Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

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.

borat wrote:

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!

rubinew wrote:

Do you have the same crappy gas cans up there that we have forced on us here by Kalifornia regulations for vent free gas cans? It takes me 3 hands to use one of the damn things. When I take a holiday up there I will probably buy a gas can if you guys have the easy to use ones.

I agree that SS machines can't do it all.  However, I'd be willing to bet that they can do 90% of what most people need done. 

We got about three inches of fine snow last night.  I shoveled it all to one side then used the Toro to throw it up on the lawn and to move the eod deposit.   No sweat.   Neighbour's out of town so I took care of his as well.   These driveways are on a 10% grade, 110 feet long x 18' wide with 35' x 35' turnaround at the top plus I did my back driveway which is 25' x 40'.   All done within an hour and 15 min.    A strong running SS will move a lot of snow with minimal effort in short order.   I've gained a lot of respect for SS machines. 

borat wrote:

No doubt that singles are pretty good for most people if the snow is reasonable. I can only have 1 snowblower, so for me it's a 2 stage as we tend to get a lot of snow. but for 3-4 inch storms there is no doubt a single stage would be better for that.

rubinew wrote:
I have to try that technique.  I envy you, got a nice shiny blue Yamaha snowblower, and a wife that can and will use it too.

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.