# Buying desision



## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

I'm looking for a snowblower. I use to own a Toro and I'm thinking of getting another one. I love the joystick control. It is one of the best designs that I have used. 

What I will use it on...



It will be used to do my driveway which will hold about 7 cars and is gravel. Pretty flat
My neighbor has a two car driveway which I would help her do. Asphalt that has a slight grade.
My mother has a two car driveway and a short walkway. Flat asphalt.
In laws have a asphalt driveway that is on a hill and can hold 6-8 cars.
I'm not trying to break the bank. So I got to the point where I settled on a 826 OE. They have it for $998 at Home Depot. Turns out that it sold out days to a week before I was ready to buy. So if I want it at that price I would have to travel 2.5 hours one way to get it at a location with some stock. That is one option.

My wife called around and a local shop has it for $1199. Then there is one about 30-40 mins away for $1130. That place is only about 15 mins from work. They also have a 724 at one for $1099.

My wife is having a heart attack over spending the money. But we need it. I said the other option is I put the Jeep in 4X4 and drive over it and you can shovel before going to work so you can get your car out. :icon_whistling:

But I have looked around to see if there were any quality used ones around. Found a Ariens a few days ago. 11526 I believe but I missed looking at that buy two days. 

Last night I found a Honda HS622. They are asking $450 if it is still available. My issues with it are I hear about some having issues with a transmission leak. The age because I think that is about 15 years old or so. And it lacks the nice controls of the Toro. I need to move the chute a lot to do my driveway so easy chute control helps. Also with the size 22" and the fact that it has a slow crawl speed, it might take too long to do the driveways. 

So what would you buy between the HS622, 826 OE and 724 OE?

James


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

I would also take a hard look at the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO at about $1200. It will offer you the most powerful and durable construction, however you would get. An old school over the dash crank chute control. The Toro 826 OE would be the second choice.

Best of luck with whichever one you decide to go with.


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Cardo111 said:


> I would also take a hard look at the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO at about $1200. It will offer you the most powerful and durable construction, however you would get. An old school over the dash crank chute control. The Toro 826 OE would be the second choice.
> 
> Best of luck with whichever one you decide to go with.


If that was $1200 here in Canada I would have a hard time not buying it. The Deluxe 28 is $1598. I'm thinking the SHO is around $1800. It is unreal how much they cost here.

James


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

Flexin said:


> I'm looking for a snowblower. I use to own a Toro and I'm thinking of getting another one. I love the joystick control. It is one of the best designs that I have used.
> 
> What I will use it on...
> 
> ...


Check on the reputation of the local shop first. There's something to be said for buying from a local dealer if problems arise with the unit, plus they can be a help with other issues and equipment down the road. You might try and negotiate a better price with them. Show them the HD ad, and mention the other dealer further away had a slightly better price. May or may not work, because the local guy has all his eggs tied up in his business and might not be able to price match. Price is a major consideration, but having a local dealer you can count on has a definite value as well.


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## briguy (Dec 5, 2015)

Flexin said:


> If that was $1200 here in Canada I would have a hard time not buying it. The Deluxe 28 is $1598. I'm thinking the SHO is around $1800. It is unreal how much they cost here.
> 
> James


If you have a Husqvarna dealer near you, (They don't even have to sell snow blowers to service Husky equipment), ask first if they would service one bought on line. Amazon sells the ST227P for about $899 and as low as $819. Has a lot of options for the money and free shipping.


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

The HS622 is a great little snowblower. It was available in Canada a long time after it was discontinued for the market in the States. I bought mine new in 1999 and the only issue I have with it myself is that it only has two forward speeds, which I would guess might have had something to do with it not being offered in the U.S. any more. My local Honda dealer sold a used one not long ago for $750.00U.S.

I think the transmission leak you are talking about are the drive shaft seals. I had to have mine replaced once before, and lately noticed the tell tale evidence of oil on the garage floor under it. I have the seals and will be replacing them in the next couple of days. I don'd consider that too bad for a 16 year old machine. Otherwise, other than one shear bolt, it has just had regular maintenance.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

Toro Power Max 826 OXE Snowblower | snowblowers | New Glasgow | Kijiji Mobile
$1259.99. 0% for 18 months. 
A bit of a road trip tho.


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## Cardo111 (Feb 16, 2015)

Flexin said:


> If that was $1200 here in Canada I would have a hard time not buying it. The Deluxe 28 is $1598. I'm thinking the SHO is around $1800. It is unreal how much they cost here.
> 
> James


I hear ya, I should have specified the cost was in USD. Toro advertises the 826 OE on their US website for $999 USD. It seems like they are discounting the Toros more in Canada.


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## AriensSnowman (Dec 9, 2014)

Cardo111 said:


> I would also take a hard look at the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO at about $1200. It will offer you the most powerful and durable construction, however you would get. An old school over the dash crank chute control. The Toro 826 OE would be the second choice.
> 
> Best of luck with whichever one you decide to go with.


