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

   Everyone gives MTD a black eye.  So here’s another view.   

 

    The machine shown is a 1997 in fairly decent shape mechanically.  It should go another 5 years fairly easily.  Not bad for an inexpensive machine.  The machine has seen some good use over the years clearing a good size area every storm.  BUT that is in eastern Massachusetts so not all that much snow per year compared to other places.

   The paint is flaking off and rust set in but not very bad yet.  Last year the owner painted directly over the rust and stopped it a bit.  The machine is still ok but should get a scraping of the rusted spots and touched up with some decent paint to extend the life of the machine. 

   In general I’d guess that an MTD would rust out twice as fast as a better machine but if the owner garaged it or at least swept it off after use they generally don’t rust.  I’ve seen many 10 to 15 year old MTD's still in excellent shape. 

    The nest is proof of a bit of maintenance neglect.  The shift lever was difficult to move as the hex shaft grease was all dried up.  It cleaned up very easily and the shifter very smooth.

   The MTD speed set is nice.  There are two reverses and five forward speeds.  When set properly reverse 1 and 2 are nice with 2 being very useful for long backups.  The 1 speed is nice and slow for piles and the 5 pretty fast for long runs in light snow.

   The drive setup has dual thin belts off the cam PTO for tractor drive and two belts off the crankshaft pulley for auger drive. 

   The dash controls and handles are cheap but last.

   As a note: The “Gold” high end version is essentially the same part for part version of a regular model except for a being painted black and has a light.  The motor on the Gold "8hp" version is an 8.5hp and an ok engine.  Other than the engine and light the “high end” version is a basic MTD.  There is not difference in tractor or auger gearbox parts i.e light, motor, paint and hype are it.

 

1. Simple tractor section.  There’s not much in there to break.
2. The gears – never saw a worn or broken MTD gear.  There may be some but in general they last well past the body or engine.
3. Cheap parts – mostly.  The friction disk is 14 bucks and a cinch to replace.
4. Hex shaft on roller bearings held in by 1 screw on each side – simple.
5. Wheel axle rides on plastic flanges that wear well. 
6. Wide hubs stick the wheels out a few inches on the side more than most machines. 
7. Light weight with good size tires so very easy to handle and turn.
8. Lifts up in heavy snow quicker than better built machines but not so much sooner to make a huge difference. You just have to drop a speed or thin the cut.
9. Inexpensive. 
10. Cheap metal (weight).  A positive and negative.  The light weight makes them a dream to use for most clearing requirements.  For the EOD they lift sooner so they have to go slower than the better machine but not by that much to make a big difference.
11. Cheap paint – seems to flake of much faster than the better machines.  If garaged and brushed off the paint lasts 15 years fairly easily from what I’ve seen of second hand MTD’s. 
12. Very simple controls and linkages.  Cheap but do last.
13. Plastic chute – easily lasts 15 years.
14. Lamentable chute worm – easily lasts 15 years.
15. The auger is one of the smallest in the business but will last 15 years fairly easily with proper use.

   This years crop of Home Depot MTD’s were better built than this one and at a pretty low price.  The OHV engines on the new MTDs semed ok but getting information about them has been impossible.  My bet would be you could easily get 15 years out of one clearing a decent size driveway with the big factor being if it got regular oil changes, drained of gas each season, and tractor section greased at least once every two years.

dawei   http://www.kedawei.com/snowblower.htm

Throughout the years I always felt that MTD's core competencies centered around "takeovers and acquisitions". 

MTD now owns Yardman, Cub Cadet, White, Bolens, Troy-Bilt, Yard Machines, Yanmar, Lesco's Commercial Turf Products, Ryobi, and in europe they have the Massey Furgunson line.

One can argue that MTD caused the end of Tecumseh engines by switching Craftsman snowblowers from Tecumseh to Chinese engines in 2008. 

Sure MTD's are OK, I used to put down MTD, and I paid twice as much for an Ariens and had nothing but trouble with it, meanwhile, my neighbor who bought a machine that was made by MTD, is blowing snow to beat the band.

I am currently waiting for another snow fall to see if the baffle for my drive will stop the problem that I have been having. Sometimes the best is not always the best.

Brian NH

Paul7 wrote:
Not all of them. My '08 has a B&S.

Check and see where that B&S engine for your 2008 Craftsman was actually made. 

I'll check on it later today. I thought I've seen others here post that the 305 & 342cc engines are still made in the US.

Mine uses the 305.

Here is picture of engine info sticker:

http://tinyurl.com/8oh3aa

Paul7 wrote:
Nothing apparent on engine saying US or China.

snowmachine wrote:

That's usually a good clue that it's Chinese.  I've seen numerous products out of china where that have "Made in China" on the package but no indication on the product itself.  Seldom do you see products from Japan or USA/Canada that don't say where they're made.   I have a pressure washer with a real nice looking 6 h.p. Mitsubishi engine on it.  One would think that it's made in Japan.   I looked high and low and all over the machine trying to find out where it was built.  No indication at all.  A quick look at the shipping box showed the "Made in China" label on it.  So far, it's been a great engine (once I dis-assembled and cleaned the carb on it).  Float bowl had small bits of red plastic in it right out of the box.  

The Chinese invasion into the North American small engine market is insidious and certain.   Automobiles from China are only a year or two away.   Let's hope that this economic shakedown we're experiencing wakes up the politicians and economists in our countries.    Can't see how we can sustain the drain of manufacturing industries without a serious impact on the security of our nations in the long run.    

I was basing my assumption on it being American made on Snowmann's response here. Last posting of this thread.

http://www.abbysguide.com/ope/discussions/33340-0-1.html

I did find a notation on auger gearbox that says "Made In China".

Borat: I agree with your statements on the manufacturing industries.

borat wrote:
Good news, bad news: The falling dollar is making Chinese imports much more expensive. It will slow it down.
I read recently of a chinese company opening a factory in one of the Carolinas because the relatively inexpensive land and much cheaper electricity in the US more than offset the more expensive labor here. I wish I could recall the name, it was an interesting news story.

I really really don't want to see any more manufacturing leave the US/Canada, it's not good for any of us. I'll gladly pay a $100 premium for a solidly built, reliable, quality machine. In the long run it's actually cheaper. At least one manufacturer should be willing to have one line of premium machines and mean Premium (or pro or commercial-grade, whatever the advertising buzz word they want to use is) and damn the extra .05  or a buck in costs here and there during manufacture. If none will, we're all screwed.

As a history buff, I'm only half kidding when I say make me Emperor for a month and I'll fix most of our problems. People will hate me, but their grandchildren will appreciate it.

Back on topic, my MTD (Yard-Man) is built with lesser quality sheet metal and a s**t paint job, but the basic mechanicals are good and the engine the same as most others. With a little extra maintenance it'll last a long time, and I got a bunch of features I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. My only real regret is the plastic bushings - but it's been 5 years and they're still good. Something I didn't realize until just recently (thanks to Borat) is the impeller clearance is over 1/4", maybe even 3/8". I see a Clarence kit in my future, not to improve the throwing distance, but to do a better job on the really wet stuff.

My MTD is about 15 years old....10 HP, 28 inch purchased from Costcos...use Mobil 1 and store in shed, yearly change the plug....paint sux. Replaced friction disk drive when new and a couple years later. Starts first or second pull....wheel bushings are garbage, sheet metal thinner than Ariens but looking at the new Toros, not much difference. I would think after all these years I may need to replace the belts, will take a look after this winter. For the money I paid I back then not a bad deal. Only one reversable speed but it's fine.....