# How big of a job can an 828 handle?



## Roddy (Mar 11, 2018)

I am going from my front mount tractor blower to a walk behind (for details why, check my post in general forum titled Newbie wanting help/opinions. 

I found an older 828 for sale about two miles from me for $750. Would this unit be practical for a 500 foot driveway?

I'm also considering an older John Deere 1032 for a third the price. I'm assuming Honda snowblowers are as good as all of their other products meaning they are the best in class.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Hello Roddy,

Please don't buy a used unit with your situation. Even a new walk behind is going get very old very quickly in your case and unless they are very heavy like the Yamaha 1332 they will ride up on the end of driveway mess/monster.

A BCS 853 with electric start and a 2 stage snow blower will be more than up to the job and it will have steering brakes as well. 

You can also buy a riding sulky to ride behind it as it works. it will cost more but it will have plenty of power for the job
and it will have no belts to deal with as it is all gear drive.

All you will need is snow chains for the tires. 


If you are located in Canada a Yamaha 1332 will be a better option as it has steering brakes and your spouse or daughter will have no problems operating it as it is a hydrostatic drive unit.


Just keep in mind that you will be walking 1000 feet for every lap you do so keep that in mind.


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## The Q (Dec 19, 2016)

Is trading in your current John Deer with all the "hard to attach" attachments for a newer more friendly model out of the question? You will still have all the old attachments lying around if you buy a dedicated walk behind. I would go with the 828 if you decide to go with a walk behind.


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## Roddy (Mar 11, 2018)

leonz said:


> Hello Roddy,
> 
> Please don't buy a used unit with your situation. Even a new walk behind is going get very old very quickly in your case and unless they are very heavy like the Yamaha 1332 they will ride up on the end of driveway mess/monster.
> 
> ...


This may be a dumb question, but what is a BCS 853? I am located in Central MN.
Also,not to worried about the 1000 foot walk. I try to get a 2.5-3 mile jog in 4-5 days a week. Last week we got a 7-9" heavy snowfall. I ended up having to shovel the driveway by hand. Now that kick my A$$


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## Roddy (Mar 11, 2018)

The Q said:


> Is trading in your current John Deer with all the "hard to attach" attachments for a newer more friendly model out of the question? You will still have all the old attachments lying around if you buy a dedicated walk behind. I would go with the 828 if you decide to go with a walk behind.


Trade in is not an option. I mow about 5 acres with about 120 trees that are a mix of oak and pines. I need the front mount mower to get under the pines. Plus I just put a new diesel engine in it last fall after my oil pump failed. it's trade in value would be minimal. My dad has a John Deere F725 which my blower was made for. I would give him my blower attachment.


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## ZOMGVTEK (Sep 25, 2014)

If its uncommon to see more than ~1' of snowfall overnight, an HS828 is a good choice for that distance.

I've cleared around 5' with my 828, but its not super easy when its that far above the bucket.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I have an original made by John Deere 1032, not a rebranded Ariens, a great machine, or a Murray or Frontier. The John Deere is a beast, heavy, however you need to do at least one thing to it if not two. The chute is too short so it doesn't throw far, it needs to be cut and have 12" welded in. The second smaller which is best for all machines is a rubber impeller kit. The 1032 has a 12" impeller rather than 9", and very very thick and heavy. It also has 16" auger rakes rather than 12", plus a higher front housing than most, this allows more snow to be taken. Cast iron great box. However parts are limited with outside sources forcing you to go to the dealer and pay higher prices. But it's rare because the thing is well built. But again, the chute is too short and may not make it across the middle of the driveway to the edge. Another, the drive walk gearing is terrific, it can be very fast, or it can really creep, slower than any other blower I've used.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Roddy said:


> This may be a dumb question, but what is a BCS 853? I am located in Central MN.
> Also,not to worried about the 1000 foot walk. I try to get a 2.5-3 mile jog in 4-5 days a week. Last week we got a 7-9" heavy snowfall. I ended up having to shovel the driveway by hand. Now that kick my A$$


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Hello Roddy,


The BCS model 853 is a walk behind 2 wheel tractor/mule and the thirty three inch wide BERTA 2 stage snow blowers were designed and built with the job of clearing the snow in the German and Italian Alps where the BCS and Berta 2 wheel tractors are built.

