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

Preface: I've have has a HS520. Due to space contraints, etc - I'm not looking at 2 stage. Single stage for the most part is a perfect fit just short of....living on the right side and the plows only plow to the right so I cam constantly getting plowed in... Throw is fine already on the HS520. I was only curios does the 421/221 or even any current models on the market may have a bit more bite on the EOD/overnight plowed snow...

chefwong wrote:
Don't say I didn't warn you.  :)

The only buyers remorse I have is TCO of the 621....
Reminds me like the last time I had custom headlights being made....at the end of the day, I spent (let's just say it cost more than a HS1132)....

The winner is still the HS520AS. $375 + $40 in tolls and gas
The 621, at $300, a short trip but $425+  in parts later just to make this possibly 10+ year old vintage machine on par with the rest of shiny brand new single stagers out there on the market.

And then you have troublemakers on this forum start talking about a even older HS35 and it's got me saying, ooooh , what's that......

chefwong wrote:
Whaccha talkin about Willis???

Don't go there.  Stay away from craigslist.  That's a 20-30 year old model and restoration will leave you broke, not as bad as the last air-cooled Porsche 911.  I know someone who's holding off that project until the economy picks up.

Although if  you have time, patience and space, you can put together one from many donor parts units, or used parts from Ebay.    Did you say you're finishing up a shed?

Time for a powernap. Happy early Tday gents.

Not sure how many 621's ya'll have looked at in your lifetime but in my limited recent search, many were just rustbuckets or had quite some rust for my comfort.
Usual suspect area were the bucket, edges, the bolts that hold the split handlebars, etc. A GOOD telltale sign was the exhaust areas.
Even mild ones with rust in the buckets had quite a bit of rusty bolts & or rusty mufflers...Suprisingly, on the one I picked up, the only trace was the buckets.
It's quite dirty, dusty, leafy, cobwebby but rust free which is a ++++

Anyone happen to know what years the 621 was carried in the USA .
My serial I believe shows it was Revision A of the *electric start* models if I recall when looking at the parts database.

AA-the shed I've been hemming and hawing on deciding on a finish. Went ballz to the wallz. Ordered some great stainless hardware from a boating supply store, etc.....Just got to decide on a @$@$)(( finish.
I really would like paint but it would be like putting a JDM style exhaust on a german car.....

I guess I'll find out soon enough but as it stands, it's only a hairs breath between the center rubber and the bucket.
Does it rub on yours with your new paddles ? Quite a bit of the 621s I looked it had bare steel down where the flat center paddles were but the sides were not down to bare metal ?
I suppose the flat is overhung and sweeps the bucket down the middle clean. On the Ebay link, the centers appears to stick out further than the side paddles. However when I compare them to the HS621 refresh thread, yours seem flush.

You got one of the cleanest 621 I've ever seen, besides the cobwebs and dust.  Based on the serial number, that is at least 10 years old, maybe around 13-14 years old. 

I keep thinking that the husband bought it for the wife to use (hence the electric start).  She hit something hard, got scared, and never ran it again.  It sat in a corner of the garage all of these years.  Those plates that hold down the scraper bar and the nuts has no corrosion on them, the valve cover and muffler looks clean.  Everything seems indicate very low service hours so that GX160 is probably barely broken in.

On my 621, the rubber paddles and augers do not rub against the bucket.  There's a small gap, 1/16" or so.  The center paddles are and should be even with the rubber auger blades. 

I hope you decide soon how to finish your shed.  It's not getting any warmer.  I'd personally would go with stain for the look. 

chefwong wrote:
Hey chefwong,

You still around?  Still recovering from Turkey day food coma?

Did you know that the HS35 model comes with an option for skids instead of wheels?  I've seen this on Yamaha small snowblower, but first time I've seen it on a Honda.

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Snow%20Blower/0/HS35%20A%20SNOW%20BLOWER%2C%20JPN%2C%20VIN%23%20HS35-1000001/WHEEL/parts.html

By the way, there's a very good condition HS35 for sale near me.  $425.  Ouch!

U did say that I needed to have the *trips*.

I've been busy collecting all the mint HS621 that is remaining stateside.
Well, out went the 520 and in came another minty mint 621. This time it was even in better condition that the last one. There is a very small *dent* on the inside of the bucket and a scratch/scar on the chute but it's nontheless a easy 8.5/10. No rust at all, bucket edges are extremely clean, bolts are nice and clean....and I got it at a steal of a price. Included was a brand new OEM belt, OEM scraper, *honda branded* plug still all in their Honda baggies and a 8.5/10 unit WITH a leaky hose (I've yet to determine the fault as i just came back with it) but the long and short of it was that with the fuel in the tank, it continuously leaks/drips the fuel out until the tank is dry.

I was just looking for a parts machine and came across this HS621....price was right and it got down even cheaper after we discovered the leaking gas issue...
Owner was meticulous, told me how he ran the carb dry, oiled the bolts after every season, sprayed it down with silicone, etc and it shows in the condition...

And this time I did check and made sure the auger was purfect....only small dent that you notice when you run your hand on the backside of the bucket..

In the meantime, I'm in the midst of a R&R of the other one with screws in one box, parts on another, stuff hung and getting ready to be painted, etc.

I went ahead and added new auger augers to my order just because....

I'm so knee deep into it and as silly as it's sounds, I may just want to strip off all the old good decals and put new fresh ones on.

The last thing remaining is whether I spend the big $$$ for a stainless scraper.....

Just some pics for the hell of it....

AA, I GET what you say about the auger stiffness now, as how the rubber sits entirely on the auger paddle frame, as opposed to the lattes where there may be some flex...

SORRRRRY in advance, I will RESIZE THEM LATER ON...

I told you so, if you sell one off, you'll pick up another.  That's just how SAS (snowblower acquisition syndrome) works.    Anyone else has this affliction?

I know you're pretty knee deep in this stuff, but at least it's cheaper than some other things you can get into.  Like gambling or karting.

On the stainless steel scraper bar, is that a custom fabrication or you can readily purchase?