Honda Slowblowers

[mwilson]

Promised the wife that once the Zero Turn was paid for we would upgrade our snowblower...
We have a White (MTD product) 33” snowblower that we purchased brand new in 2002 I believe. It has done a fantastic job and if it had an Hourmeter the reading would be scary.
It uses a friction wheel set up for the drive and will bother a bit when it gets wet under there.
So I am going to town later on this morning and picking up a brand new Honda with hydrostatic drive and TRACKS!!! Woo Hoo!!!

 

[TFucili]

Good move, Mike. They are the way to go, for sure.

 

[mwilson]

Seems to be a very well thought out machine. The things that really sold me are the track drive and with that the ability to raise and lower the machine simply by squeezing a lever.

I've had to adjust the shoes on the White several times per season to keep it from sucking rocks until you get a frozen base built......

 

[mwilson]

This one......it should last us until we no longer need one....I don't know if the husky voiced narration plays when you run it or not.....

https://powerequipment.honda.com/snowblowers/models/hss1332at-hss1332atd

 

[TFucili]

They have made some improvements since I was in that racket. Very nice. As always, not having the " Victrola Drive" is foremost.

 

[mwilson]

The “Victrola Drive” is an exact description of the White drive system....!!

Couldn’t believe that was how it worked until I replaced the friction wheel first time around!!!

 

[TFucili]

The “Victrola Drive” is an exact description of the White drive system....!!

Couldn’t believe that was how it worked until I replaced the friction wheel first time around!!!

Everybody else uses the Victrola. Deere had it when I was a dealer, and I hated it. They had an enormous iron gearcase with bronze gears, and outsized cross shaft to run the auger, but that blasted disc to drive the machine. In wet, heavy snow you couldn't help but slip it. Very chintzy setup.

 

[mwilson]

For those of you that have no idea what we are talking about here is the drive system....and it aint much....

 

[DHayden]

Whats snow? I grew up in MT but currently in NM. Cold front moved in today and were supposed to dip down to 51....brrrr. I miss the white stuff.

 

[Wayne M.]

Never heard it called the “Victrola” but I have heard “platter” or “rubber wheel”. I guess since we have more reasonable snow, that has been an acceptable setup- even preferred. I’ve seen even less desirable drives, like a slipping belts and plastic gearcases. You don’t see many hydrostatic blowers, and a real good example would be a Toro or Ariens which would have minimal plastic content, and this victrola arrangement.

 

[mwilson]

Never heard it called the “Victrola” but I have heard “platter” or “rubber wheel”. I guess since we have more reasonable snow, that has been an acceptable setup- even preferred. I’ve seen even less desirable drives, like a slipping belts and plastic gearcases. You don’t see many hydrostatic blowers, and a real good example would be a Toro or Ariens which would have minimal plastic content, and this victrola arrangement.

90% of the time the friction disc is adequate but the remaining 10% of the time it is a pain. Wet heavy snow and weight of the snow packed on the blower itself results in tugging and swearing....especially if you are trying to bring the machine back from a slight downgrade...

 

[TFucili]

Plus the slowest ratio is many times not slow enough in tough conditions, so you end up "fanning" the engagement like a dirtbike clutch, which leads to rapid failure. That's where hydro really shines.

 

[Ozymandias]

Hydro was to expensive for such a small unit, would have doubled the price.