# HSS928 seems to be beast!



## itscoldhere (Jan 11, 2014)

I recently bought the Honda HSS928 over the HSS724, because I figured bigger is always better. In the showroom I shuffled it around a little to get the feel of it's weight. It was noticeably heavier than the 724, but being a guy, I thought I was man enough to handle it, lol. Then..., between the time of the purchase and the first snowstorm, I tore up the muscles and tendins in my forearm.
When the snow finally arrived, I marched out with my new red snow blower beast to do battle with the elements.

Holy crap!! It kicked my ass! I hope it gets easier when I heal up. I was laying on the handlebars at times to maneuver it. I never heard any guys on this forum crying about moving the sheer weight of this brute! Just the odd complaint about the tracks. 

Tonight we get another 14 inch blanket of nature's wonder. Hopefully. tomorrow, I can tame this beast. Surely, you don't have to look like Hulk Hogan to use one of these?
signed 
itscoldhere


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Three things come to my mind. There are more, but these are the top:

1. Sell or see if the dealer will trade it back for the 724.
2. Start bulking up.
3. Learn the art of maneuvering a Honda with the least muscle effort (not the easiest, but can be done).


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

its not the machine its your tendins and its unfortunant that you tore them up now. i pulled the tendin in my right wrist back in august the pulled the tendin around my right ankle in september and while they are on the mend both are still weak. prior experiance tells me that by next september i'll be all healed up


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## FairfieldCT (Nov 8, 2013)

I own the 928 with wheels. It is a nicely balanced machine that runs beautifully....... when the skid shoes are installed in the FRONT position on the sides of the auger housing, NOT in the rear position. 

For whatever reason the machines come from the factory with the skids in the rear. Switch positions (the manual says they can be used in either location) and the machine will wheel itself down the driveway with little or no correction required. Trust me, it makes a world of difference.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

I second the front/side skids (sometimes listed as: AUGER SKID KIT, COMMERCIAL) as a 100% improvement in handling. I went 20 years with the original rear mounted skids and the last 2 with the side mounted commercial skids. Unbelievably better.

I was just having a little fun when I said you should bulk up. I've had my fair share of arm workouts with my 828 (tracked).


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## Snowcone (Jul 17, 2013)

jrom said:


> I second the front/side skids (sometimes listed as: AUGER SKID KIT, COMMERCIAL) as a 100% improvement in handling. I went 20 years with the original rear mounted skids and the last 2 with the side mounted commercial skids. Unbelievably better.
> 
> I was just having a little fun when I said you should bulk up. I've had my fair share of arm workouts with my 828 (tracked).


Mine has rear mounted skids, what skids did you use on the side of the machine? The rear skids on mine look like bent triangles.

Thanks!


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## johnd (Nov 10, 2013)

Has anyone tried both front and rear mounted skids? I have to think the additional surface area alone would provide for smoother straighter running.


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## FairfieldCT (Nov 8, 2013)

johnd said:


> Has anyone tried both front and rear mounted skids? I have to think the additional surface area alone would provide for smoother straighter running.


No you don't want to do that. The leverage caused by using the rear skid position puts an incredible amount of downforce on the driveway which creates the difficult handling. By moving them up front to the sides of the auger housing there is significantly less pressure on the skids and they ride smoothly along the driveway.

In the rear position I had scrape marks all up and down my drive. I never saw that with any other snow blower. Up front all of that goes away. The machine I used to hang onto for dear life with two hands now will track up the driveway perfectly with me keeping just one hand loosely on the drive handle bar. 

Get rid of the rear skids altogether.


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## m1234 (Nov 6, 2013)

johnd said:


> Has anyone tried both front and rear mounted skids? I have to think the additional surface area alone would provide for smoother straighter running.


I'm running both the rear and side skids that my HSS724TC came with, both adjusted to the same height and it seems fine. But, I'm curious why our Canadian machines come with both side and rear skids installed? It may have something to do with our auger height adjustment which is hand-operated and continuously variable vs the foot-operated 3-position mechanism used on the US versions. I thought maybe it allows a 'middle' position to be defined by setting the side skids to a different height than the rears?


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## jfmtnbiker (Dec 2, 2012)

I own the Honda HS928TAS. Typically, track versions of snowblowers are harder to maneuver. Nevertheless, when I first bought the machine it seemed so hard to handle. I realized that's because I needed to let the machine do the work. Instead of trying to make it turn fast, let it turn at the speed it can turn itself. This is the second winter I have owned this blower and this year I don't have any back aches from it. Just let the machine do the work.


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## tonysak (Dec 24, 2013)

jfmtnbiker said:


> I own the Honda HS928TAS. Typically, track versions of snowblowers are harder to maneuver. Nevertheless, when I first bought the machine it seemed so hard to handle. I realized that's because I needed to let the machine do the work. Instead of trying to make it turn fast, let it turn at the speed it can turn itself. This is the second winter I have owned this blower and this year I don't have any back aches from it. Just let the machine do the work.


I agree. The only work i have to do while snow blowing is turning it and that's not really hard. I have the 1332 32". Its really easy to turn, if you put the hydro on very slow, then turn it. Any other times i will do a pass, reverse while turing 90 degrees, then forward while turning 90 degrees to complete a 180degree turn. Of course, I will get lazy and just spin it around. The unit is not hard to maneuver, even while making small turning adjustments while cleaning the driveway. Its only those 180 degree turns which could be a bit of a slight bother. I would rather deal with a 180 degree turn, than hip check and manhandle a large blower all the way up and down my driveway, that is far more draining.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Snowcone said:


> Mine has rear mounted skids, what skids did you use on the side of the machine? The rear skids on mine look like bent triangles.
> 
> Thanks!


Sorry to take so long to respond. I was away for a week with no internet access and I missed this when I got back. Here is a link to boats.net order page: 04700-768-E100 HONDA AUGER SKID KIT (Honda Code 5254248) $39.49

If you do a google search for Honda commercial auger skid kit and click images the ones I use show up in the first few hits.


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## mcmars (Feb 6, 2014)

Newbie here, but 6 years experience w the hs 928 track. I have very bad rheumatoid and oesteo arthritis and agree w the less is more advice offered already. I have a very tight area to clear and I have figured out that making rectangular paths work OK but you have to adjust the chute so much while dealing with everything else gets to be a bit much at times. So when I want to take it easy I just put the machine in reverse w my right hand and keep auger engaged w my left and go back and forth in a nice easy pace and do not have to mess w adjusting the chute direction that way or have to turn it at all, sometimes at a diagonal angle to my driveway so I get the most efficient chute angle to place the snow exactly where I want it to go. The first year of use is a bit tough till you figure out the most efficient pattern and get used to the controls. I always run it at full throttle but generally slow the speed down to adjust to conditions. Do not pop the clutch to slow down, use the variable speed control on the left side w your right hand works best for me w my arthritis. Hope that helps.


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