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

Looking for some advice on a two stage snowblower.  I originally fell in love with the Troybilt 3090XP or the Craftsman equal.  But just found out that it is
a china made engine. 

My drive is about 180 ft long and gravel, currently.  Should have some pavement on it next year.

I'd like something that's wide, 28+.  A decent amount of power, something that can throw the snow.  Not outrageously expensive, perhaps 1200 tops. 

What are your thoughts? 

Thank you.

jackley wrote:
You'll be surprised to learn that the Chinese engine may be the one component that outlast the rest of today's produced snowblower.  Take proper care of the engine and it should last quite a while.  Check out all the other components on the snowblower, these are likely to break first.

Take a look at the competition, Ariens, Simplicity/Snapper, Honda, and Toro, not necessarily in that order though.  There's a good reason why these four names are the quality names.  You may find that the Troy isn't so "enamored" after all.  The quality of the machine will speak to you when you look at it closely, not the label where it came from.

One last thing, for most homeowners, I find the 28" size is ideal, even better with a more powerful engine that is found on a 30" or 32" machines.  To this, Ariens Pro 28 quite a well built machine.

jackley wrote:


Troy Bilt is owned by MTD now.

aa335 wrote:
This is good info too.  I haven't really looked at any snow blowers outside of Home Depot and Lowes.  For whatever reason,  the look of the Troy-bilt 3090XP is nice.  But I can understand what you are saying.

I think I'll start checking out the Ariens and Simplicity ones. 

Shryp, thank you also.

Hi every one! I can't sleep for the last - - - nights... cus My head is turning: Toro, ariens, cub husk. etc.. here is what bothers me: Toro lacking hand warmers, Ariens platinum auto turning will only turn to the left, + the chute malfunctions and swivels on its own (ariens is OCD Not every were is matal a good idea over Good Plastic) CubCated 530 swe lacks fuel shut off, have a metal gas tank ( prone to rusting) sloppiness in choke control, same size engines on smaller YTD equipment. exact duplicate as a MTD machine Husqvarna 1830HV (30") lacks hand warmers. when u go on youtube under 2 stage snow blowers, most of the results are Toro and ariens "what machine should I buy????" Im willing to pay in the $1,600 1$,700 range to for a snow blower that I could count on! Thanks in advance for any help/advise Joel P.S. I live in monsey NY (Rockland county) 6 car black-top drive , 92 feet cement walkway

JoelKlein wrote:
Joel, based on the replies it seems Simplicity and Ariens are the ones to check out.  The Ariens Pro 28 is 2k and appears to be a very powerful machine, 405CC.
I'll probably look at those two since they are in the price range.

Check snowblowersdirect.com to compare them.

Quick-Turn of the ariens chute tends to malfunction, for 2k i want to be able to turn on a dime Left AND Right (the ariens only helps u make a left turn). the Simplicity Snowblower comes with amber light, I need A good strong Light. I think I will have to give up on the hand warmers and choose a toro. about the toro: any ideas if the pivoting scrapper bar is worth the extra money? Thanks

JoelKlein wrote:
If you have smooth and well maintained driveway or sidewalks, pivoting scraper does nothing more than a non-pivoting adjustable scraper.  Most of the time, proper adjustment of the scraper bar and skid shoes to your pavement irregularities  is the key to cleaning as much snow off the pavement but not catching on cracks.

I don't think you need a very strong light.  Snow is highly reflective and throwing more light at it more will come back to blind you.  Visibility is poor when the snow reflect back more light, your pupils constrict and you can't see see details in the shadows.

Thanks! Okay, I'm going to give a deposit right now at my local dealer. What should I go for, a toro? Or simplicity? If toro, is it with the extra money to get the bigger engine ?

JoelKlein wrote:
I always get something just a little bit more powerful or with more features than I think I need for the moment.  It's cheaper to pay a little extra up front rather than to sell and upgrade later on.  But that's my method.

