Ariens lets me borrow one or two models every year for MovingSnow to review. Last year it was the Platinum 30 SHO and a Power Brush. This year I asked them to send only one and they sent the new Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO Model 921044, 28 inch, 306 cc snow blower. My local dealer Barstow Street Auto Service set up and delivered this snow blower. 

One of the best selling points of the Ariens is they just look good. Large metal chute, big tires, rolled front lip on the blower housing. The Ariens orange is a heavy duty powder coat that is baked on for long life. Just the high visibility color makes me want one when I’m cleaning near the end of my driveway.

Right Front View. The 28 inch front housing (bucket) is 21 inches high. This allows you to clear deeper drifts than your old snow blower.

The traction and blower levers appear to be just a little longer this year. When you push them down they now come all the way to the end of the handles. I like this feature because I tend to hold on to the handles by the very end. Can you guess what the other snow blower is in the picture?

Right Rear View. Everything about this snow blower screams heavy duty. Even the control cables and rods are thicker than any other brand’s.

View from the operator’s “seat.” This Ariens has a nice clear view of what’s going on up front. The large discharge chute doesn’t get in the way of your view. Ok, let’s get started on the features.

The Ariens AX 306 cc is a premium engine designed to give you longer life than the engine on your old snow blower. In the picture you can see the easy to use Fuel Shutoff and Key Switch. Other brands use an on-off switch and a separate safety key but the Ariens simplifies this by using a removable ignition key. This key is the on-off switch and you can remove it for safety when you are not using the snow blower. There is a separate button for the electric start.

Snow Blower engine power ratings have been confusing. Some brands only label cc’s. Ariens uses this conservative measurement so you always get the power you expect. This rating is now consistent but lower than labeling used before 2012. The engine still produces the same amount of power.

The Ariens AX engines are designed to run on unleaded fuel up to E10 (10%) ethanol blends. NEVER USE E15 or E85 fuels in a small gas engine like this one.  E15 is only used in new autos. E15 fuel will ruin your snow blower engine and that failure is not covered by any warranty. Many areas of the country now offer all three fuels at the same pump so double-check to make sure you are getting the E10 blend.

Ariens uses the quick cap on their version of the LCT engine. I like it better than the ratchet cap but you may find you will have to take your glove off to loosen it.

Easy To Use Rear Oil Drain. No need to spill oil all over a tire when changing oil!

Speaking of oil. Another brand has eliminated the oil dipstick. (To save costs?) On that model you have to use the secondary fill cap to check the oil. The Ariens AX engines use the easy to read dipstick.

The gray lever under the choke is the idle control. Manufacturers want you to run the engine at full RPM when blowing snow. This keeps the engine at optimal power and helps the snow blower from clogging in wet snow. Ariens includes a lever where you can idle the engine if you have to walk away for a moment to take that “important” phone call :)

The Low Tone muffler is quieter than the ones put on snow blowers 10 years ago. I still suggest you use hearing protection (or earmuffs) to protect your hearing.

Moving on to the dash or console. Ariens redesigned the dash this year to make it easier to read and consistent across all the models. The diagrams are easy to understand and large enough so I can see them without my reading glasses. The freehand control is on the left on Ariens snow blowers. What that means is if you are out blowing snow you can take your right hand off the blower lever and use it to change the chute and deflector position.

Front view of the new dash showing the Halogen headlight. The light is offset so the chute does not get in the way. I know – HID LED lights are all the rage but the Halogen still gives you the whitest and brightest light. The control in the lower right corner of the picture is the chute control. You reach over the dash with your right hand to turn the chute. Some people complain about this but it is a reliable and simple way to move the chute. It just works……

I really like the new gear selector! The specs state this is a 6 forward – 2 reverse but take a close look at the picture. There are 2 reverse speed, 5 forward speed and the 6th “transport” speed. If you have to go over to the neighbors to clear their drive just put it in the 6th gear and “RUN” over there!

Just one more thing about the Ariens transmission. Do you know why you never hear of anyone repairing the transmission or friction drive on the newer Ariens? The reason is when you release the drive control on the left handlebar the transmission completely disengages. The friction disk inside the transmission is released from the drive plate which keeps it from getting flat spot on the rubber face of the disk. This is also why you can freely move the transmission lever on the dash when the snow blower is not running.

A look inside the Ariens Transmission. Strength and Simplicity!

One last item about the new dash. The controls are now all nice and big. Very easy to hold with gloved hands!

On to the chute! The chute is all metal and the discharge area of the impeller is also metal. Ariens uses a thicker steel here so rocks and gravel don’t wear holes over the years.

There is only one poly piece in the Ariens chute. This “bearing” keeps everything turning smoothly. You don’t need to grease your chute anymore!

The chute is wider than the discharge. This is one of the features that keeps the chute from clogging when blowing wet snow. That black strip you see is a rubber piece that keeps snow from blowing back through the hinge when the deflector is all the way down. I’ve owned snow blowers that didn’t have that strip and is was very aggravating when snow blew back on the hot muffler/engine everything started to freeze up.

