Hi All,
Not shooting-related, but here goes... I'm interested in a 2-stage snowblower. I'm looking at the brands at Home Depot, which I'm not committed to any of those but that's where I went first for information. They all seem similar, so I have some questions.

1. Are any of these brands made in America? (Ariens, Cub Cadet, Poulan, Yard Machines, etc)
2. Is 2-stage more desirable, it seems that the 1 salesman I did speak with hinted towards that. Said something to make me believe it was heavier duty.
3. Any quality issues with any of the aforementioned brands?

Thanks for the help.
kstockfo

A two-stage is more desirable if you are clearing a large area. The two stage means that the rotating blades scoop the snow upwards and then an impeller blows is out - fast! A single stage only throws the snow as far as the rotating blades can propel the snow. A good two-stage can blow snow 30-50 feet away from where you are clearing. A single stage night throw 10-15 feet.

I don't know where those brands are built, but just look on the tag - it's there. Ariens are well-rated and it's not on your list, but no company makes small engines as reliable as Honda. Bullet proof (but you will pay $$ for them). Craftsman still makes a very good two stage.

The snow thrower picture has changed enormously in the last 5-7 years. Many small engine manufacturers have gone out of business or been acquired by bigger companies. In concert with that.......many of these engines are now made in China.

I was kinda shocked when I started looking at the current offerings. I just repaired my 18 year-old Briggs & Stratton engined Craftsman blower, and hadn't realized the changes in the industry.

Here's a couple links that will lay out who makes what and where. There certainly are some high quality, long term machines still being made. They are costly in comparison with the China-engined group.

http://movingsnow.com/2012/whats-the-difference/

http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...ion/1364-made-usa-versus-made-china.html

I bought the poulan 6 hp,24 inch last year new in dec of 2012,never started it till this year.
really throws the snow good.
probably wont last a lifetime though.

Two stage and all the horse power one can afford. It's nice to plow along within inches of ones pickup and toss snow over the top and into the yard on the other side.

It's another one of those cases where one never wishes he had a smaller unit. Also, look for some alcohol free gas so one does not have to empty the tank if it sits unused for extended periods.

Our work units are Ariens, and the vandals on the payroll can't kill them.

That's saying something.

I know MTD absorbed alot of brands you see sold at big box stores.

I was surprised to find out that Cub Cadet is lumped into this category and is owned by the same company that makes Yard Man.

I guess its no difference than knowing Kitchen-Aid is made by Whirlpool.

Biggest honda you think you need (afford), then next model up.

Leelanau County, in the corner of NW Lower Michigan has officially had over 200" of snow this year and its still January. So snowblowers are something that I can speak to with lots of experience.

I don't know what kind of snow the OP is talking about, his location is not posted. But the plow guys who run snowblowers up here every day, run one of two brands. Ariens or Hondas. I luv Honda engines and that's why I run a HS828. Its been bulletproof. IME over 15 winters up here, everything else is behind those two brands.

And one more thought, don't buy anything from a big box store, some of those machines aren't even assembled correctly, tested before the sale, or anything. Buy from a full service dealer, you'll need him sometime down the line anyway. And it doesn't cost any more, sometimes even less. I wouldn't trust Sears to service a money wrench.

Buy a two stage Honda or Ariens and run pure gas in them. Sno problems are solved.

NB

Actually, Ariens IS on his list..

But anyhoo - what you said is correct; twq-stage blowers will move some serious snow.. This next isn't related to any walk-behind blowers but I had a 3-pt mount single stage for some 30+ years.. And it did "ok".. Felt the need to modernize 3 years ago and replaced it with a JD 2-stage.. the difference is night/day. This machine has snow landing a good 70-90 feet down range.. And (I just learned this am) with 18 days in January with movable amounts of snow this 2-stage has been a life saver..

not sure of your snow load there but in PA i have used the MTD 8HP, 26" 2 stage unit for about 12 years. it is a good unit but there are some plastic parts on the chute that will break with heavy use. i just fabricated them out of metal when they did and it was good to go after that. it has a briggs & stratton engine. i would consider it homeowner grade. never failed to start and can throw 18" or so of wet snow with authority on gravel or pavement. it cost around $650 when i bought it. i used it up until last year when i bought a plow for my quad. i just sold it for $275 last fall so i got my moneys worth.

mine had an electric starter that plugged into a 120v outlet so it made it easy to start on cold days. but even with the pull start it was easy to start.

