Snow Blowers!

[Tom K.]

I'm thinking it might be time for a new snow blower. I've currently got a fine, well-maintained, 28" two stage Craftsman from what I'd call the "homeowner" line. Nothing heavy duty or even remotely "pro" about it, but it does the job.

I have a 450 foot driveway and good-sized apron to do on my own, then another 550 foot shared road that several of us cooperate on with our various blowers. The apron is my machine's weak point. It does darn well at blowing snow, but not so well at re-blowing snow.

Who's had what experience with what heavy duty units? Locally I can get Cub Cadet, Craftsman (but sears is swirling the drain), and Honda.

Of course, whatever unit I buy will be equipped with dedicated, studded winter tires. No all seasons!

And hey, no fair just typing Honda and closing the thread!

 

[Lorenzzo]

I've had this for 4 years. My driveway and walk areas are large as is the rear deck I keep cleared but sounds like you have a huge area to maintain. Tractor? Truck and plow?

If I were to upgrade it would be for width and sturdier outlet control. Both are adequate on this unit, the rest of the features are excellent. I love workin' the snowblower and getting wind-driven blasts of snow in my face. I really do.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-30-i...SellerId=Sears&prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6

 

[François Pugh]

Well the Honda will have the engine category won. There are some other things that matter though. It's worth getting a the top of the line heavier one, instead of one by the same maker, but designed to compete on cost with the lesser marks.

My dad had an older but top of the line Toro that I got to use a bit. Things that made it a good snowblower, as compared to others that I have tried.
Chains on the wheels that gave it traction - well worth it.
Heavy - lighter ones would climb up the hard snow instead of eating through it.
Auger design that didn't clog up.
What was not to like? My dad was kind of frugal, too frugal to do something about the mixture screws on the carb that kept rattling out of position.

That being said, my brother has a fairly large driveway. He uses a quad (you know one of those 4x4 toys that are basically a dirt bike with four wheels, but cost more than a compact car for running trails three seasons of the year), with a blade attached to do his driveway.

 

[scott43]

My folks used a Craftsman for a number of years but they had some issues with it and eventually my dad gave up and got an Ariens. It's a nice 2-stage thrower, easy to start and has dual drive belts. I believe they're also made in the good ole USofA.

https://www.ariens.com/en-us/snow-products/snow-blowers/deluxe/deluxe-30

 

[Varmintmist]

Cant help you. Tractor and back blade user

 

[scott43]

Cant help you. Tractor and back blade user

And really, at 450', that might be a better option. My folks' driveway is about 100' and it's a bit of work after a foot of snow..

 

[Tom K.]

Thanks for the input. Both the Craftsman mentioned by @Lorenzzo and the Ariens by @scott43 are on my list. Small downmarks are that both would be serviced 30 miles away, rather than truly local. Plus that thing about Sears circling the drain (or partway down it).

I'm kind of disqualifying the Honda because the widest wheeled unit they make is 28" and it costs a fortune. If I'm going to upgrade from my simple 28" Craftsman, it's going to be a bit wider, for sure!

That seems to leave two strong, local contenders:

The Cub Cadet 3X 30 HD http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/P...urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=14101

The Husquvarna ST 330 P http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/snow-blowers/st-330p/961930094/

Cub has a three stage impeller design (of somewhat questionable merit) with friction drive. The Husky has an actual hydrostatic transmission, which is mostly a plus (though no free lunch applies here). Husky also used to make dirt bikes, so that takes me back to my youth! KTM now makes KTMs, paints them white, adds $100 to the price, and calls them Husky.

As far as the plowing idea goes, it's tough quarters, plus with the snow we got last year, there would have been issues with pushing it out of the way. With the blower(s) the snow kept coming, and we just kept throwing it over the top. Here is a pic of a 5 foot tall glider swing. All you can see is the upper corner!

 

[crgildart]

Growing up we had a Craftsman self propelled with the chains on the tires. Was freakin awesome for the first two years when it started and ran well. After that it was more aggravation than just shoveling. No doubt they've gotten a lot better.. and my dad probably made it worse trying to tune it himself changing the plug and messing with the choke adjustments.

Next door neighbor on Long Island owned a Sunoco station and had a plow on the tow truck he drove on bad snow days. He always came by and plowed our driveway totally unsolicited whenever there was more than 3 inches of new snow. I miss having neighbors like that.

Not sure if I'd go Sears without a back up service plan. Ten years ago, maybe.

 

[Lorenzzo]

Thanks for the input. Both the Craftsman mentioned by @Lorenzzo and the Ariens by @scott43 are on my list. Small downmarks are that both would be serviced 30 miles away, rather than truly local. Plus that thing about Sears circling the drain (or partway down it).

I'm kind of disqualifying the Honda because the widest wheeled unit they make is 28" and it costs a fortune. If I'm going to upgrade from my simple 28" Craftsman, it's going to be a bit wider, for sure!

That seems to leave two strong, local contenders:

The Cub Cadet 3X 30 HD http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/P...urlRequestType=Base&langId=-1&catalogId=14101

The Husquvarna ST 330 P http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/snow-blowers/st-330p/961930094/

Cub has a three stage impeller design (of somewhat questionable merit) with friction drive. The Husky has an actual hydrostatic transmission, which is mostly a plus (though no free lunch applies here). Husky also used to make dirt bikes, so that takes me back to my youth! KTM now makes KTMs, paints them white, adds $100 to the price, and calls them Husky.

As far as the plowing idea goes, it's tough quarters, plus with the snow we got last year, there would have been issues with pushing it out of the way. With the blower(s) the snow kept coming, and we just kept throwing it over the top. Here is a pic of a 5 foot tall glider swing. All you can see is the upper corner!

