# HS622 Shop Manual...FREE ONLINE????



## Craig October (Dec 30, 2018)

Why does HONDA charge $50 for a shop manual? You'll buy the parts from them anyhow. Why not post the manual online???


----------



## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Craig October said:


> Why does HONDA charge $50 for a shop manual?


Because they can.



> Why not post the manual online???


Because people are willing to buy it.
Also, please dont swear..im going to edit your post.

Scot


----------



## dhazelton (Dec 8, 2014)

It costs money to produce one.


----------



## Dag Johnsen (Dec 24, 2018)

*Hs622 / 655*



Craig October said:


> Why does HONDA charge $50 for a shop manual? You'll buy the parts from them anyhow. Why not post the manual online???



Are HS622 or HS655 sold in the US?


I live in Norway, here they sell a lot of the 655 With both Wheels and tracks.


Dag


----------



## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Seems like it also might be a (very) subtle way to pressure you to take the machine to a dealer for repair.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Craig October said:


> Why does HONDA charge $50 for a shop manual? You'll buy the parts from them anyhow. Why not post the manual online???


to answer your question

paper
ink
printing press
technicians
artists
proof readers
pressmen
transport costs
distribution
packing materials

probably forgot 5-6 things and maybe more. you could buy a copy and then post online but then Honda would sue you for copyright infringement. And they would have that right. 

I have bought 4 of these manuals for close to $200 and consider them worth their weight in gold. Has helped me save thousands in repair costs.


----------



## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

Ariens does... https://www.ariens.com/en-us/manuals

I totally get that creating repair manuals costs money. But for electronic ones at least, you spend the money once, then the "publishing" cost is nearly zero. When you divide the money spent by the thousands of machines sold for thousands of dollars each, the cost/machine is trivial. And let me tell you as an Ariens owner, it can make your customers more appreciative of your company... and therefore more likely to buy your product again.


----------



## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

orangputeh said:


> I have bought 4 of these manuals for close to $200 and consider them worth their weight in gold. Has helped me save thousands in repair costs.


Orange,
How in depth and detailed are these Honda manuals compared to the free Ariens manuals? Im wondering if the Honda manuals are in a different catagory, perhaps very detailed repair manuals that actual repair technicans would use, compared to the free Ariens manuals which might be less technical and geared for the consumer? But I havent seen the Honda manuals, so I dont know.

Honda also doesnt want to take business away from their authorized dealers, who make money on repairs and maintance. Charging for the manuals helps minimizes that issue somewhat. (Which is basically what ELaw was saying)

Scot


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

sscotsman said:


> Orange,
> How in depth and detailed are these Honda manuals compared to the free Ariens manuals? Im wondering if the Honda manuals are in a different catagory, perhaps very detailed repair manuals that actual repair technicans would use, compared to the free Ariens manuals which might be less technical and geared for the consumer? But I havent seen the Honda manuals, so I dont know.
> 
> Honda also doesnt want to take business away from their authorized dealers, who make money on repairs and maintance. Charging for the manuals helps minimizes that issue somewhat. (Which is basically what ELaw was saying)
> ...


Scot,

I can't speak for the Ariens manuals since I have never seen one . The Honda manuals are easy for me to understand ans I really like the illustrations or whatever you call them , the drawings of the machine areas which show you each part and how it fits with each other. The maintenance sections are top notch as well as the troubleshooting diagrams. Has helped me countless times.

I am not a mechanic by trade and have tried to follow Subaru manuals that are for professional techs and I had a lot of problems with them.

I would have to say the Honda manuals are easy to understand for the "everyman" as well as a seasoned mechanic.


----------



## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

orangputeh said:


> to answer your question
> 
> paper
> ink
> ...


..and yet most other companies provide their manuals digitally free, with the exception of John Deere who also loves robbing their customers. Stihl mails paper copies free and they even pay the postage to mail them. Their manuals are also laid out very well with excellent drawings. Since Honda is a far bigger and richer company than say Stihl for example, it comes down to they can and greed, simple as that.
If they wanted to provide the manuals free digitally, they very easily could. They chose not to and make another buck off the backs of their customers. Simple as that.


