# 28" or the 32"



## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Hello all, new to the forum however I have been reading quite a bit over the past few weeks. I started this Honda obsession a while back with the 1132 track to which I found it extremely hard to move and turn in the driveway, I then sold it and purchased the 928 track to which was easier to move and I enjoyed owning it throughout. The driveway it was used on had a decent slope so it was certainly not flat. Fast forward to the current as I moved to a new home, flat driveway however bigger area. I see the new models sell my current and need to decide 28" or 32". Both will come with electric start. In the back of my head I am hesitant because of the battle I had with the 1132 years ago. I have seen and handled the new style and the maneuverability is unbelievable compared to the old design. Help me make the decision. Great info here so thanks again.


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## nafterclifen (Oct 14, 2015)

You can get wheels or tracks on the 28". But only tracks on the 32". In my opinion, the only reason to get the 32" is for the bigger motor if you need it.

The GX390 in the 32" has 11.7 HP and 19.5 lb-ft TQ compared to the GX270 in the 28" which has 8.5 HP and 14.1 lb-ft TQ


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

I'm am right in thinking there will not be much difference in moving the two. I am looking at the track models


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

RacingSims said:


> I'm am right in thinking there will not be much difference in moving the two. I am looking at the track models


I never owned a track unit, because when I was buying track units were kind of few and far between. The ones that I looked at way back pre 2009 seemed to me to be hard to move on the ground without power, so I went with wheels that were easy to move around. My big concern was getting the thing in parking place in the garage. 

My drive way is flat, paved and pretty much level save for the slight drainage grade. Second blower is wheels, power steering, and remote control chute which are two features the 1983 unit didn't have. I found that getting older influenced how easy it was to muscle the old one around with the axles locked in both side drive. 

I also read here about the additional maintenance requirements for tracks, the problems some people have had finding replacement tracks.


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## nafterclifen (Oct 14, 2015)

RacingSims said:


> I'm am right in thinking there will not be much difference in moving the two. I am looking at the track models


I can't speak from personal experience but I'm willing to bet that there would be no difference in moving the two. The weight difference is no more than 23 pounds depending on the model/config.

Here is the comparison chart on Honda's website...

Honda Power Equipment: Honda Generators, Lawn Mowers, Snow blowers, Tillers


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## Blepski (Dec 2, 2015)

Racing sims . 

I am also currently debating the two sizes and tracks vs wheels. My post is in the general snowblowers section if you haven't seen it yet . It has some helpful information from the forum members that might be worth a read through . 

As much as I'm told the 928 will have enough power by members that already own them , without first hand experience of my own I still am comcenred about the engine size in the 928 and the jump in power to the 1332 is significant enough to alleviate any concern in my mind . I just don't know if it's ridiculous overkill and unneeded expense..... I have a gradual slope driveway with a larger parking area of about 3k sq ft . 

I like the idea of tracks for the stability and ability to control the auger height . I test drove a tracked 724 and found it surprisingly easy to handle so I can only hope the larger size ones would be close the same ....


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to the forum Racingsims


I'm always a fan of bigger is better. How big is the new driveway ?? How much faster do you think the 32" will get you back inside where it's warm ??


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

I've used a 28", 8HP tracked Honda for 24 years with great results in a mix of snow conditions, but quite a bit of heavy wet snow. I'm a little over a mile from Lake Michigan and the snow is usually pretty moisture laden. Over the years we've gotten an average of 175" a year. The last several years, 190" with the 2013/14 season at 340". 600' of driveway, slight grade in 2 spots, + 600' of single path comes out to about 7,800 sq. ft.

There are times when 8 hp is just not enough. As my HS828 got older, I had to slow down even more. A situation popped up this Fall where I would give my '91 to a family member and then buy a new one, so when it came time to buy, I didn't - and still don't believe 1 hp more would be enough and since there is no 11hp any more I opted for the HSS1332. 

Not enough snow yet to know how much better the new one will be, but I have a feeling it'll be a lot better . We've had 10" of snow so far, but in 1-3" increments...not enough to break out a blower as it would just melt in a day or two, and with my gravel/dirt drive and the ground not frozen solid yet, it would just be a mess in the auger areas.

I vote for the 32" tracked. The way they turn now, it should be a dream.


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

Opinions are cheap, so I'll throw mine out there too . I had an 1132 that I just downsized to the new 928 track. The 28's now have the same larger impeller as in the 1332, which should be an improvement in snow clearing compared to the 928 that you're used to. 

For commercial situations or where you have a large flat space with a lot of parallel runs, the 32 is the clear choice. But in a driveway, you're probably going to waste a run or two just touching up the edges, so the overall clearing time may not be any better. With the new design, both machines are very maneuverable, but I find that the extra width does get in the way sometimes when getting around cars, trimming hard packed edges or storing it in the garage. I even bought a supplementary 21" single stage because the 1132 was just too much machine for lighter snow storms, but with the 928 I'm hoping that it will be easier to use across a wide range of conditions.


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## jrom (Jan 10, 2014)

SB83 said:


> Opinions are cheap, so I'll throw mine out there too .


 Same here  


> ... I find that the extra width does get in the way sometimes when getting around cars...


I'm seeing this already. Quite often, I'll have two cars in the drive outside the garage and the 28" just barely makes it between them. Now we'll have to park a little more to the outside edges. I mainly got the 1332 for the extra HP.


