# Newbie Choosing Your First Snowblower



## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

Hi everyone, I'm new here on the forum and I'm looking forward to getting my first snow blower. Here are some relevant facts:

I use a temporary shelter during the winter and it is next to the path between the street and the house door, that means that when it snows I have to make my way to the street and then remove the tenth snow from the shelter that falls on the path that already was clean. This path is 10 meters long and about 80 cm wide (varying according to my disposition to take the snow manually) and is not asphalted (it has small stones and sometimes grass).

I also need to make way for the dog to do his / her needs and leave the basement windows accessible for fire. All this way is in the grass.

I did several readings here in the forum and I chose Ariens as being the best option for my budget (until 1900 CAD).

The last important fact is that I live in a rented house today, obviously this will not last forever, so I can not limit myself to a machine for the specific needs of today, I would like to know that the future machine will be good for other situations (I know it is impossible to predict everything).

I am in doubt between the deluxe models 24 / deluxe 28/24 with caterpillars (track). This last one seems interesting but it seems to have a weaker motor, I do not know if this is a problem.

I live in Terrebonne, Quebéc

Thank you for dedicating your time.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to SBF Wladson

Because you're mentioning having to clear off grass for the dog and fire egress from the windows I think I'd go with the tracked version. Otherwise the 28 with cross link chains would be a great choice.

.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

looks like a shovel would do the job pretty fast.

otherwise a used hs724 tracked Honda. maybe small enough for this job and big enough for down the road needs.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! 

How much snow do you get per-storm, and per-season, approximately? What kind of snow is it? Someone getting 6" (15cm) of light fluffy snow per-storm, 2 times per season, has different needs that someone getting 18" (45cm) of heavy snow per-storm, 10 times per-season. 

Are you also clearing a driveway, or just this path? If you are only clearing the 10 meter/30 foot path, you may not need a huge machine. If you are also clearing a long & wide driveway, that changes things. 

Tracked machines can be easier on grass, or loose stones. You can often set the bucket (the snow intake) in a raised position, so that it does not scrape the ground, and instead rides a few inches/cm above the ground. That way the bucket does not tear up the grass, and is less likely to pull in the small stones. 

With that said, I use my wheeled Ariens to maintain a path through my yard, maybe around 40 feet. I just push down on the handles, to make sure that the bucket stays up, and does not tear up the grass. It hasn't been a problem.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> :welcome: to SBF Wladson
> 
> Because you're mentioning having to clear off grass for the dog and fire egress from the windows I think I'd go with the tracked version. Otherwise the 28 with cross link chains would be a great choice.
> 
> .


Thank you, I'm thinking of this line...


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

orangputeh said:


> looks like a shovel would do the job pretty fast.
> 
> otherwise a used hs724 tracked Honda. maybe small enough for this job and big enough for down the road needs.


Unfortunately there are no honda used for sale in the region and nearby (I also looked for yamaha), true that I preferred a Japanese. The only available is 90's

I'll put some photos to illustrate the real situation. I appreciated your opinion


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> Welcome to the forum!
> 
> How much snow do you get per-storm, and per-season, approximately? What kind of snow is it? Someone getting 6" (15cm) of light fluffy snow per-storm, 2 times per season, has different needs that someone getting 18" (45cm) of heavy snow per-storm, 10 times per-season.
> 
> ...


Good question! With concrete data the thing gets easier. Based on the historical average of the last 30 years:

Month / Amount
November / 21 cm
December / 56 cm
January / 58
February / 34
frame / 26
April / 7

It would give a total of 195 cm, last year that number reached 220. The average number of days with precipitation is 160 for the period of months above. In general in the month of March there are always two great storms that border the 25 cm

The biggest storms pour between 15 and 40 cm

The quality of the snow varies a lot, but we always have verglass and that snow wet. Last winter the snow was soft, but ice sheets formed on a verglass and as I had not yet removed the snow ....

