Worthy Snowblower

[L.Cheapo]

Thanks for the replies. My father is in the market as well so I’m going to play the old “what if I buy two” line at my local shop. Going to avoid box stores.

Worth a try, but don't be upset if that doesn't work. Here's why.

Manufacturers make snow throwers in the summer and lawnmowers in the winter. So there are only so many machines available. The dealer knows if it snows even just once this year he'll sell them all. And unless he's an outlier, his prices are already about as low as they can go, in an effort to compete with the likes of HD, Lowe's, etc. Plus, its getting into snow season. If you can pay cash, that might help, especially if buying two.

 

[DGersic]

I️ have an older Snapper 10hp 30” two stage. No way I’d buy a two stage without shear pins on the auger. I’ve hit a Chicago Tribune, which was turned in to confetti. The *frozen* Tribune broke the shear pins. This isn’t quite a “dogeater”, but anything entering the front is going to be all messed up by the time it shoots out the scoop.

Mine has a few modifications. One I️ highly recommend is these skids:

http://snowblowerskids.com/

especially if you have anything other than perfectly smooth concrete to work with.

Keep spare pins and belts on hand. Having to wait for those when there’s snow on the driveway *****.

Examine the area you’re going to be clearing. If you can throw the snow to the sides, you can use a smaller machine. My driveway is long, garage is behind the house, and the houses are on both sides, so all snow has to be thrown forward until I️ get to the front yard. It piles up and gets heavy fast, so bigger is better.

 

[DGersic]

Wondering what you guys who recommend dealer servicing of snowblower do in your garages.
Isn't the whole of buying tools to use them?
Snowblower are silly simple to wrench on.

Tires. I️ can do everything else on it.

 

[hemifalcon]

I have one of the tracked Craftsman blowers-it was and IS an awesome deal from Craigslist 2 winters ago for $125.. starts easy, plenty if power..


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[finn]

Kioti ck4010 hat with a factory cab, heater, mid pto, and a 66” front mounted blower. It will replace a 20 year old lawnboy.

 

[kctyphoon]

Short answer.. just about any decent 2 stage blowers will work fine. The difference will be in how far they they the snow, and how they deal with wet snow. I can tell you the small 2 stage Troy bilts the sell in lowes are HORRIBLE in wet snow. I sold mine after one use. Your better off with a bigger engine vs a wider path. That said, literally any brand will work, you don't sound like you need to throw snow 30' away.

Buying a good name used is another option. That's what I wound up doing. I have a tracked Yamaha that's probably 30 years old and it will embarrass anything that comes out of hd or lowes rated at the same 6 hp.. good used Honda's are not hard to find online. You can get a $3000 machine for $700 that probably only has a few hours of actual use on it.

Good time to post the impeller mod again for the 2 stage throwers. It works great.

 

[AA/FC]

I have an older (mid 1980s probably) 24 inch wide John Deere 2-stage that I use when we get a large snow fall. It's built like a tank! I installed a brand new Honda engine on it a few years ago and it's been flawless ever since. All the new snow blowers I see in stores today look like they're built out of thin pop can aluminum compared to my old John Deere.

 

[Super Mech]

I bought a brand new Honda HS720AA last season from a Honda dealer. I had a two stage MTD before that that got stolen. The MTD was a great machine but the Honda is way faster, much lighter so I can throw it in the back of my truck without the hassle of ramps, starts on the first pull no matter how cold, and throws wet snow really far. A little pricey but very happy with it.

 

[Showkey]

Wondering what you guys who recommend dealer servicing of snowblower do in your garages.
Isn't the whole of buying tools to use them?
Snowblower are silly simple to wrench on.

Buy decent quality............and it will not need the dealer for 20 years if drain the fuel from the carb in the off season. A real GJ guy should never ever need dealer services.

