Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Snowblower Conundrum
- Thread starter WilliamTO-35
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Scrambler82
Veteran Member
All I can say is thank you to anyone that purchased Snowblowers and stopped the big storms.
A snowblower would be nice but $4000 + for a front end blower is a little higher sense my drive is only a couple hundred feet.
If a deal ever appears for my SC2450 I would probably buy.
Again thanks guys for stopping the snow.
A snowblower would be nice but $4000 + for a front end blower is a little higher sense my drive is only a couple hundred feet.
If a deal ever appears for my SC2450 I would probably buy.
Again thanks guys for stopping the snow.
JohninCT
Platinum Member
You're welcome. I knew it would happen. Some of my non-tractoring friends were kidding me that I bought a snow blower big enough to affect the weather for the whole state. I have a feeling though that I'll be using it again soon enough. The trouble with snowblowers (like most other things) you don't really need them until you need them. Now I'm set
tcreeley
Elite Member
""
You know, buying a snowblower isn't easy, but the choices are about to get harder! Robo-clearing!
YouTube - ROBOPLOW
""
You know, buying a snowblower isn't easy, but the choices are about to get harder! Robo-clearing!
YouTube - ROBOPLOW
OP
WilliamTO-35
Silver Member
The Roboplow is surely a neat machine ! In my original post, I described the Murray 24 inch snowblower( two stage with B&S 8.0 TP engine) I bought online, and promised a report on it's performance if it ever snowed again this season. Last Monday, we finally had some snow; only about 3 or 4 inches, but enough to try out my new snowblower for the first time on my 400 foot long driveway. I found the machine worked quite well . I did go through some drifts about 10-12 inches high, and it handled those well too. In the drifts, there was some tire slippage, and I may get some tire chains before next season. I was especially concerned about the gravel in my dirt & gravel driveway ( 3/4 inch rock) . The snowblower did pick up several pieces of rock, but spit them out without getting stuck in the auger. The design of the unit seems to leave plenty of space for gravel to pass through without jambing the auger. The only problem the snowblower had was with very wet, slushy snow, which did clog the outlet chute . I'm pleased with this machine , and I suspect it works at least as well as other brands of similar size. The outlet chute rotates nicely by turning a crank under the handles, and I recommend avoiding any snowblower that does not have an outlet chute that can be easily pointed. The Briggs & Stratton engine ran nicely, and started on the first pull every time.
tcreeley
Elite Member
I find on my snowblower I'm better off when the snow is slushy wet to always keep the blower shooting snow. It seems like when I stop shooting snow -to make a turn or maneuver, the chute freezes up or the impeller does. If it starts to bog down, I just slow down and give it time to clear out what's built up. Enjoy you snowblower.
Scrambler82
Veteran Member
Although I want a frt end snow blower for my SC2450 (SB52 or 60) I have a Snapper 826 walk behind unit that is by far a great Snowblower.
The engine is a Tehcumsen (sp) 8 hp, Snow King, and it works its heart out for me every year we have snow. It fights through high banks and it backs out with out a problem.
The 826 is built on the same chassis as the larger units and has the larger HD Transmission for the auger.
In a side by side comparison every part on the main chassis of the Snapper was larger in size and heavier gauge than an Arians of the same model range, which have always been sort of the top of the line.
Oh ya, I have had this unit for 15+ years and it has run really well, and stood up to all task it has been asked to do and still start when asked to.
If it was me I would at least look at the Snapper Snowblower.
The engine is a Tehcumsen (sp) 8 hp, Snow King, and it works its heart out for me every year we have snow. It fights through high banks and it backs out with out a problem.
The 826 is built on the same chassis as the larger units and has the larger HD Transmission for the auger.
In a side by side comparison every part on the main chassis of the Snapper was larger in size and heavier gauge than an Arians of the same model range, which have always been sort of the top of the line.
Oh ya, I have had this unit for 15+ years and it has run really well, and stood up to all task it has been asked to do and still start when asked to.
If it was me I would at least look at the Snapper Snowblower.
OP
WilliamTO-35
Silver Member
Scrambler- If your Snapper has held up well for 15 years, then it is indeed a sturdy machine ! Thanks for that advice. While my Murray worked well for about 2 hours, I know nothing about the long term durability of the brand. And parts suppliers change now and then , so it's hard to be sure that a new machine is as good as an old machine. ( Sears seems to put out new bids for some machines and tools on almost a yearly basis.) All considered, I doubt that I personally will hold up for another 15 years ! 10 years, maybe.
