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

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!

Yeah, I put some time into the restoration as I determined it was a good candidate for restoration in that it was complete and runs very well.  I sanded the machine and used my HVLP sprayer to layer on 3 coats of implement paint with hardener.  I finished it off with 2 coats of clear coat with hardner.  I was getting tired towards the end of the project and as a result, there are a few blemishes here and there, but no doubt this looks better than probably most any 1974 machine.  It is literally in "like-new" conditon both asthetically and mechanically.  I put new tires on it along with rubber vibration insulating grips.  The warning decals seen on the bucket and chute are original.  All other decals were custom made on vinyl using UV resistant inks and dyes.  Engine has been fully tuned and all bearings, fittings, etc. have been inspected and lubed.  Usually starts with 2nd or 3rd pull.  I fabricated a custom red-iron scaper bar that is 1/4" think with beveled edge.  I just have to put on the shoes which are of the polypropylene type.  On a scale from 1 to 10, I would rate this restoration an 8.5.

Hey, I purchased I think the exact same model snowblower at a garage sale last summer.  Jacobsen SnowKing series, w/  the 8 hp 318 cc engine.  Beautifully restored, but unfortunately about the third time it snowed the engine died.  I'm now looking to replace the engine, but apparently the tecumseh engine is no longer available.  Any ideas on what we could use instead? 

The 212cc Predator engines at Harbor Freight are good. Unfortunately that might be a bit under powered for a 30" bucket. You can jump up to the 300 or 420 cc engines, but those are a lot more money.