# 45in cut thaughts...



## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

soo yes.. I searched and couldn`t find anything close to my questions..

I mean.. it is a large frame machines (`MTD` 45in. pick one..) cuz well.. we kinda are in the market for a house.. and many in this neck of the woods (the sticks) have loong drives.. first thing we do when we hear of a house for sale i our bracket is count the phone poles going to it.. more than 3.. let it be!  I learned the hard way after renting a duplex that was 1200feet from the road with a 33in cut machine.. 

si this got me thinking.. the biggest problem I have is the EOD.. the snow is almost always very icy by the time i get to snowblowing (kids.. you know) si WHEN it tops the bucket.. the first pass is always a struggle.. golly.. with 45inches to push thru.. ok 2 extra tires.. but 45inches!?! though for just clearing th drive itself.. must speed thing up beautifully!

and before you say it.. most of the long drives are thru a field of hay.. which could be sold for feed (farms are in the sticks you know) so alot of property could be left alone for others to harvest and stick with a push mower and an hour and a half or so which is fine by me since it can be done at a more liesurely time.. a tractor would be kinda overkill

there is one guy around hear at least who has a 45in cub cadet.. he baught it a couple years ago and his drive`s always one of the first to get done.. almost like he`s eager to use it lol


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I didn't know they were even made that big, wow. 

What size engine, what hp? One thing I would do is compare inches of cutting width per hp, for different machines. As you said, it could be fast for smaller storms, things that are easier to throw. But it would likely choke somewhat on big EOD, unless it's a monster engine, or you go really slowly. 

Having 45", but needing to slow down to 2 mph (just making up #'s) might not be all that much better than a 24" machine that can go 4 mph in the same (presumably deep) snow. Assuming that the 45" runs out of power, or throwing ability. 

Got a link to the machine? Without a differential or something to help with turning, I'd imagine it would be a handful to maneuver.


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## Pythons37 (Nov 9, 2012)

No single machine can do everything. Some try. Get the 45 if you think it's going to be a life changer, but consider a riding tractor with a mower deck and a front mounted blower. Even with a riding tractor, you will still need a small walk behind for trimming and steep grades.
That 45 will be lousy around the house. You will end up with something smaller for close in work and possibly dealing with your EOD.
There is a cost factor, too. A good 24 will be a more versatile machine, although it will require more passes to clear the same area. I have a 27". It's a brute to maneuver and I am looking for something smaller for close in work. 
Good luck. You have a lot on your plate.


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## Roar (Feb 27, 2014)

I just came in from cleaning out my driveway. We got another 5 inches overnight, and the winds kicked up. That translated into a lot of snow blowing around.
Our driveway is 300 yards long, and the half closest to the road is open to the west, where the winds usually come from. We invested in a small tractor, a New Holland TC30, with 30 horsepower diesel and hydrostatic four wheel drive. Next came a 63 inch wide New Holland 716D front mounted snow blower, and with a total snowfall this winter of 160 inches, boy am I glad I have that. I wasn't quite so happy when the prop shaft to the blower broke, and we were snowed in for three days, but that is behind us now. The bucket on the blower is two feet high, and on the west side of the driveway the snow was a good bit higher than the bucket in some places this morning.
The PTO horsepower rating is 24, so there is only 0.38 horsepower per inch of blower width, not much more than my Ariens ST824 at 0.33, and yes, that means the going gets very, very slow at times. Glad I have infinite speed adjustment with the hydrostatic drive!
Besides the snow blower, tractors are good for front end loaders, rototillers, back hoes, e.t.c., and if you buy acreage out in the sticks, all that stuff comes in handy! You know SWMBO will want a decent vegetable plot. ;-)
f.w.i.w.
Roar


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## Roar (Feb 27, 2014)

Pythons37 and I wrote at the same time. His point about a smaller and easily maneuverable unit for narrow walks and close to buildings is very valid. That is why I am trying to get my ST824 back in service.


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## WestminsterFJR (Dec 30, 2013)

That's a beautiful property, Roar.


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## rhenning (Sep 19, 2013)

I agree with the others and these are my main thrower and my trimmer. Both survived this years WI winter. Roger


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## GtWtNorth (Feb 5, 2014)

Have any of you with the large properties tried installing a temporary snow fence upwind of your drive. They used to do that here extensively & it does work. You also have to remember to always blow your snow onto the downwind side of your drive. (unless of course, you need justification for that 45" monster)


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## Roar (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks, Ken! It was a bank owned foreclosure. 20 acres and we got it for a song, that means a price we could afford.
GtWtNorth (great white north?), yes I have had that thought many times this winter, especially when it wasn't snowing, but the wind blown snow filled up my driveway a couple of times in a day more than once. I need a pretty tall one though, or a couple of them. They just don't look very nice and a hassle to put up and take down.


