We are just about to buy our first ever snow blower and wondered if any of you had any good tips for us! We don't want to spend a fortune, but on the other hand we don't want to end up with something that ends up being inadequate. We live in the suburbs of South East Michigan and have a regular, concrete driveway about 60 ft long (2 car widths). Obviously we don't need a beast of a machine but any recommendations would be gratefully received!
Snow Blower Advice
- Thread starter Whitewolf
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Ariens! End of discussion IMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
C'mon guys, give the guy some help....I was just joking when I said EOD...lol.
You Honda guys feel free to recommend them, they are great, I used my neighbors last year with the track drive. Very nice!
You Honda guys feel free to recommend them, they are great, I used my neighbors last year with the track drive. Very nice!
this is not an easy one... too many variables. do you wanbt a single stage or a two stage? what type of budget do you have? My first thought is a Honda 4 cycle single stage. around $700. If you want a dual stage, then perhaps an Ariens. I have been disappointed with most of the snowblowers that I have owned. cheap metal, etc. I finally got a friend to buy the honda and he loves it. he has a driveway similar to yours, lives in GR, and has quite a slope on the driveway.
Look on craigslist at the used ones even if you're buying new and you'll see
1) what's popular in your area (and you could get parts for)
2) why they're selling them (too wussy)? and
3) what the common failures are on different brands.
I'd probably get a 9 hp, 30" swath 2-stage given your driveway.
IMO the motor is the cheap part of a blower, and very easily replaceable. You want to look at the rest of the package. Don't discount "goofy" stuff like joysticks to quickly pivot the discharge chute 180 degrees, cranking round and round gets old.
1) what's popular in your area (and you could get parts for)
2) why they're selling them (too wussy)? and
3) what the common failures are on different brands.
I'd probably get a 9 hp, 30" swath 2-stage given your driveway.
IMO the motor is the cheap part of a blower, and very easily replaceable. You want to look at the rest of the package. Don't discount "goofy" stuff like joysticks to quickly pivot the discharge chute 180 degrees, cranking round and round gets old.
I live in your area and would recommend, at a minimum, what I have, which is 24" wide Craftsman. It has a 5 HP engine and is a two stage (auger + impeller) self propelled with 5 foward and two reverse speeds. Your looking, pricewise at around $700 but with Sears' current rebates you can save $130 - $270 dollars.
Craigslist is a good place to start.
Just to show how variable people's opinions are, I think two stage snowblowers are hulking pos's that take half your garage, can't be easily moved around, and then do an inferior job to a single stage because they don't clean all the way down to the concrete. The harder starts of a larger engine, and the cloggging of the chute in slushy snow. And to get all these disadvantages, you get to pay double.
So, if it were me I'd try to get a Honda or Toro single stage of at least 5hp, preferably 4 cycle so you don't smell like gas all day at work. Maybe twice a year I need to snowblow twice if it looks like it's going to be more than a foot of snow.
Best of luck. I've had both. Advantages/disadvantages to either. I guess in the end my advice would be a Honda/Toro/Simplicity or another good brand (not mtd, yard machines, craftsman, murray).
Just to show how variable people's opinions are, I think two stage snowblowers are hulking pos's that take half your garage, can't be easily moved around, and then do an inferior job to a single stage because they don't clean all the way down to the concrete. The harder starts of a larger engine, and the cloggging of the chute in slushy snow. And to get all these disadvantages, you get to pay double.
So, if it were me I'd try to get a Honda or Toro single stage of at least 5hp, preferably 4 cycle so you don't smell like gas all day at work. Maybe twice a year I need to snowblow twice if it looks like it's going to be more than a foot of snow.
Best of luck. I've had both. Advantages/disadvantages to either. I guess in the end my advice would be a Honda/Toro/Simplicity or another good brand (not mtd, yard machines, craftsman, murray).
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How many inches of snow per year? How much time do you want to spend removing it? Size accordingly. I have a 5hp 26" 5speedFWD/2RV in John Deere green. It works well where you may want to do walkways and whatnot where shrubs and stuff (gates) might prohibit a wider setup.
