Snow blower ? - cost? HP? used vs new?

[raze]

Finally (after 9yrs) thinking of getting a snow blower this winter. Need it to be something I can use/push as its usually me out there, not DH. Does it really need to be 10HP? What price should I be expecting to pay? I may be able to get a used one - anything I should look out for? I know it should have an electric starter. Anything else?

 

[Big V]

You shouldn't need a 10 HP. I'd say a 6 or 8 would be big enough. A new one would run you about $700 to $1000. A good used one should be about $300 to $600. A two stage works the best. I'd get a Toro or Ariens.

 

[pumba]

and we passed our old toro to our son .......he was able to get one from an estate sale that was one years old and we gave the toro to our brother in law........they are the lasting type of snow blowers....one you should not have to replace....

 

[Big V]

I bought my Toro in 1990 and it's still going strong. Never had it in the shop yet!

 

[pumba]

we should do the commercials for toro......what do you think......almost as good as my hubby and I doing the old folks commercial for Disney....hahaha.....

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Another vote for Toro. And if it is you not DH out there definitley electric start. As far as the HP goes I'd say a little depends on the size of your snowblowing area and the amount of snow you get. I'd recommend going to a local lawnmower shop/dealer (not HomeDepot or Lowes) to get a little more information and maybe some tips on what will work best for you.

No offense to HD and Lowes, but I found out recently that many manufacturers (i.e. John Deere and Ariens) sell re-labeled "lower grade" models at those stores. Usually models that are not even available at authorized dealer/repair shops. So you think you are getting a JD and you get a Saber instead or you think an Ariens, but you get a Sears or a Murray. I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with either the Saber or Sears models, but you pay a premium for the JD or Ariens name yet you could've purchased the others and been way ahead of the game.

 

[raze]

thank you
whats a two stage?

 

[MICKEY88]

definitely electric start/2 stage....

8 HP is more than enough unles you have a lot of snow and a large area to deal with....

No offense to HD and Lowes, but I found out recently that many manufacturers (i.e. John Deere and Ariens) sell re-labeled "lower grade" models at those stores. Usually models that are not even available at authorized dealer/repair shops. So you think you are getting a JD and you get a Saber instead or you think an Ariens, but you get a Sears or a Murray. I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with either the Saber or Sears models, but you pay a premium for the JD or Ariens name yet you could've purchased the others and been way ahead of the game.

all manufaturers make products with different labels for different stores/ but the quality is the same.... I once worked in a shoe factory..we made the same shoes for multiple stores, the assembly tags had the store name and price of shoe on it,,the same shoes that Kinneys sold for 20.00,,were sold by a store in Oakland CA, for 80.00, the only difference was the insole, which had the store name imprinted on it....

if you'd like I Have the addy for a website that lists all the manufaturers and the label they sell under...

MTD sells under 9 different names, including WHITE, RYOBI, BOLENS,CUBCADET, TROYBILT...etc...

 

[MICKEY88]

a single stage machine has the auger turning at high speed and propelling the snow out the chute....a 2 stage has the auger turning slowly, feeding the snow to a second set of blades at the base of the chute, which then propel the snow out the shoot...

2 stage works much better

 

[MICKEY88]

other things I would look at are the width and height...you don't want a machine that's too wide to fid where you need to go, and the higher, the deeper the snow it will clear....

here's some info on good features from the troybilt site...






Two-Stage Snowthrowers Our STORM and POLAR BLAST two-stage snowthrowers provide all the power you need to handle anything winter can throw at you.

Two-stage snowthrowers are designed to power through even the heaviest drifts and tackle the longest driveways with little effort from you. First, the auger breaks up the snow and ice and pushes it to the back of the unit. Then the impeller propels the snow out of the chute for fast and efficient snow removal.

Look for these performance features:
Standard 4-cycle engines for more torque, no mixing of oil and gas, and lower emissions
Standard Push-Button Electric Start
Touch 'n Turn Steering - allows you to make easy turns in either direction with a touch of a trigger
All Wheel Drive
Our exclusive Just One Hand Operation
Heated Handles
In-Dash Halogen Headlights
.


I was told by the guy I bought my snowblower from, that lights are over rated...he said if it's dark and blowing all the lights do is cause a whiteout effect for you...

 

[ToyStory Fan]

Originally posted by MICKEY88

if you'd like I Have the addy for a website that lists all the manufaturers and the label they sell under...

MTD sells under 9 different names, including WHITE, RYOBI, BOLENS,CUBCADET, TROYBILT...etc... [/B]

If you don't mind passing along the address I am curious.

As for my comments they were geared more towards the John Deere being relabeled Saber mowers and not "true" JD's there is an ongoing debate on the tractor forums of gardenweb about the differences.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but while we're on the subject gardenweb has a forum that will give you info on snowblowers too...don't be scared by the archaic format of the postings though, definitely not as pleasant to read as the DIS or other boards using vbulletin..

 

[pumba]

get a can of cheap furniture polish......and before you go out to snowblow......spray the inside of the shute......keeps the crap from sticking to the inside ......just a friendly little maine tip

 

[MICKEY88]

Originally posted by ToyStory Fan
If you don't mind passing along the address I am curious.

As for my comments they were geared more towards the John Deere being relabeled Saber mowers and not "true" JD's there is an ongoing debate on the tractor forums of gardenweb about the differences.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but while we're on the subject gardenweb has a forum that will give you info on snowblowers too...don't be scared by the archaic format of the postings though, definitely not as pleasant to read as the DIS or other boards using vbulletin..

I'll send the addy tonight...unfortunately it's on my pc at home....I thought I had it here, but can't find it.....

 

[MICKEY88]

Originally posted by ToyStory Fan
If you don't mind passing along the address I am curious.

As for my comments they were geared more towards the John Deere being relabeled Saber mowers and not "true" JD's there is an ongoing debate on the tractor forums of gardenweb about the differences.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but while we're on the subject gardenweb has a forum that will give you info on snowblowers too...don't be scared by the archaic format of the postings though, definitely not as pleasant to read as the DIS or other boards using vbulletin..

manufacturers

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have always heard great things about Toros as well. However, we got a one year old Craftsman from a guy moving to NYC. After a mild winter he had only used it twice. We even doubted ourselves because we had been used to 2 or 3 mild winters. Boy were we happy last winter that we had it! It works great and is even easy for me. DH is a sucker for anything Craftsman anyhow.
Robin M.

 

[aunties]

Pumba - Thanks for the furniture polish idea! I will definitely try that (probably this week-end )

I bought my snow blower from Home Depot about 6 years ago. Best investment I ever made! The sales person was really great. I was insisting on the 10 HP as the snow plow always manages to dump everything at the end of the driveway and in front of the mail box. He refused to sell it to me unless I could prove that I could handle it. Being very stubborn, I proved it! I definitely agree that the electric start and two stage are necessities.

Hopefully, we will only have to use them once or twice

 

[MICKEY88]

did anyone mention self propelled...

 

[parrothead365]

My dad used a different type for many years...me and my shovel. Everytime we talked about getting a snow blower he bought me a new shovel So I moved from the great white north to sunny FL. Dad bought a plow for the tractor. He did start to see things my way after awhile.. now he is a snowbird.