# Husqvarna st227p or Toro power max 826 oae



## compassman (Sep 12, 2019)

In Connecticut and looking at snow blowers. I had bought a used snowblower and was constantly fixing it. I am looking to buy a new snow blower for the up coming season. The Husqvarna st227p is 899 at lowes and I get 10% off and 12 month 0% financing while the Toro power max 826 OAE is 1049 with 100 visa card and 12 month 0% financing. My wife gave me a 1000 budget and I know the Toro is slightly over 1000 she was fine as it comes with a 100 visa card. The bottom of my drive way is flat and can park 8 -10 cars depending how tight they are and the drive exits about 120 feet with a slight incline. The drive way is paved and smooth. Any feed back would be helpful.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

I would talk to your mgr. of Finance and see if you can get a couple hundred dollars more added to the budget, and get a Toro with 10 hp and steering triggers. But once cry once. Cheap out and you are likely to cry at every big snow storm, and when doing the end of driveway. Tell her that you can never have too much (power) and she may understand.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

Toro

Consider checking out an Ariens Deluxe 24 before making the decision too


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## robs9 (Sep 5, 2018)

I bought a Toro 1028 Power Max in 2015. Never looked back. I also live in Ct. 40 foot driveway. Live on the outside of the curve on my road. So a lot of extra snow gets pushed into my driveway. The end of driveway (mountain) at the end of the storm can get pretty big. That machine just blows right through it. With a snowblower it's always better to get a little bit bigger then you need.

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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

tdipaul said:


> Toro
> 
> Consider checking out an Ariens Deluxe 24 before making the decision too


:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::smiley-signs009:


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Husqvarna st227p is very option loaded BUT Husqvarna seems to be one of the harder ones to get parts for, Toro is good and has a lot of fans but I don't know a lot about them to give a good opinion other than most who have them like them. I would also look at the Ariens deluxe 24 as it has all the same options as the Husqvarna except it has a slightly larger engine. Both have engines made by LCT and I do have the Deluxe 24 and my brother has the Husqvarna ST227 (same machine without the steering) Both work very well but the Ariens has a little more grunt and is a bit heavier duty, Husqvarna has a 208cc and the Ariens has a 254cc, Both have steering assist (comparing the 227P) but different style as the Ariens has auto turn that works well on the newer models and Husqvarna uses the trigger system that I think breaks the inside wheel to get it to turn in that direction. And are a $100 different in price. And Lowes carries both brands, At least here they do so the discount should work on either. Also do some research on the Toro as it does look like a nice machine. hopefully someone can compare them side by side.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

I have the st230p and love it so far


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

Dauntae said:


> And Lowes carries both brands, At least here they do so the discount should work on either. Also do some research on the Toro as it does look like a nice machine. hopefully someone can compare them side by side.


Speaking of buying at the big box stores, generally (but not always) one is better off buying from a dealer because that's all they sell (outdoor power equipment) so the guy putting it together is more likely to have a clue as to what he is doing, as opposed to some guy who means well but has never seen a snow blower before.

That said, there are idiots working at dealers, there are dealers who are rip-off artists, and there are good people at both big box stores and at dealers. But my experience is the odds are better at a dealer because that's all they do and the real bad ones tend to not last very long. Just a thought.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

WVguy said:


> Speaking of buying at the big box stores, generally (but not always) one is better off buying from a dealer because that's all they sell (outdoor power equipment) so the guy putting it together is more likely to have a clue as to what he is doing, as opposed to some guy who means well but has never seen a snow blower before.
> 
> That said, there are idiots working at dealers, there are dealers who are rip-off artists, and there are good people at both big box stores and at dealers. But my experience is the odds are better at a dealer because that's all they do and the real bad ones tend to not last very long. Just a thought.


The Big Box Store units are built with cheaper lower quality parts, to keep the price down and to have you come back to replace them when they fall apart on you.
Stay away from anything that has a "LCT" engine on it. Those motors are built very poorly, and good luck getting parts for them when you need them, which may be quite often. We are having a "Trade War": with China now, so good luck getting your parts shipped over, and when you may get them if they are still available. They are not made in North Carolina, thats where the importing office is located at for LCT.
A dealer may cost more, but that's where you will have to go for service and parts if needed, plus many dealers are not obligated to work on "Big Box Store" machines, and most wont unless they are hurting for work.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

ST1100A said:


> The Big Box Store units are built with cheaper lower quality parts, to keep the price down and to have you come back to replace them when they fall apart on you.
> Stay away from anything that has a "LCT" engine on it. Those motors are built very poorly, and good luck getting parts for them when you need them, which may be quite often. We are having a "Trade War": with China now, so good luck getting your parts shipped over, and when you may get them if they are still available. They are not made in North Carolina, thats where the importing office is located at for LCT.
> A dealer may cost more, but that's where you will have to go for service and parts if needed, plus many dealers are not obligated to work on "Big Box Store" machines, and most wont unless they are hurting for work.




