# Should I consider this used Toro 1028 LXE over a new unit or other brand?



## grantd (Jan 12, 2017)

In the market for a snowblower to do my driveway (about 60' x 20') in MN. I'm not someone who wants a project and prefers that it should work as well as it can for as long as it can without having to mess around with it more than I have to. I was considering the Costco Jonsered with the 305cc briggs and the toro power max 824 oe at $700 and $800 respectively. I am somewhat considering the ariens 24 deluxe but it would stretch the budget a little bit more.

I came across this post on Craigslist that has me considering a used blower instead toro 1028 LXE. What do you think is this something I should consider over my other options mentioned? Asking price is $525
























































I emailed him and he guesses the model year to be about 2009, mentioned a few cosmetic paint scratches and an intermittent headlight issue.

Any idea what this means?


> It’s also a heavy duty unit and because of this it does not have sheer pins. A couple years ago I had a color welded on the auger to reinforce the nut. Other than that all is good on it.



So what do you think? Should I stick with one of my other options or consider this one? What should I look for or be concerned about with a 10 year old blower? I haven't seen it in person yet.


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

That's a fine machine and it looks clean. I could not really see if the augers were ground down. I am not a great mechanic and personally would go for the new Toro. It has a warranty and you know what you are getting. A used machine may not have been taken care of and has some wear and tear. How was it stored in the off-season, i.e, is the carb gummed up? I am not sure about that welded collar on the auger either, but it does not sound like a good sign. Yes, I'd buy the new Toro and make sure to use ethanol-free gas in it. The Toro will have a good parts supply for years too and there are a lot of Toros out there with a big dealer network. You might have problems getting parts for the Jonsered. You don't see many of those.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Watch this 13 min. vid and make up your mind.
*Donyboy is the man.*


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## grantd (Jan 12, 2017)

Miles said:


> How was it stored in the off-season, i.e, is the carb gummed up? .... and make sure to use ethanol-free gas in it.


Forgot to include those two bits from the ad. He says he's always used ethanol free gas and stored it inside.

Thanks for the input so far.

Grant


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## Grunt (Nov 11, 2013)

The skids on the side of the bucket are ground down pretty far, that shows it was somewhat neglected for maintenance. Can't really see the augers, but wear on the shoes would mean wear on the augers.


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

Grunt said:


> The skids on the side of the bucket are ground down pretty far, that shows it was somewhat neglected for maintenance. Can't really see the augers, but wear on the shoes would mean wear on the augers.


Yes, those skids look way ground down- they are reversible. Look at the top of the skid and you can see what the bottom is supposed to look like. So, you'll save $275 by not buying the new Toro? That's $27.50 a year over ten years and you'll probably get 20 years out of that new Toro.


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## grantd (Jan 12, 2017)

Miles said:


> So, you'll save $275 by not buying the Toro? That's $27.50 a year over ten years and you'll probably get 20 years out of that new Toro.


Not entirely apples to apples as the new toro would be the 8 horse instead of 10 about 100cc different. I don't believe the 8 horse has the steering feature either. The extra 4 inches on the bucket of the used one is kind of a wash for me, one or two less passes for being bigger to store the 350+ days a year I'm not using.

Good catch on the shoes though I wouldn't have noticed that.


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

grantd said:


> Not entirely apples to apples as the new toro would be the 8 horse instead of 10 about 100cc different. I don't believe the 8 horse has the steering feature either. The extra 4 inches on the bucket of the used one is kind of a wash for me, one or two less passes for being bigger to store the 350+ days a year I'm not using.
> 
> Good catch on the shoes though I wouldn't have noticed that.


You are right, it's not apples to apples. Thanks to Grunt, I saw the wear on those shoes which also means wear on the augers. They are supposed to be serrated, but get worn down smooth when the shoes are worn down. Then, they cannot bite into the ice well.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

The tips of the augers are shiny, implying they've been hitting the ground. Consistent with excessive wear on the skid shoes. Plus some mysterious welding. I'd skip this used Toro, at least. 

Any used machine will be more likely to have a surprise problem, vs new. If you're not looking to deal with that, I'd focus on used machine that are just several years old.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

I say no to the used machine, I don't think it's had much tlc other than inside storage. As others have said, the worn skids raise a red flag for me.


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## grantd (Jan 12, 2017)

Thanks everyone for the input, I'm certainly glad I asked. I'll likely be buying the toro 824 oe new in the next couple of weeks unless someone can talk me into either the Jonsered or the ariens deluxe (about $100 more with coupon).

I've been looking for a couple year old blower around here but haven't been seeing a lot of them pop up craigslist. Most appear to be from the 80's and still priced at $350. Newer stuff is all craftsman/MTD and still not much of a bargain. I suppose if you have a good blower there isn't much reason to sell it a couple of years after you bought it.


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## SimplicitySolid22 (Nov 18, 2018)

Ummmmmm.... maybe I am wrong but the skids do not look worn they look like they are on upside down only one sided????????


Probably adjusted wrong as well so augers are too low...


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

I'm pretty sure all the Toros come with skids you can flip, at least all the ones I have or had. The guy was too lazy to flip them to the good side just b4 they wore out.


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## bbwb (Oct 25, 2018)

Glad you are running with the new one. In the photos, the top of the auger housing has a significant dent in the top...looks like it was not well taken care of.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

With the skid shoes worn through it more than likely also let the bottom of the auger housing and the scraper bar get ground down. Since the serrations on the augers are gone the housing is damaged. I don't think it would be worth the trouble to buy new augers and repair or replace the housing. So it's just use it as is with the skids flipped or move on to something else used or new. For that kind of money there are better options out there. Time to not even consider this one any longer IMHO.

.


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