# Honda HS1132 Hydrostatic track drive



## Ryan

This thing is about 5 or 6 years old. My church owns it, and at this particular building, we also have an old Murray built John Deere TRS-27. 

Thoughts about the Honda- 
Pros: It is a Honda. Good engine. Fires right up, Not too noisy. Throws snow BEAUTIFULLY!! 

Cons: This thing was NOT designed for anyone over 5'10". (I am 6'2") Typical Japanese engineering. I have to bend over/crouch down to maneuver and drive this thing, and after 3-4 minutes of this, my back is KILLING me. Also- The track drive SUCKS when it comes to turning. There is NO nutural in this thing so it will not roll freely, despite what others have said. I either have to drag it or use the drive itself to move it. A major pain in the you know what for turning corners. Another con.. well.. It is a Honda. Love it or hate it. 

I don't have to serve this building often for snow removal but when I do, I always take the Deere over the Honda because of how frustrating it is to drive, and how painful it is on my back as well. otherwise it's a great machine.


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## [email protected]

Ryan said:


> This thing was NOT designed for anyone over 5'10". (I am 6'2")


Honda recognized this issue and the most current version of this model (HS1332) has 2" taller handlebars. The choke/throttle also changed, so taller bars wont' fit older models. 

The good news? Some aftermarket extensions are available, although not endorsed by Honda, I understand they work nicely and don't require longer cables or any other modifications.


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## pfn

I agree 100% on tracks. I have a 32"Ariens Pro with tracks and my purchase of it was a terrible mistake. It is very difficult to impossible to maneuver. I should have bought wheels and chains. It would have been cheaper and it would have done the same job. Tracks are trash! imho


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## Ryan

Very pleased to hear that Honda improved on the short handles.


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## M1A2 Hahn

pfn said:


> I agree 100% on tracks. I have a 32"Ariens Pro with tracks and my purchase of it was a terrible mistake. It is very difficult to impossible to maneuver. I should have bought wheels and chains. It would have been cheaper and it would have done the same job. Tracks are trash! imho


The tracks on vehicles are useful for uneven terrain and climbing steep grades, especially when the ground is mud- or snow-covered, which is why tanks use tracks.


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## pfn

M1A2 Hahn said:


> The tracks on vehicles are useful for uneven terrain and climbing steep grades, especially when the ground is mud- or snow-covered, which is why tanks use tracks.


 I've seen where tanks go, snow blowers generally don't go there. I'm certain I won't be blowing snow in any place like that. My drive is long, 600 ft. or so and fairly steep. Wheels and chains work fine and I can turn the machine. For a snow blower tracks are overkill. Again, imo.


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## M1A2 Hahn

pfn said:


> I've seen where tanks go, snow blowers generally don't go there. I'm certain I won't be blowing snow in any place like that. My drive is long, 600 ft. or so and fairly steep. Wheels and chains work fine and I can turn the machine. For a snow blower tracks are overkill. Again, imo.


Maybe you bought your tracked snowblower before you tested it and understood its limitations and capabilities. If the less expensive wheels/chains work as well on your "fairly steep" driveway and you bought the "overkill" machine by mistake, is that really that machine's fault?


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## pfn

M1A2 Hahn said:


> Maybe you bought your tracked snowblower before you tested it and understood its limitations and capabilities. If the less expensive wheels/chains work as well on your "fairly steep" driveway and you bought the "overkill" machine by mistake, is that really that machine's fault?



Who said it was the machines fault? Certainly not me. I simply stated that tracked machines are more difficult to maneuver than snow blowers with wheels. I doubt anyone would disagree with that. I further stated my OPINION that tracked machines were overkill. Am I not allowed an opinion? I think so. Get over it.


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## M1A2 Hahn

pfn said:


> Who said it was the machines fault? Certainly not me. I simply stated that tracked machines are more difficult to maneuver than snow blowers with wheels. I doubt anyone would disagree with that. I further stated my OPINION that tracked machines were overkill. Am I not allowed an opinion? I think so. Get over it.


