mitandir

Driveway is about 100ft by 30ft. There are also smaller walkways all around the house that i need to clear (probably another 100ft by 8ft). There is a slight grade on the driveway -- perhaps 3-5degrees slope. Most of the surfaces are pavers but there is some gravel. I don't think that i would have to make a whole lot of turns to clean the driveway but the walkways would require some agility. I'm not particularly tied to a dealer/retailer. Being in a Chicago suburb offers alot of options. What do you think?

After moving into a new home with a large-ish driveway I’m looking to get a good two stage thrower for around $1000. Three models have piqued my interest but it seems difficult to choose between them and I’m looking for any feedback forum members have on them.

The first one i was looking at is a Toro 726OE. This thrower is on sale right now at home depo for $999. Seems like a pretty well-built thrower and has a nice 4 way chute control.

The second contender is a Troy-Bilt Storm 3090XP/Craftsman 88830. It’s a very well-reviewed machine with nice features like power steering and heated grips, however this one is a little wider than what i was looking for (30 inch vs. 26) and some reviews mention poor drive gearing -- meaning that the forward gears are either too slow or too fast (1 or 2) and reverse gears are just flat out too slow.

Finally i'm considering a Troy-Bilt Storm Tracker 2690 XP. I've never used a tracked thrower before so maneuverability is a concern. I don't need to deal with any substantial inclines around my home, but other than the maneuverability concerns and the 208cc motor of unknown origin on this unit -- everything seems to look great. It has power steering, heated grips and is basically just the right width I’m looking for.

 

Any thoughts or experiences with these three units would be greatly appreciated.