# recommendations for smaller blower



## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Last big snowfall I brought my little Snapper 6/22 for my brother to try on the hill driveway and it worked great. He wanted to buy it from me but well.... I want to keep it so he wants to find a new one, Only problem is there is not a lot of storage and he won't have room for anything bigger. Strangely enough nobody seems to make any smaller ones except Toro and the only place that carries them is HD and there is none to be had LOL He is rather anal and does NOT want used or to order one. Only one I could think of is the ariens compact 24 but may be a little out of his price range, What would you recommend and we can search out one to go look at. He did see the Troy bilt 24". even though not the best quality but does fit his criteria but hoped there was another smaller one out there that would be compact and work for him. light duty only because it's not a big driveway, already has a honda single stage but wants a 2 stage.


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## buffettck (Jan 4, 2017)

I know you said he wants a two stage, but look at the Honda HS720. I have the AA version. It's seriously good. They say it's the single stage that throws like a two stage and that's no lie. I live in Utah and we have snow that we need to MOVE. It's not all light and fluffy ski powder, either. Not by a long shot.


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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

look for a toro 3521, 421, or 521


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

For a tight budget and little use $449  22"

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bolens-179..._clickID=472d558c-2d07-4c66-ad86-4c4624856554


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## HogdogJoe (Oct 20, 2016)

Tell him to check out the Toro Snowmaster range. 

They're technically "single stage" (in that there is no propeller) but have power wheels, power steering, joystick chute control, skids, and many other things you won't find on any other single stage. They're kind of a 1.5 stage snowblower (not really, but they have a mishmash of features from both single and two stage blowers). 

I would ask why exactly he wants a two stage? I mean how is his single stage letting him down and what from a two stage does he want? Knowing more about his current problems will help guide what to get him next. 

PS - Any two stage will take up more space than a single stage. The Toro Snowmaster is smaller than most two stages but bigger than most single stages, it is comparable to some of the "compact" two stages.


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## GregNL (Jan 9, 2017)

hsblowersfan said:


> For a tight budget and little use $449 22"
> 
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bolens-179..._clickID=472d558c-2d07-4c66-ad86-4c4624856554


Manual chute control, eewwwww, lol.

The Ariens 24 Compact and Toro 724OE get my vote for short length, that's why I love my Yamaha YS-624 so much. The Husq 224 just felt too big, too long, while the 300 series were shorter due to dual grip handle configuration and modified console/bezel.

Does HD or other retailer sell the Sno-Tek 24 by Ariens in the US? They used to have a 20" model, a nice little nimble machine with a 208cc engine, the chute deflector tip was manual though.

Sno-Tek 24 - Products - Ariens Sno-Tek

This looks like a great little machine at a fantastic price:

Sears.com


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## JayzAuto1 (Jul 25, 2016)

GEvening Dauntae, it may be easier to find a new brother!!! But seriously, if your considering that little Bolens* (in name only), Walmart is selling it's twin brother in red, for $199.99. I also had a customer bring in an Ariens Path Pro, single stage. think it was a 22", that ran nice(After I fixed it_they ripped out the rope on the second pull-in a snow storm), and threw the powdery snow pretty far. It matters not, but if something goes amiss with your recommendation, it may get ugly. It's too bad that he won't go used, because those little Snappers are an excellent machine. I've sold 4-5, with confidence they won't be coming back to me broken!!!! GLuck, Jay


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## jermar (Dec 10, 2014)

Ariens has a new 20" two stage that would fit the bill except for price.
Ariens Compact 20" ST20LE 208cc Two Stage Snow Blower SnowBlowersAtJacks


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

hsblowersfan said:


> For a tight budget and little use $449 22"
> 
> https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bolens-179..._clickID=472d558c-2d07-4c66-ad86-4c4624856554





GregNL said:


> This looks like a great little machine at a fantastic price:
> 
> Sears.com


Dauntae, (the original poster)
FYI, 90% of forum members would never..ever...never never never never..
suggest that you buy a new "bottom of the line" MTD or *especially* a Powermore!
They are veeeeeery low-end, veeeeeery low quality, and the odds of having a LOT of problems with them, when brand-new, are very high.

You would have better luck buying a $250 40-year old Ariens than a $500 brand-new Powermore.
The quality and reliability of the 40-year old Ariens will be much higher, even when factoring in the age.

If you can only afford $500, IMO, you simply should not buy a brand-new 2-stage snowblower at all.
There are really no quality machines at that price point.
you would be much better off spending $200 to $400 on a used Ariens, Toro or Honda.
the quality and reliability of those (even when used) will be much higher than the Powermore.

if buying new, you should only look at: Ariens, Toro, Honda, Simplicity, Snapper, Briggs & Stratton.

I would pretend nothing else even exists.

Scot


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

sscotsman said:


> Dauntae, (the original poster)
> FYI, 90% of forum members would never..ever...never never never never..
> suggest that you buy a new "bottom of the line" MTD or *especially* a Powermore!
> They are veeeeeery low-end, veeeeeery low quality, and the odds of having a LOT of problems with them, when brand-new, are very high.
> ...


I tend to agree with you, I got him to push the budget to about $700 max and I had forgotten all about the Ariens snow tek 24" just spoke with the local Ariens dealer which is also the distributor for all the Ariens in the local Home Depot and they said they will take care of all warranty work as they are the ones who order for Home Depot. So I sent him a link and see if he might get that one. I really don't like the MTD rebrands myself.

As for why he wants a 2 stage, seems snow drifts like the driveway and if there is 6" snowfall there tends to be 12" on the driveway, And the EOD gets really big on his street and my little Snapper went through the last snowfall much faster than his Honda single stage with far less work on the hill because the single doesn't pull itself up the hill too well, New rubber in it also last year.


