On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:24:41 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:35:02 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

Worn Out Retread wrote:
"Steve Barker" wrote in message
...
Worn Out Retread wrote:
I am looking for a new snow blower and have discovered that the power
rating of the engines are no longer in "Horse Power" but in "Foot
Pounds" if given at all. Sometimes all that is given is the CC's of
the engine.

Even the people selling these machines don't know what the "Horse
Power" ratings are so that old geezers like myself can understand
what is going on. Does anyone have any general rules regarding the
conversion of Foot Pounds or CC's to Horse Power?

the HP is really irrelevant. Don't worry about it.
I guess that you are only going to look at your machine and not actually
do some work with it. Work requires power and knowing what you have IS
important.
Lordy. Unless you are buying pro-grade gear, odds are it is gonna be an
MTD anyway, no matter what brand name is stuck on it. The same size
blower will have the same engine across all the house brands. Buy the
size you need, and move on. Almost always, it will be adequate. The
manufacturer has no percentage in giving themselves a bad reputation, so
they match them up pretty well. Don't lose sleep over it- life is too
short.
If a particular frame size is available with 3 engine options (which
is normal) buy the middle one for normal use, the big one for heavy
snow conditions, and the small one as an ornament. (or for light snow
conditions)

My old 26 incher was available as a 5, 8, and 10 hp.

Mine was a 5 HP Tec Sno-King and was adequate for normal blowing, but
stressed handling deep packed snow plough ridges. When I blew the 5 I
put on an 8, which was the same block as the 5, so fit with absolutely
no modifications.
You must be talking pro-grade from an equipment dealer. None of the
stores around here that are open evenings and weekends, offer any
choices in engine sizes. I'd wager the price at an equipment dealer is a
lot higher than at the big-box, as well. Of course, you are up in
Canada- I suspect there may be more of a market for heavy-duty stuff up
there. Around here in Baja Ontario (aka lower Michigan), anything over
15" shuts down the city for a day or two.
The same machine was available with 3 different engines from
Canadian Tire and anyone who sold the Noma line of blowers.

Same was true of Sears equipment of the same time period.

MTD built snow blowers about 5 miles from my home and a good friend
was the Canadian parts manager. They built 3 differen blowers on the
same "chassis" - with the same auger - as well as several variations
with the same "chassis" and larger or smaller augers, each with
different power options as well.
This is going back a while, so the actual sizes and horsepower may
not be 100% accurate - But my memory for this stuff is generally
pretty good.
Small frame 20, 22, and 24 blowers, medium frame 24, 26, and 28"
blowers and large frame 28, 30, and 32 if I remember correctly.
Something like that anyway, and the 22 was avaialble as 3, 4, and 5
hp, on the small frame. The 26 was available as 5, 8, and 10 on the
medium frame. and the medium sized large frame was available as at
least a 10 and a 12.

The current situation with the "big box" stores may well have changed
(I'm talking Home Despot and WallMart and their ilk) but most lawn and
garden equipment dealers and large hardware companies still have more
options. At Canadian tire you still have the option of side valve or
OHV engines on the same frame with the same auger - or at least did
have for the 2008/2009 season. The lower priced unit had the old
side-valve engine. If it wasn't a holiday up here tomorrow I'd go
check out the displacement vs torque specs on the 2 different style
engines and put this to rest.

Well, for those who don't believe there is a difference and can't
understand why there is a difference, and have their minds already
made up, I guess it woudn't change anything - so why should I waste
the time or effort.