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

I moved to a new house, top of a hill, with farm land across from my driveway.

This is our second winter, and my MTD is not up to the task of clearing the packed snow that blows into my yard, sometimes daily.

I have been looking for a couple weeks, and had made up my mind to get the Honda. I had been to the Yamaha dealer previously, but they were not willing to deal.

Well today a new twist, I went back to Yamaha, and was offered the YS928J for the same price as the HS928TC.

Specs are very similar, with some different features. The Honda has full Joystick control on the chute, and is 100 lbs lighter.

The Yamaha has plastic coated chute, manual up/down. Has no shear pins, which may be a bonus, if the 'Shock Protection' works correctly. Also the Yamaha is quiter.

I have been reviewing this site, however, there is limited information on the Yamahas, likely because they just came back to Canada in 2009 (15 year Hiatus) and I am not sure if they are available in the U.S.

Has anyone out there used these models? Can you offer an Opinion?

Yes the Yamaha weight is both a pro and a con. The dealer will have one in next week to take for a test drive.

I have 2 thoughts on this,      1) the extra weight will make it more difficult to manouver

                                                    2)the extra weight might help it stay down and eat through the hard packed drifts that my current MTD likes to rides up, or stop and spin wheels.

My driveways is 25 feets by 75 feet, last 50 feet is gravel. I am tired of pushing my snowblower through the hard packed snow, this is why I am looking for tracks. Most of my neighbors have wheel drive blowers, various modles, and face the same issues out here. When you wake up in the morning with 3 feet or more of hard packed snow, you need a bobcat, or something that can really push and eat its way through.

My wife likes the Hydrostatic transmission, which has brought us to these models.

As for the Honda, it does come with a light, and nicely featured. I have heard complaints though, about shear pins breaking to easy.

The Yamaha does not use shear pins, does anyone know about this 'Shock Protection' technology???

The dealer at Honda claims he has an 80 year old lady who can use the Honda, all about turning under power, etc???

My wife was able to manouver the Honda, she is 125 lbs, but she can not try the Yamaha till next week.

I weigh 125LB on a good day and have no issue with HS928WAS (wheel version).  I think the track is better on traction but I stayed away from track as it looked a bit complicated.  I am not sure how hydrostatic works (sounds like using fluid to manage propulsion) but I was not too crazy about it.  My Honda lawnmower is a belt driven and not a hydrostatic version.  The belt is really easy to change.  I really like simple and clean design like the Honda and see how does the hydrostatic works out.  Friction disk does not sound that complicated and looks like it is a reasonable fix.

My wife actually commented that the Honda was the same to turn as the MTD, but then she may not have been turning the MTD correctly, :-) I was not home.

I had the MTD for 13 years now, has served me well, in the city. Out here though, it is a task to push, lean, wiggle and fight with it to get through the packed snow.

I could put chains on it, but did not want to chew up the new exposed driveway.

When I buy a new blower, my Dad will inherit the MTD, he wants a used 2 stage for sidewalk and driveway. Also, chains would not solve the riding up problems. Both Honda and Yamaha have the tiltable auger, and can be set to dig down as they push forward, I would need to test this feature, but I have read several post here that confirm this action.

The hydrostatic is basically an oil pump, run by the engine, the oil flow is used to turn a motor attached to the drive. You use a single lever to change the flow, for direction, or amount of flow, for speed.

I have researched hydrostatic drives, and they seem very durable and reliable. I do wonder if the lines would pose an issue for leakage, etc, with age, but could not find any complaints.

What I can not find information on, is what Yamaha is doing in the Gear Case, to allow for the removal of shear pins???

rubinew wrote:

This is quite hard to swallow.  I don't think I can take a salesman seriously.  The best thing for him to do is to demonstrate how easy it to turn rather than pulling your leg.  Why don't you ask him for her name and talk to her if she can do it.

I rarely see women operate a snowblower, except 2.  I have never seen a woman operate a tracked snowblower.  An 80 year old woman operating a tracked snowblower?  That is not impossible, but not very likely.

aa335 wrote:

Yeah, I took that comment with a grain of salt :-)

The Saskatchewan women are tough, but still, hard to beleive, then again, one never knows!

Because I travel, my wife has to snow blow at time,s 3 times this year alone. This is why I am looking to replace. She could not get through the drifts with our old blower.

Had to hire a bobcat to come and clear, but this brings about the waiting, etc, missed work that day, stuck in house.

When I leave, I put the blower were my car goes, then she can start and drive straight out. I just need to make sure she can turn it 180 to go back and forth to clear herself out.

Don't take anyone's word for how easy/difficult they will be to operate.  Get them out in a parking lot with snow and test them out.  Make sure whoever will be operating the machine is there to try them.  

By the way, from the dimensions of your driveway, either of those machines are over-kill.   My driveway is 110' long by 20' wide with a 35' x 35' turn around at the garage.  It's also got an 11% grade.  I live in central Canada and we get a great deal of snow of all types.  My wheeled Simplicity has never had a problem handling whatever  type or how much snow comes. 

April 1st of last year we woke up to 30" of heavy wet snow.  I did my driveway plus two and a half other of similar size with the Simplicity.  The neighbours I bailed out were using fairly new 10 h.p. Craftsman machines and were struggling a great deal.  I even tried to use one woman's 10 h.p. Craftsman machine and ended up parking it in their garage.  I walked the Simplicity over to her place to clear her driveway.  All the difference in the world.  Can't exactly say why.  The Craftsman just couldn't pump the wet snow whereas the Simplicity was blasting it up 15' or more  and sticking it to the sides of the 30' wooden street light poles.  

If I were you, I wouldn't dismiss a premium quality wheeled machine such as  Ariens, Honda, Simplicity/Snapper/JD and Toro.  

borat wrote:

Thanks for your response!

The problem out here, is the drifting snow. I blows in from farm fields, and packs very hard.

My MTD is a 24 inch, 8 HP, and could handle most fallen snow, even wet.  It fails with the packed snow, pushing through it is a task, driving up, fighting to keep it level.

My new neighbor has a 30 inch, wheel drive, larger wheels than mine, I can not remember the brand, only seen him use it once so far, but he has same problem, will not push through, stops, or rides up. Last weekend he hired a bobcat to come clear his driveway.

He only has 25 by 25, fairly level, but he faced directly into the field, and 4 feet of packed snow, his blower could not even get going.

Yes the blowers that I am looking at may be overkill, but it seems that if you want track drive, and hydrostic transmission, honda and yamaha are it.

I would like to drive one into 4 feet of drifted snow, or EOD, to test and see if what I have read hold true.

I'm sure the Honda is a fine unit but that Yamaha just looks like it is built stronger.  Of course I am just basing a lot on pictures at this point.   I have a neighbor who is still uses his '89 Yamaha YS828.  If I were in the market right now the Yami would have my vote.

My wheel version is not that bad.  There is a good reason why Honda limits the tire pressure to 8.5 PSI.  Granted I have a very small driveway with ever so slight slope and my Honda pulls along good.  Don't assume that track drive is for everyone.

MN_Runner wrote:

I wasn't assuming track is for everyone! :-) not even 100% sure it is for me.

When my wife takes another one for a test drive, that will help.

I just know that several wheel versions are struggling on this hill. I need something that can plow through packed snow, and get us on our way too work in minutes, instead of hours.

Last year I wiggled and jiggled, pushed and pulled my MTD for 3 hours, and only got about 20% done, had to bobcat it to get done in a reasonalbe time!

My wheel version worked great for the last place we lived, just not able to do the same out here!