The driveway I'm not cleaning, because I have a contract, but I plan to do it next year. Anyway the entrance is not that big (6 width x 8 meters length)

It would be a great point if you did not scrape the grass, but as you said, it is possible to get a result with some practice with wheels. I'll post some photos to illustrate better

Thank you for your consideration.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

look at this last photo, there was a blizzard and then a freeze rain when I still had not taken all the snow, so it was compacted and solid, I could not remove it with a single shovel


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

This is not what you want to hear, 
but you might as well invest in the Yamaha 824 if you cannot afford the 1028 as you will be much much better off with your snows. You could always trade the 824 in on a 1028 or sell it outright if you want to upgrade.

The other thing is wheeled units will tend to ride up on packed snow and the dreaded END OF DRIVEWAY MONSTER.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

leonz said:


> This is not what you want to hear,
> but you might as well invest in the Yamaha 824 if you cannot afford the 1028 as you will be much much better off with your snows. You could always trade the 824 in on a 1028 or sell it outright if you want to upgrade.
> 
> The other thing is wheeled units will tend to ride up on packed snow and the dreaded END OF DRIVEWAY MONSTER.


the yamaha 624 is a dream, the dealer is offering financing without interest in 4 years, totaling close to 4,000 cad


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Do this before you empty your wallet,

I would imagine that since this models engine is built in china the higher price reflects that.
Check with Larry Kelly at kelly motorsports in Hamilton, Ontario for a price and financing and then check with the yamaha dealers in Ottowa as one of them is $500 loonies less than Larrys price as a rull but they do not ship these beautiful snow mules. 

See if the dealer you chatted with will match their prices and if not and at least you made the effort.

There are a bunch of you tube videos with the owners of the 624/824 clearing lots of deep snows so I want you to at least watch them and then GO BLUE my friend. 



Don't tell anyone I told you this buuuut,


If you have a friend in the lower 48 he/she could buy it with yankee dollars and save you a small fortune as they were under 3K based on the $$ exchange rate from last year. 

I would rather see you do this than get a heart attack. the Yamaha dealer won't care as its just a sales transaction and your friend could just mail a bank draft back to you for the Quebec VAT and Sales tax amount that he/she will be refunded at the border crossing minus a finder fee if they are willing to cross the border with it and then bring it back for "repairs" a few weeks from now.

The smaller units have the Teflon lined chutes now so they will work even better and the snow will be blown across the road based on Coby7's experience with he beautiful snow mule.


Signed, 

Don't tell anyone I told you this.

Guilty of avoiding the Quebec Sales tax and VAT(but not really)


I hate fighting with things and I have throw 200 more dollars at the JS when I can afford it just to buy belts and the parts that werre missing that RAD never installed when they shipped the bloody thing to JD and the dealer I bought it from was of no help to me either.
I only found out about the missing parts because of a better John dealer found a service bulletin that highlighted the RAD/JD screw up that I have to pay good money for to correct after 7 years.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

I had a cheap Craftsman 8/24 track blower and loved it Tracks do have there place and now with trigger steering it is a great choice. What ever blower you decide on I would upgrade the skids and you will be super happy. Let us know what you end up with.


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## tdipaul (Jul 11, 2015)

.

The Ariens Deluxe 24 would perform well here IMO. 

Looks like a lot of narrow spaces, so anything wider than 24 (610mm) might be cumbersome.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

My sno-tec with the upgraded 254cc performed well and I’ll see how the 24” deluxe performs this year.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

leave me updated: I was doing my daily search in the classifieds in search of a yamaha or honda, then I came across an interesting advertisement, was a Honda HS70, "basic" model, but fully functional and with nothing to do the oil) for a great price, then I called and found that the seller was only 2 km away, I ran the look at the machine, I did a little test drive, the machine works on the first blow, and compared with others I already had seen by photos, this was much better, so I paid the 500 dollars requested and now I am the owner of this relic.

Now I need to find mechanic tips to make sure everything is correct and well lubricated: D

leonz, Scarf, tdipaul, Dauntae andd all: Thanks for the tip, we have already concluded that the next machine (in 2 years) will be a yamaha 0km

I was forgetting, this machine is successful (I do not know yet why). As soon as I got home and a neighbor came to make me an offer for her, so if I do not like it, I already have someone to sell ...