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

GtWtNorth.. around here you would need a fence at least 5 feet above ground.. and figure itl only work till snow goes over and then your back to square one.. granted if it saves you half the winter.. it`s a step in the right direction.. place I ued to rent well.. the owner woldnt based on sheer cost (I came up with 4 digit figure for a snow fence in materials alone..)


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## Marty013 (Mar 14, 2014)

RedOctobyr said:


> I didn't know they were even made that big, wow.
> 
> What size engine, what hp? One thing I would do is compare inches of cutting width per hp, for different machines. As you said, it could be fast for smaller storms, things that are easier to throw. But it would likely choke somewhat on big EOD, unless it's a monster engine, or you go really slowly.
> 
> ...


Troy-Bilt 420 cc 45-in OHV Snowthrower | Canadian Tire

this is fairly typical of what i mean.. 45in width.. 16in impeller.. 420cc.. triggers for turning... some other MTD sister brands might have other bells...


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I'd hate to make the payments but I think it would be fun running it down the drive 
You would want to make sure you're drive is maintained and near flat without the usual hump in the middle if it's gravel so you're not tearing up the scraper bar.


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## Skidder (Mar 14, 2014)

Just my though but if I had a driveway anywhere near that long I would own a plow truck/tractor not a snowblower.


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## ken53 (Nov 7, 2013)

Here you go Marty, they say a picture is worth a 1000 words, but I don't know what a video is worth.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Heh, that is a beast  420cc, 16" augers. At 460 lbs, it sounds like a handful, hopefully you don't have to move it around by hand too often. 

The reviews I skimmed through at the link appeared to raise some quality/durability concerns. The MTD machines don't have the same reputation for design and build quality as some of the better brands (Toro, Ariens, Honda, etc). 

At that price, I would want to know it is going to be a solid machine. This still may be, of course, but it would be a consideration for me. Especially when you'd be a bit stuck if it suddenly had a problem. Would you have a backup blower, for curiosity? 

What kind of storms do you typically get? How deep, is it wet heavy snow, etc? 

I don't know if there are other brand machines of the same width. I think the "big" ones are typically still in the 32" range, still quite a bit smaller than this. 

As Skidder said, at $2500, something like an old pickup with a plow starts to become something to consider. Even if it wasn't registered for the street, and was just for snow duty and similar.


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

I've seen old lawn tractors with only a blower unit, nearly as wide, for well over half that.

I understand to each their own, but I would think that there might be other options out there.


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## peisnowguy (Jan 19, 2014)

My neighbor across the road has one of these and he is trying to sell it. I son't know if I can recommend one of these to anyone. He goes through auger belts like they are candy and before Christmas he didn't have it for a month because he broke the axle in it. I bought a Ariens Platinum 30" and I help him with his driveway sometimes. He is selling his Cub Cadet 45" to buy one exactly the same as mine. Mine is 14 HP and his I believe is 13 HP although I think the newer models have upped the horsepower. Sorry but I would not want one of those monsters. He is taking like half the width of his snowblower's with wet snow and I am taking the full width of mine and throwing it farther and going faster. Wider is not always better.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

one thing ive learned is to never buy an mtd or a murray, everytime a look at one of their blowers on craigslist is the paint is always falling off and flaking, and the metal is rotted through and the auger housing is bending in. my uncle had a 24 inch noma made by murray that was always garage kept, well maintained and serviced frequently. last year in october he gave it to me because he had taken it to be welded the year before because where the auger housing meets the blower the mounts were cracked from stress and really thin metal. also the auger housing was rotted through and collapsing in on itself and the metal finally broke off, the augers took it in and destroyed the gearbox. moral of the stor is to go on craigslist and find yourself an older ariens, an 832 or 1032 would meet your needs and work just fine, or maybe a toro 1032 or 1132, install an impeller kit and you will have a snowblower that should last you a lifetime if you maintain, mtd is crap and that blower has a honda clone. if you want new then buy a honda, theres a good reason why a 28 inch honda retails for the same price as a 28 inch mtd. if you want to find out how good mtds customer service department then go ahead and buy the mtd and allthough it may take a few years, you will learn why i stay far from mtds and murrays, and you will be wondering "gee, why didnt i buy something that actually works?"


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