Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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rubinew
Joined: Dec 30, 2010
Points: 147
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Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Original Message Jan 13, 2011 12:36 pm |
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Lots of packed snow drifts, 8 to 36 inches high. -20C I go into unheated garage, push the throttle forward, turn key, va va va , second attempt, va vroooomm, starts, we are off and running! I just spent 2.5 hours with this beast, cleared 3 driveways, and the curve to the main road, so about 500ft, by 25ft wide. Used almost a whole tank of gas. The pictures are from my phone! so excuse the quality!! First off, at 373lbs, this thing is a tank, and it drives through snowdrifts like butter. No riding up, and very little slip. The biggest problem was I could feed it too fast, and actually slow the engine down. a quick adjustment oh the Hydro Drive, and I found a nice pace. Having used a wheel drive for the last 14 years, I can say that the track drive is a bit of a challenge, and will take some getting used too. I was able to turn it 180 to make next cut, but definately not as easy as a wheel drive, not terrible, but definately more of a challenge. I found that leaning the auger back to take the weight of the front made it a lot easier to turn. Were the tracks did work well, was pushing through the drifts, no riding up, once I set a nice pace, just held on with one hand, and let it eat and throw through, much easier than my previous snow blower. I really like the Hydro Drive, makes it real easy to find the speed that you want, anywhere from a crawl, to a brisk walk. Throwing snow for this Yamaha works very well, I could easily throw to the other side of the road, I would estimate I was getting around 40 feet at times. The electric direction change for the chute works very well, moves it quickly, without struggle, even after 3 hours, and buildup of snow and ice. The deflection on the Yamaha is manual, cable, 2 stage, and built into the same control for direction. Unfortunately, when I did my neighbors driveway, he had an area were the rocks were loose, and I did catch a few of them So there are a couple of dings in the impeller, and a few scratches in the plastic guard, so it looks like there is no returns now I am very happy with the performance of this Snow Blower. It made short work of the packed snow, easy to start, easy controls. My only concern from using it for 3 hours, was the turning, which got better with time. Overall though, I am way less worn/tired as I have been in the past with my previous unit. With out a doubt, I know I would still be out there, lifting up on handle bars, backing up, pushing in, etc.
This message was modified Jan 13, 2011 by rubinew
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Paul7
Joined: Mar 12, 2007
Points: 452
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Re: Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Reply #48 Feb 23, 2011 8:59 pm |
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"Most guys just buy what they want without involving their wives in the process. Yep you might like that 400 lb. Ariens with a cast iron gearbox, but if your wife is afraid of using it or can't manuever it you're SOL."
OR......
You can buy a nice, light, powerful, easy to start Toro single stage that even a child could use.
It will take a very heavy snowfall to sideline a 221Q. I haven't used the Simplicity once since buying the 221 and I'd be willing to bet I won't have to pull it out any time soon.
Rubinew gets hard packed frozen snow so he needs his Yamaha. Steve might be able to get by with a good single stage except he has a very long driveway the extra width of his two stage saves him a lot of time. We got around 7 inches of snow Monday night while I was at a meeting in North Carolina. Just got back but my son had already shoveled the driveway so I didn't get to use my Toro CCR 3000. I might play with it in the yard tomorrow...I'm anxious to see what it can do. My wife doesn't use my OPE but she is hoping that Sears will come out with a riding vacuum cleaner.
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Dr_Woof
Don't blow into the wind, and don't eat yellow snow. WOOF!
Location: Saskatchewan
Joined: Dec 13, 2010
Points: 253
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Re: Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Reply #49 Feb 23, 2011 9:21 pm |
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Look at the next video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfPCBulvKx0&feature=watch_response Just the first 10 seconds, Doug and Donnie are changing oil on their snowblower singing "Tom Sawyer". Hilarious. IMPOSTERS!!! The real ones don't wear plastic shower caps, they have toques. They always drink beer, and they NEVER (well, almost never) eat yellow snow.
This message was modified Feb 23, 2011 by Dr_Woof
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rubinew
Joined: Dec 30, 2010
Points: 147
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Re: Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Reply #52 Feb 23, 2011 11:25 pm |
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"Most guys just buy what they want without involving their wives in the process. Yep you might like that 400 lb. Ariens with a cast iron gearbox, but if your wife is afraid of using it or can't manuever it you're SOL."
OR......
You can buy a nice, light, powerful, easy to start Toro single stage that even a child could use.
It will take a very heavy snowfall to sideline a 221Q. I haven't used the Simplicity once since buying the 221 and I'd be willing to bet I won't have to pull it out any time soon.
I have used a single stage a few times in the past, not a Toro mind you, but I seriously doubt any single stage would tackle 20-30 inches of packed, blown, frozen snow.
Maybe if I kept backing up, going back in, lifting on handle bars, etc etc, 4 hours later, but then, might as well kept the MTD. My wife liked the fact she could point, set a slow speed, and walk behind with one hand while the Yamaha chewed thru the snow, no hassle, no repeats, fighting, etc. She would have been done in about an hour if I would have remembered to add gas before I left She could not get gas can open, had to get help from neighbour to fill it up!
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snoopy1
Joined: Jun 15, 2011
Points: 2
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Re: Quick Review on the Yamaha YS928J
Reply #57 Jun 15, 2011 8:48 am |
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Actually I bought one of these Yamaha YS928J in Feb 2011 as well. While these are very heavy machines, they can be easily handled by using the auger tilt handle to shift the weight, making it easier to turn. My wife (who weighs about 135 lbs) used this machines several times without any problem. Actually, she found it much easier to use than than our old Craftsman 9/28 which weighed about 200 lbs. Yamaha's 373 lbs actually works to the operator's advantage because you don't have to manhandle it to get it to dig into snow and ice. it doesn't bounce off of it but rather chews right through it and spits it out. Prior to purchasing my YS928J, I used my neighbor's Honda 9 hp. I found the Yamaha a much better machine. It throws a mile, doesn't climb up on the snow, its auger assist is more responsive, (YS928J is about 130 lbs heavier than Honda 9/28), quieter than honda since, the Yamaha engine is totally encased for noise dampening, and the list goes on.... Like the Honda, it's a bit pricey but you'll have it for 20+ years, and you won't feel like you just returned from the Gym after using it. I highly recommend the Yamaha. Honda would be my second choice, as they are very good as well.
This message was modified Jun 15, 2011 by snoopy1
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