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

          How many of you folks out there with MTD snowblowers, have had problems, or no problems?

Let's count and see how :"Junky MTD" does !!, compared to Ariens great QC ! ! ! 

                                                                 Fred            

Fred:

Living on the edge today??

   TomP,

            Been doing that all my life!!

Have over 1900 hours of USAF combat time, also Us Army Airborne qualified!

                                                        Fred         

Hi Fred,

I just noticed on your signature you have a 10.5 hp MTD.  Are those L-heads or OHV engines?  How are those larger engines?

         Richie,

             It's an L head, but blows like he#$ with only a 26 in wide bite!!

For where I live in Dover, it is overkill  most of the time, except when we get a NE'ster, then it is still great!!

                                                                         Fred    

                       

             You have earned my respect over the years Fred!      I have a 15 year old Yard man riding mower that has seen way too much abuse . It has had a tree fall on it and even the garage roof fell in on it one year due to snow loading. It has preformed very well for me and I have been very happy with it.

           Is it a John Deere? No but it has mowed my lawn for fifteen years so I can't complain.

             Sorry it's not a snowblower Fred but I just thought I give a little honor to the old machine

                 Tom

I think when Sawme bought his machine the quality was better.  Fred have you looked at this thread ?  Do you have to disassemble your unit to replace the belts? 

Sigh......

I don't have time to post here re: all the folks I have talked to re: MTD snowblowers first hand, (and you would have to trust me enough to believe me anyway) who have had problems with them. 

I hope that no-one has problems with their snowblowers.

Most folks that buy a snowblower don't research the purchase, again you just have to take my word at this.  After they have a problem they are not going to come here and post their problems anyway, what's the use of that.

Fred with all due respect I don't feel that a thread like this is productive at all.

C

Chalk up another "sign of hands" from me for being a happy MTD owner. Will it last 30+ years? Time will tell. In my careful  & capable hands, it should last me some time. Plus, our usual light snowfall amounts in NJ will help its longevity. If I lived further north in the snow belt, I wonder how it would fare.

Changing MTD belts - There is barely enough room to slide a new auger belt between the auger & drive pulleys. Yeah, most would probably advise to separate the front of the machine from the rear machine frame. NOT NECESSARY!! Here's the secret - put the belt on the engine's crankshaft pulley, then place the belt on one side of the auger pulley. Use a long, thin screwdriver to push it between the 2 pulleys. Now with the spark plug wire off, slowly pull the recoil starter so the pulley spins some. Push down further on the belt - it will "walk" between the pulleys as the spinning motion "helps" it feed further down between the pulleys. Repeat until the belt is engaged on the bottom half of the pulley. Now just route it over the idler. Done! This procedure will NOT HARM THE BELT. Mine is holding up just fine, as well as at least a dozen others I have done the same way.

Replacing the drive belt doesn't require this procedure as its much thinner & can slide past the pulleys easilly. If you encounter one that IS tight, just follow my procedure above & you'll be home free.

Whoever uses this info owes me a beer. I just saved you quite a bit of unnecessary work...

Marty

Marty, that was a good thoughtful, helpful procedure.  You know V-8 juice is better don't you?

  AJace,

          I do not have to split the blower to change belts!!  Thank God

Marty pretty well covered it !!

                                                                        Fred.                   

 Chris S,

                    Why, because it is not "Pro"  Ariens or Toro??

                                                                   Fred         

Beat into the ground and back. Had the govenor adjusted once. Replaced the scraper bar.

Problems?
No.

Recommened it?
No. The build quality is fine. The component quality is a little iffy. Everything is thin or small.

If something breaks that is more than a cable, shear pin, or scraper bar. Marty is getting a PM to meet me at the Delaware line for a freebie.

Minds out of the gutter please.

jubol wrote:

No,

Because it is not a productive useful topic thread.

C

robmints wrote:  If something breaks that is more than a cable, shear pin, or scraper bar. Marty is getting a PM to meet me at the Delaware line for a freebie.

Rob - I'll be there about 2 hours after you notify me of the Sears next major failure... 

Marty 

Why can't the readers decide if something is productive? 

Why do we need a central authority figure telling us what we do or do not want to read?

I have nothing against anyone posting here, so the following is not a dig at the originator of the topic, but why is the topic "Boy, i wish there was some more snow..... :)" productive, and this one is not?

