Topic 'Help with snow blower what one to pick?' in forum 'Canadian Chat' - dslreports.com

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 17:26:28 EDT

anon posted : 62 is just a number. I've known people who have had bypass surgery in their 40's and I've known people in their 70's who swim 10 Km a day.

The point is, that shoveling snow is NOT "a good workout."

Going outside in subzero cold once every two or three weeks and moving a ton of snow without regular exercise and a proper warmup is pretty much lethal for anyone, regardless of age or physical condition.

Not to mention he probably had the same macho idiot attitude as elwood that a snowblower is a waste of money and he could use a "good workout" :p

The point is, for anyone over the age of 50, (Hell even 40) a snowblower is a wise investment if you want to enjoy a long and healthy life.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:58:22 EDT

Pesterd posted : He was 62. People should watch their age and health before deciding to do heavy duty work.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:29:21 EDT

Mike2009 posted : Good point lugnut. Lots of people die shoveling snow and it's really not worth it.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 14:01:35 EDT

anon posted :

said by elwoodblues:

1000 bucks for a snowblower you are going to use HOW MANY times a year?

I'm no spring chicken, but I can handle a little snow with my shovel just fine thanks

I used to have a friend whose dad went out in 2008 to shovel his "postage stamp Mississauga driveway." Afterwards he came in, laid down on the couch to nap, and dropped dead a half hour later.

What do ya figger? Would it have been worth 1000 bucks to keep his 62 year old dad around for another 15 to 20 years? :p

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 13:11:40 EDT

milnoc posted :

said by elwoodblues:

1000 bucks for a snowblower you are going to use HOW MANY times a year?

I'm no spring chicken, but I can handle a little snow with my shovel just fine thanks

It can easily become a necessity if you have a long driveway, plenty of sidewalks, and little access to a snow plowing service.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:51:59 EDT

FiReSTaRT posted :

said by elwoodblues:

This ain't Sudbury where Nitzguy lives or even Peterborough where it actually snows.

Dropping 800 bucks on a snowblower (let alone the grand in the above post) is insane. You should buy a tempo to protect your driveway, you'll never have to shovel again.

What if it's one of those LONG Toronto driveways that go between 2 houses?Now, imagine it being gravel.. Some of us don't have to maintain suburban postage stamps that you can keep clear with a teaspoon. With that being said, this holds true especially for certain neighborhoods in Northern Mississauga/Brampton, with driveways that can barely fit 2 subcompacts, you have people with $2000 snowblowers that get taken out even for 2cm dumps just for show ;)

In my case, the driveway would be impossible to maintain with a shovel due to gravel and its size. A smaller 20-24" blower would have taken twice as much work and would have been unable to clear the pile that the plow left in front or even the sidewalk. Yes, the city clears the sidewalks, but until then, pedestrians share the slippery road with cars if the sidewalks aren't clear.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:22:40 EDT

TOPDAWG posted : meh I love right on Georgian Bay. Forking snow bank near the road and my driveway is now taller then my car.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 02:18:45 EDT

TOPDAWG posted : oh I got one it's just a single stage 30 year old one think is nearing retirement me thinks. It was worth the 50 bucks I paid for it last year. I fixed an issue I had with it today that made me want to replace it and it worked well today but it drives like a fucking tank and sounds like one.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:20:01 EDT

dirtyjeffer posted : London gets pretty good snow falls...we are at the bottom of the lake effect zone that comes off Lake Huron...i guess you forgot about Snowmageddon from a couple of years ago??...we got about 40" in one dumping.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:12:02 EDT

elwoodblues posted : This ain't Sudbury where Nitzguy lives or even Peterborough where it actually snows.

Dropping 800 bucks on a snowblower (let alone the grand in the above post) is insane. You should buy a tempo to protect your driveway, you'll never have to shovel again.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 22:06:55 EDT

elwoodblues posted : 1000 bucks for a snowblower you are going to use HOW MANY times a year?