The 5 hp Toro two stage wins praise year after year by Consumer Reports.
That said, I'd get a brand name. Shop around; a dealer can often match the big box price if you do a little haggling.
Anything smaller is almost useless; anything over 8 hp you get into a hard to handle beast.
Two stage is a must.
Most models these days are built on lighter frames than in years past; that MAY be a source of problems down the line. That's were a good dealer and a good relationship with that dealer comes into play.
My 2¢
That said, I'd get a brand name. Shop around; a dealer can often match the big box price if you do a little haggling.
Anything smaller is almost useless; anything over 8 hp you get into a hard to handle beast.
Two stage is a must.
Most models these days are built on lighter frames than in years past; that MAY be a source of problems down the line. That's were a good dealer and a good relationship with that dealer comes into play.
My 2¢
I'm a snow relocation specialist in the winter for hire. Legit, real company, insurance etc....anyhow...as long as you keep up on the snow a Toro single stage is tough to beat. I own the 421Q, 221Q and a smaller Powerlite CCR which you don't want for your driveway. I just bought a Honda 520 single stage but I have no clue how it stacks up to the Toros as of yet. No snow to test it out yet. The Quick shoot models are very handy and fast. The 421 is 4-stoke and throws the snow a tad further than the 2-stoke 221. In light fluffy powder the Toro singles are lighting fast. Even in deep 18" snow that is powder you will do just fine.
I also own a Honda HS1132 2-stage that cost me $3,000 and frankly you don't need a 2 stage unless conditions change enough to warrant it or you do snow commercially and you have a need to throw snow further. Double driveways such as yours you will do fine with a larger single stage.
There are some smoking deals that can be had online from some dealer - PM me for details.
I also own a Honda HS1132 2-stage that cost me $3,000 and frankly you don't need a 2 stage unless conditions change enough to warrant it or you do snow commercially and you have a need to throw snow further. Double driveways such as yours you will do fine with a larger single stage.
There are some smoking deals that can be had online from some dealer - PM me for details.
The Toro single stage machines are great - if you can keep up with the snow. As crusader siad - light powder is a piece of cake for them, but if its heavier, you may need to do the driveway a time or two to keep up.
That said, I have a Toro two-stage Powermax 826LE (IIRC), and have been very happy with it. I have the goofy lookink joystick control, and it turns out I love it. No more cranking. It's held up great over 4 winters so far - no repairs other than replacing a bolt that fell out.
That said, I have a Toro two-stage Powermax 826LE (IIRC), and have been very happy with it. I have the goofy lookink joystick control, and it turns out I love it. No more cranking. It's held up great over 4 winters so far - no repairs other than replacing a bolt that fell out.
Thanks. My wife read your comments and then went hunting. She was a bit concerned about 24 inch because we have some quite curved pathway leading to the house so we got 22 inch. Anyway what we ended up with is a two stage craftsman electric start which has a four stroke engine so we don't have to mess with fuel too much.
Thanks again.
Thanks again.
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Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Ariens! End of discussion IMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
Stop by my house and I'll show you how much snow a Toro single stage can move..
Ariens! End of discussion IMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
Stop by my house and I'll show you how much snow a Toro single stage can move..
Originally Posted By: Whitewolf
Thanks. My wife read your comments and then went hunting. She was a bit concerned about 24 inch because we have some quite curved pathway leading to the house so we got 22 inch. Anyway what we ended up with is a two stage craftsman electric start which has a four stroke engine so we don't have to mess with fuel too much.
Thanks again.
I have one for 11 years now. I'm in the process of rebuilding the carb, the machine has been great. I live on a dead end, and have senior citizens to the left and right of me. When it snows I end up pretty much doing the whole side of the street. The machine has never let me down. I like the 22" model because I can get into tighter spots with it. I've used in it in heavy snow up to about 20+" deep, it you take your time the machine has no problems.
