Well my old man is looking for a new snow throwing. It's suppose to be bad this winter and we doesn't want to get stuck with the little bs 4hp one we have now. We've looked at Lowes at the troy-built and sears for a similar model. Both models have 8.5hp 2 stage, but the Troy-built seemed better constructed than the craftsman. It's also a hundred bucks more, but the price difference is not a real concern. Also there is some other company at lowes Husquana i think? Looks like good build.

So you guys with Snow throwers, chime in and let me know what you think. Also if anyone knows of a review site that would be helpful. Thanks.

 

There should be a thread from last year. Most of the stuff at the big-box stores are re-branded electrolux (Husq, YardMan/MTD, Craftsman, Poulan). Not bad, but don't have the longevity of the top of line models. I cannot recall right now, but there was an issue with the John Deere models.

If I remember correctly, Snapper and Ariens are both independent models and most would consider these the top of line. Toro are also good. Honda has a unit with a different drive mechanism.

I ended up getting an Ariens from a local lawn and garden store. Great unit. From my experience, I found the small local store to stand by their products, do set up and delivery, and match the big box stores. One of the things that convinced me were the oodles of posts on the internet http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/tools/ 20+ year old units still running well.

The 'better' models now come with Tecumseh or Briggs & Straton OHV engines. There was an issue with the older L-heads locking from oil feed problems when the unit was at an incline. That being said, the 20+ year old units that run flawlessly are L-heads.

https://acurazine.com/forums/home-garden-37/snow-throwers-324411/
https://acurazine.com/forums/home-garden-37/snow-throwers-what-do-you-have-320805/

 

I meant Simplicity and Ariens for top of line brand names. Snapper is good too though.


I'd recommend that you 'test drive' the different models at your local lawn & garden store

 

Tell your old man to get this:




J/K!
Linky



I just saw that model at my local Lowe's... The 4 wheels are hilarious. Not sure how much fun it would be to actualy use a monster like that!

Seriously, I've had a Craftsman 11hp / 30" wide blower for the past 5 winters and it has performed flawlessly. It eats up heavy-wet snow and throws it very far. It has the added benefit of having a serrated auger and locking axle. It also has the metal chute (don't go with a plastic chute)..

I'm usually not a Craftsman fanboy, but am changing that quickly with each product I buy from them. The one main issue I have with buying Craftsman is that they generally use somewhat proprietary parts (mostly on their larger power equipment). That means you generally have to go to a Sears part center to get replacements. For example, none of my local hardware stores (big box or Mom 'N Pop) have the exact same size shear pin's for the auger. I discovered that in the middle of a snowstorm after I accidentally ran over an old water filter I threw outside the garage.

Good luck and let us know what he ends up with.

 

I bought 20 shear pins online before last season so I'd have them on hand just in case. I made it the whole winter (granted it wasn't that snowy) without breaking a one.

Had good price on shear pins and other supplies --> http://www.mfgsupply.com

 

I bought an Ariens 7524 last year from HD. I believe it was replaced this year with the 8524. Same machine just an 8.5HP Briggs instead of a 7.5 Techumseh.

The things that sold me were the Ariens reputation, it was 2 stage, and would be able to spend the winter in the garage without having to evict a car. The 24" width is a little small but its plenty good to do my 6 car driveway and sidewalk. It's also pretty easy to turn because its small.

If you wait until Jan/Feb HD will have a blowout sale. You can save 30-40%.

I don't think that you would have any problem with a Simplicity or a Toro either.

 

I believe the older JD's were rebadged Ariens (like the one brett posted pics of in the 2nd thread)... but within the last couple of years that changed. Frountier made 'em for a year or two, but I don't know who makes the JD ones now...

As Mr. Slimey pointed out, The gardenweb forums a great source of info for OPE (outdoor power equipment).

I've been back and forth on buying a snowblower. I bought another shovel last year, so I think I'm ok, but if I had to buy one today, I'd go with an 8 or 9 hp Ariens from the local lawn mower supply place.

 

Yeah, I saw that... I kinda regret not getting one now...

doopstr, how big is your driveway... I've got a 16 1/2 x 52 deal... I think I can probably get by with a smaller one like your's (the cheap bastard in me), but something like Mr. Slimey's appears to the OPE lover in me... The differential on Slimey's machine is killer...

 

Mine is 22.4"x51.4" and its on a slight slope. I have two single garage doors. I can store the machine in the area between the doors and slip it in and out of the garage as long as my car is in as far as possible. In the off season I store the machine in my shed.

One thing to keep in mind with these things is turning ability. With the self propel on mine I lock both wheels to the drive shaft via pins. Since they are both locked in they can not turn independently of each other without pulling the pin from one wheel. This makes turning a bitch. Mine is small enough that I can muscle it around without having to pull a pin. So if you get something like Slimey's it better have that differential.

Mine is also good about handling the EOD mess left from the plows.

 

As I said last year -- I splurged a bit because from what I've seen, this should be the last snow blower I buy, at least until I move to a home with a larger driveway.

It did well last season, although I wouldn't call what we got snow-wise a lot -- I think we only had one or two storms that were 8-10". The rest of the time it was a 2" storm and the snow blower was overkill. It did well with turning, and it can be set to drive with minimal input from myself. Once I was locked in to a reasonable speed for the snow depth, I 'drove' it with only a finger.


I also cannot say enough for the service and set up that I got from the local store. As said, price matching was not an issue and I got to test drive and play with the different units from consumer grade to behemoth professional grade.

 

I have had no issues with my big 2-stage Toro.

Lots of options. I say get it as big as you can. One major snowfall and it pays for itself.

 

Ariens > * IMO

FYI - read an article yesterday that said we may have another mild winter - EL Nino crap again?? Anyone else hear this?