# Scored a "Near New" HS928



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

Just every once in awhile, a blind squirrel finds an acorn.......... even a "near new" Honda snowblower. 


We live in far NW Lower Michigan, close to Traverse City. Have been very happy with an almost 20 year old wheeled HS828, which now has several hundreds of hours on it. The winter of '14 sent over 275" of snow our way, to give you some idea. Our local Honda dealer, Ferguson's, does a stellar job with all of our Honda equipment (have two Honda mowers plus a Honda powered leaf blower). 


Have been looking for a little used, well cared for, shiny red Honda HS928 on and off, for the last couple of years. Found very few Honda snow blowers for sale at all, and mostly junk, rusted and toothless, or parts machines when they do appear. So when a "near new" HS928 with wheels and electric start showed up on local CL, I was on it like a bird dog on a covey of quail 


Sent an email with a couple of questions and then a follow up email. Didn't hear a word for four (4) days.  Thought for sure it had been snapped up on Day 1 on CL. Then got a return email and rushed right over to inspect the 'blower. The story goes, the owner used for one season, he died and the widow let it sit in garage for four years, and then she died too.


It started and ran and blew snow like a champ. Everything looked just like a one year old machine. All paint pristine, decals, hardly a mark on it. Tires look like brand new, auger teeth sharp, housing pristine, has nice side skids too. Has a little corrosion in inside chute and impeller housing, which I cleaned up and will have repainted this summer at dealer. Feel pretty darn lucky to find one this nice. Plus all that, the owner didn't know what new ones like this cost these days. :yahoo: ( And I didn't tell him) 


A couple pics:


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

very nice score !


----------



## dadnjesse (Nov 24, 2015)

So how much did you pay?


----------



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

dadnjesse said:


> So how much did you pay?



Approximately 33% of MSRP + tax of new HSS928 w/electric start.


----------



## Jae0 (Jan 6, 2017)

Natty Bumpo said:


> Approximately 33% of MSRP + tax of new HSS928 w/electric start.




Ooh a skill testing question. Why not just say ~$1,000 USD?


----------



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

Jae0 said:


> Ooh a skill testing question. Why not just say ~$1,000 USD?


 
DUDE................... SORRY, if that "math" is too hard for you. :smiley-confused013:


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Nice pick-up! The HS928 is a great machine. Looks to be a 2008 - 2010 model. Just drain the carb at the end of the season and fog the engine and you'll have a machine that you can pass down to your grandchildren.


Honda did have a recall on these units for a defective fuel tank joint. Check your serial # against the recall attachment below. If the recall work hasn't been done yet, your dealer should take care of it free of charge. Enjoy the new toy!


----------



## raggdoll (Dec 20, 2016)

Jae0 said:


> Ooh a skill testing question. Why not just say ~$1,000 USD?


Because it makes him feel that he got a boss deal, that's why :redface:


----------



## Jae0 (Jan 6, 2017)

*Scored a &quot;Near New&quot; HS928*



raggdoll said:


> Because it makes him feel that he got a boss deal, that's why :redface:




Oh it is a fantastic deal no doubt! I'm just being a deal jealous $hit disturber. Good find; ones like that don't come around very often.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

congrats natty, you guys on the west coast have a need for a blower that can move lots of snow


----------



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

Freezn said:


> Nice pick-up! The HS928 is a great machine. Looks to be a 2008 - 2010 model. Just drain the carb at the end of the season and fog the engine and you'll have a machine that you can pass down to your grandchildren.
> 
> 
> Honda did have a recall on these units for a defective fuel tank joint. Check your serial # against the recall attachment below. If the recall work hasn't been done yet, your dealer should take care of it free of charge. Enjoy the new toy!


 
THANKS for the helpful replies. I have fogging oil on hand.


I talked to my dealer's foreman yesterday, and on second thought, will take it in to them this week to go over everything right now. See about any recalls on that specific machine, I know for sure it had a recent oil change. They can deal with the minimal gravel induced road rash and reprime/repaint the few affected spots. Want to stop any rust in its tracks right NOW. :happy:


A GOOD Honda dealer is worth their weight in Gold.


----------



## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

JaeO, I didn't care for the way of not getting the plain and simple answer to your question either. With being an Ariens man, I wouldn't know the MRP for a Honda machine. 



Jae0 said:


> Ooh a skill testing question. Why not just say ~$1,000 USD?


----------



## Jae0 (Jan 6, 2017)

Kielbasa said:


> JaeO, I didn't care for the way of not getting the plain and simple answer to your question either. With being an Ariens man, I wouldn't know the MRP for a Honda machine.




