MF1433V
Gold Member
The C-180 was a typo, I corrected it...thanks!
I have used a single stage, in fact it is what I am using this year on a 416H. Here is my assessment between the Wheel Horse single thrower vs 2 stage blower:
44" Two Stage
Pros:
Works great in any amount of snow
Throws 15-30 feet depending on water content
Great clearing path! 44" keeps the wheels out of the snow and backing up is easy.
Takes "bites" out of large snow banks easily
Cons:
Very, very heavy in the neighborhood of 360 pounds
Requires more room to store
Takes longer to mount
Requires more rear ballast due to offset the blowers significantly greater front end weight or you will get stuck if you have hills (a lot!)
42" single Stage
Pros:
Weighs a lot less and less room required for storage
Tall chute throws as well as two stage from my experience 15-30 feet again depending on the water content in the snow.
Very quick attaching and taking off
Less weight is transferred off the rear wheels in the "up" position, results in more traction to the rear wheels in the up position.
Cons:
Does not work well in small amounts of snow, and you have to modulate your speed more to keep the thrower full to maximize throwing distance.
With shoes adjusted up 1/2 inch for gravel drive, it seems to throw some snow under the blower therefore not cleaning up nearly as well. Not sure if this is normal.
When blowing more solid snow, the wings can pull the tractor into toward the snow bank. This will happen on heavy or frozen snow due to the angle of the wings.
That's been my experience.
Your 520 would match up to the 2 stage very well