----------



## 140278 (Aug 27, 2020)

Dusty said:


> ..and yet most other companies provide their manuals digitally free, with the exception of John Deere who also loves robbing their customers. Stihl mails paper copies free and they even pay the postage to mail them. Their manuals are also laid out very well with excellent drawings. Since Honda is a far bigger and richer company than say Stihl for example, it comes down to they can and greed, simple as that.
> If they wanted to provide the manuals free digitally, they very easily could. They chose not to and make another buck off the backs of their customers. Simple as that.


last post Dec 30, 2018


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Dusty said:


> ..and yet most other companies provide their manuals digitally free, with the exception of John Deere who also loves robbing their customers. Stihl mails paper copies free and they even pay the postage to mail them. Their manuals are also laid out very well with excellent drawings. Since Honda is a far bigger and richer company than say Stihl for example, it comes down to they can and greed, simple as that.
> If they wanted to provide the manuals free digitally, they very easily could. They chose not to and make another buck off the backs of their customers. Simple as that.


"you talking to me? you talking to me? "


----------



## Dusty (Dec 13, 2018)

I picked up a Honda Liquid cooled 4514 Lawn Tractor this past year. Mice had made a home inside the timing belt cover. Their nest had caused that timing belt to jump a tooth, throwing the timing off, plus it was chewed halfway thru. That engine had to come up and out to get to that timing belt and involved a lot of disassembly. The radiator, fan, clutch, everything had to come out. Luckily those machines are older now and that service manual is available free online. Because without it, theirs no way I would have been able to complete that job. So if your working on something difficult like that, they got you by the balls if you need that manual and its not available free. I'm working on a Honda HS621 single snowblower right now. Thats far simpler so the service manual isn't really required for that, but yea, these companies got you, if those manuals aren't available free to access and its something more complicated like that 4514 was. Great tractor though, it was built top notch, the older Japanese imported products.


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Dusty said:


> ..and yet most other companies provide their manuals digitally free, with the exception of John Deere who also loves robbing their customers. Stihl mails paper copies free and they even pay the postage to mail them. Their manuals are also laid out very well with excellent drawings. Since Honda is a far bigger and richer company than say Stihl for example, it comes down to they can and greed, simple as that.
> If they wanted to provide the manuals free digitally, they very easily could. They chose not to and make another buck off the backs of their customers. Simple as that.


Actually, what Honda did is keep the cost of their machines lower by not building the shop manual cost into every one. They're assuming (correctly) that most owners will not be doing their own maintenance beyond the basics.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

everything should be free.

that's why I am swamped with taxes paying for all this "free" stuff.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

tabora said:


> Actually, what Honda did is keep the cost of their machines lower by not building the shop manual cost into every one. They're assuming (correctly) that most owners will not be doing their own maintenance beyond the basics.


I bought almost every Honda snowblower repair manual. Has saved me and made me so much money it would be embarrassing to print the figure for last 3 years. 

They are worth their weight in gold.


----------



## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

orangputeh said:


> I bought almost every Honda snowblower repair manual. Has saved me and made me so much money it would be embarrassing to print the figure for last 3 years.
> 
> They are worth their weight in gold.


Totally Agree!!! I've been fortunate that I've not had to purchase any Honda Shop manuals for any of my equipment. Usually, I've been able to figure it out, or I find that someone else on these forums has already encountered the issue and has posted enough information to guide me through... In your case, I can't see how you could get by without them! I've used other vendors' so-called Shop Manuals, but the Honda ones are in a class by themselves.


----------



## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

tabora said:


> Totally Agree!!! I've been fortunate that I've not had to purchase any Honda Shop manuals for any of my equipment. Usually, I've been able to figure it out, or I find that someone else on these forums has already encountered the issue and has posted enough information to guide me through... In your case, I can't see how you could get by without them! I've used other vendors' so-called Shop Manuals, but the Honda ones are in a class by themselves.


it really helps me with parts orders and the diagrams or drawings of exploded systems are invaluable. troubleshooting , carb cleaning, adjustments, specifications, and on and on.

To me , it's a real treat reading these . Experience is an excellent teacher but backed up by the engineers who built these machines is almost priceless.


----------