I'm no spring chicken, but I can handle a little snow with my shovel just fine thanks

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:13:43 EDT

FiReSTaRT posted : Makes me glad I got the MTD Summit Series 30" blower, 6 forward, 2 reverse, headlight and a 357cc of Briggs and Stratton POOOWAAAHHHH. Thought it was a bit of an overkill for our needs until today.. Never again :D I don't think they sell them any more, which is too bad. The only beef is that the throw height has to be manually adjusted at the chute. Other than that, I'm a happy camper. If you can get one used, SNATCH IT UP. Bought it on some weird sale at the local HD, wasn't even on their website, for $600 and on the US website it was showing $800 or $900.

»reviews.homedepot.com/1999/20221···iews.htm

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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:23:38 EDT

dirtyjeffer posted :

said by TLS2000:

On topic: Honestly even the snowblowers people are saying are cheap, like the Home Depot ones are pretty decent even with their made in China engines.

they are, but if you can get a better machine for comparable money, that is also good too.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:13:43 EDT

TLS2000 posted :

said by milnoc:

Do like Toronto and call in the army. :D

Man that 14 year old joke is still funny after all of this time.... /sarcasm

On topic: Honestly even the snowblowers people are saying are cheap, like the Home Depot ones are pretty decent even with their made in China engines.
--
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:15:46 EDT

Toastertech posted : A machine may be cheaper financially although it cannot match the satisfaction of watching through a warm living room window with coffee in hand as the snow is cleared. ;)

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:07:18 EDT

LazMan posted :

said by Toastertech:

We have the best snow thrower around it is 16 years old and still lives at home, just had to buy a new shovel this year, and feed regularly. :D

Cheaper to buy a machine... ;)

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:41:30 EDT

Toastertech posted : We have the best snow thrower around it is 16 years old and still lives at home, just had to buy a new shovel this year, and feed regularly. :D

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:46:42 EDT

anon posted : All I can say is that if today's the day you decided to suddenly buy a snow blower you missed the boat big time. :D :D :D

»www.youtube.com/user/Ventrac7?v=FZbGDtBbMNg

Now THAT'S a Blower!!! ;)

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:37:09 EDT

IamGimli posted :

said by dirtyjeffer:

whatever you look at, try to get something with "steering control"...it is essentially little levers on each side that unlock that side of wheel (these things are heavy, so it is much easier to use them)...also, a quality engine is good, Briggs and Stratton being a decent choice, but many of the sub $1000 machines have cheap Chinese engines in them...heated hand grips are nice (mine doesn't have it), but a good set of gloves will like be fine and most models that have the heated hand grips are likely expensive.

Actually the most important thing to look for in a snow blower these days (after the engine) is the quality of the steel used. Most house name blowers will have very thin steel used in the bucket, sometimes even the auger, which means anything more than the driest little dusting will beat it all to crap. The paint will also chip for nothing and it'll rust out before you have time to clean it up.

Plastic chutes are OK though (they're actually usually more resistant than the traditional steel chute) but the bucket and auger must be made of nice, thick, strong steel, hopefully powder-coated instead of painted. Usually only the big names will have that, and sometimes only their premium lines.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:07:25 EDT

milnoc posted : Do like Toronto and call in the army. :D

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:03:53 EDT

dirtyjeffer posted : 27" Poulan Pro from Costco is a good machine (although, i'm not sure if there is a Costco close to you)...i got mine a few years ago on sale for $799...it is made by Husquvarna and has a Briggs and Stratton engine...the same machine with a Sears Craftsman label was $1299 at the time.

all i do is grease the fittings and change the oil every spring and it works great.