Jay4200
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 2,053
- Location
- Hudson/Weare, NH
- Tractor
- L4200GST w/ LA680 & BX2200D w/ LA211
Firstly, I am a huge fan of Puxatony Phil, and don't appreciate you guys making fun of him.
Secondly, the cheap insurance plan was what I was looking for. After having limited success maintaining a 1000' driveway last year (new place) with a lawn tractor mounted blower, I picked up a 6' Econor blower for my L4200. I figured I was SURE to avoid any significant snow this year, and more than likely next as well. Didn't seem to work very well. I'm pretty sure we broke a few records.
OTOH, my blower ate through everything that hit the ground, even after the snow sat and packed in for over a week, like so much angel-food cake.
JayC
DennisFolsom
Gold Member
Like William, I also bought a walk-behind snowblower late in the season (3/1/11). Maybe my purchase will help end this snow season for Central Maine! I had a breakdown on my old garden tractor plow setup (won't bother with that whole story here). I have a plow guy who does my 300 ft driveway for a reasonable price, but I wanted to be able to clear out the patio, a path to the shed, approach to the mailbox, etc. I was getting tired of shoveling over snowbanks that were 5 feet or more high in places. I decided that a walk-behind, along with continuing to pay the plow guy, might be a reasonable combination. I could also clear out some of what the town road plow leaves me, in between visits from the plow guy.
Most everyone was out of stock, but a local power equipment dealer had a two-stage McCulloch MC627ES for $750 plus tax. He also had about three more expensive units available. I bought the MC627ES. At the time I didn't know, but have since learned that what's left of McCulloch is now part of Husqvarna, and that my machine is almost identical to the the entry-level 24" Husky model, except that mine has a 27" auger. Both have the 208 cc LCT engine, with a "torque rating" of 9. Husky uses the next size larger LCT engine on their 27" model, puts power steering on it, and charges $250 more.
So far, I have only run a tankful (1/2 gallon) of gas through mine. I cleared that path to the shed, cleaned up a few corners, and pushed back some of the banks. In one area, I sliced off a couple of feet of width from a 5 foot high bank with my steel shovel, then used the blower to send the snow over the top. All of this was hard-frozen snow that was quite wet when it fell.
I had a similar experience regarding rocks. While pushing the snowbanks back, I fed several small rocks (about the size of a quarter) through the machine with no problems. Years ago, I had a single-stage blower on a Cub Cadet that would get those jammed in.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with how this little machine performed. The engine started easy and ran strong. The governor seemed to be set up right - the engine came up with more grunt when needed. I never clogged the machine.
It is my understanding that Husqvarna makes most, if not all, of the Sears snowblowers these days. Based on my experience, I would recommend either McCulloch, Husqvarna or Sears, as they are all variations of the same machine.
Some people pooh-pooh the Chinese-made LCT engine. I have read that it most closely resembles the Honda OHV. My dealer told me that LCT is filling the gap in the market that Tecumseh left, when they went out of the small engine business. So far, mine runs great. We'll see how it does over time.
Most everyone was out of stock, but a local power equipment dealer had a two-stage McCulloch MC627ES for $750 plus tax. He also had about three more expensive units available. I bought the MC627ES. At the time I didn't know, but have since learned that what's left of McCulloch is now part of Husqvarna, and that my machine is almost identical to the the entry-level 24" Husky model, except that mine has a 27" auger. Both have the 208 cc LCT engine, with a "torque rating" of 9. Husky uses the next size larger LCT engine on their 27" model, puts power steering on it, and charges $250 more.
So far, I have only run a tankful (1/2 gallon) of gas through mine. I cleared that path to the shed, cleaned up a few corners, and pushed back some of the banks. In one area, I sliced off a couple of feet of width from a 5 foot high bank with my steel shovel, then used the blower to send the snow over the top. All of this was hard-frozen snow that was quite wet when it fell.
I had a similar experience regarding rocks. While pushing the snowbanks back, I fed several small rocks (about the size of a quarter) through the machine with no problems. Years ago, I had a single-stage blower on a Cub Cadet that would get those jammed in.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with how this little machine performed. The engine started easy and ran strong. The governor seemed to be set up right - the engine came up with more grunt when needed. I never clogged the machine.
It is my understanding that Husqvarna makes most, if not all, of the Sears snowblowers these days. Based on my experience, I would recommend either McCulloch, Husqvarna or Sears, as they are all variations of the same machine.
Some people pooh-pooh the Chinese-made LCT engine. I have read that it most closely resembles the Honda OHV. My dealer told me that LCT is filling the gap in the market that Tecumseh left, when they went out of the small engine business. So far, mine runs great. We'll see how it does over time.
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