 

[scooby074]

Honda 928. Hydrostatic so you always have the exact right speed. Handles all that is thrown at it. Tank treads allow climbing up ramps and steps. Throws far and with a tight "pattern" (accurate, minimal snow dust).

Dont sweat the electric controls. Mine is over 10yrs now with no control problems at all. Only electric part that has died was the battery due to the battery tender boiling the battery dry.

 

[Eslader]

I'd look for an MTD branded unit, from the mid 1970s to 80s.

Noma too. Same equipment, different label. Mine goes through anything, no matter how deep/dense.

 

[Hugemoose]

I use an older Toro 421 that has a Honda 5hp on it. It's not a real big guy, but it does the job just fine for most snow even in the northeast. Plus, in the interest of saving space in the garage, I didn't get a bigger machine. It's not as powerful as some, and often times I wish it were bigger, but the machine is extremely well built, and the engine is dead nuts reliable. Sometimes I just have to go a bit slower for it to work through a lot of snow.

Aside from Toro, I am a huge fan of older Ariens as well. A lot of newer equipment, even Ariens from big box stores, have tiny gears/gearboxes for the auger. Even if they have shear pins on the shafts, I don't trust the wimpy gears on new stuff. Find a well built older machine. With a good tuneup and some new belts, you should be set for a few years.

 

[Skin]

Thanks for the replies. My father is in the market as well so I’m going to play the old “what if I buy two” line at my local shop. Going to avoid box stores.

Two things effect price and that's dealer level and what the actual price of the machine is. $1000 and under the dealer is often making less than $100 profit. Just as a real world example a $999 (promo price) Toro or Ariens costs a dealer about $900 (+/- $20) then factor in + unbox, setup, and prep. $1500-$2000+ is where there is a bit of bargaining room.

 

[finn]

Tires. I️ can do everything else on it.

I️ see you use Apple products too.

 

[matthew]

My brother has an older Yamaha. It is a really good machine, will outdo lots of larger machines. Just not as easy to get parts for as Honda.

I have an old John Deere. I like the green paint and the price was right, but it's getting tired. My dad has an MTD that's actually proven quite capable and reliable. Doesn't throw quite as far as the Yamaha, but it's moved a lot of snow.

 

[Strouty]

Select Honda blowers are available at Home Depot, so you can get special financing by using their credit card. Just throwing that out to people.

 

[closetoreality]

So I hit my local power equipment shop in effort to avoid a box store. They carry Toro, Husq,Honda and Simplicity.

I ended up having my eye on a Simplicity M1227E with a tag of $1050 and he took it down to $999 and it also has either a $100 or a $50.00 mail in rebate. I forget which rebate it was as we went over a handful of models that each had rebates.

Does anyone know this particular model? The other one I was looking at was a 24" Simplicity with all manual controls for $899.

Are there any particular reasons to really avoid a box store as long as your dong your homework and choose a reputable brand/model?

 

[Skin]

FWIW what you were looking at isn't a Simplicity, its a Briggs yard power(ex-Murray) with a Simplicity badge. The machines that Simplicity actually make start at $1800 and are limited to the Signature Pro series. The rest are just rebadge/resprays. You'll find nearly identical machines sold under the Snapper brand as well.

What you were looking at is leagues better than any MTD product but in my opinion they're a step down from a $1k Ariens or Toro.

 

[closetoreality]

FWIW what you were looking at isn't a Simplicity, its a Briggs yard power(ex-Murray) with a Simplicity badge. The machines that Simplicity actually make start at $1800 and are limited to the Signature Pro series. The rest are just rebadge/resprays. You'll find nearly identical machines sold under the Snapper brand as well.

What you were looking at is leagues better than any MTD product but in my opinion they're a step down from a $1k Ariens or Toro.

Interesting, when I was talking with the sales rep he mentioned that they had stopped carrying Ariens when the box stores started to carry them. I wonder if it was just a matter of not being able to compete with the prices the box stores had them at.

