be careful on the new cub cadets as they have been bought out by MTD and have been cheapened, I was looking at getting one of their tracked models this spring for this year and from my research it wasn't worth it.
more like Cashiers Reports.
Snowblower
- Thread starter dcorbatt
- Start date
more like Cashiers Reports.
I've used a Toro Powerlite one stage the past eleven years on a three car wide driveway. The Toro is a little workhorse, but it would still take me over an hour with heavier snows. Last year the snow was wet and heavy which taxed the Toro. Was going to by a new Ariens two stage this year, but found a used Snapper 824 in perfect condition for $250. Now that I have two snow blowers we probably won't get any significant snow this year, which is fine by me.
Make sure you do your homework and read the reviews before buying. Buy from a dealer with a service department if you can since the big box stores don't provide service. Serviced properly a good snow blower will last a long long time, so it is worth paying a bit extra and not buying the cheapest off brand out there.
Make sure you do your homework and read the reviews before buying. Buy from a dealer with a service department if you can since the big box stores don't provide service. Serviced properly a good snow blower will last a long long time, so it is worth paying a bit extra and not buying the cheapest off brand out there.
Good to know regarding MTD. I do still see independent shops carry them.
The only reason I have a crapsman is due to a sweetheart deal. I've had it 12 years, and it was probably 5 years old when I bought it. Haven't had a problem mechanically with it, but it doesn't hold a candle to the better brands performance wise.
This is exactly what happened to me, I just cleaned the float needle and it was good, but also put on a shutoff valve so I could run the carb dry at the end of the year.
When I started reading this at the beginning and everyone was talking about not even using their snowblower last year, I was thinking, "Where the heck do you live? I had mine out 2-3 times a week last year." Then I saw it was started in 2017!
Choose the brand that you want to purchase, and then google for a implement store or dealer that sells that brand in your area. I would stay away from the big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes. A smaller shop that sells you one is going to more likely to service it, than a large chain store, worth it in the long run, even if it costs you a few bucks more.
I grew up working on small engines and do all my own maintenance on whatever I buy. If you are remotely that way, do as I do and look on Craigslist or FB marketplace for the big name brand blowers that was mentioned above that people who don't know what the word "maintenance" means and are selling cheap because they can't get it to run. Usually all it is is a fouled plug or clogged carburator, both of which are about 5 minutes to 30 minute jobs.
It's a bit of overkill, but I bought a 8hp 26" Cub Cadet 2 stage snowblower with tracks and little clutches on each side to steer the snowblower for that reason. Bought it for $200 and spent money on a sparkplug and new wear bar and it runs like a top. He paid $1,400 for it 4-5 years ago.
Not for everyone, but just throwing that out there as another option.