At least here I found out about some old MTD's and heard about their build quality.  Over on that topic, it was just people wishing for more snow.  I chose not to read that topic after the first two posts because it wasn't productive for me.  But for others, it could be a very productive use of their time. 

Everyone is different, so let the readers decide.  Damn - there's my libertarian side coming out again "Live and let live".

--SnowRemover "The King is dead, long live the King"

I have posted my opinion on the topic which I am entitled to.  I am not discouraging anyone from posting on it. 

C

There doesn't seem to be many MTD owners here. Guess that is a reason we don't hear much about them. Maybe they traded them in for a premium machine?

My neighbor has a 13 horse yard machine.Is that an MTD?If so, it does OK.Cant compare to my 7.75 Craftsman though...HEHE.

Hey Marty,Check on the engagement or takeup pulley.You might have a pin holding it in place,not a bolt.If thats  the case,you just tap it out with a pin punch and your belts slip on with no interferance.MTD's should last with proper maintainence,although his is a rust bucket for 4 years old.

Steve

ChrisS wrote:
You deleted my previous reply to this comment, but I'm still interested in an answer.

Why is it that owners of Ariens snow blowers do come here and post there problems, but not of other snow blower makes?  I doubt Ariens owners are different than owners of other makes.  Which can only lead to the logical conclusion that Ariens are not as reliable as other makes.

--SnowRemover

Not necessarily true.

You guys that come up these scenarios that end with "this can only mean............", blow me away.

Did it ever accure to you that the the people that buy the cheaper machines are more prone to be the type that just waltz into a store and buy something without spending time on the internet looking, shopping and comparing?

Likewise the type that come to the internet  and spend time looking, shopping and comparing are probably more concerned about the purchase they make?

I think it's very logical that this could be the case, not saying it is because I don't know for sure. But I can tell you this, the people that come to this forum asking about snowblowers hardly ever come asking about MTD's. It's mostly Toro, Sim's, Ariens and Murray's. Now, that does lead one to believe that what Chris stated to be truer than what you are suggesting.

Marshall wrote:
Yes, this did occur to me.  But Ariens is not the only maker of premium machines.

I admit that due to price, Honda's are seldom mentioned here, but Honda's are about as premium as you get, yet I see zero posts from Honda's having problems (I mean newer Honda's, not 15 year old models). 

Toro's are comparible to Ariens pricing, and they sell more snow blowers than Ariens (admittedly Toro's numbers are boosted by their huge market share on the single-stage market), yet again, I see few Toro posting for relatively new machines.

Simplicity and Husqvarna seem to have a low market share, but I just can't find exact numbers on that, so I'm going buy number of dealers I can find and the lack of much Internet sites where people post about them.


--SnowRemover

SnowRemover wrote:
OK, that's it.  I've tried really hard to tolerate your pig-logic formed opinions, but now you've mis-represented ME.  And i will NOT tolerate it.  Why don't you ACTUALLY READ that thread, you'll see it's actually a highly detailed performance report , written specifically to detail (in a hopefully entertaining manner) the experiences I had using my snowblower during the last noreaster that we got.  Not only is it topically relevant, but there's a lesson or two to be learned in that thread for newbies and old hats alike.  READ -- THINK -- WRITE.  If you mis represent ME again, I WILL formally move to have you BANNED from the forum.  Spout all the sh!t you want based on your own garbage, but don't you DARE try to implicate other people, you 'nob.  BTW, there is also a refernce in my post in that thread to MTD snowblowers, and in the WTB archives i have made numerous posts detailing the failures of neighbors' mtd made machines last year(for half the winter, i was doing 3 drives with my "lowly" ariens, while the mtd's sat in pieces).  Fred, I thought better of you than to start a libelous thread like this.

Terrapin,

I thought I made it clear that while that topic didn't interest me, I also said "But for others, it could be a very productive use of their time."

I also stated this "is not a dig at the originator of the topic"

I apologize for not making myself clearer, but the point of my post was to make the point that the readers should decide what is productive and what is not.

Once again, my apologies,
--SnowRemover  

When I first decided I wanted to buy a snow blower I had no idea what type of machine to consider, I just new that I wanted a good machine.

