I've managed to talk the financial manager (aka wife) into letting me buy a snowblower this year, I had to go to the "you don't want me dying of a heart attack while shoveling, right?" line

My neighbor and FIL both have Honda snowblowers with the tracks instead of wheels and both love them.

Is Honda the way to go?

I do not have a driveway, what I'd be using this for is sidewalks and then blowing the mountains of snow we create between cars when we excavate them (we are street-only parking). I've seen my neighbor blow through a snow pile in no time with his and he shoots it right back onto his lawn or anywhere else but the street so we can actually park our cars.

What does the Forum like?

You need to decide whether you need a single stage or a two-stage.

Two stage handles wet heavy snow and deep snow better.

In my opinion single stages clean to the ground better, and mine sees more use than if I had a two stage because I use it for light snow and big snows. when I had a two-stage I would only get it out when we had big snows and shovel the rest of the time.

For a single stage I highly recommend Toro. I have an older two stroke model but I don't know if they make any more but if you can find a used one they're great albeit loud.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...800010544#4800010544
This gets discussed up here regularly in the late fall. Ariens and Honda are good. If you really move mountains, get horsepower and two stage. Craigslist shows used units though this is the wrong time of the year for the best deals. I've seen some real deals from people who didn't use them much and took good care of them. Depends on how much you want to spend. The tracked Hondas get pricey.

Arians 2 stage. It's the Honda of snow blowers.

If you've been getting by without a snow blower, odds are you don't need a two-stage beast.

I'm very happy with the Toro SnowMaster we purchased two seasons ago. It's a single-stage that thinks it's a two-stage As Toro puts it:

quote:

Toro's SnowMaster® snowblower has the impressive power of a two-stage to handle the deep, end-of-driveway snow, yet handles like a lightweight, single-stage snowblower. Best of all, it clears snow clean down to the pavement.

Check the YouTube videos.

quote:

Originally posted by ubelongoutside:
You need to decide whether you need a single stage or a two-stage.

I think I need a two-stage.

Shoveling some powder off the sidewalks and rear walkway is no biggie.

What I need is something to dig through the 12-18 inches of hard, wet snow the plows that come down our street always seem to leave right up against our cars. We are on the right side of a one-way street and the plow trucks must have the plow canted to the right as I'll come out and the cars on the other side of the street will have no snow up against them, and ours will be buried halfway up the doors sometimes.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Arians 2 stage. It's the Honda of snow blowers.

This.

-Rob

Ah, well then: I retract my earlier assertion. Yup, sounds like a job for a two stage. The SnowMaster is pretty good at end-of-driveway stuff, but a two stage would probably be better.

We get our share here in Michigan. I have been using a tractor and plow for years. Three years ago I bought an Ariens 28” deluxe, 2 stage. We have been hit with quite a bit of snow. This blower just walked through it. Maybe you need the narrower version. This seems to be the best one around. You might not need one this big, I clear a 125 foot driveway and side walks with. Any one is better than shoveling. Good luck.

My Toro 2-stage is a beast. It starts every year and powers through all of the heavy wet snow. It weighs over 200lbs so plan on building a substantial ramp if keeping it in a shed.

Look for a nearby Toro dealer instead of a big box retailer. I got mine from a Toro dealer when it was very clear the same model at the big box store had been cheapened with a smaller impeller, smaller gearbox, and smaller tires, etc.

I've never had a Honda snowblower but I'm sure they're great. I'm also sure they're not twice as good as my Ariens but they're easily twice the cost. Buffalo winters succumb to Ariens snowblowers.

The biggest one Ariens makes. Can't go wrong.
Heavy duty, long lasting.

(i sold mine to a good friend when we moved to AZ from CT)

Here is the Consumer Reports snip for both Single & Two Stage Blowers:

I have shoveled my driveway for years by hand. Last year was a doozy of a winter here. After 1 particularly large snowfall I waived the white flag and bought a Simplicity 2 stage 27". I still do the small stuff by hand but this really is nice for the end of the driveway and larger snowfalls.

Toro and Ariens have been doing this a long time. There's really no reason to look beyond those two brands.

Mine:





Also mine:

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
Toro and Ariens have been doing this a long time. There's really no reason to look beyond those two brands.

^^^ I have a two-stage Ariens, but the big Toros are great too. The local ACe hardware stocks a large inventory of Ariens parts, so that made the decision for me.

Why take chances?

Honda HS 1132 TAS. It's what I have; living in Northern Minnesota it is a necessity.

This is like a snow cannon. Easily throws snow 50+ feet. I don't have to throw snow to each side of the driveway-it will easily throw the snow clear of the entire width of my 40' wide driveway, so I can pile it all on one side if I choose to. One of the best parts is with the heavy, slushy snow it still throws it 25-30 feet, instead of the weak dribble I see other snowblowers doing in the same conditions.

Buy quality, cry once.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Arians 2 stage. It's the Honda of snow blowers.

+1. Ariens fan here as well. Take care of it as far as off season storage and tuneups and it will take care of you.