Snowblower Recommendations

[beenthere]

Keep the shovel handy.  ;D

[Piston]

Consumer Reports Jan. 2015
Large Two-Stage
#1  Cub Cadet 31AH57S  $1500
#2 Troy-Bilt Vortex 2890 31AH55SQ (best buy)  $1300
#3 Cub Cadet 930SWE 31AH95SU  $1600
#4 Ariens 921032  $1300
#5 Craftsman 88396  $1200
#6 Cub Cadet 31AH55T (best buy)  $1100
#7 Ariens AX254 921030 (best buy)  $1000
#8 Trot-Bilt Storm 3090XP 31AH55Q (best buy)  $1100
Compact Two-Stage
#1 Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490 31AH54Q (best buy)  $1100
#2 Craftsman 88173 (best buy) $680
#3 Toro Power Max 724 OE 37770  $800
#4 Ariens 920021  $800
I hope I got all the #'s right

I'm surprised there was nothing about a Honda in there?  I'm interested in how the Honda's with tracks do in the snow?  Do they get better traction than a standard blower with chains on it?  Seems tracks can go either way, either excellent, or horrible. 

[Holmes]

 Track snow blowers are great.  I have a Kawasaki 27" 8 hp on tracks and the only blower better in that class is a Honda. The thing is like a mini dozer  you can bog it down but I never got it stuck.  No I have a 42" on a Kubota 17 hp lawn mower works great for the area 5000 plus sq'  takes half the time of the old Kawasaki [1988]

[sawguy21]

Piston, look at the price point, you won't find a Honda 2 stage for that kind of money. Those are all decent value for the buck but you will need to spend quite a bit more to get into the premium units that will perform better and last a lot longer if properly used and maintained.
A number of those have cheap disposable Chinese engines. They are not repairable, the carb or rewind fails replace it. Internal problems it's a new engine. There are few service parts.
Honda is the only manufacturer that stayed with the track system. They are very expensive to produce and really don't work all that well in this application. They tend to climb over the snow rather than digging in so the auger can do it's job.

[Reddog]

Honda is the only manufacturer that stayed with the track system. They are very expensive to produce and really don't work all that well in this application. They tend to climb over the snow rather than digging in so the auger can do it's job.

I ran a friends tracked honda for a few years. And that was my thoughts also.
Beat me up way more than a wheeled version.

The one drive system that works well for extra traction, is the wheeled one were the axle shifts to the back. It also puts extra weight on the cutting edge to help keep it from from climbing up.

[woodworker9]

I have had an Ariens for many years, it has been very good and I think you can get a 10 hp one for around 1,000 dollars.

I've got an Ariens 1032.  That's 10 hp, 32" wide cut width.  It's a monster, and eats snowdrifts for breakfast.  It's an older one, and they still have all the parts available if any repairs are necessary.  I would highly recommend one of these to anyone with a lot of snow to get rid of.  My driveway is 450 feet long.

[lowpolyjoe]

I spoke to the freight company and they still have no idea where the package is.

I just called Amazon and cancelled the order.  I also notice the price dropped almost $80 since my order less than 2 weeks ago... wonder why.   

[sawguy21]

woodworker9 yours is one of the best ever built, a far cry from the 1000 dollar Poulan built Ariens being flogged at the Great Orange Menace.

[lowpolyjoe]

This past weekend my wife and I were in Lowes because they had (according to online inventory) 3 units left of the snowblower I wanted. 

We waited a few minutes for someone to help us.  Then we asked the 'greeter' at the front to find someone.  He paged for assistance.  Waited another 10 minutes.  Nothing.  So we left.   

We ended up ordering from Amazon even though they lost the first one in transit.  It arrived this morning

It's the 254cc, 27" Husqvarna I linked in the first post.  Had to come to work so I didn't have time to unbox/assemble it.  Looking forward to getting it up and running this weekend.  I've got my fingers crossed - I think this is the most expensive tool I've ever bought  :D

This is my 'insurance' that will prevent it from snowing for the next 5 years.   8)

[pappy19]

My first snowblower was an Ariens 2-stage and it worked pretty good for the first 2 years, then it was hard to start and I had at least 2 flats every season. When I moved to a new location, I sold it and bought a Honda-track blower. That Honda has been the best snowblower I have ever used. It is now 13 years old and always starts the first pull. It has hydrostatic forward/reverse, no gears to select. As far as traction, there is none better IMHO. Once the snow gets packed, it doesn't matter if you have a track machine or tires with chains, it's still tough work. When the shear pin breaks on a hunk of ice, the Honda takes about 3 minutes to replace, while the Ariens takes alot longer, at least the older ones did. For the money and long lasting, I'll take a Honda track any day.

