# Looking recommendations for SnowBlower "virgin"



## bratan (Dec 19, 2014)

Ok that didn't sound right 
Anyway, I recently moved to Warwick, NY and it gets pretty snowy down here in the winter. This is going to be my first winter in my first house. I have pretty long asphalt drive-way (125-150ft). We had bad snow storm already on Thanksgiving (about 2 feet) and although I'm pretty young and strong guy, I realized that shoveling is just not going to cut it (spent about 4 hours doing that). So I'm looking to purchase my first snowblower. Been reading various guides, and while I know that I need at least 2 stage gas model, I'm a bit confused about width and other features. I can't spend more than $1K, and really really would like to get one under $800. I also have 10% off at Lowes so I'd prefer to shop there (they carry mostly Troy Built and Husquarna). 
So having said all that, would someone recommend me what to go for? Is width really that important? I don't mind spending about an hour behind blower... But price difference between just few inches is crazy...
I also would like blower to handle wet snow, and obviously something that lasts long time. Don't care about hand warmers or power steering (or should I?) Anything else I need to know? Any advise will be appreciated!


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

look for a toro, ariens, or honda in your price range


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## whimsey (Oct 16, 2014)

Welcome to a great site. I'm in Sussex County NJ so I get similar snow falls as you do. If you're mechanically inclined and have the time and the facility to refurbish old snow blower's this is the site. I enjoy OPE equipment but didn't have the time or the facility. So while I was employed at Lowe's I purchased a Troy-Bilt Storm 2410. This is my first snow blower in 60 years. I have a 42' L X 19' W drive way and got tired of shoveling it. It fit my budget and requirements. For the Thanksgiving wet snow fall it performed well. I added the larger Amor Skids and it works great on my hilly, ruddy, gravel driveway. You will meet a lot of good people here. Enjoy!

Whimsey


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## whimsey (Oct 16, 2014)

My purchase was based on need and price. I'm leaving NJ and heading to warmer snow free climates within the next 4 years so I didn't need a 50 year lasting machine . I maintain all my equipment and my vehicles so I expect this snow blower to last and work correctly till I sell it and then beyond .

Whimsey


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

detdrbuzzard said:


> look for a toro, ariens, or honda in your price range


 I up grade to a 1128 Toro from a 8 hp Craftsman and a huge difference in wet heavy snow I am sure a 8 or 9 HP machine form one of the good big 3 would work for you the best.


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## bratan (Dec 19, 2014)

Thanks guys! I think Toro is a lot out of my price range, Ariens looks good tho. My Lowes doesn't carry any of those tho, what about Husquarna?
I'm not that mechanically inclined unfortunately (I can build you custom microcontroller powered device, but I can't do much other than change oil  so used is probably not for me...


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## bratan (Dec 19, 2014)

Ok Ariens, seems very nice, but it's gone form all local stores  I'm now narrowed down to either Husqvarna 254cc 27-in (961930097) or Toro Power Max 826 OE 26 in. There are very few reviews on Huskey so I'm a little worried about it.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

1k would probably get you a new toro 826 or something simular but what you buy is totally up to you


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Welcome Bratan
I'm confused... You can't afford a Toro but you *can* afford an Ariens? They're both up there in price. Is there that much difference?
If you're at all mechanically adept you should buy a used two stage machine. Look at C'list and see what's there. I and lots of other guys on here buy them and flip them all the time.


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## bratan (Dec 19, 2014)

micah68kj said:


> Welcome Bratan
> I'm confused... You can't afford a Toro but you *can* afford an Ariens? They're both up there in price. Is there that much difference?
> If you're at all mechanically adept you should buy a used two stage machine. Look at C'list and see what's there. I and lots of other guys on here buy them and flip them all the time.


Sorry I was replying to Hanky's suggestion about 1128 Toro. Then I realized that HD carries cheaper version (826). I'm leaning toward it, since it $900


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

You can not go wrong with a 826 the build quality is there a 12 in impeller will work great. Toro has been around for a long time and builds good stuff to last .


