I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! What else
should I look at?

On Dec 7, 2:56*pm, Steve Kraus wrote:
I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. *I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. *The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. *Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! *What else
should I look at?


honda

airens is big around here , make's good snowblowers .

----------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm

On Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:56:20 -0600, Steve Kraus
wrote:

I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! What else
should I look at?



Ariens are excellent. You'll see a lot of them being used in
commercial applications because they work well, and live a long time.

A 4-stroke 2 stage Ariens of about 8 HP and 24 inch wide will run
around $800 or so. Take reasonable care of it and you'll still be
using it in 25 or 30 years.

RickH wrote:
honda

Honda is probably a top notch product but the only one that would suit
would be the HS520AS where "convenient" chute control is simply a longer
handle. And still about as pricey as the Toro.

Steve Kraus wrote:
I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! What else
should I look at?



$800!!!??? Where are you buying them? The big-box places here in MI have
the electric-start 24" 2-stage Toros at $600 and change, last time I
looked. The single stage are under $500.

I bought one of the 24" 2-stage Toros for $500 last January, essentially
brand new, from a 90-pound fellow who had it for a month and was scared
of it, off of Craigs List. My back is much happier. It has a crank to
re-aim chute, so you don't have to bend over.

Note that at the 21-24 inch size, brand does not matter much. There are
only about 3 factories that make them for everybody. Look close at the
stamped sheet metal parts, on the display floor.

--
aem sends...

Steve Kraus wrote:
I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! What else
should I look at?



Hi,
Honda. Cold weather starting is easy.

$800!!!??? Where are you buying them? The big-box places here in MI
have the electric-start 24" 2-stage Toros at $600 and change, last
time I looked. The single stage are under $500.

Model 421QE (single stage, electric start, 4-stroke, "Quick Shoot" chute
control) was $819 at an Ace HW store. Figuring they were high because they
were a small dealer I poked around online and saw that this price, while
high, wasn't all that far above prices I saw from other vendors.

The store also had what I think was the 221E at about a hundred bucks less.

My local Home Depot only had a few ST; just the really tiny Toro and the
Toro single stager without electric start or the convenient chute control.

Steve Kraus wrote:
I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.



http://www.opeonthenet.com/

These guys are almost religious about their snowthrowers. They know
more than most of the dealers. Look for their Discussion Forum (left
hand side of the page). You'd probably have to join to ask a question,
but that's fast & spam-free.

On Dec 7, 2:56*pm, Steve Kraus wrote:
I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway
isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the
straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for
years but it's just getting too temperamental. *I'm sure a single stage
with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be
fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so
one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. *The old Toro with the
vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do
not. *Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that
regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've
dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the
bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800
which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! *What else
should I look at?

With the style Toro you have it never clogged with snow because it has
no chute to clog, Chicago gets some wet heavy junk, I have 2 of those
toros, I also have a 700$ John Deere single stage that Consumers
Reports rated second best, they would have rated it last had they
tried wet snow. it can clog every 30ft with Chicagos snow, be carefull
of your pick or you might be sticking a stick in the chute every 30
ft, go to a local lawn equipment shop and ask what does-doesnt work in
Chicagos wet heavy snows.

There are a lot of styles and prices. How about considering an
electric. If you drive is not too long, I believe you will find it
easier. No maintenance, no starting problems and light weight. What
they generally lack is the power for really heavy deep snow. You have
to answer that part. Some areas close to you would be fine and others
would be marginal at best.

If I had to chose a liquid fuel model I would look at Honda.

Good Luck

Robert Barr wrote:

http://www.opeonthenet.com/

These guys are almost religious about their snowthrowers. They know
more than most of the dealers. Look for their Discussion Forum (left
hand side of the page). You'd probably have to join to ask a question,
but that's fast & spam-free.

Thanks; I will see if they have any further suggestions.

I just bought the Toro 421QE. What sold me on Toro is the 2-pull start
guarantee (even though I went for the electric start so my wife could
start it). By the time you go 4 cycle, electric start, Quick adjust on
the chute, the price is up to about $819.00. If you buy from a dealer
in Wisconsin (free shipping) you can save the substantial Illinois
tax. I've only used it once and it did a good job. However it is
pretty noisy but I suppose most are.

On Dec 8, 8:03*am, wrote:
On 07 Dec 2008 22:28:07 GMT, rochacha
wrote:





wrote :

On Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:56:20 -0600, Steve Kraus
wrote:

I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the
driveway isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old
kind with the straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the
discharge) for years but it's just getting too temperamental. *I'm
sure a single stage with the newer curved rubber blades and central
discharge chute will be fine in terms of actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute
so one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. *The old Toro
with the vanes had that but most current single stage chute models
that I've seen do not. *Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems
pretty good in that regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since
we've dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit
the bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is
around $800 which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower!
What else should I look at?

Ariens are excellent. You'll see a lot of them being used in
commercial applications because they work well, and live a long time.

A 4-stroke 2 stage Ariens of about 8 HP and 24 inch wide will run
around $800 or so. Take reasonable care of it and you'll still be
using it in 25 or 30 years.

Ariens is a great product. *We've used the brand for years. *Does an
excellent job with heavy Lake snows.
We bought ours from a local "lawnmower" shop. *They give excellent service
if we need it. (as opposed to home depot).

You'll also find that the local lawnmower shop's price is the same or
better than Home Depot - and the money stays in your community!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

And if it has a defect or breaks HD will do nothing.

ransley wrote in
:

On Dec 8, 8:03*am, wrote:
On 07 Dec 2008 22:28:07 GMT, rochacha
wrote:





wrote
:

On Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:56:20 -0600, Steve Kraus
wrote:

I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the
driveway isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the
old kind with the straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to
direct the discharge) for years but it's just getting too
temperamental. *I'm sure a single stage with the newer curved
rubber blades and central discharge chute will be fine in terms of
actually doing the job.

Here are the shopping considerations:

Electric start is a must.

Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the
chute so one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. *The
old Toro with the vanes had that but most current single stage
chute models that I've seen do not. *Toro "Power Clear" with
"Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that regard.

Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since
we've dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.

I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which
fit the bill but I want to know what else is available as the
latter is around $800 which is a huge price for a 21" single stage
snow thrower!
What else should I look at?

Ariens are excellent. You'll see a lot of them being used in
commercial applications because they work well, and live a long
time.

A 4-stroke 2 stage Ariens of about 8 HP and 24 inch wide will run
around $800 or so. Take reasonable care of it and you'll still be
using it in 25 or 30 years.

Ariens is a great product. *We've used the brand for years. *Does an
excellent job with heavy Lake snows.
We bought ours from a local "lawnmower" shop. *They give excellent
ser
vice
if we need it. (as opposed to home depot).

You'll also find that the local lawnmower shop's price is the same or
better than Home Depot - and the money stays in your community!- Hide
quo
ted text -

- Show quoted text -

And if it has a defect or breaks HD will do nothing.

Just roll it inside to the returns desk with gas in it. They love that.
Start yanking on the rope. Heck, if ya get lucky maybe it'll start.
Vaaaarooooooom! Vaaaarooooooom!

On Sun, 07 Dec 2008 14:56:20 -0600, Steve Kraus
wrote:

I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.

We're very happy with our Honda HS520AS snowthrower; I've posted about
this before on the group if you want to Google my comments. Works
great on our 110 ft. long western New York driveway, very easy to use,
uses regular gas (89 octane), and is smaller than the 2-stage
machines, important for our small garage. And cheaper than $800.