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

MN_Runner wrote:
4 screws for the chute, 5 screws for the top cover.   Seems pretty simple and straightforward to me.  3 minute job.  10mm socket and a phillips head screwdriver.  Spark plug changes are once a year at most.

It's only a snowblower, not a Ferrari.  Sometimes looking a parts diagram or instructions may be more complicated than it actually is.   My 5 year old can take it apart, the Toro, not the Ferrari.    He's blessed with curiosity.  :)  Still working on the finesse part, he likes to rip through it fast.

I use a 1/2 drive cordless drill.  I put a 1/4" extension in the drill, attach suitably sized socket and can have the top off the Toro in probably one minute or less.   The Craftsman SS is far more difficult to take the cover off of.  It's got 11 screws along the back and sides, four more small bolts on the front and four more it you need to take the chute off. 

By comparison, the Toro is a monument to simplicity.  A chimpanzee could take it apart. 

So you can gap the sparkplug, take the screws off, replace the sparkplug, then put the screws and schute back on in three min.  That is really good and fast.

Wait - your son could probably do it in 5 min with a little help from you.  I just confirmed I am really slow.

MN_Runner wrote:
Who said that?

I said take the top off. 

I could do the whole job in under ten minutes.  Gapping the plug correctly would probably take most time.  Changing the plug could probably be done in five minutes if I wanted to hurry.   

MN_Runner wrote:
No, he can do it in 4:35. I just rounded up the time.  :)  All I have to do is bribe him, letting him work the paddle shifter on my car.  :)  He knows what redline is. 

He can finish it before I can run a full mile.

Hi,

I'm new here. I found this board recently. I heard something similar to the original poster about the Toro 421. I called two local dealers here in northeast Ohio yesterday to inquire about the 421Q. I'm debating between a 221 and a 421 myself. They both said they couldn't sell what they had on the floor until they received their repair kits from Toro. They both had the same story. The aluminum parts in the carb were being "eaten" by ethanol and that the plating on the needle valve was too "thin" to handle it which was causing it to flake off and clog the carb, thus causing it to leak. The repair kit consisted of a new needle valve, seat, and fuel line. Both dealers advised me to put a fuel shutoff valve on the snowblower if I bought it, which I would do on my own anyway.

Should I let these problems with the 421Q scare me away from it? I was leaning toward the 221Q but the significant other likes to do the driveway too when I'm away and has been complaining about "having another one that makes us stink from using it" and "having to mix the gas". Not like that's hard to do but she always complains about it.

Breather wrote:
Either the 221Q or the 421Q is a good snowblower.  The 221Q has been around with the same proven engine for years so most people feel comfortable with it.

I wouldn't let the problems of the 421Q prevent you from buying one.  The fuel leak problem isn't as big as it seems.  You can put on a shut off valve easily to mitigate or lessen the leakage so it won't be hazardous.  You can choose to run the engine with the shut off valve closed until it stops so that there's no chance of any fuel leaking past the carb bowl.  The 421Q is a fine machine and I'm very impressed with the engine performance. 

Can your wife deal with potential fuel leak of the 421Q stinking up the garage from the fuel leak?  How comfortable is it for her to deal with a seeing a puddle of fuel on the floor?   What will she do?  Not use the snowblower and shovel by hand?

As far as the stink, you can get synthetic 2 cycle oil that has virtually no odor.  For the having to mix the gas, who's the one mixing?  If she's complaining about the mixing that she never does, that's a moot point.  You can have the gas mixed for her while you're away so only the "stink" issue remains.

There's always pros and cons.  Fortunately, the cons are easy to deal with.

As Pepe Le Pew would say.....

Stink?  What stink? 

Personally, I like the smell of two cycle exhaust.  It reminds me of my youth racing two stroke enduro machines through the bush!