[att=1]

whatever you look at, try to get something with "steering control"...it is essentially little levers on each side that unlock that side of wheel (these things are heavy, so it is much easier to use them)...also, a quality engine is good, Briggs and Stratton being a decent choice, but many of the sub $1000 machines have cheap Chinese engines in them...heated hand grips are nice (mine doesn't have it), but a good set of gloves will like be fine and most models that have the heated hand grips are likely expensive.

of course, the worst time to look for a blower is after a big storm, so good luck.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:40:40 EDT

anon posted : I wish i could afford a used one but i can't even afford gas for my rusted out 1970 Ford Pinto. Well back to shoveling the ten feet of snow in Ottawa that fell.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:34:06 EDT

donoreo posted :

said by IamGimli:

My brother got an Ariens Deluxe 28" plus on sale a few weeks ago.
»www.ariens.com/products/snow-blo···ult.aspx

He paid $1090 instead of the usual $1300+ and his has a 305cc engine instead of the usual 250cc. Apparently they ran out of 250cc B&S engines for that lot so they substituted a 305cc B&S engine (off the 30" models).

That's a blower that'll last you 20+ years.

Don't be afraid to visit your local small engines dealers. They can usually easily match the big surface prices but you'll get a much better, more personalized service.

More power! Grunt grunt grunt.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:24:16 EDT

IamGimli posted : My brother got an Ariens Deluxe 28" plus on sale a few weeks ago.
»www.ariens.com/products/snow-blo···ult.aspx

He paid $1090 instead of the usual $1300+ and his has a 305cc engine instead of the usual 250cc. Apparently they ran out of 250cc B&S engines for that lot so they substituted a 305cc B&S engine (off the 30" models).

That's a blower that'll last you 20+ years.

Don't be afraid to visit your local small engines dealers. They can usually easily match the big surface prices but you'll get a much better, more personalized service.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:23:13 EDT

TOPDAWG posted : woo bother can't afford a Honda to bad. Guess I may go ahead with the Ariens being as from reading it's seem to be pretty reliable. I'd like the 28 inch one but don't think I'd need it really.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:58:14 EDT

anon posted :

said by TOPDAWG:

Where can I even find some Honda blowers and prices? OS what is a good name to look for being as Honda is just out of my price range.

Yeah the honda's are stupid expensive for the small size of them. I know only one person with one. It suits them out in the sticks with the tracks on it, but for a driveway, the tracks are bothersome since they don't have the turn radius of the wheeled type.

Good machine, but you can buy two snowteks for the price of one of those Honda's.

Stick with Areins due to the Briggs & Stratton motor and available parts for anywhere. The other will have you running around down the road looking for who has stock.

Sears is also having a clearance sale of end-of-line models I believe. Check searc.ca The sale has been going on for a month now. Not sure what inventory they have left on the clearance. But they might be more pricey than what you pasted above. So this is another make I would also go for.

Personally, I find the 24" a bit too small. But then again it all depends on your driveway and how/where you can store it. Larger one = problems if you have to get it through a gate or have storage issues.

I used the guy next door to me 24" Canadian Tire one he got on sale (end-of-line) last year for 500$. It's ok and does the job well, but it doesn't throw the snow as far as the Ariens I found. Which was a bit of a pain in the ass when doing a double-width driveway. It really lacked in throwing distance.

The Ariens. No issue with it, but I only used a 32" ariens on mine. More powerful so the distance, I guess, was better.

I never used the sears brands, but if you look at them, stick with the B&S motor, due to part availability. But some people down the road from me have the sears ones and they like them.

I was going to buy one this year, »Snow Blower (Thrower), but i'm going to hold off till March or April when people want them off their store floors.

What I have noticed with some newer 32" ariens models is that the front ends are lighter, so some of the newer ariens may ride up on the snow instead of cutting into it. Seen this issue with one model from last year. So they guy had to weigh the bucket end down.

Last year 1400$ ariens were selling for about 950 out of season.

Make sure it's all steel and check reviews on them.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:44:12 EDT

LazMan posted : I have a Ariens 28" deluxe... Very solid machine.

The SnoTek has nothing to do with Ariens other then the name - it's more then just the engine; the frame isn't as solid, or well built. If you're considering a SnoTek, may as well just go with any MTD (big-box house brand, Toro, etc...) unit - they aren't any different.