MTD makes a lot of the snowblowers and lawn mowers anymore. troybuilt, sears, yardman, yard machines, bolens and others.

good, basic units. the Mossberg of yard equipment.

Jd quit making their own blowers at least 15-20 yrs ago. They had noma of Canada build em for a while....very average units w/terrible paint. Then they farmed out to ahriens...excellent units w/same overall design Deere always used. Then they farmed out to Murrey/ Briggs.....terrible workmanship. That only lasted about 3 years and they are back dealing w/ahriens.
Ahriens are excellent units...ez to work on and designed and made in wisconsin. Buddy of mine bought a cub cadet/mtd....its a tin can compared to my Deere/ahriens built blower.
My Deere/ahriens is 10 years old and should make an ez 20-30.
Keep your blower away from gravel, grease/adjust, run non ethanol fuel....and smile year after year.

Single stage good for light fluffy snow.

Two stage good for deep or heavy wet snow.



We used to do snow removal during the concrete off season(aka Winter) and had little single stage snow blowers because one guy could load them in the back of a pickup.

They worked okay most of the time but are almost worthless with even a few inches of heavy, wet snow. The chute will plug up.

Not an issue with a two stage machine.



Ariens are good, our JD is a beast.

I agonized over the decision this season and elected to place a blade on my 4 wheeler - WAY faster snow removal than my neighbor's two stage blower. Blade & winch was $700, I assembled the unit.

I live just down the road from Natty Bumpo and have to agree we get some decent snow every years.
I've owned Ariens blowers for the past 18 years, last year I bought a new one and gave my 15 year old one to my son.
The big box stores carry Ariens, but they are different than the ones you buy from an Ariens Dealer. Engine may be different, controls different, options different.
The Big Box stores order so many they can tell the mf'g just what they want for the price they're going to sell them for.
Ariens comes with a number of different engines, depending where you buy them, B&S, Kolar,Tecumsceh are a few choices.

So far, lots of positive reviews of Ariens and Honda. Not much about Cub Cadet except one negative "tin can" remark. Some positive but not overwhelming appreciation for MTD. Okay, keep the feedback coming as I havent bought one yet.
Thanks,
kstockfo

That "Moving snow" place is good for research.

I'll second those suggesting that you buy from a local dealer, rather than a big box store. They seem to care more when you're unhappy about something.

Use your eyes & your hands when evaluating models. You can see where the strengths (gusseted welds on a Toro) and weaknesses (excessive use of plastic) are on each of the models. And there's no substitute for steel: more weight usually means more durability.

Make sure they throw in some extra shear pins, touch-up paint, and StaBil as part of the deal.

FWIW, my daughter did an awful lot of homework, and chose a Husqvarna from her local dealer. The thing is a beast. A LOUD beast.

Oh yeah - wear your shooting ear muffs when throwing snow. They can be louder than a lawn mower, and nearly as bad as a chainsaw.

FC

Smart not only to buy from a dealer but from one who sells alot of the brand you pick.
Your blower isn't likely to break during a 2" cleanup. If you spend another $150 at a dealer vrs big box that's about $10/yr of ownership to have confidence when you walk in w/a broken belt, shear pin, drive disk or need emergency service you're gonna get it!

Next season, I'm buying my first. Probably an Ariens. I've been to see the dealer and he services on-site.

Two-stage for me. Although we might not get a lot of snow one year, the next year we will. For sure, the snow is wet and dense more often than it's light and fluffy.

Seen neighbors struggling with single-stage blowers, and I'll not go that route.

