Got the hang of the controls pretty quickly, the light was nice and bright and throwing distance was pretty good. There was a ton of blowing snow due to the wind and this caused huge drifts which is the begining of my "second thoughts".

When tackling big piles (they are with this storm) more than a hand full of times the motor almost stopped and backfired when under heavy heavy load. Even back fired when the engine gets turned off as well. I think I may have have used too much stabilzer. Today was a little differant, engine did not backfire as much (but it did a few times) and the engine did not bog as much either (but it did a few times).

Now maybe im asking too much being we got hit so hard??? I dont know, maybe its my technique. Maybe its the amount of snow and my technique combined. When I look at what I did I am surprised so I am on the fence.

If I dont go work i will try and post some pics tomorrow. Or if I get more aggravated then I will be going to buy the Toro 1028 tomorrow.....lol

MN_Runner wrote:
I have the Honda tracked model, their largest one at 32", and it is very involving to operate it, almost like riding a motorcycle.  Fortunately or unfortunately depends on how you look at it, I like a challenge to learn how to master this beast.  On light snow less than 8 inches, I'd use the Toro single stage for most of my snow clearing.  The 2-stage Honda comes out to level EOD piles and helping neighbors.  But tell you what, when the weather is nastiest it can be, the Honda strengths become apparent.  Even though it has a 32" bucket, it is quite diminutive in overall size, and it has got some serious grunt.  I can have the snow up to the gas tank and it will just burrow through EOD like a gopher.  Set the bucket in scraper mode, transmission lever in low speed, and let it do its thing.  No need to feather the drive or trying to keep that bucket from rising.  The aggressive serrated teeth auger will chip at ice quite nicely too.

It's still not too late to sell and get what you want.  The Toro that Steve has is an impressive machine.  It moves snow well and is one of the my favorite machine to operate.  If I ever get tired of this 32" Honda, I'd sell it and get the Toro 1128OXE, cause I like the large engine and pivoting scraper.  If the 2 stage is your main machine, consider getting one that is friendly and you enjoy using.  Cut your losses early and move on.  Life's too short to be agonizing about a few hundred dollars.  You can always make more money, but you can't make time.  Or, keep the Honda and begin discovering why it garner the reputation that it does. 

Good luck with your decision.

njal wrote:
Right on!  It's not too hard to get a feel of how much to load that engine to be productive while not overstressing the snowblower.

I am fairly happy with my HS928 so no need to sell and re-buy.  My kids think that I am a snowblower-freak (and also lawnmower) so no need to reconfirm their observations.  Steve's Toro is a nice machine and I want to acknowledge that he has a nice snowblower and maybe a bit better than a Honda.  I do not wish to start another Honda vs. Other war so relax.  Regardless of the brand, if you have an underpowered snowblower you will either have to go slow and learn to live with it or upgrade to something more powerful.  The situation is very similar to the MN Vikings (HS724) and the Bears (HS1132).  The first game was fairly close when things were not so bad yet.  The second game was a knock out when things were really bad/sad I thought I was watching the Gophers.  I am not a Bears fan, but I do acknowledge that the Bears are a much better team and can go deep in the playoffs.

MN_Runner wrote:

Modern snowblower are quite impressive in snowblowing distance and throughput.  The gap in performance has been closed up when comparing similar engine size and bucket width.  Honda no longer leads the pack, and rightfully so, there's very little secret.