# Tips for buying used?



## beardown34 (Jan 22, 2014)

What good tips have you guys accumulated for looking for used snowblowers?

Best time of year to buy?

Better on Craigslist or hunting down garage sales?

If someone lists a single stage for $300, how low of an initial offer would you start with?

Do lawn/snow companies that sell used blowers tend to discount during certain times of the year?

Obviously dead of winter is a bad time to try to get a great deal. But is there more leverage to get a bargain in march-ish after the snow stops, or mid summer like July-ish?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Best time of year, when it's warm. Price might be less and seller more negotiable when there isn't a foot or two on the ground and another on the way. When it's warmer you are willing to take a better look and your fingers work better.

Best time for a deal is anytime you are looking. Even with big snows and more coming there are guys whos blower breaks, something small and it's the excuse to get the shiny big new one and come get this junk. I picked up a riding tractor that "this" was the guys last straw. The only thing wrong is the wire to engage the PTO so it'd cut grass came loose. Plugged it in and cut the lawn. Trick is to take the best look at it you can so you know what you're getting and then figure what it's worth.
I didn't know that wire was loose I was just given a take it or leave it price and I gambled. That could have been ugly if it was something serious.

If you're in the $300 range it's a working snow blower so take it into some snow and see how it does.
Start the engine, idle the engine, take it to full throttle and pay attention for a smooth running engine. Any surging and it's due to have the carb pulled and cleaned or worst case, replaced.

Ask if you can tip it up and pull the back cover and see and feel the shafts and the friction wheel, drive wheel everything in there looking for looseness in the bushings and bearings. Check the auger and impeller bearings for play and their housings for severe rust and even rust through. Pull the belt cover and check the idlers, check that the belt or belts look like they are tracking straight and check the welds from the body to the auger housing to see if it's "ripped" or bent anywhere from someone running it into something. Just bought one that I'll need to weld. That and he didnt' tell me the axle was broken. One wheel pinned to axle but missing the 3 or 4 inches that should be inside the wheel and support it and stick out the end. In -15 temps I wasn't going to go over it the way I should have and I'm literally paying for it now.

Check that the augers are loose on the shaft and same with the wheels. I had to take mine to a press with the broken axle as the "good" side wheel was rusted solid. The wheels are easy compared to an auger seized to its shaft as it's hard to get it on a press !! And when I say solid I heated it with MAP a number of times over a number of days and soaked it between heatings with penetrating oil, big hammer .... it just laughed at me.

This is similar to the damage to mine from someone either running it into something or just being really rough with it.





There are also some informative videos on youtube to watch.


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## malik66 (Jan 29, 2014)

Better on Craigslist or hunting down garage sales?


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Buying*



malik66 said:


> Better on Craigslist or hunting down garage sales?


CL will have more viewers, so less traffic at garage sales which might net you a better cost. It just all depends on traffic, time of year etc.

One more thing to watch on newer machines are the welds. I've seen a couple of machines where welds were broken on auger housings etc. If you don't have equipment to fix it, it's an extra cost.


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## beardown34 (Jan 22, 2014)

Great information here. Keep the opinions and your past experiencences coming!


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## Tom99 (Nov 16, 2013)

beardown34 said:


> Best time of year to buy?
> 
> Better on Craigslist or hunting down garage sales?


I bought 17 machines this past summer. Mostly Toro single stage. One Snapper single stage. One Toro 2 stage. Sold 12, gave 3 to family members, kept one, and one was used for parts to fix the others. 

Bought 8 from one Craigslist seller. A small engine/lawnmower/junk "dealer". 

3 from estate sales.

6 from garage sales.

I would say the best prices can be had at garage sales, especially if it doesn't start. I actually hoped they didn't start when I was inspecting and negotiating the price. Usually just a carb clean, new plug, and fresh gas will get 'em going. 

Estate sales are good, too, but the ones run by professional estate sale people will generally price things higher initially. You need to hit those on the last day to get a deal.

Craigslist is OK, but I think you will pay more when someone takes the time to take a picture and list it. As opposed to the garage/estate sale where it's just another item in the garage that's collecting dust and needs to go. 

To save time and gas, I only went to sales that advertised snowblowers. Also, better neighborhoods will generally yield nicer machines. 

Just my thoughts, not the only way to do it, but it worked out pretty well this year. Maybe with all the snow we've had this winter, it will be harder to find them at good prices next summer. 

Tom


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## Relli1130 (Jan 23, 2014)

I have no experience with garage sales. But I have experience with Craigslist. And mostly good experiences. I just purchased my 1st snowblower. A used 1979 Ariens ST504. 5 HP 2 stage snowthro. Maybe summer is the best time to buy, but honestly you can find deals anytime even in the winter. 

I researched everything I could prior to making my purchase. I scoured craigslist for the best brands (Ariens/Honda/Toro) and settled on Ariens as my company of choice. Then I found units within my price range. I contacted the seller about the unit, got more information about the model, requested more and better pictures, and then contacted Ariens to determine if there were any known issues with the model, and to make sure parts are still available.

I got lucky. The one I purchased is the first one I went to look at. Last Friday (just prior to a snowstorm) I met with the seller, inspected the unit, got it running, and tested it out. It didn't thro snow well, so I was able to negotiate the price way down. All it needs is two new belts and maybe an impeller kit.

My point is this: With Craigslist, you can shop online for units that interest you, research them, determine your bottom line number you can live with, and then meet the seller in a neutral location. With garage sales/estate sales, you probably won't know what model they are selling until you get there, can't do much research on the model once you've seen it, and are competing with other interested people. 

This is only my opinion tho - good luck in your decision. But buying a used snowblower was a great decision for me!


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

One other thing I noticed. I moved from Cleveland to a more rural suberb and Cleveland's garbage pickup is normal every week. Out in the more rural areas they have weekly trash collection, however big, bulky items are only put out for the first collection of the month. Driving around at night can be a gold mine. 

One night coming home from work I found 1 big old Toro front tine tiller and 3 string trimmers at one house as well as a couple other odds and ends.


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## MnJim (Jan 26, 2014)

I looked at Craigs list.
Looked at new and thought about waiting until spring to maybe get a closeout deal and then decided with atleast 2 more months of winter I just bought new.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Sometimes that's the best way to go 

Change the oil after about 4-5 hrs with a good synthetic 5W30 or whatever weight you prefer and even though it's new I'd check all the adjustments to make sure it was set up correctly and I'd oil or grease anything you can. The better you treat it, the longer it will last and the more reliable it will be.
Start now with a little lube to make sure you keep the wheels and the augers from seizing to their shafts. A little lube now keeps the water out so the problem doesn't get a chance to start.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

Sometimes, mid season is a great time to find a unit with a blown engine, perfect for a HF transplant. I have seen a few listed for free.


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## MnJim (Jan 26, 2014)

Had this been listed on Craigslist 8/32 $225 a couple of weeks back I might not have purchased my new 8/28


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