I'm a new home owner and I don't have any expeirience with buying ope at all.  I saw a machine at costco a yardman 10.5 horse. I like costco so I nearly bought it that day, but decided to do a little research first. So I came here and read post's like this, I wanted to learn about the problems people had with different brands and what brands seem to hold up well.   I did not go back to costco to buy the mtd, but I feel I made a good decision and I'm happy with what I bought.     just my .02

Mang

  TP,

          What is libelous about calling MTD blowers junk and Ariens having high quality QC????????????

 Do you know what " Libel"  means in the legal world??

I resent your statement!!!! 

                                                                 Fred

I am not picking sides here.  That said,

Fred with all due respect this thread from the beginning had the potential to cause conflict.  Now that it has as the originator you need to deal with that.

C

Hey...


Seems like a snowball fight...

Hope no one gets hit in the eye !  

It's should be fun here !   

Remember  ?  


Dave...

Chris S,

                   What are Forums for???

On this forum, if you can call it that, any more.

Ariens and Toro comments can say anything that goes, no matter what there problems are ,but dare not to bad mouth them! 

Mention MTD , Aiens and toro in the same sentance and a  "HOLY WAR ERRUPTS"!!!!!

My question to this forum, Is Ariens buying advertising time here??

                                                                           Fred 

Fred that was not my point. 

C

Fred-
   based on what you've written about ariens in other threads(I think in one or two you've resorted to out and out bashing), and the *tone* of your post  at the outset of this thread, i'm getting a strong vibe from you that you are (albeit latently) implying that mtd's have a longevity/reliability equal to or better than that of the "big A" (having lawyers in the family i know that libel does not have to be direct but rather it can be implied- just cuz you don't write it don't mean you don't say it).  After digging out two drive ways for over half a winter(in addition to my own plus my yard) last year that were *supposed* to be cleared by mtd's that had big problems, i can say without hesitation that you couldn't be more incorrect.  I even had the pleasure of trying to operate one of those things, and couldn't be more unimpressed.  It had no torque to the wheels, the controls were both flimsy and clumsy compared to mine, and there was this great grinding sound coming out of the auger gearbox- despite the fact that proper shear pins(factory in fact) were installed.  The fact that they get the money they do for them stuns me.  I have seen them break in the conditions that my ariens(and i don't  even have a high end ariens) revels in, even prior to getting the r3 drive- do you realize it took well over two years for my r3 problem to appear? I would bet the disc in an mtd(or the belts for that matter) would be worn worse in the same time,   I am sure in the evironment in which you use your machine it works great and probably always will, but I also know that a storm up here like the one we had a couple weeks back can easily break the back  of an mtd, cause i have seen it happen not once, not twice, but 3 times in the last  12 months, and that's on my street alone.  I won't for a second argue or debate that we seem to be seeing a larger than preferred number of nagging problems with ariens machines this year, but do a little research into the toro 3650, and see what you find.  What scares me the most about your suppositions is they are based solely on empirical evidence that you derive from the board here, which in the grand scheme of things is a terribly small sampling, not to mention a horribly biased, unscientific one.  All this from someone that I have always felt to a person of reason and knowledge.  You may be resentful of what i write, but i'm disappointed by what you are writing.

SnowRemover wrote:

I think it may be because this site for some reason seems to be Ariens orriented.  Many of us post about how happy we are with our machines and that makes it easier for Ariens owners who may be experiencing problems to post questions.  Conversly some models are not as highly regarded and I suspect this has a chilling affect on people who own other makes.   I also think it provokes some members into bashing Ariens but I can live with that.  The way I look at it is:  I bought my machine after evaluating every model I could find in my price range.  I read consumer reports, I talked to other people,  I searched the web for information, but most importantly I thought about what I liked and didn't like about each machine I looked at.  The final decision was based on how * I * thought it would perform.  I'm comfortable with my choice, and don't feel that because someone else came to a different conclusion one of us must be wrong. 

Good luck with the MTD Jubol.  I'll bet there are a lot OPE owners who would gladly trade a neglected "high end" machine for a well maintained MTD.

plugger,   I agree this site does tend to be Ariens oriented - maybe due to the postings from Ariens folks.  No knock on PK helping people out.  He's terrific.  However, there is no doubt in my mind that there are far more troubles reported on Ariens blowers and this has been true for at least the last three seasons.    The idea that somehow this is due to some kind of bias is hard to fathom.  Unfortunately the first hand postings seen here are the only data available.  While not conclusive I put more faith in these reports than in second hand anecdotes.  Your theory does not hold water since other "highly regarded" 2 stage machines like Toro don't have undue problem reports.  

