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

Hi all. I'm looking at replacing my snow blower, and I'm looking for some advice/feedback.

I have an MTD 8 hp 26" machine (Tecumseh engine) which I've been using for 8 years or so. It's a 1993 model. It works well/reliably, but doesn't throw as far as I'd like. For the wider part of my driveway, it often can't reach the edge of the driveway, so it lands in the middle, and I move the same snow twice. It's also not terribly solid, etc, and sure was working hard during the snow-filled New England winter we had last year.

So I'm considering replacing it with maybe an older Toro or Ariens. I don't meant to start a brand discussion, those are just two of the better brands that are readily available around here, while being reasonably priced (can be found on Craigslist in my $200-400 price range ).

My MTD has a friction disk drive, with chains on the tires. It annoys me that the disk will slip when trying to drive into a heavy section, like EOD. The rubber disk is ~8 years old, still "sticky", not dry & cracked, I've cleaned the aluminum wheel, and have added a second spring to the cable, to increase the pressure on the disk. I live on the outside of a 90 deg turn in the street, so the plows leave a big mess in front of us. I previously had a very old Simplicity with a gear driven transmission. I loved the fact that it could churn itself inexorably forward until it stalled out.

That experience with gears vs disk has me leaning towards something with a more robust transmission. Can't afford hydrostatic, so gears look tempting. I know of Toro's Power Shift system, which is gear driven. Is that a good, reliable, setup? The ability to shift weight to the front would be good when going up the angled part of the driveway. But the gears are the bigger appeal to me. Sounds good, but only if it's reliable.

I've heard people say you need to make sure the Power Shift tranny is not slipping at all, because that's a sign it's wearing out, and the slipping will continue getting worse, spreading to more gears. Can anyone explain what slips? Do the gears simply wear out, and stop engaging securely with each other (teeth slipping past each other)? What's a good way to test for this when inspecting a machine? Can you check for it with the engine off, if it won't start?

An 8 hp/24" size sounded small at first, coming from 8 hp/26". But my MTD often can't throw as far as I'd like, nor churn & fling the snow fast enough to keep it from overflowing out the side of auger housing, into the area I just cleared. So maybe the 24" models can concentrate their power into a narrower pass, and do a better job of feeding & throwing? There is also a 8 hp/28" Power Shift, I don't know if that would be a better choice. I'm also open to other suggestions. Thank you for any help!