[lowpolyjoe]

I had a few people recommend the Honda's but they all seem about twice as expensive as I was willing to spend  :-[.

I've also read very widely different comments about the track system (vs tires).  Some say it's the best thing ever.  Some say it's prone to failure.  Luckily they were all ot of my price range so I didn't have to worry about it ;)

It is a little discouraging that the model I bought has 2 out of 4 reviews say it broke immediately.  But considering the model has been sold out for half the season and there are only 2 people saying it broke, I'm hoping that's 2 out of (a lot) of samples.

I will say it's a sexy piece of machinery.... I saw one assembled in Lowes.  Lots of levers, a few buttons, heated handlebars, etc...  8)

[woodworker9]

woodworker9 yours is one of the best ever built, a far cry from the 1000 dollar Poulan built Ariens being flogged at the Great Orange Menace.

Yes, it is.  A local old timer who rebuilds these for a hobby/extra cash told me to buy this particular one, and to get an older one.  He rebuilds them when he finds them, and told me they're his favorite. 

He also told me to stay away from all the newer ones because the parts inside aren't anywhere near as tough.

[lowpolyjoe]

Tested out the new snowblower a couple of days ago.  Made an unboxing video + review for anyone interested in my impression of the model I picked up.  Real test will be when I get some serious snow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WXyt5fOOnI

[JohnG28]

My dad has a few year old Ariens 1032, nice machine. 10hp  Tecumseh. We had an Ariens when I was a kid that was bulletproof too. I have a 20 year old Simplicity I bought about 5 years ago from the original owner, well kept and clean. 24" cut and 8hp Tecumseh. They're good reliable engines IMO.

[sawguy21]

Make sure you have spare shear bolts and auger belt. Also clear the area to be worked before it snows, door mats and frozen newspapers are hard on the machine. ;D

[lowpolyjoe]

Make sure you have spare shear bolts and auger belt. Also clear the area to be worked before it snows, door mats and frozen newspapers are hard on the machine. ;D

Excellent point.  I ran over a phone book one year with my old machine - no fun cleaning up yellow shredded paper all over the place  :D

I'll look into the shear bolts and auger belt.


Thanks

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Joe

in 1995 When I lived in West Milford NJ, I bought a Husquavarna Snow blower form a dealer on Warwick Turnpike. As memory served, It was a 15hp and 30 inch intake. It was the best snow blower that I have ever seen. That sucker would throw snow 40 to 50 feet. When we got the 6 foot deep snow with drifts to 25 feet, in 1996, that blower cleared my 200+ foot long driveway. It went through almost 10 gallons of gas to do so, but thank God I had it because the plow truck was all but useless in that depth. You will not be dissapointed. 

When I moved to Indiana in late 1996, i sold it to a friend here that had a small business and was tired of paying to have his medium sized parking lot plowed 20 times a year. He is still using it to this day and other than a few shear pins, oil changes, and a couple replacement belts, it is still serving him well.

[lowpolyjoe]

Good to hear Fred.


I'm a little worried that they "don't make 'em like they used to", but only time will tell.  It definitely feels like it has power 

[lowpolyjoe]

Make sure you have spare shear bolts and auger belt. Also clear the area to be worked before it snows, door mats and frozen newspapers are hard on the machine. ;D

Today I thought of this post, sawguy... recalling that I never bought any spare belts. 

This morning I got my 1-year-old Husqvarna snowblower started up to dig out from under the foot and a half of snow we got from the blizzard.  I was smiling to myself about how clever I was to buy a bigger model than I thought I would need.   One pass down my driveway and the auger stops spinning  >:(.

I know very little about engines and machines in general.  I started taking off random bolts and eventually discovered the impeller belt had come loose and seemingly had turned inside out?  (the V was face up)   Got it back on, reassembled everything - half hour wasted but I'm back on the go.  2 minutes later, same problem  :.  I check and this time the belt had snapped.  Can't find details of the belt in the owner's manual  ??? Why ?!  Just says they suggest you have  a certified mechanic replace the belt.  So I measure the belt - seems like 35" but it's hard to tell because the end is frayed where it broke.   Checked 2 local stores, found a 35" belt.  It seems kind of tight, but I got it on.  Start her up.  Immediate burning smell  :(.    Disassemble again.  The belt is too short.  Some internet research reveals it's actually a 35.4" belt (90cm  darn metric system  :D).   20 minute drive to the nearest Lowes to find the correct replacement.  I grab 2, to be safe, and a drive-belt while I'm there.  $65!!!   What!  I put one back. 

Reassemble for the 4th time.  Finally good to go.  20 minutes later, ran over a stray tennis ball, jammed the impeller.  Geez....


Side note -while I was buying replacement belts, another guy was in Lowes with his brand new (one day old) Husqvarna arguing with customer service.  He had a snapped belt as well.    I talked to him briefly.  We were both pretty bitter.