I second this advice. Please buy from a local dealer, not a big box store. I also wish you luck.


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

briguy said:


> If you have a Husqvarna dealer near you, (They don't even have to sell snow blowers to service Husky equipment), ask first if they would service one bought on line. Amazon sells the ST227P for about $899 and as low as $819. Has a lot of options for the money and free shipping. http://www.amazon.com/Husqvarna-961...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending



I'm in Canada so I don't think the free shipping would count. And with our exchange rate it would be just over $1250 which is still a good price since they go for $1399 at Canadian Tire. 

James


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

nwcove said:


> Toro Power Max 826 OXE Snowblower | snowblowers | New Glasgow | Kijiji Mobile
> $1259.99. 0% for 18 months.
> A bit of a road trip tho.


That isn't too far. That isn't all that far from the Honda. I found a dealer not far from here that has the same price on their Toro. 

I really like the OXE but I'm finding it hard to want to spend the extra $138 including taxes over the OE. I have to buy a hitch carrier as well which is going to set me back $200-300 because my wife didn't think we should buy it when it was on sale. :smiley-confused009:

James


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Cardo111 said:


> I hear ya, I should have specified the cost was in USD. Toro advertises the 826 OE on their US website for $999 USD. It seems like they are discounting the Toros more in Canada.


They must be. 

James


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

Flexin said:


> That isn't too far. That isn't all that far from the Honda. I found a dealer not far from here that has the same price on their Toro.
> 
> I really like the OXE but I'm finding it hard to want to spend the extra $138 including taxes over the OE. I have to buy a hitch carrier as well which is going to set me back $200-300 because my wife didn't think we should buy it when it was on sale. :smiley-confused009:
> 
> James


 I think in the long run, you will be more happy with the oxe and you will be more likely to keep it longer . So in the long run you will save more than the $138.


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## Gardawg (Nov 21, 2015)

Here in Buffalo NY, I paid $999.00 for my Toro 826OXE while the 826OX was $899.00. For the extra $100.00 plus sales tax, the OXE features Toro's version of auto turn (identical to Ariens) and a headlight, well worth the extra cash. Funny it hasn't snowed here yet so my machine is just sitting waiting for use.


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

69ariens said:


> I think in the long run, you will be more happy with the oxe and you will be more likely to keep it longer . So in the long run you will save more than the $138.


I think you are right. And that has been the problem. You said what I knew but didn't want to hear. 

$138 really isn't an issue but I was already $130 over the max price I wanted to pay. Then you add on the 15% tax, plus the $239 + tax for the carrier.

So I started to think about used. I figured if I found a good enough deal I could sell it next year for most of what I paid and buy the one I really want next year. But I hate the thought of buying a used one in the winter. Any repairs need to be done before the next storm. If they are not done then you have to shovel knowing you have a non working snowblower in the garage. That wouldn't make me happy.

So then I thought about taken a gamble and toughing this year out and get one next year. I figured I would keep looking at used for a cheap deal to get me by just in case. I was hoping to get three more weeks of warm weather to help in getting a better price. It didn't work. We got snow. Snowed a few times now.

Came home from work the other day while it was snowing. Neighbor did my driveway with with his JD ride on with plow. Thank you. I will have to hook him up later. Went to moms and shoveled for her. That did it. I can't wait. I don't want to shovel the amount of snow I will have to shovel if I don't get one.

So to put a stop to this long story. I bought my hitch carrier last night and put it together in the store parking lot. I didn't want to risk damage to my Jeep hard top stuffing it into the Jeep.

In about a week or so my 826 OXE should be in and ready for me to pick up.

Thanks for the advice.

James


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Gardawg said:


> Here in Buffalo NY, I paid $999.00 for my Toro 826OXE while the 826OX was $899.00. For the extra $100.00 plus sales tax, the OXE features Toro's version of auto turn (identical to Ariens) and a headlight, well worth the extra cash. Funny it hasn't snowed here yet so my machine is just sitting waiting for use.


Did you buy it this year? Have you had a chance to try it yet? 

We had a decent amount of snow fall on Tuesday, Tuesday night. So at work on Wednesday we had a lot of snow to clear from the yard. I had a chance to use the Chraftsman snowblower at work. It has power steering with the triggers. That is a great feature. You don't have to fight the snowblower to turn it.

I'm wondering how well this auto turn works on the Toro.

James


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Bought her Tuesday night. Loving her so far. We had 8" fall overnight so I had a chance to try her out the next morning. 

I did my driveway, my neighbor next to me, the one across the street (she shoveled and then the plow filled it back in.), and then loaded it up on the Jeep and went to my in laws. Did that driveway and then headed to moms to do hers. When I got there I noticed that someone else did it and shoveled the walkway. We are not sure who. Works for me.

James


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## Gardawg (Nov 21, 2015)

James,
Looks like the hitch mount worked out great for you. My 826OXE fit in the back of my Honda Element perfectly when I picked it up from the dealer.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

Gardawg -

I gotta ask. With chute and handlebars removed to fit ?