Before putting down any deposit or buying anything, try out in person all of the models you are interested in.   You're the one standing behind those handlebars for years to come so make sure the controls make sense to you. 

Here are my personal opinions of some of the snowblowers I've had looked at.  Ingest with a grain of salt:

1.  Toro has the most user friendly design, despite what people say about their use of plastics.  I find the Toro (for example 1028OXE) is the most maneuverable and controls are logical and easy to figure out.  Front end is a little light so it may climb up on snow banks easier.  If you want your girlfriend or wife to clear snow for you while you sip hot chocolate inside, this is the machine. 

2. Simplicity has good construction, especially the one with the C-Channel handlebars.  It's a little short and doesn't have enough leverage, so turning around feels heavy.  Shifting gears between the gates are notchy and heavy.  Mechanics of the snow moving parts are generally heavy duty.  Red paint looks better than orange, IMO.  Creeper gear is a sophisticated military technology and only Simplicity has it, "Creeper Gear" may be trademarked.  The military never applied this technology to slow moving targets.  Everybody else don't even bother making a big deal, they call it first gear.  

3.  Ariens, is like a Chevy Malibu, good and well built snowblower, everybody seems to own one, exudes excitement and love like a #2 philips screwdriver.  It works when you need it, and you can count on next year's model will be essentially the same as the one you own the last 5 years.  Although the model name might change, it's the same thing.  Arien's marketing department has its customer into  four specialized groups:  cheapo penny pincher, extravagant luxury buyer, burly commercial snow removal specialists, and me-too track guys.  Their product lines overlap. 

4.  Honda snowblowers are beautiful and expensive.  Like a supermodel or a high end call girl, It likes to throw snow far and tight.  Controls are logical, maneuverability is slow and heavy.  Owners get flak all the time about how much they paid for it, while brand XYZ has hand warmers, lights, and traction control for $2000 less.  Honda snowblowers don't need hand warmers, the operator has $200 ski gloves to operate it, and $500 night vision goggles.  They never complain about how hard it is to turn with a locked axle because they do turns on the snow, not on dry pavement or showrooms.  The handlebars are designed for shorter people, 5 foot 8 inches and under.  So far, Honda is the only one that can sell a lawnmower, weedwacker, lawn mowers, and motorcycles from the same dealership.  Talk about one stop shopping.  

5.  John Deere.  I like green and yellow paint scheme.  Makes me feel part of the team that has $100,000 farm tractors, or at least own in installments.  Get them while you can because John Deere dealer will stop selling them, but carries Honda snowblowers and lawn mowers instead.

6.  MTD branded snowblowers are generally found at Lowe's or Home Depot.  You get what you get and probably can squeeze a few hundred $ off the sale price or at the end of the season, if that's your thing.  They do work, generally.  If you don't look too closely, you'll be happier with your purchase.

Just went through the buying process for a snow thrower...  Looked at many brands, most are MTD knock offs brands....  Was not all that impressed with the plastic on the MTD's including the chute, but most who have bought these machines seem happy with them, and the chute does not seem to be a problem. It seems to be hit or miss on each MTD about which engine is on it, some are B&S some are Chinese.  I have no idea about the quality of these engines. Finally settled on an Ariens ST28LE Deluxe....  why?  Three things impressed me about them. This years model 2011(serial # 3500 and up)  all have cast iron auger gear cases, all have dual auger drive belts and 14" augers....  The "dash board and springs on the 2011 models have been improved with thicker metal, than last years models. It has a light for night use.  Otherwise just about all snow throwers seem to be similar in design in this price range. The Ariens has a remote wheel lock to lock and unlock the left wheel for easier turning.  This seems to be a weak point of their design. You pull on the leaver to lock and pull again to unlock. I found it to be somewhat hit or miss as to whether  the wheel actually did lock and unlock....  got the Ariens at HD for $900 including tax, by signing up for their credit card and received $100off the $999 price. Ariens did seem to me to be a bit better built than most of the others, and with the discount was the most bang for the buck.