Anyway... hope everyone made it through the blizzard safe. 

[jwilly3879]

We just bought a Craftsman 24" two stage, brought it home, took it out if the crate gassed it up and it started right up. One small problem, it will only run on 1/2 choke. Glad the wife got the service contract. the service man came and took off the bowl and pushed a tip cleaner  through the main jet. Tried it, same result, replacement carb on the way but they are back ordered for at least two weeks. Apparently all of this model have a problem.

I heard from my mechanic buddy that the carb gets clogged with plastic from when they drill the tank to install the fittings.I would have done the work myself but it is a brand new unit. There is no gas shutoff or fuel filter in the line so the tank has to be drained to work on the carb. What a pain.

I have a 40 year old Ariens at my Mom's that works just great.

[sawguy21]

Another problem is the corrosion inhibitor used at the factory, it gets in the fuel system and clogs the carb. The current crop of snow engines are all made in China. 

[lowpolyjoe]

That's a real bummer jwilly.   

So frustrating to buy something new  so you won't have to deal with all the problems of old stuff breaking down or needing service - then it blows up in your face   :'(

I still have my old Ariens but it was barely working when I finally broke down and bought my Husqy.  I bet I could get it back in shape with a serious tune-up, but that's the exact sort of work I was looking to avoid.

Further frustrating is the fact that I can't find the belts on Amazon.  I thought maybe I could find them cheaper than Lowes.  Even having problems finding the correct replacement at JacksSmallEngines. 

[colin.p]

I'm on my third winter with a Toro Powermax 826. I finally tried the electric start, as I think it only has a three year warranty, to make sure it works - it does. I've had no issues with it at all, starts and runs great and blows snow into the next township. I did buy it from a local dealer and it was prepped for me, ready to go.

I know that the OP already bought a blower but I thought I'd share my experience with a Toro for anyone who is also looking for a blower. However, to be truthful, this is my first (small) snowblower, so I only have that as a point of reference, as opposed to the 6 foot monster that we had behind our tractor.

[Brucer]

I'm almost finished restoring my 1981 Ariens ST1032.

It's been sitting idle for 30 years. I bought it (in a hurry) to clear my 400 m (1/4 mile) driveway when my D7 died. The following year I bought a JD diesel tractor with a 60" front-mounted blower. I just used the Ariens to clean up around the house for few years. Eventually I found I could get the tractor right up close to the house and I stopped using the Ariens. Unfortunately, I never properly put it away for long-term storage.

Now my daughter needs a desperately needs a snowblower. Her neighbour had a nice one and the two of them took turns clearing their common parking area. But he found better work in Ontario and left in the new year, along with the blower :(.

The machine was in bad shape (or so it seemed). Flat ovals on the bottoms of the tires -- which blew apart when I filled them. Engine would turn, but no compression and no spark when I crank it over. None of the controls would move -- rusted solid (and no Blue Creeper on hand :() The wheels wouldn't even roll.

Fast assessment: This machine had a 10 HP B&S engine, and parts are still available on-line. Parts are also available on-line for the snowblower. Good start, but what's it going to cost?

I opened the machine up and found it was built like the proverbial brick outhouse. A bit of penetrating oil and some elbow grease and things started to move. A bit of oil or grease in the proper places and things began to move smoothly .

OK, no point in going further if I couldn't get tires. After all these years, identical tires available locally. Total cost including mounting them -- $150 after taxes.

But wait, what about that engine? I took it to a friend who field-stripped dozens of B&S engines back when he was prospecting. First impression -- gummed up carb, rusted fuel tank, rusted spark plug, and a stuck valve. He said he'd take a look and let me know what had to be done.

In the meantime, I carried on cleaning, lubricating, filing, straightening bent stuff, etc. No word on the engine. Finally he called -- "It's ready". Yep, he cleaned it up, rebuilt the carb, freed up the valve, and had it running. $100 after taxes. I told him that was too little and he said that was what I was going to have to pay him if I wanted the engine back :D.

I'm going to have to adjust the carb a little, and one of the handlebars is bent just enough that the blower clutch won't engage from the operator's station. But everything works.

Now that I've been under the hood, so to speak, I can see why these machines were so popular.

PS: So how do you get all the rust out of a small fuel tank? Take it off the machine, fill it with a pound or so of small nuts, bolts, and washers. Then shake. Dump the nuts, bolts, etc. plus rust onto a workbench, roll the nuts, bolts, etc out of the pile with your hand, and put them back in the fuel tank. Repeat until no more rust comes out. Then rinse the tank with solvent or kerosene. ;D ;D

[sawguy21]

Good for you  8) Those machines are almost bullet proof. It is old if it has the metal tank.