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

We seem to be seeing a change in auger design among SS machines.  We used to see the traditional corkscrew style, much like a 2 stage except with rubber paddles riveted all along the edges of a full steel auger, and then a short flat section in the center for throwing the snow up the chute.  Now many machines are using a paddle that is only supported on the ends and center by metal, and which makes a much gentler curve of unsupported rubber material in which the snow is moved to center more quickly and there is more "paddle" that can contribute to the throwing of the snow.  Is the goal of this design to contribute to a further throw capability?  I can see the potential advantage of this in average-to-light-fluffy snow.  Do you think that the older, steel-backed corkscrew design would perform better in hard crusty snow or EOD situations?  The new design seems like it might be less effective at this.  Anyone used both and can comment to the difference in performance between the two in this tougher type of snow condition?

ajallen wrote:
I'm not disagreeing with you but could you tell me about your experience with both types and explain what specifically you found to make one type superior in every way? 

ajallen wrote:
The powercurve is very efficient in moving fresh snow.  The continuous curve gives it a steady and smooth pull forward.   Because of the flexibility of the rubber and being open, it is more forgiving in uneven surfaces, and more comfortable to the user because it is less skittish.  It also has the lowest rotation mass so it can keep spinning faster and propel medium weight snow further.  Also, Toro uses the inverted funnel design with tighten up the snow stream and increase it's exit velocity.

But these advantages means it is not as good in slush as other auger design with the flat and stiff center.  The older Honda HS621 singles have a 9 inch wide flat center that is very stiff.  The auger assembly is very heavy as well.  It will dig into slush and push it up the chute without clogging.  It also has a very gutsy GX160 engine that has low RPM torque.  The flat closed center means the slush/snow has no place to go except up.  It doesn't have inverted funnel so the slush won't get choked.  It will not spit the snow in front of the auger.

On the Honda HS520, it has smaller  center portion that is stiff, it is supposed to be compromise between the Toro and the older Honda HS621.  This actually gave the HS520 slightly better distance than the HS621 in fresh snow, but still trails behind the Toro.   But because the engine is anemic, in slush, it bogs down and lose it's stiff v-center advantage.  Had Honda put the GX160 engine in the HS520, it would give the Toro a run for the money, but it will cost $200 more.

I wouldn't say the Toro is superior in every way, but it is a model of efficiency between the auger and the inverted funnel.  Everything is a compromise.  Tune it one way, performance suffers another way.  Toro does have a nice balance performance.

So what's new?  The Briggs/Simplicity/Ariens/Snapper single stage with the 208cc engine, same auger design as the Toro, but with a stiffer center portion.  So you got more powerful engine with less deflection, it will do better than the Toro or the Honda.  Check out the videos.  It is quite impressive. But I don't really like the way its put together.  It attracts buyers with bigger engine, lower cost, and an improved auger, at the expense of finesse and aesthetic.

aa335 wrote:
My thoughts exactly. 

aa335, A nice write up.  Now I am more confused then ever about which SS to buy based on your pro/con reviews on each type.  I think GX gets too much credit and GC, its anemic twin brother, gets too little.  I have yet to see any GC motor failure.  The spec on GC and GX looks almost identical.  I doubt Honda is under-stating GX and over-stating GC. 

I had both GC160 and GX160 in comparison two years ago.  The had similar power if it's not loaded down.  The GX160 simply had more torque down low when loaded, it sounded deeper too.

As far as reliability, the GC160 would be fine for homeowner snowblower use.  Did I mention that the HS520 with the GC160 actually throw snow a bit farther? 

aa335 wrote:

If only the finesse and aesthetic were missing in these machines...

They need to prove themselves in action, prove that they are reliable.

Poulan Pro should be one of these.It is sold for 320 at stores here.If I did not get the used Hondas I now have I probably would have gotten the Poulan Pro or Home Depot's Sno-Tek (for around 400) .