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

Well I finally got a chance to use my new to me Honda HS928TA after having used a Honda HS624WA for the last 10 years. The only reason I sold off the 624 was I got a really good deal on the 928 and just could not pass it up (I'm sure you guys understand!). I had been contemplating moving up to the 928 for the last few years because the EOD slop can be brutal and who does not like a few extra ponies and a little extra clearing width . The 624 handled it OK but it was slow going and pushing the motor hard so I began my search at the end of last winter and scored a sweet, low hour 2 year old unit from a friend who was relocated down south.

Here's some background on my situation: Sloping asphalt paved driveway (15* or so top to bottom) about 135' long x 10' wide (for the most part) with a 40' x 50' area at the top and 20' EOD section at the bottom with a mailbox area to clear as well. The town plow always makes the first pass down the road on my side so I get a lot of the slop and cement type snow, usually 2' or so high and 6' - 8' deep. I also have to drive my blower up a small stairway section to get to the back area of my property where I need to cut a path to my back deck and clear runways to my stacked firewood piles. I also have a 12' x 40' deck but I use my new to me HS520A for that task (feedback on that at another time). Typical clean up time after a blizzard like the one we just had is in the 3 - 4 hour range and includes some areas that need to be shoveled, raking snow off of the roof of one of my sheds, detail type work, etc...

Anyway, here's my observations: DISCLAIMER - I'm not slamming anyone who owns a wheel drive snowblower!

• Track Drive vs. Wheel Drive: The 928 track drive is easier to use than I had been led to believe after reading all the hype. I won't say it's easy but not as bad as some have reported and definitely harder than manuevering my old wheeled 624. Overall I can see that it requires some technique to get used to and one should use the snow under the tracks as an advantage in the turning process. The snow acts as a lubricant and makes it easier to manuever than one would suspect especially if you lean your weight on the back end of the track drive using it as a quasi pivot point. Traction with the track drive was far superior to the wheel drive especially going up and down my sloped driveway and chugging through the hard pack.
• 9 HP vs. 6 HP (8.5/5.5 HP to be accurate): The 9 HP definitely produces a lot more power than I imagined it would and was considerably louder than the 6 HP. Power was consistent and smooth (for both) but the 9 HP was able to handle the heavy load without the struggle that my old 6 HP would encounter. I was able to go much faster on that first full cut pass out of the garage and EOD slop was no match for the larger engine. This allowed me to clear that first full EOD bucket load without having to go super slow and/or having to go backward/forward to make my way through. The 6 HP is a good match for most storms but the 9 HP can handle and process the heavy stuff much easier and consistently and allows you to take a wider cut than would be possible with the 6 HP.
• Bucket Height Adjustment: The 3 way bucket height adjustment allows the operator to get right down to the pavement. On my old 624, I would have to lift the rear of the machine to let the scraper bar dig in under the hardpack which would reduce the traction of the wheels. I would then resort to shuffling the bucket side to side to try to keep the bucket from riding up - this is not required with the bucket height adjustment feature on the track drive model.
• 28" Bucket vs. 24" Bucket: Other than the obvious additional 4", I did not notice any real difference in terms of manueverability. What I did notice is the larger engine allows you to take advantage of the larger clearing width of the bucket. Once again, the 9 HP can process the volume of snow much more efficiently.

I'm still getting used to operating this new toy and as such my clean up time was about the same as usual. I would think that I can cut this down a bit once I get more familiar with the nuances of operating the tracks. Overall I'm happy with my decision and feel I made the right move. My old HS624WA is still a fine machine and served me well for the last 10 years. It was a very manueverable, easy to operate machine that handled everything I threw at it. That said,  I'm looking forward to taking on many snow storms with my new to me HS928TA.