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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 23,639
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 23,639 |
Cub Cadet, Ariens, Toro all good & you can get service & parts; 24-28", 8HP. Anything else may be OK, maybe not.
Need reverse, multi-speed & a disconnect that allows you to disengage drive from one wheel when turning makes life easier, it's usually a small finger lever under each handle.
MM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 615
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 615 |
Well I used my Honda Foreman with a manual lift plow for years. I sold it this summer and bought a new Foreman, with the intent of buying a new plow and winch for it, which will run a grand, give or take. So while I've been waiting for the holiday sales to kick in, I've been thinking a snowblower might be the better option.
I'm out of the loop on brands.....
Ariens, Cub Cadet, Toro, Troy-Bilt, Husqvarna, etc..... Fugg that.... go buy a winch and a new plow. No reason at all to dick with a snow blower when you have a quad and a plow, and it's sooooo much faster to move the crap.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 162
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 162 |
Look up the supercharge your snowblower mod on youtube. I blow quite a bit of snow. I havent had a chute clog on 2 different blowers in 2 years. The 1 blower is a 5 hp that would clog regularly, not anymore!
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 588
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 588 |
I had a choice last winter, replace the auger gearbox in my 41 year old Ariens 7/24 or buy new. After seeing that I could still get just about any part I needed for it I fixed it.
Point is, Ariens supports their products. You can call Ariens direct and with the model and serial number they can tell you all but the shoe size of the guy that assembled it.
The point of spraying the chute with WD40 is dead on. It works. Reverse is good. You won't need it....until you do, like backing up on a slope.
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,086
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,086 |
Looking for the good, the bad, and the ugly for the best value in a two stage snowblower under a grand.
I'm googled out trying to decipher what I'm finding online.
Too bad Stihl doesn't make a snowblower......
3 words HONDA,ARIENS,TORO.Buy once cry once....
Last edited by coobie; 11/26/19.
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Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 162
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 162 |
Also, if you are looking at 2 different blowers, with the same hp, the one with the larger impeller will blow snow further. It's just comes down to centrifical force. My 5 hp throws just as far as my 8 hp, because they have the same size impeller. If you do the impeller mod, you dont have to wd/40 the chute.
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,740
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,740 |
+1 on all previous replies about parts.
I bought my daughter a Husqvarna (per her wishes), and parts couldn’t be found. Actually, dealers couldn’t be found, either: most listed on their website no longer carried Husky products, and some never had in the first place. Parts availability and mfgr support were the reasons.
Her machine works like a tiger when it works. I’d spend future snow thrower dollars elsewhere.
FC
"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."
- Mrs. FC
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 16,554
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 16,554 |
And use it. Lots of people get hurt struggling with the machine. I'd say a minimum of 8 hp. Unmolested snow is fun but the real fun is trying to move the chunky stuff the plow leaves at the end of the driveway. Best advice I got from a fussy old fart in upstate NY who had a great retirement fix'em business was no chains. The things are engineered to run without chains and you can overstress it using chains - it slips to avoid committing suicide.
The key elements in human thinking are not numbers but labels of fuzzy sets. -- L. Zadeh
Which explains a lot.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,698
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,698 |
My Ariens was absolutely worthless until I Put chains on it.
It is also pretty worthless when the snow is heavy and wet like in March. I wish my Honda was bigger. It did a good job when I had a short concrete driveway.
The Ariens is no good on gravel either. Keep some shear pins handy. I only use the little Honda on light fluffy stuff.
First chance I get I will get a plow.
I like to do my hunting BEFORE I pull the trigger!
There is only one kind of dead, but there are many different kinds of wounded.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,878 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 29,878 Likes: 4 |
Husky and Troy Built. The biggest one can afford.
1Minute
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 16,554
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 16,554 |
My Ariens was absolutely worthless until I Put chains on it. My 8hp MTD is 19 now with no major repairs. I run it at speeds slower than I need to and take smaller "bites" if it starts working hard. I figure it's still faster than shoveling. Definitely easier. (cement driveway)
The key elements in human thinking are not numbers but labels of fuzzy sets. -- L. Zadeh
Which explains a lot.