Well, I pulled the trigger on a Craftsman 26" (made by MTD so I'm told). I literally had no choice, there is nothing else locally that I could find. I could have ordered an Ariens which was my 1st choice, or buy the Craftsman today and have it for the next 2 snow storms to arrive Saturday and next Tuesday (as opposed to waiting 10 days for the Ariens to arrive). Bird in the hand is better than 2 in the bush, I suppose. Thanks for all of your help.
kstockfo

Two stage is the only snow blower.

One stage are for women.

Ariens will make short work of snow, and dead hookers. Hint.

Don't forget the chains and hangover.



Travis

What's snow?

You already made your decision but I bought a cub cadet at the beginning of the season. I can already see the weak spots but it always starts, throws snow decently ( the wet stuff not so well) and over all runs good. We're just under 100" so far and I'm happy.

If it gets stupid snowy, I'm gonna grab my dads massy with the hydraulic 48" blower and quit messing around.

My Ariens ST824 has been a champ since the late 80's and I move a bit of snow. It's never seen a dealer since my dad wheeled it out the showroom.
For small engine repair, there's a lot to be said for a small engine guy who operates out of his garage if you can find a good one, and there are 2 guys here locally who get my business for the snow blower, lawn mower, and weed whacker. Excellent work, and waaaay less than the dealer. Ask some of your buds if they know a dude.
Also, get set up with some shear pins, and belts. Not hard to replace, and sometimes your only option after a good snow fall.

70hp and up tractor, chains, cab and an 8ft rear blade unless it gets deep, then stay home

I had an Ariens 824 LE that I bought new years ago. Well, a part let go while the machine was a few months old and under warranty, or so I thought. Neither the dealer would not honor the warranty, nor would the people at Ariens. I had to pay to fix their POS. Needless to say, you can't give me any Ariens products. I got rid of it afterwards.

I bought a Troy-Bilt 3090 XP Storm to replace the Ariens. There's NO comparison between them either. Troy-Bilt is a much better unit.

when living in MN, I had a 2 stage with a 10 horse motor on it... a batch of neighbors were so impressed with mine, over what theirs was doing.. they went down and bought one just like I had...

large driveway, deep snow and big snow banks courtesy of the snow plows as soon as you finished cleaning out your own driveway...

This is my neighbor about a month ago. He cracks me up.

Not complaining, we never have much of a snow problem on our street!

Holy balls, I need that rig this morning..

Yep, and Amana, Kenmore, Roper, and a few others actually.

With regard to a snowblower, don't be afraid to buy an older used unit. Anything with from Deere, Ariens, or Simplicity will last a lifetime. I have a 1975 Simplicity 8hp, 24" that throws snow as good as any newer blower I've used. Newer will get you more features like a head light, heated grips, etc but that's just more stuff to break in my opinion

I think you'll be happy with your Craftsman 26" because I have one just like it. It handles everything but the very heaviest slush, which clogs the chute. For me, that's just the stuff the snowplow driver piles up at the end of my drive and then partly melts/refreezes in the gutter. I've had this one for three or four years now and the only maintenance needed is the occasional replacement of the shoes - and they're designed to be sacrificial anyway. I do run ethanol gas in it, but I also fully drain it and run it dry between seasons. No sweat so far.

One helpful hint: spray the rotors and chute with WD-40 or silicone spray before every blowing session. It really helps prevent clogging and caking.

Edit to add: Just looked out the window. I'll be blowing before long.

I had a Craftsman two stage walk behind for years at the last house, and it served me well. It was the 30" model with a 12 horse and had levers on each hand grip that would turn the unit. Very handy, and it was reliable. I let the guy keep it that bought the house. I agree that dual stage is best for walk-behinds.

As far as single stage goes, I have one on a 40 year old Cub Cadet 169 (a 40") at the north lake farm and one on a 40 year old Sears/Roper 16ss (a 42"). Both tractors have hard cabs which makes blowing at least semi-comfortable, and I have never clogged either one regardless of depth or wetness of snow. Both driveways at the farms are nearly a 1/4 mile long asphalt plus all the area around the buildings. They throw the snow a good distance. I would not condemn single stage, at least when mounted to a good tractor.