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

Well I've spent a lot of time researching new blowers and came very close to bring home the JD 1330se today but got cold feet after reading about the slipping drive issues. I'd be very interested to hear any long term reviews on this unit as it appears unchanged since 2010. I do have a JD dealer 10 miles from home so prep and support should be better than a Lowes units? Also if there is another blower 30ish inches I should consider please let me know. I live in northern MI with a 150' drive see a fair amount of snow. I dont mind paying a premium for quality if it makes for years of trouble free operation. Thanks for your input

Scopes01, your input in the other threads has me considering the Pro 28. I'm not a fan of the chute controls or the ergonomics of the machine but could look past this in favor of pure functionality. Lately I've heard horror stories about the lousy prep on these machines from Home Depot so I had looked to other Manufactures.

OmFlyer wrote:
I have the same observation on the Deere too.  The bucket was heavy to tip up, which is something you may want to make sure it doesn't make it more difficult to operate.

When Simplcity/Snapper/JD machines initially switched from Tecumseh over to B&S engines there was a problem with snow getting into the auger and wheel drive belt area causing the the machine to lose drive traction when snow would fall onto the engine.  They issued a fix for that problem years ago and should no longer be an issue.  I did my own fix by putting a rubber cushion between the engine and the belt cover.  No problems since. 

I've had the Simplicity for five seasons now and it's been an excellent machine.   It might not be the very best snow blower sold but for the money it was one of the best values.  High quality and low price is a very rare combination.  I'm talking about a 2005 model that was built in the Wisconsin plant.  I have no idea of how well built they are today.  Doesn't look like too much has changed.  Still has the heavy duty cast iron gear box and the chassis still seems as stout.   If the price is right, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.  Regardless of what you buy, grease the augers.  The amount of grease put in at the plant is sometimes minuscule.

OmFlyer wrote:
I would say your first decision is to between a track or wheel type.  Tracks are hard to maneuver in storage, and a bit harder when blowing, but they really get thru the tough stuff and are good on inclined surfaces.  Then, decide on width.  Wide models of course take up more room and dont fit thru narrow spaces (like doors or between the car and the wall or narrow walks when blowing).  I have owned a 26 and a 28 inch and blower and never felt inclined to go larger.  And if you take partial cuts any advantage of width is lost.  As per my previous posts, I do not like the JD 1330 easy steer system but have no experience with others.  Excluding the Honda, I would be interested in looking at the Husqvarna and Ariens tracked blowers if I was looking for a new one.  Also, I find the hydro drive to be a definite plus, as well as adjustable scraper heigth.  The electric spout controls do make life easier, but only time will tell as to reliabilty.  Never had heated grips - just a frill I think and not a factor to affect the buying decision - get some good gloves if the new one doesnt have em.

Good questions; Pancake flat property and some tight storage maneuvering have me looking at wheeled blowers. I used an old 5hp - 26" Craftsman here for years which seemed to manage well 85% of the time. The 15% that it could not handle was wet snow and EOD. So regarding width, 26-30" seems right because I am maintaining two properties and would favor getting the job done a little quicker with some additional width. Dr Woof, I'm sorry if I missed your specific post, but what was your experience with the JD easy steer system or is your dislike based on design integration? Thanks again

OmFlyer wrote:

EOD "end of driveway "

Dr_Woof wrote:

Found it! This is troubling... Has any else experienced this with the 1330? Could be a deal breaker.

Hi John...don't base your choice regarding the ARIENS machine from users who bought them at Home Depot. First of all, I would never purchase a snowblower at Home Depot. They don't have the know how and proper after sale training needed to make sure that your machine will be running properly after delivery. Secondly, they are more expensive...I purchased my ARIENS ST28DLE machine at an authorized ARIENS/GRAVELY master dealer and paid $1800.00. Meanwhile, Home Depot was selling them online for $2159.00 with no support. Dealers, have the training and proper know how on how to prepare a machine properly with replacments parts. I don't want to sway you towards ARIENS...its just that I did my homework and checked out most of the models mentioned in these thread. The best bang for the buck is the defainetly the Pro 28 machine...Honda is good machine..but is it really worth almost double the price...what to they have more?...they don't even have a straight auger shaft from side to side...Before you decide...go see the machines for yourself..By the way, we had 5" of snow about 1 week ago...it was heavy and really wet...and it threw it with no problem...I was used to an old Toro from 1978...and would not have been able to blow wet snow at all...Good luck! scopes01

Yo Scopes01:

Just for your information, I bought my Toro 221QE single stage machine from Home Depot for $599.00 plus 13%  tax = $676.87 out the door.  The exact same machine at the local Toro gouger was selling for a non-negotiable $999.00 plus 13% = $1128.87 out the door.  That's a substantial difference of $452.00 that stayed in my pocket. 

As you can readily see, not all dealerships are the same.  The arrogance and hubris of the local dealership is beyond comprehension.  Their service and parts pricing is as ridiculous as their prices for equipment.  How they stay in business is beyond me?     I can only assume that people who are either too lazy to do their homework or blinded by brand loyalty and dealership schmoozing keep the gougers in business. 

borat wrote:
LOL  So...they pay PREMIUM prices from the dealer so that.....they have the "privilege" of paying PREMIUM prices when it goes in for repairs.  What is wrong here?  Actually, if you get a good blower to start with and have just a bit of mechanical ability you probably wont ever have to take it in for repairs.  And you can even redo the mistakes made by the Home Depot peeps.  My JD 826 was bought new in 1982 and has never been away from home - for anything.  Still runs along like new, tho I rebearinged it a few years ago.  Still like the Honda 928 better, but the 826 outperformed the JD 1330.