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 964
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 964 |
Don't get caught up with wider is better. Make sure you have shear pins, belts, and a spark plug. Make sure you know where you put them. Amazon is a good source for parts.
I'm running a Husqvarna now, hand warmers on it don't do the job, it seems weak compared to my old Sears 8HP I ran for 25 years until the tires rotted off. It gets it done but I expected it to be better.
The old snow blower was recoil start only. I'm in my 60's, damn right I got electric start on the new one.
Last edited by Szumi; 11/26/19.
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,353
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,353 |
My Ariens has been a dream!
Spend once and enjoy....
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,917
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,917 |
I have 26" simplicity with a power shute that is really handy. It has electric start, but I never use it because it always starts with 1 or2 pulls. Haven't had a snow yet (knock on wood) it couldn't go thru. I do wish it had heated handles.
3825 24336
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,531 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,531 Likes: 2 |
My Ariens has done everything I've asked of it, NO idea who makes the motors for Ariens, but Chinese all the way,
In all honesty, find a name brand, or just pick your favorite color and buy it,
Nowadays they are all very comparable in build quaility,
aalf, your just a touch north of me, but my blower might run a total of a dozen hours a year, Seriously.....10 years later, 120 hours, whoppdefriggendo......
I see no need for tracks or electric start either, or chains on a flat concrete driveway.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,213
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,213 |
I just bought a Toro 826. Looked at Ariens, Cub Cadet, Troy Built. Not a lot of difference in prices when comparing same size/width. Ariens are a classic, Cub Cadet seem to have pretty good rep, Troy Built are hit and miss - some good, some not. Husqvarna seem to be inconsistent too. Toro has pretty decent reviews on snow removal forums. Has an auger gearbox so no shear pins. And the shop I picked it up at services what they sell. (And its the local Stihl dealer and service center!)
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,531 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 11,531 Likes: 2 |
I just bought a Toro 826. Looked at Ariens, Cub Cadet, Troy Built. Not a lot of difference in prices when comparing same size/width. Ariens are a classic, Cub Cadet seem to have pretty good rep, Troy Built are hit and miss - some good, some not. Husqvarna seem to be inconsistent too. Toro has pretty decent reviews on snow removal forums. Has an auger gearbox so no shear pins. And the shop I picked it up at services what they sell. (And its the local Stihl dealer and service center!)
Willing to bet no more than 2 different manufacturers make all the machines you just mentioned. My point being, there are no real big differences between any of them.
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,471
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,471 |
What are your choices and prices? How much snow, what kind of snow, how often, how big an area, and where does the snow go? Are you mechanically inclined? What can you handle physically? Flat concrete driveway, 30' long, 50' wide. Hell, I'm in Wisconsin, who knows how much.....stats say 4' average per year, could be double, triple, or quadruple that. We've already had a foot and a half in Oct. I could blow it in the street if nobody's looking til the plow makes it's first pass. Otherwise I can go both directions, unless the wind's howling. I rebuilt the whole topend of my Harley Fatboy in my breezeway by myself. Not wanting to want to wrench if I don't have to. Imma tough m'erfuker til I get out of my pajamas...... John Deere
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,890 Likes: 7
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 43,890 Likes: 7 |
I've got a John Deere green snow blower and it has been great.
I don't know who actually built the machine but they did a good job.
In town is easy work but it gets used pretty hard clearing narrow alley ways out at the farm corrals.
Hard pack drifts make a guy wish for twice the HP.
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 16,393 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 16,393 Likes: 1 |
I'm interested in cleaning sidewalks, next to our storage buildings. I'm thinking 32 wide would let me plow with very little rolling off the wrong end of the plow.
Flat, other than climbing up to - and off of sidewalks. Any thing special, in this situation?
I've always been a curmudgeon - now I'm an old curmudgeon.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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