What's a good brand for two stage snowblower?

 

i know someone just bought a pulon there happy with it has steering on it

 

I don't need the fancy controls. Want one that doesn't have nylon gears.

 

I would stay away from Honda.. My brother has one and had to replace a part in that transmission that broke.. The part is made to break like a shear pin.. Very costly to repair..

I have a Noma that I have been using for 8 or 9 years with no problems.. Did replace the carb last year cause it wasn't running right..

Ariens snowblowers look to be a good machine, but I think they are pricey

 

i have a MTD/yard machines 5 hp 22 inch cut 2 stage from lowes that is around 10 years old that the kids use to do the neighbors drives.
also have a 25 year old sears/craftsman 10hp/26 inch cut track drive 2 stage that is under lock and key so they don't touch it. that is my baby.

and there is an OLD 8/26 toro in the back of the shed if the kids break the MTD.
pretty much any 2 stage gas blower will suit your needs, you just need to decide how much you want to spend.

 

I have a Craftsman 27" I bought about 8 years ago. It worked well enough but it needs quite a bit of work and just looking at the cost to order the parts makes me think I might be better off buying a new machine.

I read somewhere the newer Craftsman models have a non serviceable transmission and brands like Toro or Ariens are better quality.

 

i put belts, cutting edge, side wear runners, and full tune up on the MTD last year for $65.
what does the craftsman need for parts?

 

My toro has always been good to me. It just is too small to effectively do our new driveway so I just bought a craftsman track 12hp 32 inch deck snowblower and it is a beast!

 

I ordered parts fro my Craftsman generator last summer from these guys: http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=C...Bsearsparts%5D and had a very good experience. The live chat helps as well.

 

i get tune up parts and belts for my craftsman from the sears parts counter.
they are in stock items every time i go there

 

Ariens snowblower is my go to machine. Have had it for 14 years now. It"s heavy but just keeps on running. Electric start and off it goes, never failed me so far only thing that has been replaced is a shear pin that went when I caught a rock on the sidewalk from the snow plow when sanding. When I was younger I did 5 driveways with this machine then when I retired just mine and my neighbor. So it got its workout over the years.

 

The best snow blower is the one someone else is having to use.


:.

 

Tom has a very good point. Get the brand that has a good parts availability. I have John Deere. The dealer can get parts overnight if they don't have them on hand.

 

I bought a 9 horse Honda 28 years ago...still going strong. I have had it serviced regularly...twice since I bought it. It has an electric start which I never use. The only time I have to pull the cord more than once is the is the first use in the winter. Pretty spendy though...might be better values out there. You can probably pick up an Ariens for 1/2 the price of the Honda.

 

Doesn't meet the OP requirement, though for residential driveways my Toro 20" powerclear two-stroke works real well. It's lightweight and doesn't take up too much room. Beats the hell all out of a shovel!

First time I used it, snowed a foot with drifting and it was like Christmas, woke up early and everything. Never did that with a new shovel.