# *** Need advise on the Troy Bilt 2x 30" & 34"



## E46 (Nov 14, 2016)

Hello,

I am in the market for a new snow blower. And I have settled on Cubcadet or Troybilt. Cant find reviews on these. Was looking at Ariens, but the Auto Turn has turnrd me off after reading quite a few reviews.

Looking at the CC 2x 33" or Troybilt 2x 30" or 34". Leaning towards the 34" as I have a bigger driveway. Ruled out the 3x as the snow gets tossed around in front of the bucket.

Any feedback would be great.
Thanks


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## AbominableSnowman (Nov 14, 2016)

Here's one factor worth considering: ratio of engine power to clearing width. Just because the bucket is wider doesn't mean it will clean better or faster. If the CC and Troy-bilt you are considering have the 357cc and 420cc engines, those should be plenty for 30" and 34" clearing width. But if the 34" has a 357 (or smaller) engine, I'd consider sticking with the 30" width.

I believe both CC and Troy-bilt are MTD brands. I suspect they share components and assembly processes, and Consumer Reports shows both brands to have better-than-average reliability for two stage blowers.


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## RattlerGUNZ (Nov 3, 2013)

Toro, Ariens and Honda or get a used one. If you're Canadian Yamaha.


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## E46 (Nov 14, 2016)

AbominableSnowman said:


> Here's one factor worth considering: ratio of engine power to clearing width. Just because the bucket is wider doesn't mean it will clean better or faster. If the CC and Troy-bilt you are considering have the 357cc and 420cc engines, those should be plenty for 30" and 34" clearing width. But if the 34" has a 357 (or smaller) engine, I'd consider sticking with the 30" width.
> 
> I believe both CC and Troy-bilt are MTD brands. I suspect they share components and assembly processes, and Consumer Reports shows both brands to have better-than-average reliability for two stage blowers.


I hear what you are saying. They are both MTD brands.
Cub Cadet 33" and Troy Bilt 30"uses 357cc. CC seems undersized?
Troy Bilt 34" uses 420cc engine which is size appropriate. 
It almost seems like TB would be the way to go either way....


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

my advice.......go back and look at the ariens line up again.


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## E46 (Nov 14, 2016)

nwcove said:


> my advice.......go back and look at the ariens line up again.



Sorry! No Auto Turn for me.
Read enough bad reviews about people trying to come up fixes using Poly skids shoes and what have you. One reviewer on this forum mentioned he had two different size tire on his Ariens and come to find out the dealer entire stock had two different size tires in his inventory. Getting the right size tire minized the issue.
Not taking a chance with it. Not for me. Trust me, Ariens was my first pick till I started checking reviews.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

I would say go look at a Husqvarna, or Toro also.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

AbominableSnowman said:


> Consumer Reports shows both brands to have better-than-average reliability for two stage blowers.


Consumer Reports has some poor ratings in my humble opinion. I would NOT take their results very seriously.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Unless the CC or Troy have something specific to them I'd look at a similar MTD and save some $$.
If you're mechanically inclined thought I'd sure recommend getting something old and solid like an Ariens or Toro.
Might consider adding your location to your profile.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

E46,
take a look at the dates on the negative Ariens auto-turn reviews you are reading..
I suspect you will find they are two or three years old..

yes, there were glitches in the first year Auto-turn came out (I think it was three years ago, Autumn of 2013)
but those glitches have been fixed, and they might have been that first-year only..
but the internet never forgets..its all still out there easy to find.
but old reviews often have no bearing on current products a few years later, when the problems have been adressed and fixed.
If you are reading negative reviews from 2013 and 2014, I think you can safely ignore them if you are looking at new Ariens models..
Ariens even adjusted the balance of the entire machine, by adjusting the axle position, in order to improve auto-turn..
I haven't heard anything bad about it in the past year..

IMO, you should not consider Cub Cadet or Troy-Bilt at all..Ariens and Toro are much better regarded in terms of build quality and reliability...
MTD is known to be a step-down on the quality scale..they arent *bad* necessarily, but you can do better..

and there has been a lot of discussion here about Consumer Reports reviews of snowblowers..the problem is, they rate snowblowers only when they are *brand new*..long-term reliability isn't even a factor for them..I will repeat what I said a few weeks ago:



sscotsman said:


> Thats another potential "problem" with the CR reviews of snowblowers..they rate the performance of the machines only when they are _brand new._
> Which they need to do of course...but..there is no account taken of longevity and reliability over time. Will an Ariens or Honda be in better condition than a Cub Cadet 10 years from now? all things being equal? All the evidence says yes, clearly they will..because build quality and build robustness is *not* the same between all manufacturers...but these differences are not readily apparent on brand-new machines, they are differences that only appear over time.
> 
> Consumer reports does keep track of reliability and quality over time with their used car ratings..which I find very meaningful and helpful. A car that rates highly when it is brand-new can end up rated much more poorly when its 5 years old..it would be helpful if they could do the same with other products.
> ...


from: http://www.snowblowerforum.com/foru...7898-consumer-reports-snowblower-reviews.html

I would not use Consumer Reports as a factor in your decision..unless you only plan to only need a snowblower for 5 years or less..
if you want a machine to last 10, 20, 30, 40 years..Ariens, Toro or Honda..I never recommend anything else.
(I also like the Briggs & Stratton brands too: Snapper, Simplicity and B&S..never hear anything bad about those.)
But MTD? nope..wouldn't recommend it, not when you can do better for the same money.

Scot


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## E46 (Nov 14, 2016)

sscotsman - There are reviews from this year on few sites. People complaining about the Auto turn and having to man handle to keep it going straight. Also there is a sticky on this forum under Ariens Forum for the AT issue. If they had one without AT, I would be all over it. Infact Ariens was my #1 pick until I discovered the AT issue...

I currently own a MTD snow blower that is over 15 yrs old and has had one carb rebuid on it. I paid about $500 for it back then. MTD has stepped up the game with the Artic Storm line and you can also check review on movingsnow.com. Also I don't plan to keep the blower over 10-15 yrs.

CR also has a reliabilty rating where Troy bilt is #2. Granted its only from last three yrs. But still that's some data collected from 18,000 people. Yes CR is not perfect.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

well ok, I can respect that..
sounds like you are really doing thorough research! which is great..








you have to make the best choice for you based on what you know..
Scot


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## AbominableSnowman (Nov 14, 2016)

E46, did you ever pull the trigger on a new purchase? Curious to find out what you settled on.


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