# Going Back to Red ?



## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

I do have red in the fleet - 621.

However, when I moved , the 2 stager stayed with the house. City House does have it's EOD issues....so I picked up a Husqvarna ST300 series which has been decent. Build wise, somewhere it appears stronger than the HS Red Series and in other ways, the HS is nicer...

With CV19, have been staying in the vacay house and while I have shuffled between the city/vacay house, kinda leaning on making the vacay house permanent digs. Have had plow service on this lot always and with all these recent posts about the HSS.....it's got me leaning on a HS or drive up North and get myself a Blue Machine.

To some degree, I'm leaning on HS just due to easier access to parts....versus finding a CA dealer willing to work with me to send parts down south, etc, etc.

Thoughts, feedback, etc. 
OFF to do a deep dive on the SBF on the HS series. If I recall, or not, the articulated chute is doable on this model as well ? My memory ain't as good as it used to be...


----------



## CalgaryPT (Dec 7, 2016)

I was a little taken aback when I went to my Honda dealer about a year ago in Calgary to see they also had a bunch of Yamaha blue machines, as well as Yamaha inverters. It is a big dealership whose space occupies multiple sections of an industrial strip mall. Maybe they had them before and I missed them, but now they have a lot of them. I owned one years and years ago and really liked it. Next time I go in I should inquire about parts availability. It wasn't until recently I realized the blue machines were difficult to come across south of the border. I wonder why....

Yamahas are the second best machines I've ever owned.


----------



## Tseg (Jan 29, 2021)

Unless you want to buy used, not sure why you have crossed off the HSS as an option? Five/six years into the design upgrade the couple of issues (plugging chute, hydrostatic trans fluid aeration and sketchy electronic chute joystick) have all been upgraded by Honda engineering on the newest model years.

While I am biased with a new HSS, it is a beautiful machine. Yes, it had a minor starting issue out of the box, but these forums helped me diagnose I had the adjust a cable length with 2 turns of a nut and now works great... and I have the 3 year warranty if something seriously went wrong.

HS machines do last decades... but there are pages and pages in these forums with HS service and repair questions, so it is not like they don’t need attention from time to time. In my opinion, the fundamental quality Honda puts into all their parts still exists. But maybe vintage is your thing, so can appreciate that as well.


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

CalgaryPT said:


> It wasn't until recently I realized the blue machines were difficult to come across south of the border. I wonder why...


I've heard many stories/theories as to why Yamaha exited the U.S. snow blower market, but none that seemed to be credible. 

Some discussion from 2012 (you may recognise a user name): Yamaha Snowblower Fan Club - retaill sales of the new yamahas

I was close to driving up to Quebec in 2017 to get one before I discovered the HSS1332AATD.

Here's some fun history: Google Translate


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

I'd like a Yamaha also because hear / read they are better than Honda but the parts issue holds
me back.

I think your answer depends on budget/age/mechanical skills.

I agree with Tseg. If you have the budget I'd go with a newer HSS model. If older you will like the bells and whistles.

If mechanical and short of funds I would find a good HS model in the summer ( for best price ) and do all the maintenance/repairs yourself.

personally , I am very happy with my older Hondas/ I have a 50-55-80-624 and others that I do all the work on.

Maybe someday I will get a HSS but it would have to be a killer deal.


----------



## CalgaryPT (Dec 7, 2016)

tabora said:


> I've heard many stories/theories as to why Yamaha exited the U.S. snow blower market, but none that seemed to be credible.
> 
> Some discussion from 2012 (you may recognise a user name): Yamaha Snowblower Fan Club - retaill sales of the new yamahas
> 
> ...


That translated article will be my insomnia reading tonight. Looks really interesting. Thanks. I'm sure the answer to the USA availability issue lies in economics, and not the non-compete theory I've seen somewhere.


----------



## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

I have not done a deeeep dive into HSS vs HS. But in my most recent scan of threads , seems like most of the -regular SBF hounds- tend to prefer the older HS vs. the newer HSS thing, I don't know if this is just due to lower costs+wrench time/refurb/restoration/modding or if the build of the HS is better than the HSS.


----------



## Arcticnorth (Nov 27, 2020)

mobiledynamics said:


> I don't know if this is just due to lower costs+wrench time/refurb/restoration/modding or if the build of the HS is better than the HSS.


I don't see why the HS should be better built than the HSS. I have had HS 970 for 20 years (I buy a new one every 10 years and sell the old one), they have been flawless except I had to replace the coil on one. My new HSS bought in November seems to be of just as high quality. This is my first with electric start and chute, and steering clutch. Great features, but of course more that can go wrong. The HSS has a new hydrostatic drive, with chain drive instead of transmission gear. Some say that the new Hydrogear hydrostat does not hold the same quality as the older Honda hydrostat, but I have yet to see that documented. I doubt that Honda would use an inferior product for such a vital component.


----------

