Well, autumn is fast approaching and before long, the snow will start falling. I have been considering the purchase of a new snowblower, but cannot decide if I should go forward or not. Currently, I have a mint condition, fully restored 1974 Jacobsen Imperial 830. It has an 8HP Tecumseh Snowking engine and a 30" bucket. It has a locked axle. The unit is reliable, very heavy duty, and has served me well. However, I am concerned that with both Jacobsen out of the snowblower market, and Tecumseh out of business, finding parts in the future could be problematic. In addition, the features on the newer machines such as heated grips, remote chute deflector, and power steering/remote pin-lock axles seem attractive. Even having a headlight would be helpful at times. I have 2500 sq.ft. to clear, and living in Michigan brings about 45-70 inches of snow each year. My sidewalks are 5ft. wide which makes the 30" bucket perfect as one trip down and back and I'm done. My driveway is 14ft. wide by 50ft. long and I clear that in about 6 passes. I then have a 10ft. X 12ft. parking spot that I clear. I have a rather long sidewalk along the side of the house and out to the mailbox that is 3ft. wide, again allowing me to clear it in one trip down and back with the 30" bucket.
My ultimate question, do I keep what I have at the risk of not being able to find parts/have it serviced, or do I look at something new that has readily available parts and service? I am looking at 30" Ariens Deluxe or Platinum. Not sure anything under 30" makes sense because then I would have to go down, back, down to clear the 5ft. sidewalk, and then walk back to get to the house. Seems like 2 extra trips I don't need to make? I have all sorts of dealer nearby so service is not an issue with any brand I go with, but Ariens seems to be a real solid machine. Ideally, I'd like the PRO series, but they don't have a 30" bucket model. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
