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

Reagrding these sites, and consumer reports.

The problem that exists with CR and more so with forum sites, is that quite often, the voice is usually (not always!) of the one, who has had issues or problems with a product.

Most ppl who have purchased a product, and are completely satisfied with that purchase rarely fill out CRs or join forums like these.

Again, this is not absolute, but it is true that a satisfied person is less likely to fill out a survey,

Same with these forums, while I came here to see what the opinions of a new product are, a lot of ppl do come to these forums to find advice for a current problem.

Most ppl in a forum have strong opinions, based on their experiences, and have personal prefences, etc, that bias some of their comments.

While I would be nice if everyone who owned a product like a snowblower would fill out a CR, this is not the case.

And while some ppl with positive expereinces will in fact fill out a CR, it is known, that the ppl with bad expereinces will always have more impact on CR, and forums! :-)

In response to Steve_Cebu's post saying that John Deere dealers don't sell John Deer snow blowers: I bought my new 1330SE from a John Deere dealer, and traded in my old John Deere 524 for it.. I know that some John Deere dealers don't sell JD blowers (the nearest JD dealer sells Ariens); but, others do.

Also, I think $1500 is a lot to spend for a snow blower for personal residential use (I feel a little foolish and stretched for doing it myself), so I would argue against using that money as a down payment for something more expensive. If you were intending to use it commercially, there might be some justification for spending more to get specific features and warranty advantages. But, for use at home,  there are plenty of sub-$1500 machines available that will do a great job of trouble-free snow removal for many years. If you've been doing the job with a 7 HP yardman for the past 12 years, probably any of the machines recommended in this thread would give you a major performance improvement over your current blower, and get you inside or off to work a lot sooner than your used to.

Also, I think $1500 is a lot to spend for a snow blower for personal residential use (I feel a little foolish and stretched for doing it myself), so I would argue against using that money as a down payment for something more expensive. If you were intending to use it commercially, there might be some justification for spending more to get specific features and warranty advantages. But, for use at home,  there are plenty of sub-$1500 machines available that will do a great job of trouble-free snow removal for many years. If you've been doing the job with a 7 HP yardman for the past 12 years, probably any of the machines recommended in this thread would give you a major performance improvement over your current blower, and get you inside or off to work a lot sooner than your used to.

Sorry, but that should have read MY John Deere dealer doesn't sell Deere snowblowers nor do a couple of others in my area. Home depot sells John Deere and they are made by MTD I believe. They might very well be good machines but my local John Deere dealer won't sell them as he says theyaren't real John Deere products and they tend to be unreliable. Now i have no way to validate what the dealer says. But since they are a John Deere dealer there has to be a reason they don't carry them. They probably can't compete with Home Depot's prices for one.

I spent like $1,800 for my Toro and look at it as a 15 year purchase. Much better than relying on the Plow guy who does a poor job compared to me doing it myself. It is a lot of cash upfront tho. For me it's worth it being able to get out of the driveway when I NEED to not just when the plow guy feels like showing up.

I bought my Deere at the Dealer in Freeport, NY. I didn't see anything but mts, yard machines, and just a few Airens at Home Depot. I have seen in this forumn that multiple people Implied the new Deeres are made by Simplicity. I could be wrong. My dealer carried Several other brands as well.

My MTD, which I just did an inspection on, and is in very good shape. 8hp and 24 inch, is a great blower, however, it can not get through the tough drifts that blow into my yard.

I spend most of my time, backing up, pushing in, leaning on the bars so it won't ride up, using a shovel to break up, then repeat.

After 2 hours my back and arms are wore out, I am beat! :-) Imagine my 125 lb wife doing this, 3 times in December already.

Unfortunately there are those of use who live between city and country life. Not enough room or place for a tractor :-), but your average wheeled snowblower just can't get the job done.

I need track drive, to push into the drifts, I need the weight, HP, and I want 28 inch.

My wife wants electric start, and likes the Hydrostatic drive, and yes, she does get stuck with the job of snowblowing, when I am travelling.

So in order to get Hydrostatic drive, electric start, tracks, and wieght, plus 28 inch, and at least 9 HP, you are now in the $2000-$3000, with most manufactures.

Now my logic, if I am going to spend 3k, I will likely spend another $600 and get a Yamaha, a machine with proven reliability, durability, ease of use, etc. (also no Shear Pins to deal with!!!)

Again, it is about what fits your particular needs. 

I would only warn you that while I love my Honda HS928TAS snowblower for all it can do, I would caution you to consult your wife on the purchase of such a machine because I am 5'10" and 250 and feel sore after a few hours of steering this machine by brute force.  It weighs 256 lbs.   Now the tracked version is supposedly harder in this regard than the wheeled version would be, but I have not tried those machines, and Consumer Reports who has tested them still gives them a black spot for handling.  If not for the handling issue, I would probably say that the Honda is as near perfect a snowblower as I've ever used.   Oh, and the machine would need to be on a dolly to move about as pushing it when it is not running is near impossible, so it would need to be stored where one could start it and move it by its own power with little need to steer it until there is some slippery snow beneath the wheels or tracks. I devised a mechanics "creeper" with a 2' X 4 ' piece of 5/8" plywood fastened over it to move the machine around the barn I store it in.  To get it on that dollly I use my considerable weight to push down on the handles until they touch the floor, Then I slip the dolly under the fron that is raised up, and then lower the snowblower onto the dolly.  Your wife at 125, would probably not want to attempt such a move.  Pushing it with the Hydrostatic Transmission engaged can do serious damage to the transmission, so learn from the dealer where the lever is to disengage right off.   Best of luck with your decision.