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?

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!

rubinew wrote:

Driveway size isn't everything it's also the type of snow that affects what machine you buy. Your driveway is small compared to mine as mine is 220 feet long 15 or so feet wide and has a 40'x50' section off of it. But if you get hard packed blown snow on a regular basis and we have a neighbor up the road who is across from a huge field (retired farm). They bought a Kubota tractor to deal with the snow. No dealer will let you drive into 4 feet of snow, but they should let you test drive it. I honestly don't see the problem with riding up on the snow for the first pass or two if you have that much snow. Except for commercial units there is no way you will remove hard packed snow in one pass anyway. The city uses machines that you ride on that will do it. But they probably cost $10K for a used one.

If your wife has to use this have her drive it and remember that a 5 minute test in a dealers lot is very different than muscling that unit around for a couple of hours. My wife could not use the Honda we bought because it's tough to turn it around and you will get a real workout using it. What you will want is something that has tracks that you can steer with triggers. Sadly the Honda and Yamaha models that have the trigger steering with tracks cost a boatload of money.

If you have snow bad enough that you'd need a Bobcat then Honda and Yamaha are safe bets but you will still need to go slow and use technique to move that level of snow. I'd look at a second hand truck with a plow if you have the space to put the snow. The windblown stuff is really nasty and unless you've had to deal with it like our neighbors have... in fact the apple orchard across from our house has windblown snow, but they have a lot of tractors so it's not a problem for them.

Just make sure that you and your wife can use it for the 1-2 hours you will need and yeah I'd say tracks are a must for that stuff.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

Thanks for your Response,

I don't mind having to make second, or even more passess, as long as I don't have to hold the bucket down, and push it all the way thru :-)

I just came from the Yamaha dealer, took my wife there to try steering a 624, they don't have the 928 in stock, sold out till next week. She liked it, and was able to turn it around, the trick for her was to tilt the auger up, and keep the track turning.

 I have to admit I am leaning towards the Yamaha. They do not have shear pins, which is a bonus for my wife, she can not change if I am on the road. I also like the quiter motor, and the lined chutes. We also like the controls on the Yamaha a little more, flat and waste high.

The dealer explained that the shock protection is built in the gear box, sounds like a pressure plate, that can disengage, then reset with next turn. I have heard of simular presured plates, using bearings.

I took the Yamaha 624 through about 20 inches of packed snow and ice, didn't even hesitate. The motor did work a bit to chew the ice, but it drove straight thru, no pushing.

I think the 928 with the extra weight and HP will chew right thru anything. But I will let my wife take it for another test drive before buying. I will update you with our final decision.

Rubinew,

I wish I had your dilemma.  In the states, we don't get either of these two excellent models to chose from.            

I like the shock protection feature for the auger.  No pins or bolts to deal with.  I'm sure it would work very well.  I have no doubt that Yamaha have developed this feature properly.

Is it correct if we buy one of these up in Canada and bring back down to states the warranty will be void at local retailers?    A 90 minute drive to Canada for warranty work is doable though.

aa335 wrote:

I thought the Honda was available in the U.S.?

It turns out the smaller modles, including the 624e do not have shock protection, but do have shear pins.

The shock protection feature is on the fully loaded 624 (edj?) and the 928, not sure about the higher modles.

The Yamaha just came back into Canada last year, they left for 15 years, not sure why, good news is that most of the blowers they sold back then are still working!

The first Honda Dealer I spoke too did not know that Yamaha was back, or played stupid :-)

rubinew wrote:

If your wifecan't change out a shear pin why look at models that use them? Only Yamaha doesn't use shear pins from what I understand. Make certain she can use the 928 as it's a bigger machine and it won't just be for 5 minutes. Having no shear pins is good and I believe Yamaha has a longer warranty than Honda so that is also a consideration.

I'll be interested to see which one you get, my money is on the Yamaha. Too bad we don't have them down here.

My main concern with the Yamaha YS624 is being under-powered.The difference between YS626EDJ and YS928J is only $400 but you will get 250CC in lieu of 170CC engine. In addition, I am begining to think that 250CC may be under-powered for the super heavy YS928J.  The difference between 250CC and 270CC (Yamaha vs. Honda) is minor but 100LB weight difference is signifcant.  Although I said Honda may not be the best snowblower, HS928TCD may be a better balance given slightly more HP with a significant weight reduction.  Sounds like you have narrowed your choices to Yamaha and Honda and if that is the case then I would seriously consider the Honda model.

MN_Runner wrote:

That is indeed the dilemma, the Honda is slightly more power and less weight, however, the Yamaha has a few more features. My wife already drove the HS928TCD, she was able to turn it a couple times. I really liked the Honda, and almost took it home that day, but then came the Yamaha, and that is why I am in this debate.

The 20CC may or may not make a difference, seems to be a lot of effect from design and usage of horsepower. The 624 we used today threw snow twice as far as the 8HP MTD ever did :-)

The no shear pin idea is very attractive. And the wieght may be an advantage for keeping the front down and into the drifts. As long as turning is not affected too much. 

The 624 that we used today did fairly well, we found a pile of hardened snow and ice, pushed when there parking lot was cleared. The 624 went thru fairly well, the motor did work harder when loaded with the mixture, but it threw fine, front stayed down, and drove thru very well.

The true test will be when my wife takes a YS928 for a test drive. While 5 mins in a parking lot is not the same as using for two hours, the goal is that she can use it long enough to clear a path for herself to get out. I can clear the rest when I return home.

I was hoping there would be more Yamaha users on this site, seems the Honda is very popular, and very reliable. I would expect the same from Yamaha.