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

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Thanks

That's a very nice machine you have there, It has style and I really like the color (grey and red). are you planning to put some chains on your tire next winter?

royster wrote:

Wow your machine looks brand new, did you take that pic early in the season? Mine is currently filty and we are getting 10-14 inches more snow tonight.

Nice machine.  Very stout looking.

Don' forget to post your other single stage snowblower.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
How was that big storm over there?  I was kind of following it, making sure it doesn't come across chicagoland area.  I''m done with snow this season.  :)

Those lucky guys in N.B are going to have an extra 15 cm of snow in late night, here in Montreal the snow is almost gone what about you guys i your region?

aa335 wrote:

So far 5-6 inches of very heavy wet snow, it's the kind that is so wet it crunches when you step or drive on it. It's still coming down out there so possibly another 2-3 inches at most. My wife has to go to college tonight and she's worried the evening classes will be cancelled. All the roads are clear so I hope she can still go. My wife will be handling this snow since I have the flu and the Dr. said no going out in the cold. Ah well my wife's work was cancelled so she has plenty of time to get out there this afternoon and clear it. Lucky girl.

You didn't get much snow, probably because you have so many snowblowers.

Denis wrote:

We will have an easy 15cm here today. But it's the wettest stuff I have seen this year. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 45 degrees. So it won't last.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
On the first day of the Spring season, I switched to summer tires on my car.  I've been banking on having 3 snowblowers as a deterrent for any more snow this year.  Crossing fingers.  You can have all the snow you want over there.  :)

I'm glad to be driving on performance tires instead of those gummy bears snow tires.  Although the temps have been fairly cold so the tires haven't been very sticky through the turns.  The turbos like the nippy cold air though. 

Denis wrote:

No, I dont think it will need chains,  the tires are 16 x 6.5  with a very deep  vee tread.  I read that chains do not work very well with these deep tread tires, it said that some of the cross chains go between the treads and some ride on top resulting in rough uneven traction.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
I took the pictures last week, But I have used it since  Feb 8 th  for 3-4 big storms and a few smaller ones.

The weather network says we will be getting 20-30 cms  of snow, mixed with ice pellets and rain depending  on the temperature in your particular location.

No doubt, it will be a messy one.   This is a chance to try my single stage .

aa335 wrote:

We drive on Nokian WRG2's all year round so no increase in performance for us. But then again you don't get much performance out of a Honda Fit anyway.

royster wrote:

Well you sure do keep it clean. I have to go out and blow what we have now, my wife is too busy studying so even with a cold I have to do the driveway. This will be our last storm of the year and it's already melting.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
You have to rev the engine past 4000 RPM, that's when the VTEC kicks in.  There's a half a second of power surge.  Feels like a mini-turbo.  :)

Steve_Cebu wrote:
5:20 PM Friday, April 1. 2011
It is still snowing, about 15 cm (6 inches)   so far. It is not supposed to  stop snowing until 6 AM tomorrow.  It is a very wet snow , almost rain at times.  I am not going out until it stops .        probably 30 cm before it is over.

aa335 wrote:

Yes, but if you do that you won't get 36mpg and while I lead foot it more than my wife I still get 32mpg combined. My Civic Si had a lot of power once the VTEC kicked in.

royster wrote:

You are getting almost twice what we are getting, but it's really wet and did clog up my Toro something fierce. It's like 80% water out there. My driveway is completely clear now.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
That doesn't stop those Prius hybrids from trying to drag race me.  They're still getting 35+ mpg.  :) 

Surprising how aggressive tree huggers drive, with skinny tires and vague electric steering.  I love how those Prius hit a brick wall at 100 mph, can't accelerate any more.

I used to have a Honda Accord with VTEC.  I'm too old now to wait for VTEC to kick in. 

royster wrote:
You got a new single stage and you're not going out yet?  Hmm...something is wrong with this picture. 

aa335 wrote: Not as forcasted , it  stopped snowing, with about 20 cm (8 inches) of wet snow  I normally wait for the plow to go by before I clear the driveway, but I was anxious to try the new single stage, It seemed so small  and quiet  so I wondered , but all went quite well,  it only threw the snow about 6 feet but the snow was very wet .  Then the plow went by filling up the end of the driveway with packed wet snow , by allowing the auger to clean itself out several times  I was able to get through.   My opinion on the single stage is that they are quite a useful machine if the snow is not too deep and you are not in a hurry  to get it done. My driveway is 12 x 90 feet.

I have been eyeing a SS as well.  I really want to buy a new HS621 but it is not available in US.  So next best SS would be a new Toro 421QR.  I have made a few bids on eBay but was not able to get a 421Q for $500.  Hopefully you are happy with your new Craftsman SS.  I firmly believe Toro 421Q and 221Q are the best SS on the market.  I am glad I did not buy Honda HS520 last year.

MN_Runner wrote:
The HS520 is long in the tooth.  Hopefully, someone is working on it's replacement to stay competitive.  The latest crop of B&S powered single stage snowblowers with remote chute rotation comes at a lower price and better performance.