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## HogdogJoe (Oct 20, 2016)

Dauntae said:


> As for why he wants a 2 stage, seems snow drifts like the driveway and if there is 6" snowfall there tends to be 12" on the driveway, And the EOD gets really big on his street and my little Snapper went through the last snowfall much faster than his Honda single stage with far less work on the hill because the single doesn't pull itself up the hill too well, New rubber in it also last year.


Between the $700 budget and the description of the problem, I'm still going to suggest the Toro Snowmaster. It will handle 12" fine, is a good brand, and has powered wheels to get him up that hill. 

The Toro 724 ZXR is $700 at Home Depot right now. If you can find $50 more than the 724 QXE is $750 and adds electric start and Quick Stick (which in my OPINION is a no brainer for $50). 

You won't find too much else by Toro/Honda/Ariens for $700 unless it is single stage. And no other single stage is designed to hand 12" except the Snowmaster, plus they won't have powered wheels.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

The Bolens above has some strong advantages, lightweight, compact, folding handlebar, you can pick it up and hang it on the wall; but plastic wheels that leak air, one speed forward, a poor drive cable setup, and a chute you need to turn by hand.

MTD makes Bolens, they make the same machine under the Yardman label.

Unless you need these features, you'd be better buying a different unit.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Well since if he ever has any issues, guess who is going to have to work on it lol but none the less I think I have him talked into the Ariens sno-tec 24, not high end but decent quality, Local Ariens dealer for any warrantee work (again get me out of fixing it) and within his price range at $650 None in store local but can order with delivery which I like since I'll be assembling. Hope he goes through with it.


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## GregNL (Jan 9, 2017)

Glad I could help, Dauntae! I almost bought a Sno-Tek a few years ago but the price jumped $200-$300 from one season to the next. Once it hit the $800 CDN category at HomeDepot the Ariens was looking more tempting.

As for Sscotsman, get off your soapbox of public shaming. Make your point but there's no need to specifically quote someone for a suggestion and ridicule them. The Power More, Sno-Tek and Ariens, just to name a few, all use LCT engines. I based the suggestion of machine on the needs specified in Dauntae's post, light use and small size. Is the DB7103-24 a piling heap of trash? Well, after reading reviews on HD it's a mixed bag, for the price of $499 on sale from $649-$699 and features it trumps anything else close to it. If someone were to have a bad experience with a product they're more likely to leave a review about it than one they're 100% content with and not feel a need or think about doing so. The difference in price is reflected in the overall build quality. It's partially why I steered away from Sno-Tek, despite Ariens behind them, along with the now higher price as noted above as it felt cheap and would rust quick with the thin steel, the Ariens Compact only being slightly better which is why I sprung for a 25yr old Yamaha. You can spend $1000 on a Husq or $4000 on a Honda and still have issues or design flaws. Buy what you can afford or feel comfortable in doing so based on how it feels in person. 




sscotsman said:


> hsblowersfan said:
> 
> 
> > For a tight budget and little use $449 22"
> ...


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

GregNL said:


> As for Sscotsman, get off your soapbox of public shaming. Make your point but there's no need to specifically quote someone for a suggestion and ridicule them.


I did need to quote the section about the snowblower so it was clear what I was referring to..and I wasnt commenting on the posters, I was commenting on the snowblowers. And those snowblowers do in fact deserve public shaming,  Its part of what this forum is about: helping people make informed decisions. 

Scot


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## 524SWE (Jan 20, 2017)

Toro Snowmaster, you may not find them at the big box stores but dealers will still have them I imagine.


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## NJHonda (Feb 8, 2013)

Toro snowmaster 724. Home depot. End of the thread. 

Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE 24 in. Single-Stage Gas Snow Blower-36002 - The Home Depot


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

:facepalm_zpsdj194qh You ever know someone who says one thing and no matter how you try to tell them a better option they think your and idiot BUT they go for the better option after the fact and think THEY are the smart one for it????YUP THAT would be my brother LOL Any who... He is now looking at the ariens 24 Deluxe for $999 LOL I guess his budget and space requirements only go to MY opinions on snow blowers but I'm glad, He will have a good machine and hopefully he gets the newest year model because with him, I REALLY don't want to be the one to try and explain if there are any differences.


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## 524SWE (Jan 20, 2017)

Dauntae said:


> :facepalm_zpsdj194qh You ever know someone who says one thing and no matter how you try to tell them a better option they think your and idiot BUT they go for the better option after the fact and think THEY are the smart one for it????YUP THAT would be my brother LOL Any who... He is now looking at the ariens 24 Deluxe for $999 LOL I guess his budget and space requirements only go to MY opinions on snow blowers but I'm glad, He will have a good machine and hopefully he gets the newest year model because with him, I REALLY don't want to be the one to try and explain if there are any differences.


He'd fit right in with some of these guys on this forum! Sign him up! LOL


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## NJHonda (Feb 8, 2013)

lol. True.. If he wants that machine that bad, let him go. If he did listen to you and did get something else, no matter how good it is, he will always poo poo it as a compromise to the machine he really wanted anyway


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Well thank you for all the suggestions, He finally got one so guarantee no snow now in my area LOL. He was looking at options online and seen the husqvarna st224 with a add to cart for price at Lowes and got it for $699 so just made his original budget and got some nice features on it tpp, He did not get the st224P with the steering levers but on a 24" there not really needed IMHO and he is happy, Squeezed it in the corner of his garage and I'm just hoping it lasts a good long while. I am def going to have to go over the whole thing and make sure all the bolts are tight since I DON'T trust the kids who put it together but other than a few adjustments needed it seems pretty solid.


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