# Future PowerMax HD's: metal components?



## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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I asked the 'ol 8 Ball if the chute and ACS cover on the bucket are converting to metal and it said...



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## SAVAGE420 (Apr 21, 2015)

Hahaha awesome. Have seen one of those in years.
Definitely telling the truth!!


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## old ope mechanic (Feb 16, 2018)

i wish . how about using that ball to for see if they go back to the reduced auger also as the max'es also have a auger caking up issue to a point they look like a powershift in white after a short while.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

*The Powermaxs days upon this earth are numbered. as I live and die a little more here writing this. The guru's at TORO are hard at work bringing something new here to the masses. and that is all the MORE I AM SAYING ON THIS 1.:smiley-shocked033::smiley-shocked033:*


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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Hmmm seems like Mr Powershift93 knows something is going on out there too 

which confirms my suspicion he's more "in the know" about whats going on at Toro than we know!


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Certainly the PowerMax is getting a bit long in the tooth, however, it still is an excellent product. With its major competitors, Ariens and Honda, offering track-based models, it would seems like that would be their next endeavor. They need to have a solid reason for their customer base to want to trade in their trusty tool for the next big thing from Toro. 

As far as the plastic chute, I think they have proven durability and I believe they are superior to metal chutes that get paint-chipped as then age, so unless it is cost-prohibitive, I would think Toro would continue to offer this, despite the un-knowledgeable customer's reluctance to embrace the "space-age" plastic chute.

Just my $0.02


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## guybb3 (Jan 31, 2014)

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> *The Powermaxs days upon this earth are numbered. as I live and die a little more here writing this. The guru's at TORO are hard at work bringing something new here to the masses. and that is all the MORE I AM SAYING ON THIS 1.:smiley-shocked033::smiley-shocked033:*




Is this what you refer to?


https://www.toro.com/snowmaster/


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

guybb3 said:


> Is this what you refer to?
> 
> 
> https://www.toro.com/snowmaster/


those are nice machines but I hope they don't replace the two stage machines with them


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## SAVAGE420 (Apr 21, 2015)

Interesting for sure!
Toro NEEDS to go with a hydrostatic transmission in their new 2 stage beasts!


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

SAVAGE420 said:


> Interesting for sure!
> Toro NEEDS to go with a hydrostatic transmission in their new 2 stage beasts!


Myself, I feel that hydrostatic adds quite a bit of cost to a machine, and an added degree of complexity for the homeowner to deal with for maintenance/repairs, with little benefit, but I have never owned a hydrostatic machine, so this is just my opinion. I keep a spare friction wheel for my machines, and I feel I am covered. With a hydrostatic, I would be SOL if I had a problem - too many parts to inventory for a homeowner.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

I'd really like to try a hydrostatic. But I do share some of your concerns. A problem could get expensive quickly, and might be something that even the enthusiastic homeowner couldn't fix. 

I do like the idea of infinitely variable speed, however. That could be nice for creeping into big snowbanks. Even the ability to seamlessly go from forward to reverse and back again would be cool. I just don't know if I'm fully comfortable with the extra complexity on a machine that must be reliable whenever you need to use it. 

The friction disk transmissions certainly give up some nice features of the hydrostatics, but their simplicity is undeniable. And they're pretty effective.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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Fellow enthusiasts: 

If you are close to making a purchase of a *28"* or *32"* Ariens or other brand I would hold off

Because you will be smitten with the *MANY* new changes of the 2018 HD's!

That's all I can say for now  

.


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

OK, its either going to be a Yamaha or a Toro for me. When will we know more tdipaul????????


I still have my Toro S620 and Toro CCR3000 and no ones going to pry them away from me since I still have the JD Junk


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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My guess is Toro will release info about them in August 

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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

My hope is that if it is a heavy track drive with steering brakes and with 10-12 HP. 
I will jump in with both feet then.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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The Magic 8 Ball has not forecasted tracks but he did say - "with certainty" - there will be at least the following changes...

bigger bucket (32" width), 

Bigger power (>419cc),

Bigger impeller (14"),

Top loader style horizontally split gearcase,

All steel construction of the ACS and chute

Repositioned LED lighting

IM EXCITED FOR THiS!!!!