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## Rocktaco (Sep 24, 2013)

SB83 said:


> Opinions are cheap, so I'll throw mine out there too . I had an 1132 that I just downsized to the new 928 track. The 28's now have the same larger impeller as in the 1332, which should be an improvement in snow clearing compared to the 928 that you're used to.
> 
> For commercial situations or where you have a large flat space with a lot of parallel runs, the 32 is the clear choice. But in a driveway, you're probably going to waste a run or two just touching up the edges, so the overall clearing time may not be any better. With the new design, both machines are very maneuverable, but I find that the extra width does get in the way sometimes when getting around cars, trimming hard packed edges or storing it in the garage. I even bought a supplementary 21" single stage because the 1132 was just too much machine for lighter snow storms, but with the 928 I'm hoping that it will be easier to use across a wide range of conditions.


I agree 100% with everything said above with exception to the HS1332 impeller size. Even the old 1332's had the smaller impeller. All new models were upgraded.
I've also downsized from the HS1332 to the HSS928. The 32 was a hand full doing my 100' of side walk in front of the house. My sidewalk is one that curves over into the street. The 32 would want to repeatedly fall off into the street or mow the grass or even pick up landscape rocks in front of my neighbors hours. All these issues have been resolved with the 28.

I do however miss the power of the 1332. My new HSS928 seems to bog down much easier that the 32 ever did. With that said though, I still moves smow like a Honda should and I really appreciate the slightly narrower bucket size, and the controls are awesome!


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Great responses and thank you. I am off to read the "General Forum" responses.


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

OK the dealer just called and both are there. I am gong to make my decision. Both the 28 and 32 are on the property, Ill be driving home with one tonight. Thanks again all.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

The advantage of the HSS1332 is IMHO the power per inch mostly.
HSS928 will have .32HP per inch of the auger housing.
HSS1332 will have .40HP per inch of the auger housing.
This translates to an overall 20% more power per inch of the auger housing on the HSS1332, but IMHO it should've been fitted with a 15 or 16" impeller to be able to process the extra snow faster using the extra power.


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Did you decide on a model?


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## nafterclifen (Oct 14, 2015)

RacingSims said:


> Did you decide on a model?


Shouldn't we be asking you that?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

RacingSims said:


> OK the dealer just called and both are there. I am gong to make my decision. Both the 28 and 32 are on the property, Ill be driving home with one tonight. Thanks again all.


And that was three days ago!!

What did you get ??


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Sorry I was trying to message Blepski. 
Well when I arrived at the dealership the deposit I made held a beautiful 1332. There it was on the showroom floor among the others including the 928. I must say with a tag that read my last name it certainly made the 1332 even more appealing! The dealer is putting no pressure on me to select the model is want but I think I'm going with the 13. With temperatures in the 60'same good thing I can still think about it.


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## Blepski (Dec 2, 2015)

I went in today to put a deposit on a 928 but saw a 1332 parked next to it and had a similar dilemma and switched to that instead . The 32 is a beast and the significantly larger engine over the 928 removes any doubts about dealing with whatever the winter might bring !

I really think the 928 is going to be more than enough machine and the "sensible " thing to do but for some reason after cross shopping against the ariens with thier 420cc engines I just can't accept that the 928 is going to have enough power ....


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## SND (Nov 5, 2015)

I debated this as well, a few told me their HS928 was a bit low on power, but youtube videos seemed to show it being quite capable. In the end I felt the 928 was probably plenty for the average snowfall we get in NS, for the extra $750cad for the 1332, I can take an extra 10-15 minutes for the odd time needed. 
We're supposed to get 6-8" today, I'll finally get to try it and I'll report back 
Do I wish I had the 1332, yes, but I had to be reasonable...hopefully I won't regret it.


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## SnowG (Dec 5, 2014)

If the snow is deep and heavy, it all comes out to speed. If light or shallow, what's the width of your pass? How much snow can you move per minute? I have found my HS 928 to be very adequate for my driveway, which is 300 feet long; 200 feet of it is single lane + 100 feet 2.5 lane. No problems with EOD. It gets done in a reasonable period of time, and I find that I don't have to work hard at it because of all the traction I get through the tracks. YMMV.


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## SND (Nov 5, 2015)

Well I finally got to try my HSS928, in about 6" of dry but somewhat dense snow I was able to go full travel speed but you can hear it kinda working, it could likely take a bit more before having to reduce speed. I like the width of it, a HSS1328 would be ideal... 
I'll be checking the rpm of it when I get time, I think its running a little slow.


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Decision made. 1332 Went back and forth even on the way and once I got there I had to have it. I only have one problem with the bigger size it was a bit hard to get it through the front door but we'll worth it. It looks fantastic next to the couch


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## mishkaya (Oct 25, 2015)

RacingSims said:


> It looks fantastic next to the couch


Congratulations on your new acquisition! I hate to tell you this, but the blower is meant to be used outdoors... :icon-hgtg:
Can't wait for mine to arrive. :wavetowel2:


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## Blepski (Dec 2, 2015)

What a sweet machine congrats on the purchase! 

I can't wait to get mine.

Did you add those side skids ? I've only seen them with rear mounted ones...


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

I did add them.


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## Blepski (Dec 2, 2015)

Are you using them in conjunction with rears ? 

Are they sourced from a wheeled 928?


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## RacingSims (Dec 22, 2015)

Yes I am using them with the rears. I liked the added protection benefit while riding the curb.


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## grabber (Nov 28, 2015)

SND said:


> Well I finally got to try my HSS928, in about 6" of dry but somewhat dense snow I was able to go full travel speed but you can hear it kinda working, it could likely take a bit more before having to reduce speed. I like the width of it, a HSS1328 would be ideal...
> I'll be checking the rpm of it when I get time, I think its running a little slow.


I have a HSS1332 with starter and find that the rpm is low too at full speed. But that thing is economic on gas.... very impressed. I do have an other blower i use at my parents place, its a brigg & Straton 11hp engine if i recall and the engine RPM seems to be a lot higher and noisier than the Honda.
i think that the engine has more torque at low rpm, this is why they set it a that level...


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