I think it likely that Ariens machines, while stoutly build, are quirky and prone to initial workmanship problems.  If you fix the early problems and stay on top of the adjustments they're probably great for many years.  Even some folks who have had serious problems are still happy with them.  That's loyalty!   My lowly Craftsman has gone through 2 1/2 winters of very heavy snow and I have not yet needed to adjust the drive engagement or either belt - all still as set at the factory.   That's as it should be.  How often do you have to adjust the belt on a car?  Probably never these days.

If any machine gets bashed around here it's MTD and I'm no fan of MTD.  My neighbor has had a 10HP MTD for over ten years (I borrowed it a couple times) with no problems with the machine - except some motor trouble  - but that's just a second hand anecdote.  lol   -Bob

boblloyd wrote:
Hi Bob,

I think Paul's willingness to help is one reason Ariens owners may be more likely to post.  I wonder what would happen if other manufacturers had someone like Paul monitoring the board.   My 1128 was defect free from day one except for the blowby problem that Ariens fixed quickly.  I may have gotten lucky but despite the number of posts regarding Ariens problems on this board I still believe my machine is representative of Ariens quality.   I have two neighbors who each have Craftsmans and they've both had problems with them.  I guess I could consider the blowby problem a failure but I could still use my machine without "fixing" it.  My neighbors couldn't.   So from my viewpoint I'm seeing something different than what your saying.

I haven't had to adjust a belt on any of my trucks in the past 20 years.  I guess that's  because they used serpentine belts and tension was maintained by an idler arm.  I  have however had to replace the belts and one time had to replace the idler arm.  I also had to replace a belt on my daughter's Nissan  but never had to adjust it.   This is my second year with the Ariens and my first year with my Chevy Silverado.   I've already had to fix the windshield washer on the Silverado but am yet to fix something on the Ariens.  I've also spent more time changing the oil on the truck than adjusting the Ariens but I'm not sure that means anything in terms of quality for either machine.   I spent about 30 minutes this fall checking and adjusting the Ariens.  I could have done it in less time but it was a pleasent way to spend a half hour so I took my time.   My neighbor spent about 5 minutes.  He didn't have to adjust anything.  He just had to make sure it started.   I walked over and offered him the use of my grease gun to lube his auger shaft but he didn't have grease fittings so he didn't even have to do that.  Yet, I don't feel like my machine is any lower in quality than his.  
In retrospect I wonder if I should have suggested he pull out the shear pins to verify the auger hadn't frozen to the shaft.  I guess this would qualify as  second hand anectdotal data to someone reading this post but to me it's first hand observed fact.

I guess I don't see why having to, or in my opinion being able to, make simple adjustments is a bad thing.

I have had  an Mtd yardmachines gold, Craftsman 4 stroke and 2 cycle, Toro 2 cycle, and Ariens. My opinion of all the machines i have owned is the Craftsman 4 stroke was way below my expectations on quality and longevity, The Craftsman 2 cycle plastic machine served me well and i loved it. The Mtd was way below my expectations on quality and longevity and rusted like no tomorrow. The 2 cycle toros serve me well and i like them.  I had a 1992 vintage Ariens st824  and used it every year untill 2003 when i sold it to a friend. The only thing i ever did to it was change the oil and grease and it never gave me 1 problem and ,looked like brand new when i sold it. The only reason i sold it was because i got the bug for a new piece of ope and purchased the 1128DLE. I also have a early 1970 vintage Ariens and the only thing i have ever done to it was change the oil and the belt once which was last year and it has never given me 1 problem and is rust free. This is the old CHEVY or FORD thing. You either like one or the other and it is most likely programmed into your brain when you were a kid by a family member. I am an Ariens man by choice. My family never had a snowblower growing up and when i purchased my home i started on my own. They will all work and serve the purpose but for how long and how good ?? Only the shadow knows !!

ToroBlower wrote:

Snowremover again     BANNED.

DO WE HAVE A UNBALANCED HUMAN ON OUR HANDS?  

Add Frosty and mantooth to the list.....BANNNED.

C

DALE A.   BANNED

I apologize in advance for the long reply…only read if bored.

As a newer reader to this forum, I’d like to give a little lay audience perspective as to what is currently happening to this thread, as well as forum, and how it will turn off others (those who are not engrained in the conversations/lifestyle) from contributing or valuing opinions.