 
Have you thought about switching to decaf?


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## pfn

M1A2 Hahn said:


> Have you thought about switching to decaf?


 Hey, Guy. No need to attack folks opinion (mine in this case) in a forum that is 90% opinion. I said I made a mistake purchasing a tracked machine. I know why they make tracks, I think everyone does. What I don't think people know is how difficult tracked machine are to maneuver. My initial post was in agreement with Ryan's initial observation that "track drive SUCKS when it comes to turning. There is NO nutural in this thing so it will not roll freely, despite what others have said. I either have to drag it or use the drive itself to move it. A major pain...". I state my OPINION 
that tracks are overkill in the hopes that others strongly consider avoiding them when they purchase a snow blower. You may disagree. If so post your reasons. That's all I've done.


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## JRHAWK9

Ryan said:


> This thing was NOT designed for anyone over 5'10". (I am 6'2") Typical Japanese engineering. I have to bend over/crouch down to maneuver and drive this thing, and after 3-4 minutes of this, my back is KILLING me.


yep. In the videos I watched I noticed everything was very short. At 6'5", this is what kept me from even considering a Honda. Although, considering the speeds they need to operate at, walking on my knees could have always been a possibility but one I chose not to try out.


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## Ryan

If it had wheels and taller handles then this machine would get a five star rating from me. No doubt. But hey, I am not the one who ordered it, just one of the ones who uses them. The property this blower and the JD are staged at is rather large so it makes sense to have 2 of them when we need to clear the church walks and pathways quickly in the wintertime, I'll just leave a note on it suggesting that those who are 5'9 or shorter use it and only on the straight paths/sidewalks and not the many curved paths we have there, for which the old TRS-27 should be used.


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## lclement

I have one wheeled and one track (see signature), the wheeled unit gets the job on small driveways and anytime i have to make a lot of short turns or a lot of short back and forth areas. 

My Honda works great on long straightaways (less turns), steep hills, and very deep snow. It can also push through compacted snow easier.

Yes the Honda is tougher to turn because it inherently has more traction and weight. 

Track units have their place but i think wheels can be easier for many people (85% of snow removal jobs).


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## Hanky

I had a Craftsman 8/26 with tracks for 18 years and really liked it BUT it had steering clutches. I up grated to a Toro because I wanted more power for wet heavy snows.


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## SnowG

JRHAWK9 said:


> yep. In the videos I watched I noticed everything was very short. At 6'5", this is what kept me from even considering a Honda. Although, considering the speeds they need to operate at, walking on my knees could have always been a possibility but one I chose not to try out.


The handlebars in the new ones are 2" higher. The chute direction control is still too low though.


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## dhazelton

I have both a tracked unit I bought new and a used wheeled unit, both Hondas. The tracks are a b*tch to turn. Essentially you just drag the thing. And it's a pain to have to step on the foot thing to lift the bucket to back up, then step on it again to lower it to make another pass. Honda doing what Honda loves to do sometimes - make things more complicated and expensive than necessary.


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## Surge

Thanks for the information regarding snowblowers with tracks. I always heard that they were difficult to turn, and my driveway and garage required a machine that could turn easily. It's good to hear that I made the right choice for my particular situation.
Since that purchase I moved to a new house with a driveway that is three times larger but still requires lots of turning, so the wheeled snowblower is still preferable for blowing snow. I suppose somebody with a steep broken up or stone driveway that is very long might prefer or benefit from a tracked snowblower, but that is probably the minority of owners.


