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

Whatever happened to crank controls for chutes on SS blowers? Were they made so cheaply that they all broke prematurely? The one on my 10 year old green Craftsman 5hp 4cycle still works fine. OK, to be honest after a number of years it would tend to turn back to center on it's own when I had it cranked to either side, but it was nothing that $2 worth of Delrin plastic and a few ss screws couldn't fix. That's an issue that any manufacturer could overcome. It seems like a much simpler method than cables and plastic control levers.

Also, the handlebar on my old Craftsman had a nice pipe insulation type cushion on the handlebar that made it much easier to grip, absorbed vibration, AND was a nice alternative to grabbing cold steel when operating the unit. It REALLY made the blower a pleasure to use. It's still in perfect condition after 10 years. I think ALL SS blowers would benefit from the addition of this inexpensive improvement. I'm not a Craftsman fanboy by any means, but just wondering what happened to these beneficial features.

If you have a nice warm space to thaw out your cable controls after every use they function just fine. A lot of people store their snowblowers in the cold in my neck of the woods, and the freeze up on the cables, control arms and linkage makes them a clear second choice to gear driven chute controls for anyone who stores their machines outside.