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

I am going to buy a new snow blower this year. I was trying to decide on the Platinum 24 or the Platinum 30. I was looking at these models in part, due to the quick turn chute control and bigger, stronger motors. The 30 just seems a little wide for me. I have a 175 foot 2 car width driveway, with a 45 ft. x 50 ft. turn around area in front of the garage doors. The price of the Platinum 30 is a little steep for me, but would probably do it if it is the right decision. I just don't want to get one that is too large. I was told of the Deluxe 28 SHO as a compromise. A little less engine power. It has the "ice drill" chute control. Is this ice drill mechanism less "desirable" than the quick turn chute control? Is one "better than the other" Is one more prone to problems than the other? I cannot decide on what to purchase. ANY suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I've got a Platinum 24 model from 2012 so it's not an SHO and only has the 250cc engine. If I had it to do over again I would have gone with a slightly wider bucket, similar to the 28 that you are looking at. that Deluxe 28 SHO has almost everything that the Platinums have except for the hand warmers and quick-turn chute. I never even use my hand warmers although some people seem to like them. My quick turn chute was a piece of $hit when I got it and I had to make my own mods to make it function smoothly. The Newer ones seem to work better. A hand crank is normally quite reliable and only takes 2.5 turns to operate from fully left to fully right. I have a hand crank on my old Single stage and it works fine but some designs get loose and allow the chute to turn on it's own. I don't think that this is a problem on these Deluxes. The throwing distance should be the same for those machines unless you get into some really heavy stuff. Then the Platinums with their slightly larger engines may exhibit better throw distance, but a 306cc engine on a 28 inch bucket should be plenty for good performance. It should be able to throw completely across your 2 car driveway unless it is really slushy, in which case they may all throw a bit shorter than their maximum. they all have Auto-turn which is more important on the larger machines. Most people I see end up releasing the auger and drive levers at the end on the driveway and manually turn the machine anyway to make the next pass. You didn't say where you lived or what kind of snowfall you usually receive. Unless it's fairly extreme, any one of these will do the job quite well for you. If it's any indication, one of the internet direct sellers of snow blowers rates the deluxe 28 A+ for overall value (the platinums rated at A-). The deluxe is the one that is on backorder right now (popular), probably because of it's lower cost but ample capabilities. OK, enough blabbering from me. Hope that helps a bit!