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

Heading out to look at an HS621 for $ 125.00 that's supposed to be in good condition. Got to love this time of year - I call it "dump your snow blower" season! Lots of good deals to be had if you keep your eyes open. Hope it's as good as the owner says! Update to follow.

FrankMA wrote:
For a snowblower with 4 stroke engine with OHV, I think it's a pretty good packaging without looking porky.  To remain compact looking, some of the newer crop of 4-stroke OHV snowblowers have their valve covers and mufflers hanging out in the back without any housing.  It doesn't look as nice.

Not that most people care too much about aesthetic, but a large looking single stage is going to invite would be buyers to cross shop into the compact two-stage machines.  Comparable price and size, why not get a compact 2-stage?

For me, I am not a fan of in-betweener products that's more gutsy than a single stage, but somewhat wimpy and feature stripped as a 2 stage.  But for some people with tough EOD to deal with and small garage space, these compact 2 stage are good comprise.  Not that compromises are bad, but it is what it is.

I've seen a video of someone reviewing snowblowers performance year round using finely ground wood chips as a substitute for snow.  If you want to take the edge off, that could be an option.  :)

Frank,

   The carb should be a Mikuni and easy to clean.  There are pictures and cleaning info here:

http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/repairs/mikuni_carb_15003.asp

aa335 wrote: "I think this machine will be more sought after because it no longer available for sale new in the US.  A $1200 Honda single stage snowblower is a hard sell in the US.  In addition, with the proliferation of Chinese clone engines, there's nothing for the homeowner to buy with the true and original GX160 engine."

This is the problem with a lot of people in today's world. They don't want to pay for a quality product, do not know what a quality product looks like to begin with and are basically mechanical morons when it comes to even the basics of keeping a quality product performing properly. There's a small engine repair shop that I drive by all the time and this guy does a great business. I would guess that 75% or more of his business is tune ups, belt changes, blade sharpening, etc... that the average homeowner would normally do himself 25 - 30 years ago. If you peruse CL you'll often see ads stating that the machine ran fine last year, last week, etc... and now it won't start so they're going to get rid of it. They then go out and buy a 50 hour POS OPE and complain that it's cheaply built or only lasted a couple of years.