Thanks. My wife read your comments and then went hunting. She was a bit concerned about 24 inch because we have some quite curved pathway leading to the house so we got 22 inch. Anyway what we ended up with is a two stage craftsman electric start which has a four stroke engine so we don't have to mess with fuel too much.
Thanks again.
I have one for 11 years now. I'm in the process of rebuilding the carb, the machine has been great. I live on a dead end, and have senior citizens to the left and right of me. When it snows I end up pretty much doing the whole side of the street. The machine has never let me down. I like the 22" model because I can get into tighter spots with it. I've used in it in heavy snow up to about 20+" deep, it you take your time the machine has no problems.
I have a pair of ancient Ariens 22" 2 stage blowers. They are cobbled together from 5 freebies. One has a 5hp elctric stat Tecumseh, the other has a 6 HP Tec electric start. I'll report back this PM with a performance report. I have to deal with about a foot of powder
Originally Posted By: Slick17601
Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Ariens! End of discussion IMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
Stop by my house and I'll show you how much snow a Toro single stage can move..
Tell that to my neighbor. He has the single stage and watches my two stage eat that pile at the end of my driveway no problem. Meanwhile he's watching me and struggling with his one stage to get the huge pile moved.....Guess who has to go over and do it for him?
Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Ariens! End of discussion IMO.
Gett one size larger than you think you'll need and don't even look at the Toro single stages....two stage or stick to your shovel...again, JMO.
Stop by my house and I'll show you how much snow a Toro single stage can move..
Tell that to my neighbor. He has the single stage and watches my two stage eat that pile at the end of my driveway no problem. Meanwhile he's watching me and struggling with his one stage to get the huge pile moved.....Guess who has to go over and do it for him?
I sure would like to know what model # of Toro that your neighbor has? Sounds like it is not functioning like it should? The paddles are fairly high wear ... and when they wear down past a certain point they don't work well. I suspect this is the case or some other issue.
I own the Toro 421QR, 221QR and I even picked up a good used Toro CCR 2450 just for kicks to see what the difference in performance is. The 421Q is king in productivity. Even the Honda 520 single can't touch it. The Toro Quick shoot system makes them lighting fast. Not a big deal for a home owner to reach over to adjust the chute but for me all the extra seconds wasted reaching over begins to add up.
There is absolutely no way I'd ever do snow commercially struggling with any 2 stage as a primary blower. Tough to make any money unless you're charging a fat rate. I can blast through a drive way and front steps and even walks and porch often in under 10 min from the time the truck stops to the time I pull away this includes a little bit of hand shoveling. Just loading an unloading my Honda HS1132 [Honda biggest 2-stage the USA] takes me 3-5 min and that is with aluminum folding ATV ramps that are fast and light. Haven't even used the HS1132 this year - it just sits in the truck bed as expensive traction ballast.
I own the Toro 421QR, 221QR and I even picked up a good used Toro CCR 2450 just for kicks to see what the difference in performance is. The 421Q is king in productivity. Even the Honda 520 single can't touch it. The Toro Quick shoot system makes them lighting fast. Not a big deal for a home owner to reach over to adjust the chute but for me all the extra seconds wasted reaching over begins to add up.
There is absolutely no way I'd ever do snow commercially struggling with any 2 stage as a primary blower. Tough to make any money unless you're charging a fat rate. I can blast through a drive way and front steps and even walks and porch often in under 10 min from the time the truck stops to the time I pull away this includes a little bit of hand shoveling. Just loading an unloading my Honda HS1132 [Honda biggest 2-stage the USA] takes me 3-5 min and that is with aluminum folding ATV ramps that are fast and light. Haven't even used the HS1132 this year - it just sits in the truck bed as expensive traction ballast.
Heh Heh, This is why I need 2 old Ariens. I used one until the muffler screws back out. Then I used the other until the intake screws backed out. Fixed that and continued on.I had a 24" with a 8 hp until the augur shaft broke at the impeller mounts. I haven't pursued fixing that mostly because it was such a beast to use compared to the smaller size. I have the starting troubles solved. Now I need to concentrate on running troubles.
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