OP's pricing statement would equate to $1,600 where I'm at (Canada). It's not much leg work for me to look up US MSRP and tax rates, but makes the thread more "international". But hey, "33% of MSRP for new" is also a good way to standardize it too. Man, I'm reading too far in to this. Haha

Either way, good on OP for finding a great deal.


----------



## chaulky45 (Jan 23, 2014)

Nice shape buddy, you got a keeper there


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

If you do end up taking the machine into a Honda dealer make sure you ask them to remove the auger rakes from the auger shafts and grease the auger shafts and replace the auger bearings if needed. Honda auger rakes are notorious for seizing themselves to the auger shafts due to lack of periodical greasing. Water and salt get into the auger tubes and just fuse the rakes to the auger shafts. Once that happens, it's nearly impossible to remove the auger rakes without an acetylene torch, a BFH, and several cans of PB Blaster. If the auger rakes become "fused" to the shafts, the shear pins are basically rendered useless. If you hit something hard (curb, newspaper, dog bone, etc) the impact will transfer right thru the fused auger shaft, thru the auger gear case (which will likely grenade) and up through the impeller where it has enough kinetic energy to bend the crank shaft. You scored a great deal on the machine.... do yourself a favor and reinvest a few bucks into greasing those auger rake tubes/auger shafts and then every couple years remove the shear pins and "spin" the auger rakes just to make sure they still spin freely. I recommend greasing them every 2-3 years depending how often you use the machine. Just my $0.02


----------



## Kjf71 (Dec 11, 2016)

Freezn , just curious what does it mean to fog engine ? What has to be done ? Never heard of it ?


Nice score on the new machine .


----------



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

Freezn,


APPRECIATE that solid advice. Once again. 


I had heard about this issue with the frozen augers shafts, due to inadequate maintenance. I can change the oil and spark plugs on everything in the barn, but I take every working machine to a A+++ stocking dealer every 2-3 years, depending, for a complete, head to toe pro service. 


Another example of my motto "Pro service doesn't cost, it pays" I am convinced that it pays off big time, in the long run. I know of some 30 YO Honda blowers around here, which are still strong in the game. All have had regular professional servicing along the way.


Regards,
Natty B.


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Kjf71 said:


> Freezn , just curious what does it mean to fog engine ? What has to be done ? Never heard of it ?


 
Fogging is basically the practice of coating the internal engine parts with a light oil to protect them from picking up moisture over the summer. It coats internal engine components to prevent corrosion and displaces moisture from metal to protect the engine and lubricates the cylinder and piston to prevent "dry start" when the engine is first started at the beginning of the winter season.


Essentially all you have to do is purchase a spray can of engine fogging oil (I use Sta-Bil 22001 Fogging Oil) which you can get at any marine supply store or auto parts store. Remove your spark plug. Take the red straw nozzle and insert one end into the fogging spray can and the other end into the spark plug hole (cylinder) and give a good liberal dose of spray to the top of the piston and around the side walls of the cylinder. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE RED STRAW FALL OFF THE SPRAY CAN AND DOWN INTO THE CYLINDER. Once the cylinder and piston have been coated, turn the engine over by hand 2-3 times by pulling the starter recoil rope (make sure you're doing this with the spark plug still out of the cylinder head.). Once you've turned the engine over a couple times by hand, try to get the cylinder to TDC (top dead center) which is basically when the cylinder is at the top of the power stroke. Usually you can feel the piston at TDC when you pull the recoil starter and you feel "the most resistance". Once the piston is at TDC, go ahead and rethread & tighten your spark plug. Engine is protected until you go to start it next winter. Don't be alarmed if you see a ton of white smoke when you start your snow blower the following year. Just excess Fogging Oil burning off.


At the end of the season, I generally add about 1oz. of marine grade Sta-Bil stabilizer to my fuel tank, run the machine for 5-10 mins, shut the machine down, slide the fuel shut-off valve to the closed position, open the fuel drain peacock valve on the bottom of the carb and drain any remaining fuel in the bottom of the carb, close the carb peacock valve, refill gas tank to full capacity, then fog the engine as outlined above. Everybody has their own end of season routine...that just happens to be mine which I use on all my small engine equipment (lawn mower, weed-wacker, chain-saw, back-pack blower..etc) 

 
https://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-2200...F8&qid=1485735374&sr=8-1&keywords=fogging+oilhttps://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-2200...F8&qid=1485735374&sr=8-1&keywords=fogging+oil


----------



## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

You certainly can bring the blower to a dealer and have them do all those things, but it seems like your 33% of retail will increase rapidly. It it were me, i would get a Owners/repair manual and do all of those things myself. It is a good way to get to "know" your machine, and then be able to repair it yourself during a 2' snow storm instead of waiting in the dealers queue to get it repaired. But, i tend to disassemble brand new equipment so I will know what it should look like when it does break. Guess its the engineer in me...and my frugal-ness !