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## pfn (Dec 24, 2010)

If it's me I'd get a 1970's vintage, 28', Ariens. Once you get it home repower it with a Predator engine for a hundred bucks or so , add an impeller kit and... Presto-chango you have a snowblower as good as any on the market today.
All that and I'd bet you can't spend $800 on it with the personal satisfaction of a job well done. 
What a deal!


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## lclement (Jun 23, 2014)

As for the husky im sure they would work for a few years but my question is durability? Will it last as long as an ariens or honda? time will tell

You defiantly have a large and long enough driveway to justify a honda but they are pricey... i would use SearchTempest: Search all of Craigslist nationwide & more to find a good deal on a honda this summer or even a pro ariens. 

The next question is dealer support, bog box stores leave a lot to be desired when it come to service and repair. 

If you get the toro that should work but just make sure the dealer is able to service and repair if needed. Also a good question to ask is turn around time? This is why many people have a back up (used snow-blower) and with a driveway like yours finding a cheap used back up blower may not be a bad idea. Summer is a good time to find these, demand drops and so do prices.


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## dhazelton (Dec 8, 2014)

I'm in Middletown so I know what most of your choices will be. You can hit Sears for something (my neighbor has an old Sears with a Techumsah and it does a great job). You can go to the Farm Supply and get a Cub Cadet, I think they have one for your price point. You can go to Dombrowski's or Mavrix for a Honda which will be at least double what you want to spend. You can go to Tool Factory Outlet for a Husky and probably pay to much. Or go to Lowes and HD for the brands already discussed. Home Depot in Middletown has a big row of machines chained up out front and I think they're priced at $799. Oh, what about the True Value in Florida - they sell snowblowers as well.

If you can make little electronic things you can service a snowblower or lawn mower. But if you can't, you can take your machine to Dan Ogden in New Hampton or find a small engine guy closer to you. 

I have a Honda and paid $9.50 for two augur sheer bolts at Mavrix. NINE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. FOR TWO! I'll be hitting ebay for a backup stash, so whatever machine you get make sure you can get those types of consumables.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

bratan said:


> Thanks guys! I think Toro is a lot out of my price range, Ariens looks good tho. My Lowes doesn't carry any of those tho, what about Husquarna?
> I'm not that mechanically inclined unfortunately (I can build you custom microcontroller powered device, but I can't do much other than change oil  so used is probably not for me...


The Ariens Snowtek is a good machine. I say 24inch wide 21 inch high bucket and your good to go. Can be had for about $599.99. Good general purpose 2 stage machine with out all the bells and whistles.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

GustoGuy said:


> The Ariens Snowtek is a good machine. I say 24inch wide 21 inch high bucket and your good to go. Can be had for about $599.99. Good general purpose 2 stage machine with out all the bells and whistles.


Well this is a very comforting post to run across since I just snagged one of these Sno Teks.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

pfn said:


> If it's me I'd get a 1970's vintage, 28', Ariens. Once you get it home repower it with a Predator engine for a hundred bucks or so , add an impeller kit and... Presto-chango you have a snowblower as good as any on the market today.
> All that and I'd bet you can't spend $800 on it with the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
> What a deal!


LOL, That is what I would do. A great heavy duty blower body and a powerful new OHV engine with an impeller kit. I have a Predator 212cc powered 1973 Montgomery Ward (Gilson) 8/26. It really works great too. I upgraded my drive belt size on my Repowered MTD 5/22 because the torque of the Predator engine was stretching out and wearing out the puny 1/4 inch belt that was on it. I needed to install a new bottom friction 3/8th inch drive plate which I bought on ebay for $33.99 which I installed and it now has a much beefier 3/8th inch drive belt on it and it works even better now. Hopefully the belt will last longer than a season before I need to replace it. Auger belt however lasts a long time and it's going on 3 seasons now.

Here is a video of my repowered Montgomery Ward (gilson) in action


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## dhazelton (Dec 8, 2014)

There's a couple of machines on Craigslist, one an older Honda HS70 for $350 that the guy claims works and looks clean for it's age...

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/bar/4797978746.html

....and a newer Yard Machines (MTD I assume) 8 hp electric start that looks very clean for the same money. 

