Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old Hoover
cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too big to
store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old Hoover
cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too big to
store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you need
to clear.

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA

On 2/11/2010 12:07 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:03 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

They are only reliable in the hands of someone with a brain. Sorry.

Seeing one of his posts below, I think you're right about him

On Feb 11, 10:59*am, "Existential Angst"
wrote:
Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... *can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? *Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? * Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Alot here use the Toros, but I question motor life. They are designed
for a homeowner using them maybe 10 hrs a year so you might get
100-200 hrs out of it, from what I know of Honda designs you will get
alot more than 300 hours. I have a small single stage John Deere going
on 10 years, the JD and Honda are near 700, the toro is about 520$ but
has a 2 year homeowner warranty. My JD sucks in heavy wet snow, it
cloges the chute alot, the toros seem to be better and CR mag didnt
test the JD in heavy wet snow 10 years ago or they would have rated it
apropriatly bad, and I would not have bought it, maybe they redesigned
it by now? A friend has a small JD and just put in new rings, years
ago most 2 strokes were set to 32-1 mix, now 50-1 is what I see, Ive
gone back to about 32-1 or 40-1 since I know the EPA had alot to do
with the leaner-less polluting mixes, and use synthetic 2 stroke oil.

wrote in :

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:03 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and
too big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these
Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every
15 min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path
so effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for
their reliability.

They are only reliable in the hands of someone with a brain. Sorry.


Payback time huh? :-)

Red Green wrote:
wrote in
:

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:03 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and
too big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these
Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every
15 min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty
path so effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for
their reliability.

They are only reliable in the hands of someone with a brain. Sorry.


Payback time huh? :-)

I don't know whuh fuh.... I really tried to teach him about LRC and bogus
hp....

Mebbe he's more of a gas guy than an electric guy....

--
EA

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:16:52 -0800, ransley wrote:
Alot here use the Toros, but I question motor life. They are designed
for a homeowner using them maybe 10 hrs a year so you might get
100-200 hrs out of it

Does something outright fail due to bad design, though, or is it just that
they need a little more regular maintenance than the Hondas to keep them
running for years? (I grabbed the service manual for the B+S engine in
our lawn tractor, and it says to pull the head and clean everything out
every 100 hours - I bet hardly anyone bothers)

cheers

Jules

On Feb 11, 2:24*pm, Jules
wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:16:52 -0800, ransley wrote:
Alot here use the Toros, but I question motor life. They are designed
for a homeowner using them maybe 10 hrs a year so you might get
100-200 hrs out of it

Does something outright fail due to bad design, though, or is it just that
they need a little more regular maintenance than the Hondas to keep them
running for years? *(I grabbed the service manual for the B+S engine in
our lawn tractor, and it says to pull the head and clean everything out
every 100 hours - I bet hardly anyone bothers)

cheers

Jules

First the rings wear and you loose power.

On Feb 11, 11:59�am, "Existential Angst"
wrote:
Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... �can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? �Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? � Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA-

It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.

On Feb 11, 5:33*pm, "Hustlin' Hank" wrote:
On Feb 11, 11:59 am, "Existential Angst"
wrote:





Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA-

It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thats bs, my 2 stroke JD has a kawasaki engine, good for probably
3-400 hours, your old garden brand Techumpsee which is no loner made
might get you 100 hours, its all in how well the motor is designed,
bearings, piston sleeves are easy ways they save money and dont last
as long. The cheap 4 stroke 2stage blowers might last 2-300 hours, a
commercial grade B&S or honda maybe 2-3000 hours, you get what you pay
for in motors.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:14:16 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old Hoover
cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too big to
store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.
You won't find a battery operated snow blower. Electric
snow-throwers are OK if you only have a short walk /small driveway -in
a light snow area.. Buy a GOOD cord.

