# Husqvarna ST-230P (Small Review)



## SnowBlaster514 (Dec 1, 2017)

Hello everyone...just wanted to say this is a great forum...you can lose hours and hours reading threads here :grin: . I recently purchased a brand new Husqvarna ST-230P snowblower. Today we have had roughly 10 inches of regular snow that fell, so i was able to put the new snow blower to work for the first time!

This is my first snow blower that i have ever owned, so i cannot compare it to any other model, but i will say this...it is a very smooth and powerful machine, that can really throw snow far. I live on a busy road, so the big street plow passes twice/hour...the end of the driveway was heavy wet snow about 18-20inches high, and the Husqvarna had no problem at all taking care of it...it was actually very easy for the machine, i'm quite impressed! It is quite easy to use also, everything is well positioned and clearly marked! I did my big driveway quite quickly with the Husqvarna, it's so much faster than shoveling and it is REALLY fun to do! 

With all the positives i mentioned above, there is 1 thing i'm not that impressed with. This model only has 1 reverse speed...and let me tell you it is SLOW...i guess it's not that big of a deal, but i think if it had 2 reverse speeds it would be THAT much better. I will see how this machine holds up throughout the winter, and will post updates here for others to read!

I will give the Husqvarna ST-230P a solid 8.5/10 so far! :grin:


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

good mini review, That reverse may be adjustable although speeding up the reverse may slow down the forward speeds.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

Nice review. Post some pics when you get a chance.


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

As others mention, there's may be a small adjustment available to gain a little speed in reverse, at the expense of lowering all the forward speeds.

In my minimal experience, reverse on these is intended to help you get unstuck a little more easily. You mention that it cruised through the wet end-of-driveway pile, so no need for reverse there. Maybe at the end of a walkway where there wasn't room to turn around? Remember that the "power steering" triggers under your fingers work by selectively releasing the drive on a wheel. Pull both at the same time, and you can easily drag the machine straight back enough to then make a powered pivot turn and go back the way you came in.

Perhaps the most beneficial bit of operating education a new user might pick up is establishing a strategy based on where you want your snow to end up, including a minimum number of "hard" direction changes. We have a large turn-around area in front of three garage bays. K regularly comments on how random my snowblowing pattern seems to be. Truth is that I have specific areas where I can dump snow, and the range of the thrower to consider. The space for snow often considers not just this snow but the next and the next storms too. In the process, some places get cleaned twice -- first to make room for more snow, then again to finally clear the snow I later put there. In the middle of all this, I really want to let the machine do all the actual work. My job is to follow it, guide it without actually working at it beyond manipulating a few controls. I want to be the conductor not all the band members, do the stick-waving part and tap my feet... So each time you find yourself wrestling with the machine trying to make it turn or back up, trying to back up more than the tiniest bit, consider that you may not be letting the machine do all it's supposed to. At some point you'll be one with the machine, gently massaging it's handles and levers as it does what it loves most, and what you probably love a lot less.

Enjoy your new toy!


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## NeoGP (Jun 21, 2017)

Good Advice Dr.bob.

I remember one of the first times I ran a blower I tried to muscle it around like I mowed my lawn...nope, ouch, nope..
New strategy is the same from the movie Better off dead with a young john cusack. 
There is a scene where he wants to ski/conquer the almighty K12 .. His buddy says 
" Go that way, really fast. If something gets in your way... turn"
I blow snow the same way....


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

Glad you are enjoying the benefits of a snowblower. Those EOD piles from the plow were always killers until I got my first machine back in 1983. 

Just a word of advise on those EOD piles however, get at them ASAP after the plow goes by. They can be somewhat wet and sloppy depending on how much salt your city uses and if memory serves, Montreal uses quite a lot. If they are allowed sit for several hours after the plow goes by, they can turn into concrete. Sun beating down on them can cause them to partially melt and pack tightly then freeze when the sun goes down. Really cold temperatures cause them to freeze into large chunks that are hard to swallow for the augers. They become a real challenge for even the best most powerful machine and causes quite a bit of wear and tear on the machine itself and possibly break shear bolts/pins etc.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

On a smaller ST224P I usually just hold in both steering triggers and pull back a few feet turn around and blow back.


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## SnowBlaster514 (Dec 1, 2017)

skutflut said:


> Glad you are enjoying the benefits of a snowblower. Those EOD piles from the plow were always killers until I got my first machine back in 1983.
> 
> Just a word of advise on those EOD piles however, get at them ASAP after the plow goes by. They can be somewhat wet and sloppy depending on how much salt your city uses and if memory serves, Montreal uses quite a lot. If they are allowed sit for several hours after the plow goes by, they can turn into concrete. Sun beating down on them can cause them to partially melt and pack tightly then freeze when the sun goes down. Really cold temperatures cause them to freeze into large chunks that are hard to swallow for the augers. They become a real challenge for even the best most powerful machine and causes quite a bit of wear and tear on the machine itself and possibly break shear bolts/pins etc.



Hi, and thanks for the advice! I had already taken that into consideration...what i actually do...is i use a big blue manual scoop...and do the end of my driveway after the street plow has passed...with the plastic scoop and push the crappy slush/snow & salt across the street into the ditch (i have no neighbors in front!) before i use my snowblower. I will say this...this snowblower works really really well and can throw snow really far!


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## niteshft (Nov 17, 2018)

I just purchased the same machine after my Ariens kept throwing the drive belt every time I would start the machine...fought with it for years and finally quit. I have the same issue with the slow reverse and noticed the forward speeds were really too fast with the mid range being as fast as I would ever operate it. I didn't see anything in the manual for adjusting so went on line. There is an adjustment in the line and I plan to give that a try. I needed to run the machine as soon as I got home with it so I never had a chance to study things. The reverse as is, is just useless in my opinion and feel it wasn't meant to operate that slow.

How has the adjustment worked out for you?

Update: I went to adjust the reverse but there is no adjustment in line to do so. I'm extremely disappointed as I slipped and fell on my butt a few times while trying to pull it backwards rather than use the reverse. There are places that I have to back up 15 feet since I can't blow the snow from the other direction without getting a facefull of snow. I may be returning the machine.

Update to update: Yep, Tractor Supply will take the machine back within 30 days. I've found a fix, (I hope), to my issue of the belt jumping on my Ariens and I did that today. The engine had to be taken off to do the work and since it's done I'm going to go over everything else before I put it back together. It's been a great machine otherwise, so if I don't need to spend $1200+ I'm going to jump on it.

Great site, great people with great info. I wish I had found this site many years ago.


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