Hi Guys! With regard to snow equipment I could never get myself to pull the trigger. The engine is without question the best there is but for me that is where it ends.No zerks on the auger,light gage steel on the chassis, short control handles, no differential offered on the wheeled models and a rediculously high price has always put me off. They also terrorize their dealers so you can't get a decent discount. To answer the question posed at the beginning of the thread they are so expensive because folks have been willing to pay for them.The better question is why hasn't Yamaha gone after them in the American market? Marc
Not singling nml4 out in particular, but generally to those (myself included) who question Honda's high price vs. value. First,
1. I am not a total Honda fan-boy (I hate the term, but it's slung out there a lot). I do like (and in some cases love) a lot of Honda products and that goes way back to the late 60s/early 70s.
2. I do not like the high price of their snowblowers - mainly because I'm making just a little more money now as I did in 1991 when I bought a new HS828 track blower, and I don't know how long I can keep it going as my main machine - hopefully a lot longer. If I had to (or really wanted to) buy a new machine, I couldn't afford a Honda right now. When I bought mine in 1991 for $1,397.00, I made 7, $200 monthly payments from spring until fall. I was going to have to pay $50 a push for plowing and I clear snow at least once a week, sometimes up to 5 times a week, so that would add up in a hurry. but to address nml4's comments...
3. "No zerks on the auger". While I would like to have zerks, it's not that hard to take out the augers and grease/anti-seize them. I've done it and it's pretty darn easy. The first time I did was after 22 years of steady, heavy use, and they weren’t seized up. My blower is garage stored (non-heated) so that may help.
4. "Light gage steel on the chassis". After 24 years of using an HS828 every year in heavy, wet snow country, I can't comprehend where the steel gauge is not heavy enough. I'm open to hear about the failures there, but I don't see it - not even a little bit, and I've hit my share of trees and other things in my yard (when clearing paths for firewood, or lp tank access.
5. "Short control handles". If you mean lower height for the average American, then I agree. I'm 6' 1" (I do have long arms, but my knuckles don't drag on the ground...yet). I do have to bend down some on the down stroke of the chute control, but really, no big deal. If you mean the actual handles are short, then that's another story. I don't see it. They are 9.5" long.
6. "No differential offered on the wheeled model" - Is there one on the tracked version? Compared to a neighbors 1 year old Husqvarna (I do love their Swedish made chain saws), my 24 year old 8 horse tracked blower is a dream to control. My Honda handles one helluva lot of snow - and well - especially at the EOD.
7. My only comment on the dealer statement is my local dealer - and they are really good folks - is I don't like how they assume you don't know anything mechanical, and they will charge you for items/services you don't ask for. They have never serviced my blower, but I had some warranty work done on my Honda lawnmower and a Stihl trimmer and both times, they added things I didn't ask for. Other than that, I don't expect too much of a discount (if any) on Honda products. I do like that they had a layaway plan.
8. Yamaha is a non-issue for me - unless/untill they re-enter the US market...with product and more importantly, parts because_everything_needs parts eventually.