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:03 -0500, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.
For your use, the larger single stage Toro, or Honda, would be fine.
Get a f4 stroke engine though - not a 2 stroke (mixed oil and gas)

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:22:36 -0800 (PST), ransley
wrote:

On Feb 11, 5:33Â*pm, "Hustlin' Hank" wrote:
On Feb 11, 11:59 am, "Existential Angst"
wrote:





Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA-

It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thats bs, my 2 stroke JD has a kawasaki engine, good for probably
3-400 hours, your old garden brand Techumpsee which is no loner made
might get you 100 hours, its all in how well the motor is designed,
bearings, piston sleeves are easy ways they save money and dont last
as long. The cheap 4 stroke 2stage blowers might last 2-300 hours, a
commercial grade B&S or honda maybe 2-3000 hours, you get what you pay
for in motors.
The old Tecumseh H5 engine on my old blower was over 30 years old
when the rod started to knock -- and it got an average of 50 hours a
year of fairly heavy blowing for the roughly 20 years I used it -
replaced the engine and got another 10 or 15 years out of it before I
replaced it - still running great and not needing oil added through
the season. I have a 4 car driveway and 150 feet of sidewalk - also
did 2 neighbour's walks and drives on a fairly regular basis for
years. This year we've got next to no snow - so far - but over 8 feet
last year and the year before.

On Feb 11, 8:22�pm, ransley wrote:

It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.-


Thats bs, my 2 stroke JD has a kawasaki engine, good for probably
3-400 hours, your old garden brand Techumpsee which is no loner made
might get you 100 hours, its all in how well the motor is designed,
bearings, piston sleeves are easy ways they save money and dont last
as long. The cheap 4 stroke 2stage blowers might last 2-300 hours, a
commercial grade B&S or honda maybe 2-3000 hours, you get what you pay
for in motors.-

Not BS, I don't care what model you buy, if you don't maintain it, it
won't last very long. Whereas a good maintenance program will make it
last much, much longer than average.

Hank

On Feb 11, 8:46*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:22:36 -0800 (PST), ransley





wrote:
On Feb 11, 5:33*pm, "Hustlin' Hank" wrote:
On Feb 11, 11:59 am, "Existential Angst"
wrote:

Pete C. wrote:
Existential Angst wrote:

Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too
big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Entirely dependent on the size and characteristics of the area you
need to clear.

Well, I got a lot of frontage, but basically I just need a bitty path so
effingYonkers doesn't drown me in tickets.

Those little Hondas/Toros would do me good, if people can vouch for their
reliability.

--

EA-

It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thats bs, my 2 stroke JD has a kawasaki engine, good for probably
3-400 hours, your old garden brand Techumpsee which is no loner made
might get you 100 hours, its all in how well the motor is designed,
bearings, piston sleeves are easy ways they save money and dont last
as long. The cheap 4 stroke 2stage blowers might last 2-300 hours, a
commercial grade B&S or honda maybe 2-3000 hours, you get what you pay
for in motors.

*The old Tecumseh H5 engine on my old blower was over 30 years old
when the rod started to knock -- and it got an average of 50 hours a
year of fairly heavy blowing for the roughly 20 years I used it -
replaced the engine and got another 10 or 15 years out of it before I
replaced it - still running great and not needing oil added through
the season. I have a 4 car driveway and 150 feet of sidewalk - also
did 2 neighbour's walks and drives on a fairly regular basis for
years. This year we've got next to no snow - so far - but over 8 feet
last year and the year before.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

4 stroke were better than the 2 and they were built better 30 years
ago, they went downhill before closing

On Feb 12, 4:09*am, "Hustlin' Hank" wrote:
On Feb 11, 8:22 pm, ransley wrote:







It doesn't matter which brand. Reliability is only as good as the
preventive maintenence performed. Most people with Snow blowers and
Generators don't use them enough and let them sit around with gas in
them. Gas will evaporate, leaving behind a reidue that may clog or
break free and clog somewhere in the fuel system.