The HS621 platform with GX200 engine, redesigned auger, remote chute rotation and deflector, around 85 lbs would be a good product.  They just have to position it as a premium single stage, instead of competing with the bottom feeders.

aa335 wrote:
You got to wonder who is in charge of product development at Honda. I picked up a used HS520A last fall and got to use it this past winter. It's OK but that's about it. It will get the job done but it really could use a serious make over and some upgrades to compete in todays market. The same holds true for the 2 stage line up that is available in the USA. The potential sales dollars alone should be enough to convince them to offer the Canadian versions down here in the land of milk and honey. Even if only 5% of the US snowblower marketplace were to buy a Honda, that would still have to be some serious $$$. I love my HS928TA but I would love to have the upgrades that are available to our Canadian brothers offered to the US market as well.

One can only hope with the appearance of Yamaha back in the high end snowblower arena, the Honda sleeping giant will wake up and refesh their product line.  Or at least offer some cool products they have available in Japan.  Some of the larger Honda hybrid are pretty awesome.  Instead of hydro drive, they have individual electric motors for each track.  I've seem a 36" tracked blower turn with just a light touch on the handles.  I hope they bring those technologies down to the smaller models.  Even if they put on the 928, I'd be happy with that.  That model is the meat and potatoes for most home owners.  A modernized HS621 would be cool too.

 Now  snow is all gone here , except in the woods.

I had changed the oil at 5 hours, Mobil 5-30..   Changed it again at about 12 hours,   Have a new paved driveway  18x120  with a parking space 25-30  at the rear. 

No Snow yet.

aa335 wrote:
As a prius driver since 2007, I am driving a 2010 these days, I assure you we don't 'drag race' anyone, what you are seeing is the normal way we drive, and you imagine we're racing with you.  We're not ! Oh, and the Prius steers quite perfectly and I drove a 2nd as well as the current 3rd generation models, if anything'sa bit  vague while you're steering the car, its your 'Little Gray Cells' that are doing that, not the Prius.  The Prius is so terrible to drive that only 85% of Prius Owners swear they'll buy another one. The Prius takes one comfortably  50-60 miles on a gallon of $ 4.00 a gallon Gas, it makes them all quite Lovable !  We never race, no need because  We Prius Owners Love PASSING Gas Stations way more than the other cars on the road.

New_Yorker wrote:
Well, if a Prius was pushing triple digits speeds, that's pretty much racing, unless I misunderstood "hypermiling"  :)

I drove the first generation Prius a while back.  I tried my best to like it.  After 30 minutes, the best compliment I got going for it was that the car should be named "Kenmore, Maytag, Kitchenaid".  I can't remember the last time I opened a refrigerator door and got excited. 

There is really no nice way to say this

Prius = Yawn

If you enjoy driving, a Prius is not for you.

I do my part to help with global warming but I will not drive a Prius.

My Toyota Echo gets 42 mpg and doesnt need a battery to do it

I have not driven a Prius at all but I love how they look.Nothing wrong in offering the best utility to customers.

I do not like the cliche way of describing Toyotas as refrigerators/appliances.It is car magazines' way of trying to keep their power-hungry husky readers.

Next year in March Prius Plug-in will come to the US.At a lower price, higher safety than GM's Volt.

There are some Toyotas in Europe with 55 MPG.

Toyota Auris with 1.4lt diesel engine and 6 speed manual.

But Prius has more space inside.And of course it is heavier for the US market.

http://www.toyota.com.tr/cars/new_cars/auris/fullspecs.aspx

I really like the latest generation Prius too but my current Toyota and Honda are working without any issues so why change when not broken.  Just my simple observation: When there is a post or reply from Royster then there is a post by New_Yorker shortly followed by Dr_Woof.

As far as MPG goes, I think people overstate them.  On my Camry I only get 23-25 MPG instead of 30 MPG per Toyota.  My Honda gets around 18 instead of 25 MPG per Honda.  I really doubt that ECHO gets over 40 mpg in the winter time doing 70 mph or 110 kph. 

MN_Runner wrote:

Maybe manufacturers/EPA tests mileage with ethanol added gas which gives lower mileage.

Winter gas blend lowers it also.

One before the last fill up I averaged 22.5 mpg with our 2003 Sienna. When I filled up today mpg amounted to 20.I wonder if the gas station I buy my gas from changed to winter formulation.

I had noticed the pattern. :D

Maybe they changed the gasoline formular already.  My 2005 Oddysey goes from 18-19mpg  to 16-17 mpg in the winter time.  I only drive the car from Dec thru Mar then I bike to work as long as I don't have an experiment at a research lab. It gets better MPG on the freeway but I am going north of 70mph so gas mileage is not as good with the box.  The speed governor trips around 116mph (not bad for a boring box).  The only  reason I like this mini van is that my 928 fits with the seats folded.  No major snow for next 10 days or so but just cold enough to remind me it is winter. 

MN_Runner wrote:
well, it certainly depends a lot on how you drive and how hard you push it.  But it still does over 40 mpg for me and without a 500 pound battery to lug around.  Not to mention all the environmental disadvantages of producing batteries.