.


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## SAVAGE420 (Apr 21, 2015)

No hydro though. 😵🤔


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Wow, >419cc, that's a big increase in power! I'm seeing 302cc on the current models. 



I'm curious what the gearbox will offer as benefits. If it separates vertically, perhaps you could open it (to replace damaged parts, or to re-lubricate) without removing the augers assembly from the bucket? 



Without an explicit mention of a transmission style, I suppose it's still possible there could be a hydro.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

RedOctobyr said:


> I'm curious what the gearbox will offer as benefits. If it separates vertically, perhaps you could open it (to replace damaged parts, or to re-lubricate) without removing the augers assembly from the bucket?



With Toro's claimed "industrial strength" gear case, I am surprised that they would even discuss that they are making it easier to open it up !


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## russkat (Feb 25, 2015)

One thing I like about the Toro company... and that's the decades of experience building commercial equipment...
Dingos, Golf turf maintenance equip, Trenchers, Horizontal drills, commercial mowers, etc...most with hydrostatic motors.

If the equipment is operated/maintained properly, the longevity of the hydrostatic motors are typically thousands of hours.
I for one, during a typical winter use a snowblower 10-15 hrs a year.
So even if the hydro last only 1,000 hours, it should last 66 years based upon my typical annual usage. Toro has far more experience with hydros than any other snowblower manufacturer, it's not even close.
They just have not yet introduced one into their snowblower line yet.

There are countless vintage lawn/garden tractors still working hard on their original hydros and they are probably used far more each year than a snowblower.

I think you'll find down the road (another 20-30 years) that the tranny portion of hydro drive snowblowers will be very reliable.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

That's good to know, thanks! 



I'd really like to try a blower with a hydrostatic transmission. They definitely have usability advantages. But even the most robust units can still have failures. And there is undeniable simplicity with a friction disk setup. You can look at it, and probably see the issue, and replace what's needed. 



If a hydro fails, you likely won't be able to fix it yourself. Or even if you can, you probably can't do it in the middle of the blizzard. For a machine that must first be reliable, I personally get a little nervous about trying a hydro setup. Especially because any hydro machine that would be in my price range would be used


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## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)




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## Bluster24 (Jan 28, 2016)

*Youtube link for new Toro Snowblowers!*


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

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Loving everything about it except the blood red paint. Seems darker.

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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

tdipaul said:


> .
> 
> Loving everything about it except the blood red paint. Seems darker.
> 
> .


* Same Red Color. Blame it on the Lighting.:surprise::surprise:*


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Happy independence day, 

The spill chamber is and has been a long needed feature for any walk behind snow blower.

I wonder if Toro or someone else will ever make a snow shark with the twin chain drive cross augers and the chain drive paddle wheel impeller or if they ever considered it?

The biggest advantage I have seen with the snow shark is the cross augers take a smaller bite of snow and slush per rotation of the paddle wheel impeller and its chain drive train which is the roller chain drive for the cross augers and the paddle wheel impeller. A larger power unit being 10 HP+-would be a plus to increase the amount of available torque.

Yes I have too much time on my hands.

Please, please stay hydrated and cool out there folks. Apparently our neighbors to the north are going to receive much of this heat as well next week if not sooner according the weather prognosticators/weather wizards.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Cool! Things that I picked up on: 



- More power. Awesome, it's tough to have too much "oomph" under the hood. 

- Metal chute, vs plastic on the current PowerMax HD, as far as I can tell. 

- Trigger steering, which I think sounds like a great feature (and one which they have already). 

- Spillover feature, but don't they have that already? Sorry, I'm not intimately familiar with Toro's offerings. I interpreted this as this feature that keeps excess snow from over-loading the impeller, I think it looks like a bump on the impeller housing? 

- LED headlights and hand warmers available. Nice. I think those are available now, or at least regular lights. 

- Commercial models have cast-iron skid shoes. OK, that's probably good for longer-wear. 



Barring unforeseen ("teething") issues, they sound like good machines!


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