Why do people visit this forum? Who are they? What is/are their motive(s)?  What will lead them to conduct behind-the-scenes reading, contributing, or unsubscribing?

Here’s a typical scenario…a consumer decides they want/need a snow thrower. Unless they have an influential neighbor/family member who owns an expensive, but not well known, snow thrower, they’ll initially gravitate to the Wal-Mart/Sears throwers (greater exposure and better price point).

Then, thinking that $600 or so is a lot of money to spend, they’ll look at generic research sources (such as eopinions.com or they’ll read Consumer Reports) to verify their pending purchase. Later, after learning about a few alternative choices, they’ll go google.com or msn.com and search for recommended snow throwers. They’ll often stumble upon threads such as this one. At that time they’ll hear about how they should spend more money than what they planned.

To justify spending more, they’ll look up more first-hand experiences on this forum. Rather than read every single thread, they’ll use the search engine to look for, say, Toro 8 hp or Simplicity. They’ll also see subjects such as “MTD Snow Blowers” and skim it over. They’ll want to learn why magazines recommend MTD (which to them, may or may not be made be the Craftsman model they saw at Sears) but subscribers who own and use snow blowers will often recommend Ariens/Toro/Honda/etc.

While skimming threads, they’ll come across people arguing over who said what, etc. This is normal behavior. People often act differently behind the keyboard than they would if face-to-face.

Back to the consumers…if bored, they’ll spend a little time to figure out why a person is pissed, and another is banned. But, frankly, it’s insignificant to those who just want valuable snow blower information.

As a result, strings such as this are valuable, even if controversial, but only if people first counter opinions/facts they do not agree with, and then later ignore the post/person, rather than get off the subject. Why throw gas on an isolated field fire that can’t harm? If it must, let it burn on its own, and people can decide whether or not to stop by and watch it. Soon, if unattended, it will burn itself out. However, some may sit around and gain some heat from it...their choice.

Another thought…just a guess, but if I were to read these threads and ultimately buy a Craftsman on clearance, I’d probably have not real need to visit the site (since my purchase would not be justified). The only time I’d ever visit this forum again is if the Craftsman ever broke down (to potentially gain information before attempting to fix or bringing it to a shop).  

PS: Snow thrower or snow blower? What's the correct terminology?

colecacola wrote:

They are interchangeable terms really.  Neither is wrong and you are understood regardless of which you use.

C

colecacola...

Nice post... thanks for your insights !

Now to your question Fred...

"My question to this forum, Is Ariens buying advertising time here??"

                                                                          Fred

Not that I as a moderator am aware of...  See any particular brand of OPE advertised here ???
Red... ? Blue... ? Orange... ? Green... ? Purple... ?  Grey... ?

I didn't... maybe I missed it... I usually don't look at the ads... can you point us to the Ariens advertising ?

And... if a manufacturer or who ever does advertise here... So what ?
What does your question actually mean ?


Dave...

colecacola wrote:

Both are accepted terminology for the same thing.

Some people argue, with some justification, that a snow thrower is another name for a single stage machine while snow blower describes a 2 stage machine.

I think Fred and some other MTD owners like, and are proud of, their machines. Many owners of other brands of machines have the same opinions of their equipment. Sometimes expressoins of pride and the good natured teasing that comes from making competitive comparasons between the brands that are liked by others gets mis-understood or taken too seriously.

I can't speak for the other moderators, but at the time Fred posted this, there was a bad egg trying to come to the surface. Which made a post that under normal curcumstances would have been just another chance for brand specfic snowblower lovers to beat their chests,  in to a post that was treated with a heightened sensitivity.

At least two good things will come from this post, A thriller from James Clavell "Snowblower Jihad" and the romance novel from Maeve Binchey " When Mary Met Snowdude".

ROFL.....Very good Rob.....

C

colecacola wrote:
FYI, Sno-Thro is a trademark from the Ariens Company.

I used this statement to make my chioce in October, 2003, from    http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/snowbuying.html#shopping.  Also i used the info from this group of guys, and have been reading this four-um since then   .   I like the Ariens,but no track model for my steep driveway.  Alomost got the MTD Track model (do not like the triiger drive system when I tried a friends), But glad I got the Honda for the Hydrostatic drive!.   I works well for me.                                                                                  18 DEGREES     

I call my Ariens Sno-Thro.  I think of single stages as snowblower as they kind of blow snow.  They bigger ones actually throw snow as do they single stages, but not as far.  I call them snowthrowers.  You might catch me saying either one though ...lol      I also like what nibbler said.

