# Newbie needs some advice..



## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

Hi all, looking to buy my first ever snow blower. Tired of shoveling!

I'm on the east coast of Canada, so we can get a decent amount of snow.

I have no idea what to get. My driveway is a little over 2 car widths wide, and a little longer than 2 car lengths..

Is a 24" more than enough, or should I spend the extra cash and get a 28"? Is 30" overkill?

My choices from the local dealers are Craftsman from Sears, Toro from Home Depot, Husqvarna from Ctire..

I have a craftsman lawn mower that I've been very happy with...
They have a few options I was looking at:


CRAFTSMAN®/MD 30" Dual Stage 305cc B&S EZ-Steer Snow Thrower | Sears Canada

CRAFTSMAN®/MD 24" 9.5 TP Gas Dual Stage Snowblower | Sears Canada

CRAFTSMAN®/MD 28" 3-Stage Snow Blower with Light, Electric 4-way Chute Control & Heated Grips | Sears Canada

CRAFTSMAN®/MD 27" 11.5 TP Gas Dual Stage Snowblower | Sears Canada

Sears also currently has 3 years 0% interest monthly payments, which makes it a lot easier for us.

Help!!


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Welcome to SBF. Glad to have you join us, and ask for advise on your choice in snowblowers.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Welcome to the forum Gibson00 :white^_^arial^_^0^_


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

:white^_^arial^_^0^_
If I had a driveway your size I personally wouldn't go over 24". Also, and this is only my *personal * opinion but I'd avoid Craftsman. I believe they are rebadged Murray blowers and quality has certainly suffered recently. I'd go with Toro then Husqvarna. Another thing, view the video link that Mr. Frog posted and consider buying used if you are at all mechanically adept. You'll save a pile of $$ and have a decent snowblower. I've only bought one new snowblower but I've owned lots of them. I currently have 3 blowers. All work very well and I don't think I've'got over $350 in all of them. 
Hope you are happy with whatever you choose.:wavetowel2:


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

I agree, for that size driveway, there is no need to go over 24".

Craftsman in Canada is usually different (and usually better) than Craftsman in the USA..in the past, canadian Craftsman snowbllowers have been completely different models than US craftsmans..not sure if that is still the case or not.

but..if you are going over $1,000, I would not look at a Craftsman..just because you can do better!  Stick with Ariens or Toro.

scot


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

They are definitely differing brands:icon_blue_very_sad:
Looks like the first is a Husqvarna variant
2nd and 4th are Briggs/Snapper 
3rd is an MTD
If I had to choose between those offered I'd stay away from the #3 because of the electric chute control.
Probably go with #1 for the engine size.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

Gibson,

For the price range of those machines I would seriously give Ariens or Toro some consideration.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

I agree consider Ariens, Toro or even Husqvarna (I've been reading good things about Huskys lately) for your budget. 
Look into 0% financing on this brands as well, they may offer it.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

jtclays said:


> T
> 2nd and 4th are Briggs/Snapper


Those two are probably the best of the four.
Briggs doesnt get much press here, but they are generally considered fine machines..dont hear any complaints about them.

People usually say "stay away from Craftsman"..but Craftsman machines are made by many different companys, and quality varies widely..
I would consider a Craftsman made by Briggs.

If you do end up considering one of these, make sure the manufacturer is confirmed before you buy!
There are Craftsman "cross reference" charts out there..

Scot


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

Keep in mind those are Canadian prices. 
Range is ~$850-1350 in US dollars.
Basically all homeowner grade snowblowers fall in that price range.
That said I'd stick with Ariens or Toro for future parts support, but the Sears financing may be the most important feature the OP is looking for.


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## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

Hi all, thanks for the replies!
Yes, Canadian dollars (and wow, does our dollar suck at the moment!!!).

A machine that sells for 1300-1400 here, likely sells for about 1000 in the US..

Yes, sears is really attractive because of the financing. With two kids, daycare, mortgage, etc., its nice to not have to lay out 1500 all at once!

That said, there are a couple other places here to look. Home Depot has the following that maybe would be a good choice?
Toro | Power Max 826 OE 26 inch. Two-stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower | Home Depot Canada

Re Craftsman, I don't know if Canada is different from the US as someone else suggested. I bought one of the cheaper priced Craftsman lawnmowers 1.5 years ago, and it has worked flawlessly through 2 Summer seasons... But no idea how the snowblowers are.

My driveway itself usually isn't -that- horrible to just shovel... But we have a medium-wide street, and the plow just does one pass through the middle of it during the storms. This results in everyone having a 3+ foot snow bank at the end of their driveway that is several feet wide going out into the street. Always amusing when the whole neighborhood is outside at 7AM frantically trying to clear that snow so that they can get their cars out to get to work!!


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

gibson00 said:


> Hi all, thanks for the replies!
> Yes, Canadian dollars (and wow, does our dollar suck at the moment!!!).
> 
> A machine that sells for 1300-1400 here, likely sells for about 1000 in the US..
> ...


