Dr_Woof
Joined: Dec 13, 2010
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This is a great looking machine with all the bells and whistles. The major downfall for me was its inability to get good traction when blowing hard snow, which we get lots of here. Also, the easy steer system made it hard to control when taking a partial cut - the machine had a strong tendency to swerve into the cut and took a lot of effort to make it run straight.
I investigated getting chains to increase traction, but this did not look like a viable option. The JD dealer here did not recommend them and some other suppliers even stated that they may make things worse. Seems the lugs on the snowhog type tires are very widely spaced which allows the chains to sink below the level of the lugs.
The electric spout controls worked well, and are a definite advantage. No problems here in my limited experience, but time will tell as to the longevity of this system.
I suppose this would be a good machine for those who get lighter snow than we do around here. Unfortunately, I had to return it because it did not perform under our conditions.
It is notable that the JD company has excluded all snowblowers from its "John Deere Promise" which allows you to return an item within 30 days if you do not like it. I give full kudos to my local John Deere supplier because he did take it back after coming out to my place and observing the problem. Fortunately (?), we had a hard blow immediately after the machine was delivered so it didn't take long to realize that it would not work for me. Had to finish up with my 29 year old JD 826 (chains installed) - it had a hard time but did complete the job whereas the 1330SE was just not up to it.
It's difficult to rate this machine. I'd give it 5 stars for lighter snow, or zero stars for heavy snow. But I'm forced not to recommend it for the conditions we see here.
Date Purchased: January, 2011
Price Paid: $1600
Recommend: No |
Pros:
Handwarmers
Electric spout controls
Electric start (battery)
Cast iron gearbox
Fuel shutoff valve
Driftcutters included
Cons:
Could not get good traction in hard snow
Easy steer was hard to control, especially when taking a partial cut.
The plastic toolbox mounted on the blower is pretty useless and prone to fly open. |
This message was modified Feb 12, 2011 by Dr_Woof
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