So my local Home Depot carries Ariens, are you saying I would be better off going with an Ariens in the same price range as I was looking at from Home Depot?

Are Ariens assembled in the U.S, and are they a domestic motor or imported from China?

 

[Super Mech]

Don't hold me to this, but possibly the models sold in big box stores are made differently (i.e., thinner and possibly cheaper materials) so that they can price them better. I don't know if this is true but I have seen certain things that had model numbers that were exclusive to a certain store and were not available anywhere else, leading me to believe that they were different from the norm.

 

[biggziff]

An old Honda 5-20 would easily handle a driveway that small. If you want something to make the neighbors jealous, buy an Ariens...doesn't matter which one.

 

[Jeff95TA]

Toro... The single joystick chute control is awesome.

I agree. That's what drove me to choosing the Toro since I have to do some aiming with the layout of my driveway and surrounding stuff. It's nice to be able to do quick left/right and up/down changes.

 

[Kaizen]

There is no reason to not get an ariens at hd. Same machine. Some dealers have machines with different model numbers but to my knowledge same parts. This dealer vs big box thing is bs. I worked part time at hd when John Deere started selling tractors there. First year dealer didn't have those models. Dealer models had same warranty but better engine and the machismo price a few hundred more. They got slaughtered. Hd sold out and the next year the hd models were in the dealer stores.at the same price point.
As far as being taken care of....also bs. In the middle of a snowstorm you think they are going to take your machine for repair over a landscaper that has bought ten times as much? Honestly you would have better luck returning it to hd and getting a new one



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[L.Cheapo]

There is no reason to not get an ariens at hd. Same machine. Some dealers have machines with different model numbers but to my knowledge same parts. This dealer vs big box thing is bs. I worked part time at hd when John Deere started selling tractors there. First year dealer didn't have those models. Dealer models had same warranty but better engine and the machismo price a few hundred more. They got slaughtered. Hd sold out and the next year the hd models were in the dealer stores.at the same price point.
As far as being taken care of....also bs. In the middle of a snowstorm you think they are going to take your machine for repair over a landscaper that has bought ten times as much? Honestly you would have better luck returning it to hd and getting a new one



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If the model number is the same, the machine is the same, no doubt about that. Having worked for a dealer for 6 years, yes the commercial guys came first, but they usually waited until after the storm to bring their stuff in, as they had backup machines and bodies were too valuable during a storm to be running to the equipment shop. First real snowfall of the year, we'd have a 5-6 week wait for repairs. If you bought the machine new from us, you'd get it back a lot quicker. If it was in warranty and not something major, might be only a day or two. If you bought it at Home Depot and complained about the wait, my boss would politely suggest you take it back to HD for service.

Interesting, when I was talking with the sales rep he mentioned that they had stopped carrying Ariens when the box stores started to carry them. I wonder if it was just a matter of not being able to compete with the prices the box stores had them at.

So my local Home Depot carries Ariens, are you saying I would be better off going with an Ariens in the same price range as I was looking at from Home Depot?

Are Ariens assembled in the U.S, and are they a domestic motor or imported from China?

If your local dealer does not carry Ariens anymore, he probably doesn't stock many parts either. Worth a thought. We were a large dealer with Ariens, Toro, Snapper, and some lower end brands like White. We probably sold 10 Toros for every Ariens we sold, and stocked parts accordingly.

 

[kctyphoon]

 

[Skin]

Interesting, when I was talking with the sales rep he mentioned that they had stopped carrying Ariens when the box stores started to carry them. I wonder if it was just a matter of not being able to compete with the prices the box stores had them at.

So my local Home Depot carries Ariens, are you saying I would be better off going with an Ariens in the same price range as I was looking at from Home Depot?

Are Ariens assembled in the U.S, and are they a domestic motor or imported from China?

No one makes a line of single cylinder horizontal shaft engine in the US so China suppliers have effectively taken over for all brands except Honda (GC in single stage US, GX on 2-stage Thailand).