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

For the coming winter:

1.New spark plug-do not trust the pre gapped plugs. 

2. 10 weight oil for engine crankcase for ease of use and easier starting
a. drain old gas out of tank

3. buy one can of Seafoam fuel treatment; use a little in the gas tank at each use.

4. buy high octane fuel or aviation gas

5. fluid film spray for a great way to coat everything that will contact snow and prevent sticking and reduce clogging.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

leonz said:


> For the coming winter:
> 
> 4. buy high octane fuel or aviation gas



Really ? Why ?


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## rslifkin (Mar 5, 2018)

RIT333 said:


> Really ? Why ?


Gas does lose some octane in storage. I wouldn't bother with AvGas, but I do usually buy 91 or 93 for my OPE. I don't go through enough for the price difference to really matter and I worry less about fuel age with higher octane + stabilizer.


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## Mal (Oct 8, 2013)

Since you're soliciting opinions, I'll chime in.


Platinum 24 SHO. 



Yes, it's wheeled. I do my yard with this machine for the dog run. It's an upgrade on the first pass and this machine handles it fine.



You apparently get heavy snow and there's no replacement for displacement(a big engine). You say your path is 80CM, so you need something a bit smaller than that. 



I had the compact 24" and while I was able to get the job done, it was much slower. The Plat 24 barely labors when going through a full bucket of EOD. I have no regrets.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

leonz said:


> For the coming winter:
> 
> 1.New spark plug-do not trust the pre gapped plugs.
> 
> ...


great tips !, should the new spark be recommended in the manual (BR-4HS) or have some of the highest performance I can use?

"fluid film" like "WD40", etc ?

and... the auger skid help or hinder if it isn't on asphalt?

Thank's


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

Mal said:


> Since you're soliciting opinions, I'll chime in.
> 
> 
> Platinum 24 SHO.
> ...



wonderful information !


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

Wladson said:


> Great tips!, should the new spark be recommended in the manual (BR-4HS) or have some of the highest performance I can use?
> 
> "fluid film" like "WD40", etc ?
> 
> ...


======================================================================

Good morning wladson,


Now that you are fully infected with snowbloweritus and snowblower/yamahacollectoritus(blue snow mule disease) you are more fully prepared for wild winters with heavy wet snows.

Use the recommended spark plug for your honda snow mule and buy a spark plug gapping tool and a spare plug. The round spar plug gauges- the ones that fit on a key ring are very good but a good set of blade feeler gauges will do as well. The blade feeler gauges are less troublesome to use. Just be sure to clean them after gapping a wet or dirty plug and spraying them with some fluid film to protect them from rusting. 
The spark plug tip should just drag a little when you check the gap. Its better to change the current plug, fuel and oil now to prevent a possible fuel related problem later.


As far as slick spray I use both fluid film and WD-40 for the snow pups and the hedge trimmers to lubricate them. 

As long as you coat the impeller, impeller housing and the chute several times and letting it dry for a few days between coats before the snow flies you will be well prepared. after that coating the chute before you start each time is good preventative medicine.

Its best to make the first pass down to the END OF DRIVEWAY MONSTER and clear that off as the salted snow and ice will be cast away first and then you can clear the snow in the driveway after that and the fresh snow will flush the salt and ice out of the auger housing.

If you have a warm place to keep the snow mule all the better 


Please check the pull rope by pulling out out slowly all the way and then take your thumb and forefinger and rub it along the full length of the starter rope to check it for wear.
If the pull rope is the least bit fuzzy/frayed you should plan on removing the recoil starter housing and having the local dealer replace the pull rope for you.
You will need a metric allen wrench to remove the starter rope recoil housing and you can just drop it off and pick it up when they have changed the rope later. The folks at Harbor freight have packs of allen wrenches that are very economical in price.


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## Wladson (Sep 14, 2018)

Just to update this old post: I followed all the maintenance tips and had a very heavy winter, although my machine worked very well. Additionally I put a battery and a LED headlight to better illuminate, it was really good.

Thank you all


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