----------



## merdody1 (Jan 30, 2017)

That's a great looking machine! Congrats.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Natty Bumpo said:


> ...the owner didn't know what new ones like this cost these days....( And I didn't tell him)


???...And...You feel good about that???


----------



## highdesignfool (Jan 23, 2017)

Freezn said:


> If you do end up taking the machine into a Honda dealer make sure you ask them to remove the auger rakes from the auger shafts and grease (I personally prefer Anti-Seize) the auger shafts and replace the auger bearings if needed. Honda auger rakes are notorious for seizing themselves to the auger shafts due to lack of periodical greasing. Water and salt get into the auger tubes and just fuse the rakes to the auger shafts. Once that happens, it's **** near impossible to remove the auger rakes without an acetylene torch, a BFH, and several cans of PB Blaster. If the auger rakes become "fused" to the shafts, the shear pins are basically rendered useless. If you hit something hard (curb, newspaper, dog bone, etc) the impact will transfer right thru the fused auger shaft, thru the auger gear case (which will likely grenade) and up through the impeller where it has enough kinetic energy to bend the crank shaft. You scored a great deal on the machine.... do yourself a favor and reinvest a few bucks into greasing those auger rake tubes/auger shafts and then every couple years remove the shear pins and "spin" the auger rakes just to make sure they still spin freely. I recommend greasing them every 2-3 years depending how often you use the machine. Just my $0.02




Do you remove the auger rakes to grease them?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

jrom said:


> ???...And...You feel good about that???


Everybody feels good when they get a good deal. I can tell you I would not offer the seller more money than what they're asking, it's their own responsibility to find out the worth of what they're selling.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Marlow said:


> Everybody feels good when they get a good deal. I can tell you I would not offer the seller more money than what they're asking, it's their own responsibility to find out the worth of what they're selling.


To each his own...


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

I've seen people getting taken...

I don't like it.

A fair price, for a well regarded product is one thing....

_Caveat emptor_ should not apply to the vulnerable of our society...we should do better than that.

I've been on both sides of that equation...one feels better than the other.


----------



## Natty Bumpo (Jan 21, 2017)

Marlow said:


> Everybody feels good when they get a good deal. I can tell you I would not offer the seller more money than what they're asking, it's their own responsibility to find out the worth of what they're selling.


 
*EXACTLY!*

The seller is disposing of some items from a deceased family member's estate. He has a high paying job at the local medical center. He lives in a brand new, one million dollar plus house. He drives a higher end Lexus and his wife drives a five series BMW. He is the farthest thing from a uninformed seller. 


The ad was on Craigslist; the home of scummers, scammers, low ballers and tire kickers. The seller sets the price. I paid him his asking price in crisp $100 dollar bills. I am taking all the risk, that the 928 will prove worthy in the through vetting at the dealer's servicing starting this morning.


Both parties walked away happy. That is the essence of a "fair deal" in my mind.


And for "some guy" who knows absolutely nothing about the seller, buyer, or the nice Honda pictured above, to question my ethics is pure bovine excrement; big heaps of it. :icon_cussing_black:


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

highdesignfool said:


> Do you remove the auger rakes to grease them?



Honda Snow Blowers don't have grease zerk fittings (Don't even get me started..:dry so the only way to effectively grease the auger shafts is to remove the auger rakes. It sounds more difficult than it really is. Just a matter of pulling the shear pins and removing three bolts from each side of the auger housing. Takes all of 15 mins to complete the job and you're good to go for another 2-3 years. Still baffles me why a best in class manufacturer like Honda is unable or unwilling to add $0.50 grease fittings to a $2,800 machine :smiley-confused013:


----------



## Jae0 (Jan 6, 2017)

jrom said:


> ???...And...You feel good about that???




I think most of us, myself included, have posted a sale ad online only to have 3 messages in the first 5 minutes and the item picked up 15 minutes later. At that point, all you can say is "well... maybe I should have priced it a bit higher". Motives of private sellers can be all over the place; if this seller had no use for the machine and didn't want to waste their time, they priced it low to have it gone. If the seller needed to get more out of it to cover expenses, that's their choice, but then they run the risk of wasting more time with potential buyers humming and hawing and dickering for a deal. Seller offered a great deal, OP got a great deal.