I'd go with another Ariens deluxe in a heartbeat... Older Honda's are great, too - new ones can be awfully pricey.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:37:56 EDT

Kardinal posted :

said by TOPDAWG:

Where can I even find some Honda blowers and prices? OS what is a good name to look for being as Honda is just out of my price range.

We have a Honda dealer in the city that sells not just cars, but ATVs, motorcycles, marine, scooters, lawnmowers, snowblowers, trimmers and more. You might check to see if there is one in your area, but here's their website with some prices on snowblowers: Kanata Honda - Snowblowers
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:24:17 EDT

TOPDAWG posted : well right now I'm sporting a 30 year old single stage I got off kijiji for $50 last year. thing blows to much snow into your face but it does get the job done.

On the honda are those blowers not pretty pricey I mean I know they make great engines but bother is poor.

I do want to wait till fall but I live in the snow belt so it seems stores in this area learned and did not order a crap-ton of stock like list year exp the ariens sales guy said this time last year they had ten now this year they got one lift.

Where can I even find some Honda blowers and prices? OS what is a good name to look for being as Honda is just out of my price range.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:44:41 EDT

Thane_Bitter posted : Yamaha makes some damn good tracked snow blowers, they offer better traction over wheeled models, and I beleive they added differential steering as well so maneuverability is better. Not sure which engine manufacture they use.

On the Ariens compact and snotek range the axle is fixed and there is no steering option. I find that I need both wheels pinned (to the drive shaft), other wise using one wheel drive the machine wants to turn.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:39:35 EDT

donoreo posted : Up until just a few years ago (3 or 4) my mom still had a snowblower my dad bought from Eaton's (Viking branded too!) before 1973. I do not know the year exactly other than it was before we moved to Port Hope.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:38:27 EDT

canehdian posted : I have the one step down from the first snow-tek you linked. Zero issues and going on year 3. I know 4 others with the same blower as mine, all of them have had no issues (except 2 did have the recall issue for dripping gas when pressing the primer - which was fixed BEFORE they even used the blower).

If it's just a home use average sized driveway the Sno-teks should do ok. Other than that, Honda.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:21:36 EDT

CanadianRip posted : Honda.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:18:57 EDT

Thane_Bitter posted : The difference between Ariens vs ariens snowtec is the engine, the later uses some Chinese made thing.

I have the Ariens 24" compact, works well. Traditionally I have liked Toros however getting the same size machine would have cost me 3x the price. Honda of course is good but again pricey.

You might want a wider machine, and heavier to deal with the snow you guys get.

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 23:28:22 EDT

anon posted : Down the road, I think you will have better luck with repairs and parts with the ariens. Snowtek, i believe, is made by ariens, but it's their cheaper line.

I would wait out the season and see if you can pick up an 28" ariens in March or April. But if you can't wait, then go for the ariens (my personal choice since parts for this machine are more readily available). No electric start on that one?

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:52:32 EDT

I_H8_Spam posted :

said by prairiesky:

Personally i'd go with a good old used one before I went with a new cheap one.

yeah mine is 20 years now, only regular maintenance including 1 carb teardown. It may fart a little but it's reliable.
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Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:48:47 EDT

prairiesky posted : most of them are the same crap now a days. you either have to go commercial or honda to get a REALLY good quality one.

Personally i'd go with a good old used one before I went with a new cheap one.

Recently picked up a mckee bros blower, nothin like 6.5' of snow clearing goodness!

Re: Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 22:22:16 EDT

CanadianRip posted : Honda.

Help with snow blower what one to pick?

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:07:04 EDT

TOPDAWG posted : »www.homedepot.ca/product/sno-tek···d/918481

»www.homedepot.ca/product/sno-tek···r/918482

I forgot what was it on sale I think it was the 28 inch for 500 something this is the other one I liked.

»www.ariens.com/products/snow-blo···ult.aspx

So out of those what is the better one? this one is 670 on sale.