longboat

Reminds me of that old joke, something like:

--

Three guys sitting at a bar...

(First Guy) Rich Guy:  My other vehicle is a Corvette convertible, it cost me $60k and I only drive it during the summer months.

(Second Guy) Really Rich Guy:  My other vehicle is a Mercedes, it cost me $120k and I only drive it on nice weekends.

(Third Guy) Farmer:  My other vehicle is a combine, it cost me $250k and I drive it for one week every year.

--

At least this guy is getting more than one week's use out of his expensive overhead!

I added an Ariens cab to my Craftsman 928 blower.  The cab makes a world of difference if you have any kind of wind while you are blowing.  Only problem I have had with the cab is that the plastic windshield got a crack in it where it creases, as I was lightly tapping on it to get rid of snow that had accumulated on it.   Guess maybe it was too cold for the plastic - they should come up with a plastic that is more cold-resistant.

One other consideration is that the cab will add a little weight to the back of the blower, so you may want to compensate by adding a little weight to the bucket.

I've heard you can mount mower wheels to your bucket, then you can just flip the little lever on the wheel to whatever height you need.  I haven't tried it, though.

I am currently using the Ariens composite shoes on my blower, but they are wider than the stock shoes and tend to ride up on the snow rather than cut through it.  By the same token, I would think you would want as narrow of a wheel as possible.

Look for an LED flashlight with a CREE emitter if you want to light up a large area.  I have a Fenix TK20 that runs on 2 AA batteries - it puts out 150 lumens on high and will light up objects 500 feet away and the color temperature of the light is amazing.  On high, the batteries last about an hour and a half and on low (45 lumens) the batteries will last 8-10 hours (in reality, low lights up about 80% of the area that high lights up, and is usually all I use).

However, for snowblowing, a floody light may be better, as the TK20 is really a thrower.  Most headlamps are floody by nature, but you need to look for quality in order to get high efficiency (good output along with good runtime).  Also, look for GREEN lights, as they won't reflect the snow as much (so you aren't blinded) and they put out a little more lumens for the wattage used.  Check out the headlamps forum over at candlepowerforums to see what they recommend.

The Husqvarnas are the same at the Big Box stores as they are at the dealers.  Here is the difference:  The Big Box stores generally has their machines assembled by stock clerks who probably know next-to-nothing about snowblowers, whereas the machines at the OPE dealer are assembled by someone who (hopefully) knows them inside and out.  So, you can save a few hundred dollars by buying at the Big Box stores, then if you are mechanically inclined, you can re-assemble the machine, or you can wait until it breaks and then take it back to the Big Box store (oh wait, you can't do that, you have to take it to the OPE dealer that you shunned in the first place).   Sometimes the machines won't even work when you get them home from the Big Box store, so you have to take them back anyway, then the Big Box store has to sell them even cheaper since they are "used" or "open box".  More often, the machine from the Big Box stores works just OK, but not as well as it should because it wasn't adjusted properly, so the average user is quite frustrated with the machine but doesn't really know why.

Long story short, if you don't think you could re-build the machine yourself, save yourself a few hundred dollars worth of headaches and purchase from the OPE dealer.

Also, when you get to higher-end equipment, only the dealer carries the good stuff.  For example, the Cub Cadet stuff at the Big Box stores is made by MTD and is relatively low quality.  However, you can go to the Cub Cadet dealer and purchase a higher-end model that is still made to Cub Cadet's original high-quality standards.  Same can be said for John Deere tractors.  Cheap ones are available at both the dealer and the Big Box stores; however, only the dealer gets the good higher-end models.

Not much difference in the engines.  A good B&S is better than a cheap Kohler and a good Kohler is better than a cheap B&S.  Kawasaki is better than both, but also more expensive, which is why you don't find them at the Big Box stores.  You get what you pay for.  The cheaper engines are mfr'd. in China.