Snow Blower Recommendations

[Saxum]

4 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Move to Miami... 😏 

 

Miami is definitely snow blowing country.

[ExiledInIllinois]

38 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

     I have a MTD 26", 8 HP which is about 15 years old.  Oddly I am having trouble with it for the first time.  I believe I have something wrong with the gas or the carb.  I did the usual Stabil and in October it started right up.  It still starts up but sometimes going up a slight slope on the driveway it starts dying.  I figure maybe water in the gas or the carb needs some work.

   The only other thing I ever had to work on was the friction drive wheel which I replaced.  My daughter was doing the driveway one year and I think she let the drive slip a bit.

 

   I am curious on what you are having issues with.  I have watched quite a few of the YouTube snow blower maintenance video's and the really are simple devices.

    Those must be the one you took off your car.

That's not  mine.  I don't own a snowblower.  Don't get enough snow a year.  Shovel does a cleaner job. 

[EmotionallyUnstable]

3 hours ago, teef said:

i have an ariens, and the thing is a tank.  we have our driveway plowed, but i use it for some walkways and in areas the plow can't get.  this thing has bounced around in my family and landed on me at least 10 years ago.  i've maybe had it serviced once during that time, and it starts with no problem every single year.  used it an hour ago.  i give this recommendation with no knowledge of prices or as gugny mentioned, if they don't make them the way they used to.

I do too with similar circumstances.

 

Got it from an uncle about 5 years ago. Usually take it out on snows over 6 inches. Started up again no problem, cleared out my 16 inches in the drive way and as I went to help out a shoveling neighbor, snapped the belt that drives the thrower. 
 

Debating looking into getting a new one or attempting to fix this one. 

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I have a 24” Briggs and Stratton.  Have had it for about 6-7 years.  The thing is unreal.  A tank.  I take it once a year for a $35 tune up.  Think I paid ~$700.

 

Happy belated birthday, Focker 😘

[MarkyMannn]

I bought an Ariens 30" couple years ago.  Struggles with any amount. Auger & impeller clog constantly.  Spray silicone in it doesn't help. 

[SoTier]

I have a Cub Cadet 24" that's at least 5 or 6 years old.  It a reliable hard working beast that handles big snows like today well enough while being easy to handle and maneuver in tight spaces.  I do my driveway plus 3 of my neighbors' sidewalks as well as plowing a path in the backyard for the pup.  It even clears the 2 foot ice berm that the snowplows put across my driveway.   It has electric start and power steering, both of which I recommend.  I don't have heated handles because I don't think they were available for my price range when I bought it.  I would recommend those as well.  

Edited January 18, 2022 by SoTier

[ExiledInIllinois]

55 minutes ago, MarkyMannn said:

I bought an Ariens 30" couple years ago.  Struggles with any amount. Auger & impeller clog constantly.  Spray silicone in it doesn't help. 

2 stage I assume with that size?  Is it working properly?

[That's No Moon]

I have a Craftsman 24" and I agree with others who say not to buy them.  Mine is absolutely fine for the snow I get in SEPA and if it runs more than a handful of times in a typical winter that's a lot.  The most it probably runs in a year is in March when I run it dry because I put too much gas in it to clear the 4 inches of snow we got in February. I've had it for a decade but there is absolutely no way this thing would last that long in actual winter conditions. For here though, it's actually perfect. It was dirt cheap, it's ultra basic so there are less things to break, it's light so it's easy to move around when it's in the way the 362 days a year I'm not using it, and it starts and runs well (I do baby it quite a bit to make sure it runs when I need it to).  I always put Stabil Marine in my fuel when I buy it in the fall/winter because IDK how long it's going to sit around before it's used. You never really know when the last mow will be down here (this year was mid November) and then there is a strong possibility that you won't use the fuel again until April.  In the summer I don't bother because my kids mow lawns in the neighborhood and we blow through the gas fast enough that I don't need to worry about the gas turning.  In the winter though? Ehhhh. I don't really want to run 4 month old ethanol blended gas through a carburetor without some level of insurance so that's when the fuel stabilizer becomes a thing. 