Toro does major manufacturing in the US and ships to Mexico for assembly. Ariens does both major manufacturing and assembly in the US. Briggs/Snapper/Simplicity/Honda manufacture and assemble largely in the US. Cheap MTD are made in China, expensive MTD in the US. Yamaha (only found in Canada) are largely made in and are entirely assembled in China.

Ariens has MAP so a dealer shouldn't be undersold by a big box store but I've seen HD ignore it and allow things like coupons and sales which basically undercut a dealers cost so its impossible to compete. All the same HD cant service anything on site so by going through one you do lose that customer support if an issue arises in the middle of winter. A good dealer takes care of their own first and foremost. A lot of people recognize this and will still buy from a small dealer over a big box store. Your dealer dumped Ariens because they either legitimately got angry at seeing Ariens go to big box stores or, more likely, just didn't push them. Wouldn't surprise me if the markup on the Simplicity they sold are better.

 

[dsimatt]

There's no way I'd buy a Arians from HD or fleet farm or other stores because they only have the crappy models that are cheap, I got mine at a small mom and pop dealer and was a lot better than any store had to offer.

 

[glchandler]

Best snowblower I have owned was Honda track back in the mid-90's. Sold that with the house and have been buying cheap used since. Have wanted another track since. The most recent one (Snapper 10/30) blew a hole in the side of motor when I pulled it out of summer storage----somewhere around 10 years old and Tecumseh motors have a "great" reputation of throwing rods through casing so not missing it that much.

So, maybe my "boy-toy-desire" outweighed my checking account smarts but I ordered a track model Troy-bilt 2890 THREE-STAGE blower. We can get a lot of snow here---season total in the 13-14 feet (local ski hill states 42" season total to date) and I do large gravel driveway and trails in side/back yard for the dog runs.

Blower arrived today via truck shipment. Took couple of hours to assemble and have found things I love and things I hate. Mostly----tracks are much better to get up on decks and this one has trigger control for track turning.

So----great toy or lousy boat anchor. Time will tell.

 

[roche]

this

 

[kctyphoon]

Some ****-
New Yamaha 624 for the old Yamaha fans. -

 

[bpankratz]

YAMAHA!!! Better buy than an equivalent Honda, and IMO a better machine.

 

[MoonRise]

Your dealer dumped Ariens because they either legitimately got angry at seeing Ariens go to big box stores or, more likely, just didn't push them. Wouldn't surprise me if the markup on the Simplicity they sold are better.

FWIW, a local OPE dealer used to be an Ariens dealer. I was going around last year checking on possibly upgrading my snowblower (mo Powah!), so I stopped by to see what was available in different makes/models. They stopped being an Ariens dealer, the person said something to the effect that even they as a pretty big dealer were having 'issues' with getting parts and service from corporate.

Again, just a FWIW.

That dealer switched to carrying Simplicity snowblowers. My impression of the higher-end Simplicity machines was they seemed decent, but I wasn't all that confident in the little electric motor actuators for the chute controls or the iffy-looking potting/sealing job on the voltage regulator/rectifier.

I'm still looking to upgrade my snowblower. Leaning towards a high-end Toro now. No electric motors to run the chute, yeah. Just wish the engine had a bit more cubic inches and power/torque.

 

[yyc_ranger_4x4]

Has anyone tried the rubber paddle style blower? I'd love an ariens, but the 6-8000 price tag for good brush unit is a little prohibitive. I've looked at the toro ones, just not sure about real peoples reviews.

 

[kctyphoon]

You mean the old style ones, or the new two stage?
The rubber paddles are great for some things. They clean all the way down to the surface, weather it be sidewalk or a deck. They won't damage things like patio blocks, stamped concrete, wood or composite decking. They aren't self propelled, but they KINDA help to pull themselves along.