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## Freezn

I've been lit up for saying this in previous posts regarding tracks vs wheels, but I'll say it again, "test drive or demo a track unit before purchasing." I'm not knocking track units, but unless your snow clearing duties involve snow removal on a steep grade driveway or the side of a hill, track units are probably overkill. Wheel units or wheeled units with chains will suffice 95% of the time and provide much better maneuverability in the process. My dealer allowed me (with a full deposit) a two week demo with the tracked Honda HS928. Awesome machine, but certainly way overkill for my relatively flat driveway and much more labor intensive to turn at the ends of the driveway. As I get older and the aches & pains occur more frequently, maneuverability has become much more of a priority. I opted for the HS928 wheeled version just based on my demo experience. Exact same snow clearing performance as the tracked unit without fighting the turns or needing a dolly to move around the shed in the summer. Both units have their Pro's and Con's, so if you're on the fence track vs wheel, I highly recommend taking each for a demo before plunking down $3K. Just my $0.02


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## dhazelton

Here's a dumb question. If the axle shafts are the same (and even if they aren't) can you remove the track drive and put a set of tires on one if you hate it that much? I'd have to look at both side by side but it would seem doable and you could throw a used set of wheels on and be good to go.


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## pfn

dhazelton said:


> Here's a dumb question. If the axle shafts are the same (and even if they aren't) can you remove the track drive and put a set of tires on one if you hate it that much? I'd have to look at both side by side but it would seem doable and you could throw a used set of wheels on and be good to go.


Not a dumb question at all. I have a tracked Ariens and I have often wondered how hard it would be to covert it to the wheels I should have purchased in the first place. 
Anyone?


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## Shryp

I know Ariens used to offer an "upgrade" kit for converting wheels to tracks. I don't see why it couldn't go the other way. I think the issue with tracks is one wheel is back too far and one wheel is forward to far where as wheeled blowers have the wheel more towards the middle for the balance point.


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## SnowG

The balance of the unit would be a consideration. My tracked Honda has much more of its weight forward, compared with my previous machine (Noma with wheels) which was more neutral. The Noma worked better (climbed less) with 20+ pounds added to the front of the auger housing. However, with wheels locked in sync and the extra weight up front it did not turn as easily as it did without the front weight. When you consider how much continuous work you have to do with your back/arms/shoulders to keep a wheeled unit from climbing plow mounds and veering from catching on this or that, is it really more work to turn a tracked unit at the end of each pass? The answer depends on many factors including the length of each pass proportional to the overall job, how heavy and packed the snow, whether you have steep sections, whether you need to clear over packed car tracks, etc.


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## dhazelton

I thought they were essentially identical machines, except the track drive has bogey wheels and a track tension adjuster. I know the foot lever to raise the machine is only for the tracked unit as well. But what's odd to me is looking at the Honda specs on their site - the wheeled unit has a bigger auger in height and moves more snow per hour than the tracked unit. Thought that aspect would be identical. (That's ONLY on the 7 hp models, however)


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## FairfieldCT

pfn said:


> Hey, Guy. No need to attack folks opinion (mine in this case) in a forum that is 90% opinion. I said I made a mistake purchasing a tracked machine. I know why they make tracks, I think everyone does. What I don't think people know is how difficult tracked machine are to maneuver. My initial post was in agreement with Ryan's initial observation that "track drive SUCKS when it comes to turning. There is NO nutural in this thing so it will not roll freely, despite what others have said. I either have to drag it or use the drive itself to move it. A major pain...". I state my OPINION
> that tracks are overkill in the hopes that others strongly consider avoiding them when they purchase a snow blower. You may disagree. If so post your reasons. That's all I've done.


I have to chime in. There is no neutral on a hydro transmission. period. No free wheeling. period. After a few hours becoming familiar with the machine, you learn, with the honda anyways, that you don't need to let go of the drive handle to turn or back up. You simply pull back on the speed/direction lever and smoothly transition from forward to backwards. No pure pulling and lugging your friction drive backwards because the reverse gear is so slow. 

As for the track drives, I was at the dealer testing both track vs wheel units today in 12 inches of snow. honestly, back to back the track machines are FAR superior. Turning, in the real world, in the snow (the only time my snowblower is out of the garage) is snow problem, lol.


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