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

Was at a local dealer today, And they have this blower... Husqvarna 14527SB-LS for 1356 tax in which seems to be a good deal (here in canada) and was wondering how the husky blowers are... I like the lawn tractors as I currently own one (great deal) and seems to be built fairly well....

So does anyone have any opinions on them? how well built are they? quality materials? Has the B&S snow max engine on it with 14.5 ft lbs TQ which seems quite good for a 27" cut...

I also read on their website it comes equipped with a high speed impeller??? But some other sites say It does not have it... So would anyone happen to know if it truly has it?? I want a good blower for a good price but havn't seen anything decent in this price range in my area except maybe this one.

I have seen a yardworks at canadian tire with a 357cc powermore engine and 30" cut and seems alright for 1100 bucks... Any opinions on any would be great. No cheap ariens in the area so they are out of the questions unless they are just that damn good for the 600 more then the Husky....

I have used a model similar to the one you are looking at. My inlaws own a husky 8527 with a tech 8.5hp motor. I'm guessing that this is simply the newer briggs powered (no more tech) version. I did post a thread on here where i gave a review of this machine as well as my ariens compact which I was able to use on the same storm on the same day pretty much back to back.

It looks like the 14527 that you are looking at has power steering according to the husky website, and that would have been my biggest complaint with my inlaws machine which has no power steering and it simply a pin lock system. The bulk of the machine with the locked axles made turning it a bit of a chore after a while. However, power steering would take care of that. The machine felt pretty beefy with the 8.5hp motor on it, and had no problem chugging through 8-10" of heavy wet snow when I used it. My inlaws machine also has a sort of hydrostatic drive which made fine adjustments to speed possible, but I felt the mechanism was a bit clunky to use on the fly, rather than the simple 6 speed friction plate drive I was used to. I also found the speed adjustments a bit odd as the slowest crawling speed looked as if you would have been putting the machine in reverse. While I'm sure i would become familiar with all these little quirks with more use I felt as though this was a solid machine in my brief time with it. I'd say the machine is about 4 years old and they have had no problems with it to speak of. My only other complaint is a somewhat limited range of motion in the chute. My ariens provides a good 15-20°of turning, the husky doesn't even turn directly to the side (90°) which i found kind of anoying. The chute movement was also a bit stiff and difficult to adjust while on the move. You have to depress the lever while adjusting it, then release it to lock it. I enjoy my quick turn crank better.

Again like I said, the machine that I have used may be the equivelant of the 11527sb or 12527sb as it looks like the 1427sb has heated handles, but I felt that this machine was more than enough for most uses. Not sure where in Canada you are, so you may be better served by the bigger engine, but living in south eastern new england this machine would handle pretty much any storm we would see no problem. We've been getting hit pretty hard this winter with about the yearly snow average already falling and we have a few months of snow season to go, and I haven't seen this machine even bat an eye at whatever I or my father in law have thrown at it.

After selling my 3 week old yard works (junk), I picked up the 14527sb-ls tonight, Very very fine machine, very impressed with it....Now to wait for a huge storm to test it, I live in atlantic canada.... Snow country :)

 Yes I have the Craftsman 52993, built by Husqvarna , It is 27 inch,  Briggs and Stratton 305cc, 14.5 torque engine, It has the hydrostatic transmission, These transmissions are built by Hydro Gear., who  builds most of the hydrostatic transmissions used in garden  tractors.  With  a one  lever ,, neutral, forward and reverse are selected by just moving the lever forward or back, no clutching or jerking.   It can travel  very slow , with the engine set to full speed and the impeller and auger moving at full speed, it can go through any amount of snow without stopping. IT also has heated grips and power steering.    I don't believe there is any snowblower built better, and is easier to operate than this one.

 Yes I have the Craftsman 52993, built by Husqvarna , It is 27 inch,  Briggs and Stratton 305cc, 14.5 torque engine, It has the hydrostatic transmission, These transmissions are built by Hydro Gear., who  builds most of the hydrostatic transmissions used in garden  tractors.  With  a one  lever ,, neutral, forward and reverse are selected by just moving the lever forward or back, no clutching or jerking.   It can travel  very slow , with the engine set to full speed and the impeller and auger moving at full speed, it can go through any amount of snow without stopping. IT also has heated grips and power steering.    I don't believe there is any snowblower built better, and is easier to operate than this one.