Bad part - they only excel in light snow. Anything real wet will be a struggle, and forget about frozen stuff. They won't throw snow nearly as far.. 2 stages are much better for when you need to move snow over a greater distance, move volume, or use in heavy, wet, partially frozen stuff. Also better on gravel,grass, dirt - since they don't actually contact the ground

Also, 10 - 20 years ago they were all snow "throwers" from what I remember, which is what they should be called.. why these machines became snow "blowers" is beyond me. I cringe inside every time I here "my snow BLOWER".

 

[kctyphoon]

YAMAHA!!! Better buy than an equivalent Honda, and IMO a better machine.

And I've read the tracks on the new machines will fit the old models 624 / 828 which is a HUGE deal since they stopped making replacements like a decade ago. USED 624 tracks can sell for $300-$400 in good shape.

Old machine with new 624 tracks

 

[Skin]

FWIW, a local OPE dealer used to be an Ariens dealer. I was going around last year checking on possibly upgrading my snowblower (mo Powah!), so I stopped by to see what was available in different makes/models. They stopped being an Ariens dealer, the person said something to the effect that even they as a pretty big dealer were having 'issues' with getting parts and service from corporate.

Last year was a damned disaster. Ariens chose winter to either migrate or open a new parts warehouse. I was waiting weeks for everything. Luckily it was a mild winter in this area. Other than that I think they're okay to deal with. Toro seems to have a slight edge in customer satisfaction, with regards to what can be pushed through warranty, though.

Simplicity Pro are a mixed bag. The chute motors do go bad however you can find OE knock-offs on ebay for a 1/3 of what Simplicity wants, and yes they look identical. Buy a spare, takes about 15 minutes to change it out. The machines themselves are built like tanks though. Probably one of the heaviest snow blowers still made. That said getting a real Simplicity means you're spending awfully close to Honda money so theres some decision making to be done. Ditto for Ariens Professional.

I don't know whats so awful about a nice beefy hand cranked chute setup that all these companies feel the need to automate it. Ariens Pro uses a cable lock setup but its still garbage for longevity.

Despite being plastics the Toro design is actually very good.

 

[joe_pinehill1]

Gravely, everything else is just a toy. If you look on Craigslist, an older Gravely with a snowblower will beat just about about any new snowblower. Unfortunately Gravely/Ariens ended production of the two wheel tractor and you have to look for a used model. There are still good Kohler or Robin powered machines out there. They will last essentially forever if maintained. I have a snowblower from the late 70's, my tractor is a '96 I bought when Gravely announced the end of the line. If you are ok maintaining an older machine, its hard to beat.

the last video was the 3 foot storm we had in Maryland in '16. I was the first out in my neighborhood.

 

[cpttuna]

stay away from the chinese engines

 

[phor53]

Following

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[IndyGarage]

I post this every winter when this thread comes up.

I have both a 2 stage Ariens - smaller, probably 24 inch, and a single stage craftsman - 2 stroke 5 hp

Both machines are old now. I haven't had the Ariens out in probably 5 years. The 2 stage is a pain in the rear to use. It's heavy, it's bulky, It doesn't clear down to the pavement. The only advantage it has is that it will move more snow. If the snow is deeper than about 10-12 inches, then I have to use it.

Otherwise the old single stage, 2 stroke Craftsman comes out. Which is almost all the time where i live. It's lightweight and easy to position, it works at least 3 times as fast as the Ariens. It will move a ton of snow, and clears down to the pavement - so the driveway is clear.

The problem for me is the craftsman has been used so much for so many years, it is literally falling apart. The muffler fell off probably 5 years ago - can't be put back on, because the mounting broke off. I just run it without a muffler - yeah it's annoyingly loud, but it gets the job done so fast, I don't worry about it.

If I only had to choose 1 it would be a single stage every time. If you live somewhere that it snows 15-20 inches at a time regularly then go for a 2 stage - I would probably go with a Honda tracked model even though they are tremendously expensive.