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/hsh/4805617500.html

Put 'snow blower' in search box and a bunch come up, but these two attracted me. There's a Troybilt too but looks like the augur housing is bent.
I would check them out.


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

GustoGuy said:


> The Ariens Snowtek is a good machine. I say 24inch wide 21 inch high bucket and your good to go. Can be had for about $599.99. Good general purpose 2 stage machine with out all the bells and whistles.


 +1 with the Ariens Snowtek plus you get the warranty. Good Luck


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## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

pfn said:


> If it's me I'd get a 1970's vintage, 28', Ariens. Once you get it home repower it with a Predator engine for a hundred bucks or so , add an impeller kit and... Presto-chango you have a snowblower as good as any on the market today.
> All that and I'd bet you can't spend $800 on it with the personal satisfaction of a job well done.
> What a deal!


He's not mechanically inclined......lets just get him a machine that will do the job he wants.


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## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

bratan said:


> Ok that didn't sound right
> Anyway, I recently moved to Warwick, NY and it gets pretty snowy down here in the winter. This is going to be my first winter in my first house. I have pretty long asphalt drive-way (125-150ft). We had bad snow storm already on Thanksgiving (about 2 feet) and although I'm pretty young and strong guy, I realized that shoveling is just not going to cut it (spent about 4 hours doing that). So I'm looking to purchase my first snowblower. Been reading various guides, and while I know that I need at least 2 stage gas model, I'm a bit confused about width and other features. I can't spend more than $1K, and really really would like to get one under $800. I also have 10% off at Lowes so I'd prefer to shop there (they carry mostly Troy Built and Husquarna).
> So having said all that, would someone recommend me what to go for? Is width really that important? I don't mind spending about an hour behind blower... But price difference between just few inches is crazy...
> I also would like blower to handle wet snow, and obviously something that lasts long time. Don't care about hand warmers or power steering (or should I?) Anything else I need to know? Any advise will be appreciated!



Make your life easy. visit a Toro dealer see what he has in stock... you can't go wrong.......have him service it. repair it....


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## venusaur01 (Dec 28, 2014)

i would recommend Honda hands down no questions asked. there are people i know of from other forums that have owned their Honda's for more than 20+ years with absolutely no problems. 

the reason Honda is a good investment is they do not skimp on the engines and they are built to last. second place would probably be Toro solely for price.


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## bratan (Dec 19, 2014)

dhazelton said:


> I'm in Middletown so I know what most of your choices will be. You can hit Sears for something (my neighbor has an old Sears with a Techumsah and it does a great job). You can go to the Farm Supply and get a Cub Cadet, I think they have one for your price point. You can go to Dombrowski's or Mavrix for a Honda which will be at least double what you want to spend. You can go to Tool Factory Outlet for a Husky and probably pay to much. Or go to Lowes and HD for the brands already discussed. Home Depot in Middletown has a big row of machines chained up out front and I think they're priced at $799. Oh, what about the True Value in Florida - they sell snowblowers as well.
> 
> If you can make little electronic things you can service a snowblower or lawn mower. But if you can't, you can take your machine to Dan Ogden in New Hampton or find a small engine guy closer to you.
> 
> I have a Honda and paid $9.50 for two augur sheer bolts at Mavrix. NINE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. FOR TWO! I'll be hitting ebay for a backup stash, so whatever machine you get make sure you can get those types of consumables.


Hey neighbor!  Yeah I just recently discovered Tractor supply store, loving it!

Anyway thank you for all suggestions, I eventually did get Toro 826 OE, and it's already been thru 2-3 storms! Overall I'm pretty happy about it, and getting a hang of using it. Only thing that bothers me is that it get stuck in the snow all the time (not enough traction on single drive wheel). I might need chains for it.
Other than that it handled dry snow (couple of feet), wet snow and even hardened snow/ice from the road plows that block my driveway 
It takes me about 45 minutes to clean my driveway in heavy snow.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

One thing you will like in wet heavy snow is the chute, snow does not stick to it. I was surprized at how great the plastic chute is.


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