Not my experience, both dealers and big box were same prices for me. Only differences were big box stores have anyone with an adjustable wrench and a gator grip socket build them


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

e.fisher26 said:


> Not my experience, both dealers and big box were same prices for me. Only differences were big box stores have anyone with an adjustable wrench and a gator grip socket build them
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Believe it or not, a dealer can actually sell the same model for less than the Big Box Stores can. The big box stores can only drop the price so low by contract, a dealer can drop the price for even less, they can sell it for a lower price than the big box store, but why would they? The dealer would loose too much money selling cheaper, so they will match the price for competition.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

ST1100A said:


> The Big Box Store units are built with cheaper lower quality parts, to keep the price down and to have you come back to replace them when they fall apart on you.
> Stay away from anything that has a "LCT" engine on it. Those motors are built very poorly, and good luck getting parts for them when you need them, which may be quite often. We are having a "Trade War": with China now, so good luck getting your parts shipped over, and when you may get them if they are still available. They are not made in North Carolina, thats where the importing office is located at for LCT.
> A dealer may cost more, but that's where you will have to go for service and parts if needed, plus many dealers are not obligated to work on "Big Box Store" machines, and most wont unless they are hurting for work.


So I guess he will get a American hamster wheel for his snow blower, ALL the engines are made in China including thebriggs engines now, LCT have been great for me so far and parts have been easy to find, Getting s Briggs carb for my wood chipper however has been a nightmare.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Dauntae said:


> So I guess he will get a American hamster wheel for his snow blower, ALL the engines are made in China including thebriggs engines now, LCT have been great for me so far and parts have been easy to find, Getting s Briggs carb for my wood chipper however has been a nightmare.


Yea really, its a shame.
Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki were and still are all made in America, although they do have international plants overseas. Honda realized their China venture was a major mistake, and now they are paying for it. Honda is a big major company with manufacturing facilities all over the world, just about every country you could think of.
Can you believe those engines are made in the U.S.A. and they have a foreign name?
Briggs got caught with their pants down by lying to the Americans that their products were made here, thanks to Trump. Now Briggs is in the process of bringing their manufacturing back to the U.S.A. again.
It was all done for corporate greed and profits, no other reason, and now some of the former U.S.A. manufacturers are starting to pay for their greed they lined their pockets with and screwed the U.S. consumer with.


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

I have the ST227P (see my running blog in the brand forums...) and am quite happy with it so far. I typically clean several driveways and a quarter mile of private street, so it has seen some hours since new 2014/2015 winter. I can safely say that I figured it would be one overkill step above what I anticipated for my needs, but with the addition of the neighbor's driveways and the street duty I sometimes think I would have been better off investing in a more 'commercial' class machine. Twice in these years we've received snow that could have used more power.

So far the machine has used "consumables" like skid shoes and is on it's second scraper bar. It ate an impeller belt when I tried to chew some frozen stuff. The little reduction units on the wheel drive got some attention last winter when I replaced a couple needle bearings and added some grease. Everything that's been beyond normal maintenance has been due to me asking it to do more than it was designed for.

Parts availability has not been a serious issue, at least not yet. I keep a couple scraper bars, and could make one easily from steel strap from Home Depot if the ones from Husqvarna weren't cheaper than the raw steel. The skid shoes have been replaced/upgraded, and would be one of the good steel aftermarket shoe sets except we have a paving stone driveway that doesn't like getting scratched by the steel shoes.

Were I buying today, knowing better my use pattern, I'd be be looking for a bigger engine and a hydrostatic vs. the drive disk in the ST227P. Of course, either of those options would blow through the OP's $1k budget. If the use was limited to my own driveway (easily parks 10 stacked), the ST227P is more than adequate. It easily throws a foot of our "normal" snow, which is about how high I let it get between cleanings during storms. It starts easily every time, after just a little consideration with fuel stabilizer during the season and good pre-storage prep every spring. It gets stored in the heated garage work bay, cleaned-waxed-detailed, fresh oil, and completely empty of fuel during its hibernation months. All good now, and looking forward to it's fifth snow season.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

ST1100A said:


> The Big Box Store units are built with cheaper lower quality parts, to keep the price down and to have you come back to replace them when they fall apart on you.
> Stay away from anything that has a "LCT" engine on it. Those motors are built very poorly, and good luck getting parts for them when you need them, which may be quite often. We are having a "Trade War": with China now, so good luck getting your parts shipped over, and when you may get them if they are still available. They are not made in North Carolina, thats where the importing office is located at for LCT.
> A dealer may cost more, but that's where you will have to go for service and parts if needed, plus many dealers are not obligated to work on "Big Box Store" machines, and most wont unless they are hurting for work.



The machines the big box stores sell are the same as dealer machines
the dealers do work on blowers bought from big box stores more myth's 

Lct bad motors you have so much experience it shows


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