BCS makes the larger model 760 2 wheel mule as well and the 33 inch 2 stage snowblower will work on this model as well. 


They being BCS and Grillo have been building gear drive 2 wheel tractors for over fifty years.

They offer a Kohler Lombardini diesel engine for these 2 wheel tractors.

Joel the owner of Earth Tools a the major importer of these 2 wheel mules and many implements for 2 wheel tractors.

He assembles the tractors and then runs them for several hours to be sure that it is running correctly before you take them home.

You can buy a 2 wheel mule and attachments from Joel and he will ship them to you or you can pick them up at his farm. 

You may want to think about looking at an Ariens inflatable cab for the 2 wheel tractor for the snow blowing work and buying a 2 wheel sulky to ride on while you clear snow. 


www.earthtoolsbcs.com


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Please add your location to your profile in the "User CP".

I'm still in favor of getting a separate rider for a driveway that long. I have a JD 1032 and I like it and it's built like a tank. I have a 100 yards of gravel. If you're going with a walk behind then having the widest bucket you can might cut out an extra trip out and back to clear your drive. Something to consider on a windy twenty below MN day or evening. 

BCS with snow blower attachment:


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Yup,

That one is mounted with the BCS single stage snowthrower.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

Honda HS828 are very capable snowblowers. We have a member Snowblower Forum : Snow Blower Forums - View Profile: jrom who has an HS828 since 1991 and uses it to clean 15-30' of snow yearly on a 630' gravel driveway+other areas (he'll be one of the best owners to advise you about its capabilities).


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Here is youtube video of an 853 with the 33 inch wide 2 stage Berta snowcaster

www.youtube.com/watch/v=RPysK3ivetc


This youtube video shows Joel at earthtools(the owner of Earth Tools) highlighting the Resciano Guiliano single stage snow blower which is much heavier than the BCS single stage snowblowers. This Resciano Guiliano single stage snow thrower employs a gear driven one to one right angle gearbox final drive to power a propeller shaft (protected with a pair of metric shear bolts) which is connected to a two row roller chain drive and sprocket drive system to power the one piece snow blower rotor that has four center paddles.
The Resciano Guiliano folks have been making farm machinery for many years in Italy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8QyLdhKEqc


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

I was looking at one of there tractors a few years ago and thought it was a well built unit if one could use it for more than 1 season which I can not but I did like the product.

https://bcsamerica.com/products/tractors


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## E350 (Apr 21, 2015)

*Roddy*: Did you mention whether or not your driveway was gravel or paved? Did you mention whether or not it has a grade and how much of a grade?


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## Roddy (Mar 11, 2018)

E350 said:


> *Roddy*: Did you mention whether or not your driveway was gravel or paved? Did you mention whether or not it has a grade and how much of a grade?



I did not. Sorry.
The driveway is asphalt. It has minimal grade if any.

Does anyone know if there is a way I can tell what year the snowblower is from the serial number?


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

For my John Deere I called the dealer and they told me; for MTD I called the MTD 800 customer service number with the model and serial numbers and they told me; if it's an Ariens, their website will tell you; if it's a Tecumseh engine, search the net, it will tell you how, which numbers to look at for the date. Since Ariens has the dates on there website, with model and serial numbers, possibly other manufacturers would also.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Roddy said:


> I did not. Sorry.
> The driveway is asphalt. It has minimal grade if any.
> 
> Does anyone know if there is a way I can tell what year the snowblower is from the serial number?


the 828 was built by Honda between 1992-98 I believe. you can call Honda and give them serial number and they will tell you. 770-497-6400

I can not imagine doing a 500 foot drive with my 828. one car widrh or two or more?

my drive is 3 car widths and maybe 15 foot long. it takes me maybe 10 minutes.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

orangputeh said:


> I can not imagine doing a 500 foot drive with my 828. one car widrh or two or more?



I have done 24" of snow on my 550' gravel driveway with my Ariens 926LE, and it takes about 45 minutes and one tank of gas. Personally, I thought it was a walk in the park - Actually the Adirondack Park to me sure. Not hard at all. I would have no problem with an HS828, but I am retired, so I have all of the time in the World.