View attachment 31938

A couple of things about the Craftsman. Quality comes and goes with brands and changing models, one of the merits of the model I linked is it's been out for a while so it's record service-wise is well established and seems pretty good. Also, service and maintenance are key so I went with a model serviced locally. The local service place does a great job of keeping certain brands in operation so I stay within those brands for power tools/machinery/weaponry.

 

[BS Slarver]

Honda track HS928 here, it's got to be at least 10 years old and still goes on the first pull. In ~14/15, I forget the year but remember blowing driveways that loaders got stuck in with 60+ inches, it took a while but it did the job !
At 32 -34 inches wide we have driven it up stairs with the tracks, straight through homes out to decks to keep them from collapsing as well.
Its validating when just about every resort we go to has one as well.
One of the few things I'll take west when I move, buy once and be done.

 

[graham418]

I would think with that kind of driveway, you must have an equal length yard. Shouldn't you be looking for something that mounts on your tractor? Plow? Blower off your PTO / Three Point Hitch?

 

[ScotsSkier]

Tracked Honda, hard to beat.! I have an older 828 and it just plows through everything, must have cleared over 30' last year! I had a couple od different wheeled ones before and at first the tracked one felt strange and less maneuverable but once I got the hang of it actually much easier than wheels and I wouldn't go back. The newer versions actually have "power steering" that lets you lock the tracks on either side to turn more easily. In your situation I would go for the 32 inch version. They are also pretty bomb=proof, there is a reason all the snow clearing contractors here only use Hondas. Expensive? yes, but they hold their value and are still a good buy used.

 

[Varmintmist]

3 pt hitch pto driven blower?
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200435196_200435196?cm_mmc=Bing-pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Snow + Ice Removal > Snow Blowers > 3-Pt. Snow Blowers&utm_campaign=NorTrac&utm_content=188911

I want one but cant justify it. With the front end loader and a backblade, it cant snow enough that I cant move it. I get slowed down with 14 or so inches, but you just take smaller bites.

I know that Craftsman and Husky tractors are made by AYP ( American Yard Products) might be the same with the blowers.

 

[Dwight]

I've used a single stage blower attachment on my Simplicity lawn mower for 17 years. It worked well for blowing 1000' feet.

Moved and now I'm getting a walk behind 26" MTD for a lot less to blow. Looking forward to blowing less.

 

[Tom K.]

The local service place does a great job of keeping certain brands in operation so I stay within those brands for power tools/machinery/weaponry.

Could not agree more. The local Sears store has a mixed rep in this area -- and that is being kind -- so that kind of leaves me with Husky, Cub Cadet, and Honda.

But the price of the Honda is tough to swallow. We live in an odd place. Most years it doesn't snow much down here in the valley and always melts off within around a week or less. Conversely, 30 miles away, Mt. Hood Meadows averages around 600 inches of snow per year.

Last year down in town, we got over 100 inches of snow (and probably 150 at my house) and it never melted off once from December 5 through nearly March. So in one year, I doubled the total hours on my 10 year old blower, while the year before I never started it (I don't mind shovelling -- good winter exercise, and the dog loves it).

 

[johnnyvw]

I would never buy anything from Sears again that I had to rely on them for replacement parts or service.Not a snowblower, but I bought a gas grill a few years that was a Sears brand, remembering their rep from days gone by. After 3 years some parts rusted out, and I found those parts were "no longer available"...WTF?? They shipped some substitute parts, which might as well have been from something completely unrelated since they didn't come close to fitting. I ended up throwing it out since I couldnt safely use it without fabricating sheet metal parts on my own. Sears gets a special run at a price point...they may be made in the same factory as some others, but I'm would bet money they have parts on them that are different. My advice is stick with brands that have local servicing dealers. I have a Honda...big money up front but it works well and out-performs it's size.

 

[DanoT]

I have had a 30" Craftsman for the past 9 or 10 years on 600' of driveway. It has a Briggs & Stratton engine and since Sears doesn't service it anyways, I get parts from a local power shop. So far all I've needed is a spark plug and shear bolts. And the heated hand grips have never worked but it is no big deal.

I had to use it today for the first time this season and I love snow blowing the driveway cause skiing fresh pow follows soon after.

I had trouble starting it until I remembered that there is a little plastic "key" that fits in a slot.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Snow blowers bigger is better (at least for engine size). The biggest killer is too small of an engine for the width and throw. Anything that makes the snow heavy (wet or re-throw) will bog down a under powered machine.

In this case the Tim the Toolman quote truely applies “more power, oh oh oh!”

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Our neighbor has a snow blower so we haven't bought one yet as we have a deal. He blows the areas around our vehicles and we buy him tequila so it all works out. I'm not a fan of shoveling so I think it would be nice to own a snowblower one day.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

3 pt hitch pto driven blower?
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200435196_200435196?cm_mmc=Bing-pla&utm_source=Bing_PLA&utm_medium=Snow + Ice Removal > Snow Blowers > 3-Pt. Snow Blowers&utm_campaign=NorTrac&utm_content=188911

I want one but cant justify it. With the front end loader and a backblade, it cant snow enough that I cant move it. I get slowed down with 14 or so inches, but you just take smaller bites.

I know that Craftsman and Husky tractors are made by AYP ( American Yard Products) might be the same with the blowers.

That's what I use, a 72" woods on a 35 hp New Holland. With heavy deep snow, 35 hp is just barely enough I have to run it in low range to not outpace it's ability to move snow.