Which Snowblower?

[Bill Wilson]

Well I got to use it!

Worked great even with the wet snow falling here.

Congrats, I think. 
 

Don't worry.  The novelty wears off pretty quick.

[Cooler]

Thanks for all the great feedback .
While I was still googling models and reviews, my wife had to go to HD to pick something up for her aunt and tomorrow ....
We pick up the Toro Power Max 824oe.
At least it gets good reviews online.
He who hesitates accepts what his wife pick out?

I bought a new Toro this year.  Back at the shop four times for warranty work.

The engine surges.  The dealer blamed it on old gasoline (we have the ethyl gas in the winter), but it continued to surge so he cleaned the carburetor.  Better, but not perfect.

The other problems are bigger.  The left hand dead man's grip controls the drive wheels (just the opposite of my old MTD).  The right hand dead man's grip controls the auger.  

They have a feature that allows you to release the right hand (auger) grip and it will remain down as long as you continue to hold down the drive wheel grip.  That is so you can change the direction of the chute while on the fly.  The problem was that releasing the drive wheel grip after releasing the auger grip allowed the snow blower to run away from me unattended.  Both grips would lock in the down position.  

To make matters worse is with heavy gloves it is difficult to pry the grips open.  As a result it gobbled up a heavy rubber floor mat instead of stopping.  That took over an hour to clear as it jammed in tight.

The second time it crashed into the brick column that separates my two garage doors.  One foot to the left and it would have destroyed one of my garage doors and two feet to the right and it would have hit my car.

To check the function on the grips (with the engine not running) first grip both grips.  Then release the right grip, and finally release the left grip.  

It is much worse in very cold weather so try it when it is cold.  Repeat 20 or 30 times to make sure it does not happen.  (In very cold weather it would jam on me about 25% of the time.  In warmer weather (30 degrees or so) it would jam about 5% of the time.  

It is quite dangerous and it took the dealer all four tries to fix it (it seems fixed).  It could be an engineering flaw, in which case it will recur.  Or it could be a manufacturing defect (might recur) or is could be an assembly defect in which case it is probably fixed.  

So make sure yours is functioning as intended.  

My transition from 20 years using the MTD snow blower to the Toro has been trying.  Mostly because the controls are reversed.  The old Tecumseh engine, while not very strong (just 5 hp) was always a one-pull start.  

The Toro has electric start but it is more reluctant to start (8 hp) but it has the balls to handle the heavy wet snow.

[Phil Thien]

Love my Toro flappers. 6.5hp, start first pull.

Only had one snow that was a struggle and living in Milwaukee, that is saying something.

I’ve never wanted for a 2-stage.

[Cooler]

Just so we are all on the same page:


On the far left is a 3 stage
In the middle is a two stage with driven wheels
On the right is a single stage without driven wheels.  It should only be used on paved surfaces.

Toro's single stage snow blower (largest size) is rated for 6 to 9 inch deep snow.


https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/snow-b...21-e-38742

[Bill Wilson]

Has anyone used one of the 3 stage versions?  Are they any better than a 2 stage?

[Cooler]

Has anyone used one of the 3 stage versions?  Are they any better than a 2 stage?

My dealer said no, but I suspect he had a large inventory of 2 stage units in stock.

Honda, which is considered the premium of all the snow blowers, does not offer a 3 stage.  Their top of the line ($8,000.00) unit uses a "hybrid" two stage (though I am not sure what that means).

So, apparently Honda does not think it is worthwhile either.

[TDKPE]

Their top of the line ($8,000.00) unit uses a "hybrid" two stage (though I am not sure what that means).

Mechanical auger and impeller drive, and electric traction drive.

[Cooler]

Mechanical auger and impeller drive, and electric traction drive.

Why is that better?  I guess you have a continuously variable speed and electric motors have lots of torque.  I guess that it why it is so expensive.

One of the local malls has a contractor that comes in with snow blowers, plows and snow brushes.  They get down to the very concrete.  It is a huge crew for a small mall, and they are often there for the entire duration of a snow storm keeping the walks and parking lot clear.

I've never seen the snow sweeper in action.  It is on-site when they are clearing the snow though:

[fredhargis]

Has anyone used one of the 3 stage versions?  Are they any better than a 2 stage?

I have one, bought about 3 years ago. I bought this for a specific reason...I had a very long drive (over 500') and it had a very tough exit onto the paved roads. The village that did the plowing always made a mess at that juncture, and the 3 stage is advertised as cutting through that hardened pile more easily. Well, maybe....but to me it looks more like a marketing gimmick. It probably does cut through some snow more easily, but the added complexity of the whole thing makes it not worth it (IMHO). I bought the Troy Bilt label (Lowes) though they are sold under several names. To be honest, I'm not that crazy about it but where I live now (I moved) it doesn't matter since it gets used a lot less.

[R Clark]

My first snow-thrower was the smallest Toro single stage.  It had a two-cycle engine.  Was great for our two-car driveway in the ‘burbs.  It could handle easily a 6-8 inch snow, and was acceptable in heavier snows if I didn’t wait until the end of the storm and removed snow in two sessions.
 
Now I have a Troy-Bilt Storm XP 3090; 357cc engine, 30” width.  In the old days, my guess is that the engine would be rated at 8 or 9 hp.  Bought it used for $700; looked like brand new.   The guy sold it because he was moving to Florida.  I bought it as we were moving from our house in the ‘burbs out to an acreage and I thought it would be good for our 500’ driveway out there.
 
Engine runs great, starts on first or second pull.  I’ve never used the electric start feature because it starts so easily with a pull.
 
Actually disappointed with how this Troy-Bilt machine moves snow.  It doesn’t throw it very far and it doesn’t like to move wet snow.  The directional chute doesn’t like to stay where you put it.  The chute clogs too easily in wet snow conditions.  It was eating too much gravel on our driveway, so I outfitted it with wider, heavier skids, but those tend to ride up on the snow too easily.
 
Realizing that even a large two-stage snow thrower was more physical work than I wanted as I head into my 60s, in 2016 I picked up a near-new Honda Rancher 420 4WD ATV, with winch and plow for the real heavy work of moving snow at our place.  Now I can handle a lot of snow quickly, and the plow doesn't throw the snow up so that it can blow back in my face with the wind that always blows out at the house.  I also found many more uses for the ATV all-year round as it is a big help in doing many things around the acreage.  And, quite honestly, driving the ATV around through the snow is fun.  The old way with the snow thrower could easily take 2-3 hours to do the place depending on the snow depth.  The ATV and plow does the job in 60-75 minutes.  That difference is huge when it's near 0 degrees and the wind is blowing at 30 mph.

The only reason I’ve kept the Troy-Bilt around is because I can easily get up next to the house and shop building for a few passes to give myself maneuvering room for the ATV.