[teef]

11 hours ago, EmotionallyUnstable said:

I do too with similar circumstances.

 

Got it from an uncle about 5 years ago. Usually take it out on snows over 6 inches. Started up again no problem, cleared out my 16 inches in the drive way and as I went to help out a shoveling neighbor, snapped the belt that drives the thrower. 
 

Debating looking into getting a new one or attempting to fix this one. 

it must be worth fixing.  when i go to lowes/home depot, the smaller ones they have on display outside are pricey.  this may be the small investment you have to make into it.  

[Beerball]

17 hours ago, Gugny said:

I had a Troy Bilt Storm 2410 for 11 years and it was fantastic.  I bought a new one two years ago ... same exact make and model ... and it has been nothing but a ***** headache since I got it.

 

Without going into detail about the troubles it's given me, I am ready to just cut my losses and buy a new machine.

 

I am in the $1000-$1200 range.  24 or 26 inches will do.  Anything over 200cc.

 

I know this limits me, pretty much, to Craftsman, Toro, Ariens and Cub Cadet.

 

Looking for recommendations based on personal experience.  Thanks!

 

 

You won’t spend 150 for a Sue vide but you’ll pop for $1200 to blow snow?

[Gugny]

I'm thankful to all of the great input ... much appreciated and I hope more keeps coming.

 

It's also worth mentioning that most of the advice in this thread has a) come unsolicited, b) been irrelevant to the topic and c) come from someone who DOESN'T EVEN OWN A FU*KING SNOWBLOWER.  This place is just priceless sometmes.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 minutes ago, Gugny said:

This place is just priceless sometmes.

'All advice given worth price paid for it!' 😁

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Gugny said:

I'm thankful to all of the great input ... much appreciated and I hope more keeps coming.

 

It's also worth mentioning that most of the advice in this thread has a) come unsolicited, b) been irrelevant to the topic and c) come from someone who DOESN'T EVEN OWN A FU*KING SNOWBLOWER.  This place is just priceless sometmes.

I used to own snowblowers.  Simply don't need them anymore.   Maybe when I am 60 I will get one again.

[Mark80]

Ariens is the brand you want for snow blowers.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Mark80 said:

Ariens is the brand you want for snow blowers.

+1

 

Yet... I can't figure out why the poster above is having issues with theirs Ariens. Ours at work is a the big 8hp... Two stage and it will throw anything,  including wet concrete... 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

19 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Just Shoveled like a foot and a half of snow out of my driveway 

 

Cuz I'm a man 

 

:Edit: with possibly a torn rotator cuff now 😂

[teef]

12 hours ago, MarkyMannn said:

I bought an Ariens 30" couple years ago.  Struggles with any amount. Auger & impeller clog constantly.  Spray silicone in it doesn't help. 

this happens to mine on occasion, but it's really only with that ultra heavy/slushy snow.  i just thought it was due to me never servicing the thing.

[WotAGuy]

I have an Ariens that’s about 4 years old. Definitely not made like they used to be made. Already had to replace the friction plate that turns the auger/impeller. Planned obsolescence. 

[LabattBlue]

I bought a Toro Power Max(~$1600), and after one season entire front end started rusting beyond belief. Sent pics to Toro…and they said not their fault.  Runs great, but pisses me off that since Year 2, I have to touch it up with Rustoleum primer and then paint. 

F Toro. 👎

[Augie]

@Gugny I have two recommendations:

 

A) Move south

 

B) If you aren’t able to make “A” happen, keep your damn fingers away from places they shouldn’t be. I had a buddy in college from Cleveland, and he did NOT have the full compliment of digits due to a snow blower. Saw that more with construction workers, but the snowblower does a fine job of it too. 

 

I’m sure you are well aware, but what a nasty event! Early adulthood I had a friend who lost a finger and a half early in life working construction. He became a shop teacher and drove himself to the hospital after losing a couple more at school on the weekend. “Professional” carpenters I worked with during summer breaks were both missing some digits. It almost seems “normal” to them!