Hank ~~~has cleaned fuel systems on 1 year old Hondas.-

Thats bs, my 2 stroke JD has a kawasaki engine, good for probably
3-400 hours, your old garden brand Techumpsee which is no loner made
might get you 100 hours, its all in how well the motor is designed,
bearings, piston sleeves are easy ways they save money and dont last
as long. The cheap 4 stroke 2stage blowers might last 2-300 hours, a
commercial grade B&S or honda maybe 2-3000 hours, you get what you pay
for in motors.-

Not BS, I don't care what model you buy, if you don't maintain it, it
won't last very long. Whereas a good maintenance program will make it
last much, much longer than average.

Hank- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I missread thinking you meant all were equaly made. True, equipment
needs maintenance, carburators are they least maintained item and the
one that gives 90% of all problems

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:40:05 -0800, ransley wrote:

On Feb 11, 2:24Â*pm, Jules
wrote:
On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:16:52 -0800, ransley wrote:
Alot here use the Toros, but I question motor life. They are designed
for a homeowner using them maybe 10 hrs a year so you might get
100-200 hrs out of it

Does something outright fail due to bad design, though, or is it just that
they need a little more regular maintenance than the Hondas to keep them
running for years? Â*(I grabbed the service manual for the B+S engine in
our lawn tractor, and it says to pull the head and clean everything out
every 100 hours - I bet hardly anyone bothers)

First the rings wear and you loose power.

I guess I wouldn't mind replacing rings every 100-200 hours if they're
cheap - so long as cylinder bores aren't also toast by that point!

cheers

Jules

On Feb 12, 6:54�am, ransley wrote:


I missread thinking you meant all were equaly made. True, equipment
needs maintenance, carburators are they least maintained item and the
one that gives 90% of all problems-

I thought you might have mis-understood what I was saying, but I
wasn't sure. I do agree that some products are better made and MAY
withstand more neglect than others. That's why the are classified as
commercial. :-)

I work on a lot of small engines, mostly dirtbikes, ATV's and riding
mowers. There is a HUGE difference between the Chinese made engines
and Japs, or even B&S. I can feel the sloppyness in the way the
nuts&bolts fit together in Chinese stuff, whereas the others are
machined to MUCH closer tolerances. I am in constant awareness of
breaking off a bolt or stipping the threads.

Hank

"DanG" wrote in message
...
Anything that has a gasoline engine will require the knowledge and ability
to perform minor adjustments and repairs. These seem to be beyond your
abilities.

Hmmm..... you were astute enough to distinguish "knowledge" from "ability".
How did you then come to the conclusion that the problem is ability, rather
than knowledge?
--
EA

Generally speaking, electric outdoor
products do not have the power of the internal combustion units.

If you buy something with a gasoline engine, look for a Honda engine.
They cost a bunch more and will usually need to go to a professional when
they malfunction, but the malfunctions seem to be further apart. It seems
that Tecumseh and Briggs units don't work well for you.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Existential Angst" wrote in message
...
Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old Hoover
cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and too big
to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery every 15
min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA

Anything that has a gasoline engine will require the knowledge and
ability to perform minor adjustments and repairs. These seem to
be beyond your abilities. Generally speaking, electric outdoor
products do not have the power of the internal combustion units.

If you buy something with a gasoline engine, look for a Honda
engine. They cost a bunch more and will usually need to go to a
professional when they malfunction, but the malfunctions seem to
be further apart. It seems that Tecumseh and Briggs units don't
work well for you.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Existential Angst" wrote in message
...
Awl --

Haven't seen CR reviews.... can anyone summarize Best Picks?

The new "style" seems to be the Honda/Toro, which look like old
Hoover cannister vacs.

Don't want the big Sears/Ariens bulldozer types -- bad luck, and
too big to store --, have seen neighbors pretty happy with these
Toros.

Experiences? Do's/Don'ts?

Have had the worst luck with gas powered stuff.
Mebbe electric? Wouldn't even mind swapping out a battery
every 15 min/half hour, if the reliability was there.

--
EA