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## Marlow (Dec 17, 2016)

I am sure it can handle any job, it will just take more time and be more strenuous than a bigger/more powerful machine.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

I have a 32", 29", 27", 26", 24", 22", I don't know if there is a faster time clearing with the 29" and 27" but I'm sure there is, but there is a big difference using the 32". On a side note, the 32" is fun due to the speed, the 5hp 22" is fun due to it's lightness and maneuverability (but a drag in wet, or heavy snow so I use something else, but of course the single stage is fun, quick, easy, light weight to use in 1"-2" of snow).


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Roddy said:


> ...Does anyone know if there is a way I can tell what year the snowblower is from the serial number?


[email protected] can tell you when it was purchased, but not built. Snowblower Forum : Snow Blower Forums - View Profile: [email protected]

If you look at the forward/reverse handle (called the change lever by Honda) in my photo below, this larger one came on the 1991 828 which is a K0. The K1 TA (1992) did not come with this, but the thinner orange handle. I did see an eBay HS828 that was listed as a 1992 that had the '91 handle and the auger transmission bracket, so it was altered.

From what I've been able to gather from online sources and what [email protected] will post here are some identifiers that don't reference the serial number:

1991: No "K" reference (or at least not very often), but it is technically a K0 - No auger trans bracket, larger shift lever grip.

1992: K1 TA, and possibly K1 TA-A: Slim change lever grip in orange, no auger trans bracket.

Year? [1993, '94?]: K1 TA-B: First year to add the auger transmission bracket.

boats.net has a pretty thorough list (but no Canadian models or the newer US built ones, or the HSSs built in mid-2015). https://tinyurl.com/yblfyrrh Honda still made a Japan built HS line in (early I assume) 2015. I know they built the first run of US HSS because I bought one in Nov 2015.


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## Roddy (Mar 11, 2018)

Is an 8 hp engine big enough for this machine? A lot of the 28" I am finding have 10 hp motors.


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

It’s no powerhouse but will handle the task in stride. 

The hydro trans allows you to dial in you speed exactly, you’ll always be doing the most work possible without being stuck between gears. 

And with tracks reduce operator fatigue considerably.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

Roddy said:


> Is an 8 hp engine big enough for this machine? A lot of the 28" I am finding have 10 hp motors.


I was typing a response to your 1st post when I saw your latest one.

I personally feel like an 8 hp is not enough...especially as the engine ages. It does depend on how much snow you get, the condition of the snow you usually get and the frequency of snowfall.

After 24 years of using my 828, I did buy a GX390 1332, which I have to admit I love very much. I still use the 828 between 30-50% of the time just to keep 'er going.

I find that the 8hp will struggle in the deep, wet snow. You also have to consider the wear a machine that could go back to 1991 will or could have if it's been used a lot. As I read your other posts, it sounds like you don't want to spend too much...so that will direct you towards older machines (especially Honda's). 

After having the 1332 (with an hour meter) for 3 seasons so far, I estimate my 828 has over 1,200 hours on it.

I've attached a photo of both of my Honda's below. I do believe in having a backup machine. About 7 years ago, a drive clutch spring broke on me and the part took 2 months to come in. I hand shoveled my drive for two months. I didn't do all of my drive, just enough to turn a vehicle around and out to the road, but it would take me 4 hours per snowfall to clear. I hope I never have to go through that again.

And...FWIW it takes me a minimum of 45 minutes to clear my main driveway and 2 parking spots...with either machine. If I need to hustle up and clear a simple vehicle path to the road as fast as possible, the the 1332 will do it in about 25 minutes.

As long as I have the time to clear my driveway, I hope to be able to use a walk behind snowblower until I'm so old, that I may die with my hands wrapped around the controls. My mom just turned 96..._so you never know_.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

I neglected to add this yesterday but both BCS and Grillo offer the Rescia Guiliano 32 inch single stage snow thrower.

It is gear driven to a right angle one to one gearbox that has a cross shaft connection with a pair of shear pins and a coupler.

The solid snow blower rotor with four discharge paddles in the center of the solid cross auger is spun by a two row roller chain final drive 


The BCS snow thrower video that member kissafrog was so kind to up load and link to has a combination open cross auger and center paddle snow throwing system for this model.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

I would love to have a BCS or Grillo rig. When I built my house in 1991 I rented a BCS tiller for prepping about 35,000 sq. ft of lawn soil. It worked great.



leonz said:


> ...both BCS and Grillo ...The BCS snow thrower video that member kissafrog was so kind to up load and link to has a combination open cross auger and center paddle snow throwing system for this model.


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