Honda snowblowers - do these ever go on sale?

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Quattro Pete

Quattro Pete

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Seems like all the local Honda dealers are sticking close to MSRP since these things tend to sell out anyway. $599 is the going price for HS520A. Has anyone seen any deals on it?

The dealer is offering free assembly included in that price, but the assembly doesn't seem complicated. Plus, if they assemble it now and fire it up, then it'll be sitting unused until December, when the first snow may come. I think I'd rather have it sit in the box without any oil and gas until the season starts.
 
"free assembly"?
I wonder why auto dealers don't advertise 'free assembly'?
Would we buy from a dealer that did?
Given the 'all thumbs' nature of many consumers, I'd think the MFGs would INSIST that all consumer grade products be ready to go before sale.
Liability issues if nothing else.
 
$599 is a good deal for that machine. I was going to suggest online/mail order, but after a quick search, I can't find many sites that will even quote a price this time of year. Only price I've seen is here at $649: http://www.muttonpower.com/store/p-4331-honda-single-stage-hs520a-recoil.aspx That would be a great machine to have. They don't take a huge bite, but they'll throw everything you mash into it. Easy start, fuel efficient, quiet and what I like best of all is you can whip them around easily instead of a heavy bulky machine whipping you around.

Joel
 
Originally Posted By: dwendt44
"free assembly"?
I wonder why auto dealers don't advertise 'free assembly'?
Would we buy from a dealer that did?
Given the 'all thumbs' nature of many consumers, I'd think the MFGs would INSIST that all consumer grade products be ready to go before sale.
Liability issues if nothing else.


True story from my past....I worked at one of the "big box" home center stores really big in the midwest, a place where you can save big money....
whistle.gif
wink.gif
. Around Father's Day I was pressed into service assembling gas grills because one of the other depot-type places was doing free assembly of grills.

Something people didn't consider, a grill still in its box managed to fit in the back of the Family Truckster for the most part. A grill assembled, not so much. So I spent time assembling the grills to have a stock ready to go, and later that day, the guys on the dock were partially disassembling them so they'd fit in the back of people's minivans. I suspect this may be the same issue for snowthrowers and so forth.

Although liability is also a good reason.
 
Originally Posted By: opus1
Something people didn't consider, a grill still in its box managed to fit in the back of the Family Truckster for the most part.

Yup. If it's out of the box, I will have to rent a truck or pay for delivery. If it's still in the box, chances are it'll fit in one of our cars... we'll see.

Hence, I see the unassembled version as a benefit actually.
 
When I was looking at a cheap gas grill a year or so ago, I couldn't help but laugh at the display model on the floor.
It was put togather backwards.
The gas line wouldn't go all the way to where the tank shelf was bolted on.
 
Thanks all. Ended up ordering one today. Last year they sold out by mid December, even before any of the big snow storms rolled in, so I figured I might as well just pick it up now.
 
Good move. great machine. it will greatly outlast competitors. now... what oil to use... heh heh heh. (5W-30 synthetic)
 
Originally Posted By: tomcat27
now... what oil to use... heh heh heh. (5W-30 synthetic)

I'll probably just run GC 0w-30 in it, since that's what I have on hand.
 
I've owned that machine for about 4 or 5 years now, just an excellent machine. Super low use of gas, it takes forever just to use up its small tank. Easy to move around and it really throws the snow, even when the snow is wet and heavy. I also do several neighbours walks and driveways...takes way less time than the big self propelled units. I've always used 10w30 Redline oil in it, it only holds 600ml, so why not use the good stuff?

You'll never find them on sale as they always sell out the supply. My mother pondered buying one last winter. The salesman warned her that it was their last unit and it would probably go fast. She went for a coffee while she considered it and sure enough, it was gone when she returned about 20 minutes later.

Anyway, I love my Honda 520, sure makes winter a lot more tolerable!
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Now I can't wait for first snow to come.
LOL.gif


P1050072.jpg




you can always go out and buy a couple bags of crushed ice..
wink.gif
 
Just used it for the first time today. It started right up (never used before). I'm a little disappointed with the throw distance though. I have it pointing to the right and a little up, and it seems like it barely throws snow 5 feet away. On their site they say "up to 26 feet". Is that only when you have the chute pointing to the front?

Or does it need more snow? We only got about 2-3 inches.
 
Distance depends on a lot of things. The depth of snow, the type of snow, the angle of the chute, the speed of the motor, the speed of the drive wheels, and a few more things I can't think of just now.
With experience, you should be able to get it across the street if conditions are just right.
 
Originally Posted By: dwendt44
Distance depends on a lot of things...


Exactly. If it's just an inch or two of snow, it just piddles out the discharge chute. I bet when it chews through 8-10" of dense snow and the engine loads right up to the governor, that snow will fly out like a fire hose. Giving the business end a coat of silicone spray or WD40 helps things along too.

Joel
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: JTK
She's a beauty! Love the GC160 engine too.

Joel


Don't want to burst your bubble but the Honda GC engines are their bottom of the line models. Probably good enough for a snow thrower application being that it will be working in a cool, relatively dust free environment. Their GX series engines are much more robust. If I had a choice, it would be a GX every time. Actually, I'll take a Chinese clone of the GX over a GC as well.
 
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