Chris amd Marshall,

Since you have banned one person for speaking out.

 I'm mostly likly next, I would like to express my deep feelings througha quote.

     It expresses my feelings to the letter as what this forum should be. 

                              In 1906, Evelyn B. Hall wrote, 

   " I dissaprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" .

                                                                                                        Fred     

SIGH, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT FRED, I HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE NO ONE IS SQUELCHING YOU. WE WOULD JUST LIKE WHAT THREADS YOU POST TO BE DONE IN A MORE POSITIVE AND THOUGHTFUL MANNER. WHAT'S SO DAMN HARD ABOUT THAT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND? IF I HAD IT IN VIDEO FORMAT, I WOULD GLADY PRESENT IT THAT WAY FOR YOU. NEVER HAS ONE OF YOUR POSTS BEEN EDITED OR DELETED.

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT AND WANT TO CONTINUE TO POST NEGATIVELY, THEN FIND A NEW FORUM MY FRIEND, THERE ARE MANY THAT YOU YOU CAN FIGHT IN 24/7/365 IF THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.

Marshall,

           WHAT WAS NEGATIVE ABOUT MY LAST POST????????

                                                                     FRED

FRED, PICK A FIGHT ELSEWHERE, I'M NOT PLAYING THE GAME. 

jubol wrote:
Sounds like a little harmless brand competition /bashing to me.Hey Fred,you got a few replies on this one.Hey...there all sheet metal and motor,some the same motors at that.some of them have better sheet metal,paint,bearings or bushings,but a rusted old MTD will run forever if it is maintained. Ariens is dominant I believe because of their rep.They are noted for snowbloweres like Skidoo is for sleds.Lots of MTD buys because thats what True Values and others carry.Sears...well,you know.Hey lets all pop a couple ov V's ans go to Sears and look at those big 13 horse jobs....

Yeah,Petes right.Put it up on the wheels and shake it.If its wobbly don't get it

jubol wrote:

Sigh,

Fred I would be angry at you if you knew what I know but you don't.  As a rule we the moderators for the most part keep what goes on behind the scenes to ourselves.  You all do not come here to deal  with issues and problems and I don't blame you.  These past few weeks have been quite time consuming and rough on us mods in terms of dealing with the "one person" who spoke out as you put it.   Folks come here wanting opinions and giving opinions and that is what it is all about and it is all good.  It is HOW they go about doing it that we the mods keep an eye on. 

Remember also that folks come here to help, to learn, for comradery and to have some fun.  If they want to be aggravated they can sit in their own living room and accomplish that I am sure.  They certainly wouldn't come here....Unless you enjoyed trouble.

I will not bore you with the hours we have spent trying to keep SnowRemover under control and keep this forum as pleasant as possible with the tools that we had to start out with.  He was asked to stop causing trouble, he was warned many times.  It was not like it was a suprise to him.  He was really quite the whack job and clearly not mentally stable as seen by one of his post to me after I banned him;

"you really can't keep me off. I use anonymizer to constantly change IP addresses, and you can get a million email addresses for free.

I just started playing nice, do you really want my wrath on this site. If yes, you will have to maintain a constant vigilance to delete posts. Or, let me back on and we can be buddies."

He then attacked the forum and it took all of us Mods to keep him at bay until the owners and the programer Peter finished him off and made sure we will be able to deal with someone like him in the future.

So now knowing some of what I know you may still think it was wrong for us (me in particular as I pulled the trigger) to ban SnowRemover.  I actually respect that if you still do.  That said remember this is not a democracy, it is a privately owned website that we have been allowed to use for free I might add.  We have all been given terms of use to live by that are pretty reasonable I might add, they are at the bottom of the page BTW take a look.  Any interpretation of these rules are where we the mods come in.  We have ALL been asked to make this a great site to visit.  It requires work and effort by everyone.  If there are problems we try to work it out together but if it cannot be resolved we the mods talk it over and make a decision and that is it.  We don't have to do this too often (until lately lol...) but we will if we have to.

Fred you started this post when there was a lot of negativity being generated by a certain person.  I told you my opinion when it started and I still feel the same way. 

