# Trade Toro 521 for New 621e



## MaineGrant (Feb 27, 2012)

I recently bought a Toro 521 which is in good running condition and seems to be taken care of. I just got an email from my Dad who recently purchased a 621e single stage which doesn't really work for him since he has a gravel driveway. He offered to trade me the 521 for the new 621e since it doesn't fit his needs.

I have a paved driveway/walkways so in theory a single stage unit would work for me, but I'm concerned that the single stage isn't going to work as well as the older 2 stage machine. I live in Maine so we get a fair amount of snow over the winter.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

the deeper the snow the slower the going will be with the 621e. my neighbor across the street from me has an areins 2stage and for light snowfall maybe up to eight inch my 2450 is much faster clearing snow but for heavy, wet stuff he's done and i'm still working hard with the toro


----------



## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Boy, that's a tough call. I can see where that single stage isn't right for you Dad and his gravel drive. I suppose you could always make the trade, and if the single stage doesn't work out for you on heavier snowfalls, you could always look for another two stage.

I've got a 2 stage and feel kind of silly using it on lighter snowfalls, but when it does snow heavier, I'm glad I've got it. Actually wish I had both single and two stage.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

bwdbrn1 said:


> Boy, that's a tough call. I can see where that single stage isn't right for you Dad and his gravel drive. I suppose you could always make the trade, and if the single stage doesn't work out for you on heavier snowfalls, you could always look for another two stage.
> 
> I've got a 2 stage and feel kind of silly using it on lighter snowfalls, but when it does snow heavier, I'm glad I've got it. Actually wish I had both single and two stage.


i was hoping for another snow fall of maybe three inches to tryout the craftsman now that its set up right so i can compare it to the toro. you can't beat a single stage snowblower for portability though


----------



## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Type of blower*

MG

It comes down to 2 things in my mind, the first and most important is helping your Dad out. If my Dad were still alive, I'd do anything I could for him including trading/giving him a blower. My folks lived in Iowa and though they had a single stage Toro it was not up to the 2009 snow storms. Luckily they had neighbors that helped them out as I live too far away and Dad's health was such he couldn't shovel or blow snow anyway by then. He passed away before the big storms of 2010, so then it was just Mom and no way could she have handled the snow herself.

If it was me and Dad felt a 2 stage would work better for him, I'd have gotten him one in a heartbeat. You can always look for another machine if the single stage doesn't work for you (which I suspect it won't due to the depth of snow I expect you'd get). With the amount of snow we've gotten this year, I expect you'll be able to find something decent for bottom feeder prices in another month or two so it shouldn't be too hard to replace your 2 stage with something else.

Besides that, if your Dad is close enough and your Dad is like mine was he'd love to get his hands dirty rebuilding something (I know mine did) and it could be a perfect team project for you to work on something with him. I did that with Dad and replacing their dishwasher the other year. It would have been faster to do it alone but it was a joy to work again with Dad (a former farmer that was always fixing something on the farm prior to retiring) on something together and in fact was something Mom said Dad had mentioned more than once during his last days.

My 2 cents.

PS - I do have a single stage, along with several 2 stages I've rebuilt. I have not had the single stage out but maybe once in the last couple of years as when we have gotten snow of any measure it's such that a single stage wouldn't have handled it.


----------



## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

For your needs the 621 will do the job but can be tough getting threw the plow drift at the end of your drive way. If it were me, I would switch with dad and just keep up with the storm. I have a 04 toro 2450 that I bring with me to do walk way's on my snowplowing route have blown 12'' . I have gone threw 4'of slush with it.


----------



## Scotto70 (Mar 8, 2012)

HCBPH said:


> MG
> 
> It comes down to 2 things in my mind, the first and most important is helping your Dad out. If my Dad were still alive, I'd do anything I could for him including trading/giving him a blower. My folks lived in Iowa and though they had a single stage Toro it was not up to the 2009 snow storms. Luckily they had neighbors that helped them out as I live too far away and Dad's health was such he couldn't shovel or blow snow anyway by then. He passed away before the big storms of 2010, so then it was just Mom and no way could she have handled the snow herself.
> 
> ...



*HCBPH*

Very well put. This struck very close to home for me, maybe because my dad is getting up there in age. My wife and I recently purchased a property that abuts my parents property, which allows me to keep an eye on them. One of the main incentives for buying the house is to be closer to my parents during there elderly years. My dad has the early stages of Alzheimer's. He too really enjoys working on projects with me. Even though it would be faster to do them on my own, it's a joy to still have him here to do them with. He especially enjoys when I give him a beer, which my mom doesn't like him to have.  I read your post aloud to my wife, and usually there isn't much that chokes me up, but I had to keep stopping in order to get through it. She lost her dad fairly recently, so this strikes close to home for her as well. Your post moved us both. It sounds like your dad was a heck of a guy, and I can tell that you miss him greatly. I recently purchased a 2009 Ariens Deluxe 30" for my driveway, as well as my parents. I gave it a test run in a field on my property, and I let my dad try it out. He really enjoyed it. I know this is a little off topic, and I apologize for that, but I had to comment on your post.


----------



## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

*Thanks*

Scotto

Thanks, I do miss Dad alot. He was a good (great to me) man. I was amazed at the people that were are his viewing and funeral, it was SRO (standing room only).

Unless you know based on Doctors advice to not give him alcohol, I don't see any problem with an occassional beer. Tell your Mom it's medicinal, you're helping insure your Dad's kidneys are working properly. After all, you don't want him to not hydrate himself enough that it could lead to fluid starvation  If absolutely forbidden, there's always non-alcoholic beer as an option.

Besides that, it's another opportunity to spend a little quality time with your Dad, and with Alzheimer's, you need to spend time while you can. You never know what tomorrow will bring.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

well you may as well make the trade with dad cause pretty soon you'll be making the drive to do his snow and having to haul the 521 everytime will get old fast. after i do my snow and a few neighbors i head to my moms ( dad has past away already ) to do her snow and a few of her neighbors. the light weight of the toro make it happen. i need to make or buy some ramps to get the craftsman on and off the van


----------