I would also look at:

Ariens | Ariens Deluxe 24 Electric Start 24 Inch Auto Turn Two Stage Gas Snow Thrower | Home Depot Canada

I bought my Ariens Platinum 30 at Home Depot Canada last year and it has been very good.


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## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

Stuofsci02 said:


> I would also look at:
> 
> Ariens | Ariens Deluxe 24 Electric Start 24 Inch Auto Turn Two Stage Gas Snow Thrower | Home Depot Canada
> 
> I bought my Ariens Platinum 30 at Home Depot Canada last year and it has been very good.


I saw that too, but it is $500 more than a lot of the other 24" wide blowers. Is it really worth spending an extra 50%? Plus an extra $100 for shipping as its online only..


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## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

Hey guys, another couple questions:
1. Some blowers have 'TP' in their description, like TP 11.5. What is that?
2. Assuming 'TP' isn't the horsepower, how do you find what the horsepower is? Most seem to just list the engine displacement, like 250cc, etc..

Thanks!


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*ALOHA from the paradise city.*


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

gibson00 said:


> Hey guys, another couple questions:
> 1. Some blowers have 'TP' in their description, like TP 11.5. What is that?
> 2. Assuming 'TP' isn't the horsepower, how do you find what the horsepower is? Most seem to just list the engine displacement, like 250cc, etc..
> 
> Thanks![/QUOTE TP means torque peak. they do not use HP rating anymore. someone got carried away with that 1. now they just use cubic centimeters. there are conversion charts out there . but I will be boned as to where and how accurate they are.:facepalm_zpsdj194qh:facepalm_zpsdj194qh


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

TP is the torque peak of the engine, Canadian style. The "MD" is the French version of trademark. If I were you I'd look into where I would buy parts or get service.
Briggs parts are all over the net as well as Ariens or Toro. Sears has many places that supply parts online. Do you have a local repair shop or ANY brand dealer? In reality no local shop is better than the other in the middle of winter when you need repair. They're all gonna be backed up. We stress the dealers, but if they don't stock parts, they're no better than ordering online and doing it yourself. Keep the fuel fresh and drained off season, brush the machine off after use, lube stuff, don't go 100mph when you're blowing snow (like most youtube videos of people demonstrating blowers:facepalm_zpsdj194qh) and you should be fine with any modern snowblower with a Briggs or LCT engine, IMO. You break off into the Powermore engines on US version Craftsman products and then I have doubts.
Powermore is the only one I know of that only lists CC's. Basic equation for getting close to HP ratings is torqueXRPM divided by 5252 (ballpark figure). Majority of small engines run at 3600 RPM.


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## Stuofsci02 (Feb 16, 2015)

gibson00 said:


> I saw that too, but it is $500 more than a lot of the other 24" wide blowers. Is it really worth spending an extra 50%? Plus an extra $100 for shipping as its online only..


Well.. Like anything you get what you pay for. Ariens also has a compact 24" which it less powerful and has smaller wheels, but it would surely get the job done on your smaller driveway.

Where do you live? Sometime certain Home Depots carry only smaller blowers. If you are in Southern Ontario I might be able to recommend some spots.

Cheers...


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## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

I'm in Nova Scotia. The local Home Depot stocks both Ariens and Toro.
I was a bit surprised at how much plastic is used in the toro..


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

gibson00 said:


> I was a bit surprised at how much plastic is used in the toro..


Some of the toro plastic is guaranteed for life


> Sub Zero Material - Guaranteed For Life
> Chute, deflector and ACS are made of a special cold-weather material durable to -104˚ F and guaranteed for life. It is also rust-free, so there’s no binding, and snow and ice won't stick.


per this page


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

I've seen so many posts about Toro having plastic. I've had many brands of blowers and my machine of choice now is my Toro 521. It has plastic and it has not been an issue. I would not hesitate to buy a new Toro. Not real happy they're made in mejico but everything the U.S *used to manufacture* has gone to a foreign country for the most part. Funny. Honda is produced here.:smiley-confused013: I dunno...


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## sabresfan (Feb 25, 2015)

Like a few already said....you will get what you pay for. Sounds like you have a similar driveway (as me). I got 14 good years out of a 8/24 yard machines but dang when I upgraded to Honda 928 wow.....what a difference. I also bought a used Toro powermax 826. Can't beat that joystick (except for Honda which throws it 50 ft so no need to direct the snow. Consider budget, storage and the amount of time you want to spend outside in our delightful winter climate. Can't go wrong with Ariens or Toro (I prefer Toro). Both units are made from better steel with beads in the right places to avoid the auger housings "curling" in over time from ramming it into the hard stuff the plows push into the end of our driveways. The new Huskys get great reviews also. I would not hesitate for a second on those.


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## gibson00 (Sep 24, 2015)

Thanks all.
Home Depot here in Nova Scotia had last years Toro 826 on sale today for $999 (about 725 US). Decided to pick it up.
The Honda would be nice, but I'm not interested in spending $3k on a snowblower... 
I did consider an Ariens 24", but it would have been $400 more. Hopefully the Toro will be reliable.


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