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

congrats on the new machine flexin !! it must be a joy to use.


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## Gardawg (Nov 21, 2015)

mobiledynamics said:


> Gardawg -
> 
> I gotta ask. With chute and handlebars removed to fit ?


No, all I had to do was move the chute joystick to the lowest position and the machine fit no problem. The control levers were close to the moon roof when loaded, so I tied the machine down to the floor using the seat mounts. This was to prevent it from bouncing up off the floor if I hit a big bump in the road. The Element seats fold up to each side but I has removed them years ago at it's mainly a cargo hauler.


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Gardawg said:


> James,
> Looks like the hitch mount worked out great for you. My 826OXE fit in the back of my Honda Element perfectly when I picked it up from the dealer.


Yes it did. The 826 just fits. I was happy to find out it clears the tire. Thanks for suggesting the OXE. So far I'm really happy with the auto turn. There could be some snow tomorrow so I might get a chance to try it out again.

James


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## 1894 (Dec 16, 2014)

1st , Congrats on your new machine !! 

2nd , regarding your hitch carrier , I'm tempted to get one but have a couple of questions about them. First is stability , I see you have it on a jeep so you must get a good feel for how much it wants to tip from side to side when driving over anything other than nice flat roads. Is there any way to stabilize the teeter totter effect ? 
Second , how would you ( or anyone else that uses one ) minimize the salty crud that gets sprayed up and around the back of a vehicle at highway speeds from covering the blower ? ?


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

1894 said:


> 1st , Congrats on your new machine !!
> 
> 2nd , regarding your hitch carrier , I'm tempted to get one but have a couple of questions about them. First is stability , I see you have it on a jeep so you must get a good feel for how much it wants to tip from side to side when driving over anything other than nice flat roads. Is there any way to stabilize the teeter totter effect ?
> Second , how would you ( or anyone else that uses one ) minimize the salty crud that gets sprayed up and around the back of a vehicle at highway speeds from covering the blower ? ?


Thanks. I'm happy to have one again. I need to organize my garage again so it isn't in my way all spring, summer in fall but it will be worth the trouble each time I tackle the EOD without any back breaking shoveling.

Our roads are anything but flat so it is a good test. I just did the math and I have about 90 kms (55 miles) with the snowblower on the carrier. I didn't notice much movement which makes me happy. On its own I'm sure it would but it comes with an anti rattle clamp. It limits movement in the hitch. I didn't tighten mine down enough so mine came loose driving around with the carrier empty. The odd time I can hear it rattle and I notice it when I touch it. But with it clamped down it is pretty stable. 

I will try to take some pictures and a short video shortly. I need to tighten that anti rattle unit anyway so I can do it then.

As far as the road spray goes. With the tires, height of the Jeep and so on it does spray road grime. But the blower sits between the tires so I don't think it gets too much on it. Mud flaps would cut that down big time but they would have to be removable. I do take my Jeep off road at times and they wouldn't last long there. I could also put a mat under the snowblower and run a piece out from the carrier to the bumper with support brackets to hold it up. I don't think I will do that right yet. I will keep an eye on it. If I have to I will wash it in the garage after a drive like I did with my motorcycle. 

If I"m hauling it during the snow it won't be as much of an issue. It is a day or two after when there is two inches of dry salt on the road that flies up and covers everything. Hopefully I won't have to transport it in the salty conditions too many times.

James


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

congrats flexin and welcome to team toro
1894 when I have a snowblower I try not to take the expressway and when I do I keep the speed down. as far as road spray I've used a piece of 1/4 inch plywood on really sloppy days


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## 1894 (Dec 16, 2014)

Thank you !


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

1894 said:


> Second , how would you ( or anyone else that uses one ) minimize the salty crud that gets sprayed up and around the back of a vehicle at highway speeds from covering the blower ? ?


I have a step bumper so the carrier is out for me :facepalm_zpsdj194qh 
If I did have one a cheap 5-10 dollar tarp that would surround the machine and some bungee cords should work. Lay the tarp on the carrier and drive the machine onto the tarp and wrap it like a burrito and secure the tarp with the bungee cords. Then put a couple ratcheting tie downs on to keep the blower on the carrier.


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> I have a step bumper so the carrier is out for me :facepalm_zpsdj194qh
> If I did have one a cheap 5-10 dollar tarp that would surround the machine and some bungee cords should work. Lay the tarp on the carrier and drive the machine onto the tarp and wrap it like a burrito and secure the tarp with the bungee cords. Then put a couple ratcheting tie downs on to keep the blower on the carrier.


One issue with a tarp is the hot exhaust. You would have to wait for it to cool before hauling it.

The second issue is that the tarp can cause scratches. I remember picking up a brand new Yamaha YZ125 for my brother in law. It was raining so he wanted to tarp it. It caused scratches and stress marks in the front fender. 

You can get receiver hitches for step bumpers.

James


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