I finally bit the bullet and wore out my CC buying a new Toro Power Max 1028LXE and MAN CAN THAT THING THROW SOME SNOW!!! They just dropped the price at HD up here to $1729 CDN (down from $1999 only a week or so ago!) thanks to the old loonie appreciating so much recently.
Here it is:
- 358 cc (10 HP) Snow King® Engine Tecumseh 4-Cycle Engine
- Electric start
- Quick Stick® Chute Control (This was really what sold me on the Toro, big time saver in crowded driveways
)
- Freewheel Steering (very nice feature!)
- 28" Clearing Width
- 45' Throw Distance (I can vouch for being able to throw snow far into my neighbor's yard
)
- 2,100 lbs. per minute
- 6 Forward, 2 Reverse Speeds
I had an old 1982 craftsman snowblower that I had gotten for free this summer and I thought I would nurse it back to health since it didn't even start when I first got it. So I cleaned it up, spent a bunch of time fixing the worn out drive/auger handles (common issue on these old craftsman blowers.....they get very loose and angle inwards) got the engine running, did a compression test, cleaned the carb, changed the plug and got the carb dialed in, but when I actually went to throw snow with it.....I was sadly disappointed last night. I went to fire it up and it gave me a serious hard time while starting (likely the carb was set too lean since I tuned it in the summer when the air's not as dense). So I spent some time dialing in the carb again (almost went deaf in the process), but it seemed to be hunting at full throttle (so it probably needs a new carb too). Then when I went to thow snow, it hardly threw it 5-6 feet (slipping belt maybe?) and the chute seemed to jam up way too quickly for my liking. Anyway, enough was enough.
Now supposedly we're going to get one heck of a winter this year (we got at least 18" today and the banks at the end of my driveway were over 3 ft tall when the plow came by) and I wasn't about to get stuck using that old Craftsman all winter. So at 8:00 AM I was in the Home Depot parking lot ready to get myself a new snowblower. Up here in Canada HD carries Ariens, Toro and MTD (supposedly they carry Cub Cadet too but I've never seen them in the store), but in all honesty after seeing my neighbor use his Toro to clean the driveway, I must say I was a bit biased even before doing any store test drives.
I tried out the following:
Ariens Sno-Thro ST1130DLE (little bulky/heavy, don't like chute controls, not fond of the retro styling)
Toro Power Max 826LE (nice machine, but lacks the freewheel steering, smaller width and only 8HP)
What finally sold me on the Toro 1028LXE vs the 826LE was the ability to use the handle triggers which allow one or both wheels to freewheel. This allows you to basically be able to spin the snowblower on a dime which is something considering this machine is a beast to drag around even for a big guy like me. I also liked the plastic chute (which I know many people worry about plastic parts) but the plastic only deflects the snow and likely also helps to prevent a stuck chute when blowing wet snow or slush. The machine came fully assembled, all I had to do was top off the oil (used 5W-30 PP synthetic), fill the gas tank and it fired right up with the choke on (idled nice and smooth when fully warm). The machine dug right into the 3ft bank at the end of our driveway and fired snow farther than anything I'd ever used (at least a solid 40-45 ft even in deep/heavy snow!)....needless to say I had a big smile after seeing how well this thing worked. I was so impressed that I figured I'd give it a real test and do all my neighbor's driveways too and see how well it did. No surprise it passed everything I threw at it with flying colors. If you live where it snows alot, then you'll find this machine money WELL SPENT.
If anyone else has any recommendations for good snowblowers (give specific models, not just brands), go ahead and post them up too.
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I've got a 8 year old Craftsman (double stage) and it can chuck the light fluffy stuff a good 30 ft and way beyond in a good wind. Most snowblowers are made by MTD with Tecumseh engines, then rebranded. I'm not sure about Toro's though....
Originally Posted by hillbilly
I want to put a light on it, any ideas? 
