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?

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.

Steve_Cebu wrote:

The Shear Pin was not an issue until 2 days ago. While at the Honda Dealer, the service guy mentioned that the HS928TCD will go thru pins, and to keep a half dozen on hand.

This did not concern me, I have changed before, but my wife asked " will a broken shear pin make it not work", and we answered yes, then it became a concern, since she flat out said she would not crawl around, with a frozen blower, and try to change a pin.

I just wish I could find some literature on what Yamaha is using, and the reliability of such a system :-)

We will difinitely take the 928 for a test drive, make sure the can turn it, at least 3-4 times, that will clear enough for her van to get out. I can play then, when I get home!

The honda has not been ruled out, but feature wise, it is losing points. The weight thing is the last thing to deal with :-)

rubinew wrote:

This is easy to fix.  Hand her a shear pin in 1 hand and a shovel in the other and see which one wins :)

rubinew wrote:

I had my Honda HS624WA for 10 years and maybe went through a total of 6 or so shear pins over the years' and those broke (or sacraficed themselves) as a result of hitting or ingesting hard foreign objects like rocks. I could always identify the reason for a shear pin failure and it was never due to ice or snow alone. I do keep a half dozen or so on hand just in case the plow delivers some rocks or other unwanted debris at the EOD but that's to be expected sometimes. Not sure where this service guy is coming from with that statement except that you can create a premature failure situation if you overtighten the nut onto the bolt (which is all a shear pin is - a nut and a bolt).

You should consider teaching your wife how to change out a shear pin as it is a very easy process (no crawling around required) and would likely give her a sense of ownership and accomplishment. It takes more time to get the replacement shear pin (nut & bolt) and wrench than it does to actually replace it. If you have her do it a few times she will be more comfortable and confident should she ever have to do it under real world conditions. I believe every snowblower out there except for the higher end Yamaha's use shear pins as a fail safe in their augers drives.

rubinew, I was hoping there would be more Yamaha users on this site.

Are you kidding..... here???  Most of the deadbeat broke posters here are homeless guys who get online at the local library.   Nobody has the bucks for a decent machine.  They post about upgrading to new machines but most cant' afford to upgrade their mittens.  You'd do better getting information from the Santaclause guy at a mall.

rubinew, you have this but others might want to check it out >>Online Yamaha brochure, has spec's : http://old.nabble.com/file/p30366721/2011_sb_en.pdf

Shryp wrote:

:-) I might need a lawyer standing beside me as well!!! Hee hee

trouts2 wrote:

Great link. The Yamaha snowblowers look more substantial because of the shroud they put around the engine (I have to admit, I like it). And I like the fact that in their top of the line machines, you can lock tracks to steer. But until you get to the 1232, they look similar to the Honda (except for the blue. Love the blue). I'd guess Honda & Yamaha limit their snowblower sales in the U.S. because of the competition from MTD (and all the brands they own), Toro, Ariens and a host of other brands that make it tough to sell expensive snowblowers in the U.S. And those Yamaha's look every bit as pricey as the Honda's, if not more so. Even my local Honda dealer required people to order larger Honda snowblowers back in July, since they claim to have a hard time selling expensive snowblowers, even in a relatively affluent area.