----------



## JnC (Feb 21, 2014)

Freezn said:


> Honda Snow Blowers don't have grease zerk fittings (Don't even get me started..:dry so the only way to effectively grease the auger shafts is to remove the auger rakes. It sounds more difficult than it really is. Just a matter of pulling the shear pins and removing three bolts from each side of the auger housing. Takes all of 15 mins to complete the job and you're good to go for another 2-3 years. Still baffles me why a best in class manufacturer like Honda is unable or unwilling to add $0.50 grease fittings to a $2,800 machine :smiley-confused013:



Honda did realize the issue but their fix was not a one dollar grease zerk in each auger. Instead the auger driveshaft in later models is reduced in diameter for 3/4 of the length that goes inside the auger, plus their is an O ring that sits between the shear bolt collar and the auger itself. The reduced diameter means that that area doesnt get in contact with the auger tube inner wall hence no chance of rust fusion there, plus the O ring helps keep moisture out of the tube.


----------



## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Maybe I'm missing something here, but $1,000 for an HS928 is a fair price for both the buyer and seller. I purchased my 2009 HS928WAS on Craigslist five years ago and paid the asking price of $1,100 It was in pristine condition never used. I mean not a speck of paint missing from the impeller housing, auger blades, or discharge chute. Older gentleman purchased it the summer of 2009 then decided to pay to have his driveway plowed. Even today I stumbled across three HS928's (2 wheeled and 1 Track) in "excellent to new" condition on Craigslist ranging from $1,000 to $1,600 As long as both the buyer and seller are happy with the deal...everyone wins.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Natty Bumpo said:


> And for "some guy" ...to question my ethics is pure bovine excrement; big heaps of it.


Oh get a life.

And enjoy your new 928.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

You know Natty, it helps to put things into proper context. I've seen a fair amount of people get ripped off over the years. Owning a Honda snowblower does not automatically make someone well-off. 

If you had given a little more info on your find, I would not have posted what I did.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Jae0 said:


> I think most of us, myself included, have posted a sale ad online only to have 3 messages in the first 5 minutes and the item picked up 15 minutes later. At that point, all you can say is "well... maybe I should have priced it a bit higher". Motives of private sellers can be all over the place; if this seller had no use for the machine and didn't want to waste their time, they priced it low to have it gone. If the seller needed to get more out of it to cover expenses, that's their choice, but then they run the risk of wasting more time with potential buyers humming and hawing and dickering for a deal. Seller offered a great deal, OP got a great deal.


You're right, I've done it too (selling). 

I'm a bit sensitive to people who knowingly take advantage of the ill-informed and the un-informed, especially when it comes to hard working low or lower-income people who just don't know about the value of things. 

After good ol' Nat gave us more details, I can now say he isn't one of them, but someone saying: "..._the owner didn't know what new ones like this cost these days._ *( And I didn't tell him) * (emphasis mine) reeks of that kind of person.


----------



## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Freezn said:


> Maybe I'm missing something here, but $1,000 for an HS928 is a fair price for both the buyer and seller. I purchased my 2009 HS928WAS on Craigslist five years ago and paid the asking price of $1,100 It was in pristine condition never used. I mean not a speck of paint missing from the impeller housing, auger blades, or discharge chute. Older gentleman purchased it the summer of 2009 then decided to pay to have his driveway plowed. Even today I stumbled across three HS928's (2 wheeled and 1 Track) in "excellent to new" condition on Craigslist ranging from $1,000 to $1,600 As long as both the buyer and seller are happy with the deal...everyone wins.


You are right..and good for you. That's how it should be. It's hard to find clean ones around here though. Natty got a good deal on a really clean blower that typically gets mucho hard use in these parts.

..."excellent to new" condition on Craigslist ranging from $1,000 to $1,600 in most of Michigan is a rare event.


----------



## 524SWE (Jan 20, 2017)

RIT333 said:


> You certainly can bring the blower to a dealer and have them do all those things, but it seems like your 33% of retail will increase rapidly. It it were me, i would get a Owners/repair manual and do all of those things myself. It is a good way to get to "know" your machine, and then be able to repair it yourself during a 2' snow storm instead of waiting in the dealers queue to get it repaired. But, i tend to disassemble brand new equipment so I will know what it should look like when it does break. Guess its the engineer in me...and my frugal-ness !


I agree with you but remember some people are not as mechanically inclined as others. Surely you have read the posts by some members that clearly show you should have to take a test and buy a license to own tools. Nonetheless it's a free country and we shouldn't discriminate against the mechanically challenged.


----------