I am going to ask you as a respected member of this forum to reasses this situation and reflect upon what put us here in the first place and then I would like us to move on.

Thank you Fred,

C

A little from the TOU

"AbbysGuide is a community of people helping people make good decisions. Please treat people how you would like to be treated. Foul language, personal attacks or behavior that is disruptive to the helpful atmosphere of the sites will result in that member being banned from the sites."

"Attempts to organize members in such a way as to influence any person or company will be deleted."

"Topics/posts related to the activities of the moderators or administrators are not permitted. Moderators/administrators would be delighted to hear your opinions via email."

You guys are doing a grand job of keeping this forum enjoyable.  If I can help in any please let me know.   

Thank you AJace, you're too kind.

I can tell we sure need to be better communicators.

AJace wrote:

Ditto. I know I'm new to this forum, but it's one of the most valuable sites I've stumbled across in my many years on line! Keep up the great work guys!

Chuck

Glad you like it Chuck, that's what we're here for.    

Thanks

Marshall,

Looks like this winter has generated some serious "cabin fever". I'm a mod on another tractor related forum (to remain nameless) and have recently seen similar explosions happen there. I'm always sorry to see someone banned, but it is sometimes necessary to keep the peace. I like popping in here and contributing what I can. Just wanted you to know that I understand the hard decisions you mods sometimes are forced to make. Keep up the good work! And it IS good work.

Joe

Joe, thanks for your words. We need some big snows, LOL.

You're of course welcome here all the time, your contribution are always helpful and even posess some good old fashion humor at times.

Best,

Marshall   

As Joe said I'm a Mod along with him on another board and the last couple weeks we have had a few people just go off the deep end. They have been warn for the last time that the next time they will be baned for good. One of them has already been ban for two week awhile back so hes on his last chance. We give them a couple of warning and then we ban them for a two week period. But if they don't straiten up they gone for good. For the few years i have been coming to this site its been pretty laid back except for a few people. Y'all Mods have done a GREAT job keeping things going with the move and everything Keep up the good work and remember some of us know how hard it is to keep a forum running smoothly.

Jody, thank you as well my friend.

You've been a quality member of this site for a long time, you are always welcome here!

Best to you

Marshall  

All work and no snow makes Jack a dull boy.

 lol

Thank you, we appreciate the kind thoughts....

C

Marshall wrote:
????????????????//What did I miss?

A snowremover alias

Fred--
   Actually, it's "I may not agree with what you say, but i will defend to the death your right to say it" and it was originally written by voltaire(real name is Francois Marie Arouet) in the 18th century, and was made popular by Paul Reveere during the american revolution, IIRC shortly before he faced a British Firing squad.  I find it rather amusing that you quote voltaire, (who was arguably the greatest humanitarian of the 18th century) a crusader against bigotry and tyranny in a very thread where you express some of the very attributes he fought against (predjudice for instance). FTR my personal favorite voltaire(more accurate now than ever) is "Those who can make you believe absurdaties can make you commit atrocities"--from one of his french revolution works(its been too long since my classic literature class for me to know which work its from) 

ps:  i have said it many times before, our mods are awesome.  They run a fair, tight ship and don't shy away from doin the unpleasant part of the job when it's called for.  They are to be commended and thanked.

   TP24

      I made the quote correctly.

On Google type in" to defend his right to say it"

Look for, "Quote details, S.G. Tallentyre"

Read it and you will see that I'm correct!!

                                                      Fred              

jubol wrote:

hi fred,

thank you for your valued opinion

wd

On the subject of MTD, let me be brief. It doesn't matter whether this forum thinks it's a good product or not. It fills a price point that some people are willing to pay, but not exceed. Everyone has a different need, and for some MTD fills the bill. For some, I actually think that MTD is an enjoyable challenge. My next door neighbor has an MTD lawn tractor that must be 15 years old. It breaks down every year, but they moan and complain and still keep fixing it. If they ever get fed up with it, they will buy another MTD and the cycle will start all over again. It simply wouldn't occur to them to buy something different in the hope of getting something better, even though they could certainly afford it. They like doing whatever it takes to keep their cheap machine running, even if it costs them more in time and effort in the long run.

