# best value 2 stage?



## s002wjh (Sep 15, 2015)

whats a good value 2 stage blower? also is power steering necessary? i heard craftman 208cc is pretty good value?


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

s002wjh said:


> whats a good value 2 stage blower? also is power steering necessary? i heard craftman 208cc is pretty good value?


Power steering is *not* necessary. Craftsman are either made by Murray or MTD. Murray if I'm not mistaken. Personally, I wouldn't buy either of them. Get a Toro, Ariens or Honda. Even used you'll be happier with one of them than buying a new Craftsman. Watch this vid before making your choice.


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## s002wjh (Sep 15, 2015)

what about sno-tek 24"? also the toro new snowmaster 724 zxr/qxe etc, any good?

also i live in southern ohio, dont have a big drive way 20ft at most, and snow average is less than 15" per year. only have concrete drive way(no gravel) not sure Arien would be overkill or not?


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

used ariens 10,000 or 924,000 series blowers. some of the best you can get, reliable and usually cheap. honestly if i were to buy new i would only consider a new simplicity, ariens, or toro 2 stage. everything else is junk in my opinion


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## caddydaddy (Dec 10, 2014)

I have a Cub Cadet 524 SWE that has the trigger steering. So easy to turn, and the joystick control for the chute is awesome. It was a better value than the Ariens Compact 24 and I'm very happy with it!


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

15" a year and a 20 ft driveway? The only 2 stages I would recommend are:
1.) Buy a shovel
2.) Save your money
:welcome:


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Welcome to the forum WJH :white^_^arial^_^0^_


Please consider adding your location to your profile so it pops up with your user name when you post. Some questions like this one location is important.

For what little snow you get and the shortness of your driveway you might be better served with a single stage. Less expensive to buy, smaller, lighter and usually quicker getting the job done.


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## jtclays (Sep 24, 2010)

TORO ccr powelite 16in snowblower
Running properly (clean carb, good paddles and scraper, fuel not left in it), these are probably the best, simplest little blowers ever made, IMO. Easy to work on and can be stored on a hook on the garage wall.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

s002wjh said:


> what about sno-tek 24"? also the toro new snowmaster 724 zxr/qxe etc, any good?
> 
> also i live in southern ohio, dont have a big drive way 20ft at most, and snow average is less than 15" per year. only have concrete drive way(no gravel) not sure Arien would be overkill or not?


You *don't need* a two stage blower. Get a ss Toro, Ariens or Honda. I personally prefer the Toro ss over the Ariens ( I've had both) but any decent ss shouuld be adequate for your small driveway.
If you insist on a two stage get something like a Toro 521 or a small Ariens.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

wow, im amazed its that low for southern Ohio! (its not _that_ far south, and seems like it would be within range of Great Lakes lake effect snow) but I guess not! I googled Cincinnati, and yep, 20" average! huh..that's very surprising to me..

I agree..with that tiny amount of snow, there is absolutely no need for a 2-stage at all..
get a quality single-stage..look at Toro single-stage.

Scot


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

A good brand single stage like Toro or Honda should last a couple of seasons. Ha Ha I meant decades or even longer. I think the bigger question here is moving northward towards more snow.


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## PixMan (Feb 14, 2015)

"Value" is a hugely personal and highly subjective thing.

From what you describe, a shovel is going to be very nearly and effective as a single stage, use far less storage space and keep you in better shape.

If you insist upon a power tool, a single stage machine is all you need for that little snow and that small of a space.

If you insist upon a two-stage machine, then don't listen to me. I'm a summa cum laude graduate of the Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor School of Power Tools. We were taught that there is no such thing as too big, too powerful. Get a 32" 15HP professional tracked machine.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

sscotsman said:


> wow, im amazed its that low for southern Ohio! (its not _that_ far south, and seems like it would be within range of Great Lakes lake effect snow) but I guess not! I googled Cincinnati, and yep, 20" average! huh..that's very surprising to me..


The trick is that the lake effect snow tends to go more East than South (and thus hits you rather than southern OH :laugh. If you look at the stats, Cleveland gets much more snow than the cities farther south.

To the OP: I agree with the others, you don't need a 2-stage snowblower! Unless you've got some weird circumstance where all 15 inches comes in one storm. Get a nice single-stage unit and enjoy its light weight and maneuverability.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

What if it's just 2 snowfalls, at 10" High each snowfall, that is wet and heavy snow.

I get a mix of light snowfalls and sometimes real heavy ones, depending on the season.
Love my SS, but it can't keep up with heavy wet snow....
And when it's wet to the point it's close to slush, fuggadboutit


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

mobiledynamics said:


> What if it's just 2 snowfalls, at 10" High each snowfall, that is wet and heavy snow.


except, it's not!  ever.



> Most days of snowfall in Cincinnati result in just a skiff of less than an inch left on the ground. On four days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.
> Snowstorms of over five inches a day are rare events that don't appear every winter. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more are not at all normal for Cincinnati.


Cincinnati OH Snowfall Totals & Snow Accumulation Averages - Current Results

scot


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## s002wjh (Sep 15, 2015)

thx guys, like other said 2-stage is overkill for me, ill look for toro single stage at HD. any idea which series?


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

I'd choose a 7 series just because it's got the biggest engine.
I believe it's $750 for the one with electric start.
$650 without.

And or buy once, cry once and just get their king of the hill fully loaded one


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