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

We finally got our snow here in Maryland and I was able to use the 1132. My previous experience has been with an MTD 26" track drive with individual triggers to help steer the tracks.

So I wasn't sure what to expect. This snow is probably the heaviest I've seen; it is about 12" of packed snow that was on the verge of being slush. This was not some light, fluffy snow that you throw rooster tails 70 feet into the air, this was the kind that would make you cry if you got out a shovel.

My dilemma this year is that on one side of the driveway, my wife had extensive landscaping done, so snow has to be thrown 30' to get to the other side of the driveway. The old MTD could not do this with the easiest of snows; this snow would have gone about 10 feet maximum. So with some trepidation, I filled up the tank of the Honda, fired it up (and by the way, the Honda has no primer bulb, you choke it, and one pull and it fires up with a quick tug of the rope) and started blowing this heavy snow to the far side of the driveway. And to my pleasant surprise, not only did it move it 30', it probably moved it close to 50' with about 25' of height. The velocity was such that on the MTD, the chute would pack the slush and push it out in big logs in these kinds of conditions. The Honda labored if I went too fast, but with a reasonable speed, I move the snow far away from the house into an open field.

From there, I did the 400' private road that leads to the main road, and here, the blacktop was not quite as smooth which led to some sideways movement of the big 32" bucket, but nothing more than I experienced with the MTD.

I have a steep hill that leads down to the road and here is where I ran into the EOD piles. This was hard packed slush about 18" high. From a throwing standpoint, the Honda never waivered; it threw the slush a long distance way back into the woods. The uneven blacktop again proved a bit of a challenge; I think I may have to adjust the scraper bar a bit to its not so aggressive. The 3-way height adjustment was okay, but I can see where a power adjustment would be a big help as you back up to take a 2nd swipe at the pile. However, I'm quibbling. The Honda just ate this slush up and threw it 30-40 feet.

I was feeling pretty pleased with it, so my poor struggling neighbor with her 5HP Craftsman was struggling with a Tecumseh engine with a dirty carb (that pinhole needs to be cleaned), so I got her running and then I did her driveway. She was very grateful.

All in all, what are my impressions?

PRO: This thing throws snow. It throws it far and doesn't clog up. Even if the augers are completely jammed, it just keeps throwing snow. The MTD would not do this. The 11HP Honda engine has a ton of power. When you go into that big pile, the governor throttle up, it takes on a deep roar and it keeps going. It takes a lot to get it to slow down, on the order of 20" of EOD the full width of the bucket. You had to go slow. The hydro transmission is a big time saver, as you don't have to stop to change speeds.

CON: It is, alas, not terribly maneuverable. While this doesn't really pose a problem for me, if you have a lot of turning around you have to do, you're going to muscle this one. You're not going to hand this to your wife and tell her to "take care of the snow". I think the triggers on the MTD were a help, although less than you might think. I worked marginally harder than the MTD. I think the tracks take getting used to. The advantage is that on the icy hills on my driveway, I let it pull me up the hill. If I had a wheeled blower, the hills would be a bigger challenge.

Overall, I am very pleased with it.

The trick with turning  the track drive 180* is to place the bucket in the transport position and then apply a bit of downward pressure on the back of the track (the area closest to your feet) and then just spin it around. Obviously this is done when on snow covered ground as you could never do this on dry pavement. It takes a little getting used to but becomes second nature after a while. The tracks are definitely not as nimble as wheels but the uphill traction and ability to just keep going through the EOD garbage offsets this minor (IMO) inconvenience.

I was very apprehensive about the track drive when the opportunity to buy my slightly used HS928TA came around but I'm glad I made the move.

FrankMA wrote:
Are you sure about putting more downward pressure on the back of the tracks?  In transport mode with the bucket up, a gentle lift on the handle and the rear of the tracks come off the ground, then turn.

Speaking of putting the bucket in transport mode, I get pissed off at Honda of America for not giving us the TCD models with the lever actuator and hydraulic assist.  If you got big winter boots, that damn pedal is quite tricky to step on without hitting that cable down there.  And if I'm on glare ice, the last thing I want to do is lift one leg to step on a pedal.  Good thing I can use the handles as a geriatric walker to stabilize myself. 

On a serious note, I like to add that when turning, slow down the drive speed.  3/4 to full speed with locked axle won't give you tight turning radius.  Very easy to overshoot the turn.

aa335 wrote:

I guess you could use either the bucket or the rear of the track as a pivot point. I know you have the side skids in addition to the rear mounted skids - perhaps that makes your method of turning a bit easier? I'll have to give that a try next time I'm behind the beast.

I agree that Honda should offer the TCD style in the USA and still can't understand the logic (or lack thereof) of not offering it here (330 million potential sales - HELLO!). I picked up a pair of YakTrax's this season and they work great. They slip onto the sole of your boots and are designed for walking on ice and snow and really provide a sure grip on both. I don't have to worry about taking a spill when I have these on my boots.

 

Added Con:

   The Honda track in reverse with the bucket at middle or low drags the bucket so catches snow.  When you get to the top of the next row and go forward it leaves a small pile of dragged snow which messes up the neat look to the cleared row.  With a wheeled it’s easy to tilt the machine back when going in reverse.  With a track the bucket is too hard to lift so has to go to transport mode to prevent dragging back snow.  That’s a pain but after doing it a lot becomes fairly easy.  It’s a quirt for the track but given it many positives not much of a detraction. 

 

Aa35  Never noticed hitting the engagement lever but probably am.  Glad you mentioned that.

trouts2 wrote:
Actually, if I'm anal about having a smooth clean surface, I lower the bucket and back drag the snow.  It's a neat trick from the plow guy.  It makes a nice clean surface and erases the track footprints.  I'm not sure if back dragging can be done with wheeled snowblower.  For the accumulated pile behind the bucket, I just clean up with a manual snow pusher.

With the track model, everything is just more physical and more technical.  But once you get into the rhythm, its fun.  Keeps my mind sharp and concentrated instead of just walking behind the snowblower.

I would advise to get the Honda cover..... it's worth it!

kderobertis wrote:
Slightly off topic but nice mower and garage flooring.  :)

A few more items:

1) Gas consumption: It went through a tank in 3 1/2 hour. This is 1.6 gallon tank so the fact that I could go a morning blowing snow on a tank is a plus.

2) The remote deflector works very well; I was able to easily direct the snow to precisely where I needed it to go without slowing down.

3) I found the hydrostatic transmission a big time saver. Being able to go to full speed down to a crawl in a few feet when you're working for 3-4 hours is avery nice.

Oh, the big thing getting used to it was... the controls are all opposite of my old MTD. Everything, even the hand crank for the chute. I realize the Japanese drive on the opposite side of the road, but I had no idea they took the idea to heart! ;)

It's pretty amazing how the engine uses so little gas.  I really like the capacity of gas tank, I can go for multiple sessions before having to fill up.  Having the gas gage on top to check the level is also nice.

   The gas gage is nice.  Yamaha has a glass window in the side of the block to check the oil level.  Very nice.

PRO: 

1.      Honda tracks can be driven bucket down while reversing to smooth the cleared rows and add skid lines to give a mower like manicured look to an area.  This is especially effective on a dirt driveway where the earth tones blend with the pressed white snow.  Cross hatching can be done and also multiple angle passes to give the look of a triple pass golf putting green.

2.      The Honda motors

3.      The Honda motors

4.      The Honda motors

5.      ……..