As far as snowblowers are concerned, those of us who purchased HATS machines (Honda_Ariens_Toro_Simplicity) have decided that we probably wouldn't be satisfied with the cheapest alternative available. But there will always be someone willing to sell a cheaper product, and always someone willing to buy it. That's why the idea of a buying guide and a help forum (although well-intentioned) will only have limited success. The Gospel has been preached for thousands of years but to this day, it only helps those who want to be saved.

AZ

Amen!

Love the H.A.T.S abbreviation.

Marc

AZ, that statement was just awsome.  I agree with everything.  You are the first I ave seen to use the HATS term.  I hope you can contribute that term to the forum and we can all use it. 

You could turn it around too and, if you stuttered, it would be TAH TAH'S  

HATS....the forum is welcome to use it, with my compliments.

AZ

Or even.....................SHAT..........because if it has moving parts , it will break.   Really,  HATS is great.                                                              18degrees

Marshall wrote:

thank you for your valued opinion

wd

Thanks for the contribution.   I'll say thanks to AZinOH, we have this term everytime I use it. 

i would certainly like to have a HATS machine and will when funds allow for it.

in the mean time my old crafts will do the job well enough.

as far as the mtds of the world i hope folks keep using them.they do indeed fill a need.

there are a lot of them around and they do require a certain amount of repairs .

that being said i will point out a few things that i have learned over the years being fully involved with snowblowers for a very long time (seems like it anyway).

the folks that buy the HATS machines are either ex owners of lesser quality machines ,or they used a HATS machine for a while and wanted one themselves or they did some research and bought the best they could find.

the Hats owners having spent a bit more cash sometimes are a bit more carefull with proper care and service of there machine.this also increases the life of the product.

the mtders of the world seem to not be quite as fussy with maintenence and not so carefull in its use.

im trying not to cast a mold here but these are just some observations i have made.over the years.and i do live in an unusual place most of you arent even shure  where i am .

so the mtders seem to suffer a bit more illuse than the HATS machine

all thats fine with me because without them i wouldnt have a job for very long.

now we all understand that illuse and abuse will destroy even the best machine in short order.

i have learned that a snowblower will not pile your firewood

it will not bring in your saturday paper.

it will not rearrange your paving stones.

it will not take out the trash .

it will however always find the chain that just fell off its own tire on the last pass.

it will peel the bumper cover off your neighbors car.

it will eat the hose on your barbecue.

it will find your door mat .

it will get your extension cord .

on and on.

also sometimes the mtders last a very long time.

so i wonder is it really the machine always ...nope

more often than not it is operator error.

later chris 

  

I agree they (MTD, Murray (RIP) and AYP) are machines that fill a space in the market.

Any and every brand will have a quality problem crop in the field from time to time. It happens to auto makers all the time.  No sampling plan can compare with mass use. With Gilson the year or the UniTrol chute ring welds comes to mind as well as the time a supplier changed the plating on idler rollers and the oil impreganted bushings all cooked in a few hours.

Sure there are construction details we can talk about but the real test is to take a population of machines MTD & SATH (my preferred order) and check on them 2 or 3 decades latter.

Pete

You mean people with hats don't tend to lend their machines out to be driven through the woods to another house? And since the shear bolts broke and the sticks that replaced the shear bolts broke, regular mild steel bolts aren't put in to clear an unpaved drive of 30 inches of middle Atlantic slop?  My bad, stupid questions. The only hats that would have had a chance would be a Honda track. Nothing else would have had enough tracton and weight transfer.

If you need to ask, yes, I'm one of those people that keeps you in boom trucks.

Gilsons wrote:

Pete,

I'll settle for five-ten years, and I hope we're all still around to have that debate.

AZ

Hey Pete,(you'll always be Spectrum to me)......I don't agree,I think murray will be around for a while.I think their engineering is OK.They may not use the best parts, but the ones they use do the trick and aren't terribly hard to replace.

navihawk wrote:
Murray is in bancruptcy right now. They owe B&S a ton of money and it looks like B&S is getting control. Time will tell.

Pete

 Gilsons,

  I read somewhere just recently that B & S now owns Murray.

 Briggs said that they will most likely close the Lawrenceville Tn plant in about 18 months.

                                                                                                 Fred                    

I have a Craftsman 888531 MTD, and with the exception of tightening the auger cable last year and the skid shoes wearing out after one season I havent had any problems with it these past two winters. (Believe me that baby got a work out these past two storms totaling 36 plus inches) This machune has done its job, and done it very well.

Robert