Even though I have never broke a shear pin on an Ariens snow blower the new models like this one have a set conveniently located on the chute control gearbox.

Almost done – Only 15 more pictures to go The Ariens Deluxe models use large 16 inch deep lug tires. They are narrow which lets them cut into the snow and hard packed ice easily. You don’t need chains for these superior tires but Ariens does have optional chains available if you really need them. Buy the way if your snow blower wants to wander to one side all the time – check the tire inflation. One will need some air.

It’s the little things that make the Ariens one of the best snow blowers on the market. Solid rust resistant springs, heavy cables and cast eyelets make the cables much stronger than the ones on other brands. The little touches like cable tie “safety wire” to make sure things never fall off. Keepers on the cable pulley so if the cable does stretch it won’t fall off the pulley.

Yes, The Ariens comes with the required safety chute cleaning tool. If you ever do clog up your Ariens remember it’s there and PLEASE use it to clean inside the chute and the auger housing! In the U.S. alone we have dozens of people lose fingers because they didn’t use the clean out tool and the impeller cut their fingers off. Remember even with the engine shut off there may be enough tension on the impeller for it to turn and snap a finger.

Ok, we are almost to the front of the snow blower! The standard skid shoes are heavy-duty long life steel. I expect them to last 3 to 4 times longer than the steel shoes on your old Murray. Plus they are reversible.

Ariens Optional Poly Skid Shoes. Look at the size of these shoes! One inch wide and made of a long wearing poly. My front cement driveway is very rough and these poly shoes really help me to turn the snow blowers easily. I’ve gotten to the point where I change out the metal shoes for these right away. They are wider than the steel version so they also work well on gravel.

There are four grease zerks on the Ariens Deluxe. Two on the transmission and two up front on the auger. Follow the lube schedule in your owner’s manual. If you don’t have one you can order it and a tube of non-hardening grease here: Lumax Pistol Grease Gun with 18″ Flex Hose

Finally, we made it to the front. working part of the snow blower. Another of the little things that makes the Ariens special. The top lip of the auger housing is rolled. The primary reason is for strength but it also makes it very nice to lift the front end of the snow blower to inspect it or change a shear pin.

Most brands use two bolts to hold the auger bearings. Ariens uses three.

The replaceable scraper bar is not only bolted across the bottom but has two additional side bolts to keep it from bending or warping over time.

The legendary Ariens cast iron gearbox. This gear case is so heavy duty it was originally used in a roto-tiller!

I’ve used many snow blowers over the years that did not use a center brace. Over time the front auger would sag or bend from hitting “stuff” and the auger would bounce up and down as it rotated. This quickly tore out the side bearing and even the center gearbox. The Ariens gear box is not only the strongest but is additionally reinforced with these brackets so the front auger will never start to wobble.

Smooth metal undercarriage. This creates a better and more slippery airflow which increases fuel economy and decreases wind resistance – Just Kidding! At least it won’t crack and fall off over time like the plastic ones do.

Last but not least! The specially designed SHO impeller paddles are made to efficiently and effectively move snow. In addition the cupped design allows you to throw snow farther than most other snow blowers on the market. Someday I would like to take the four high-end snow blowers into the same field of snow and see which one actually throws snow the farthest. I’ll bet you a tube of lithium grease for your grease gun that this impeller will finish first or second.

That’s it for this review! Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below.

You can only get this snow blower through an authorized Ariens Dealer. Ariens Dealer Locator.

I usually purchase one or two snow blowers each year for MovingSnow as base-line units to compare the other snow blowers to. This year I decided to purchase one “high-end” machine and one economy unit. I purchased the ST327P from my local Husqvarna Dealer Eau Claire Lawn Equipment.

When you first look at the 300 series Husqvarna snow blowers you immediately see the extra features that make this a “high-end” machine. HID-LED lights, deflector shield and included drift cutters.

Husqvarna orange is a heavy-duty powder coating that is baked on. The process is very consistent and I have yet to find an orange Husqvarna Snow Blower where the powder coating is flaking off.

Right Front View. The 27 inch front housing is 22 1/2 inches high. It is a lot taller than you old snow blower and can handle deeper drifts than just about any other snow blower.

Right Rear View. The 300 series is Husqvarna’s heavy-duty line. It has the heavy-duty control cables and rods so you will never have to replace cables. I’ll go through the other strengths later in this article

Tall intake for the “Big One” All of the Husqvarna 300 series snow blowers have a 22 1/2 inch tall intake. This allows the snow blowers to take on the toughest snow falls and drifts. The big gray piece is not a weight. It’s a decorative cover.

A view you will get used to. The operator’s position has a nice clear view of the snow blower and what’s going on in front. Even the tall discharge chute does not get in the way.

Front of Dash. Simple poly dash. Yes, the dash is plastic but I have not heard of any consoles that have cracked or broke including the 1830EXLT that I have used for the last 3 years. This model was new last year but Husqvarna used the good parts off the previous machines to make their best snow blower yet. The dash is one of those components. By the way I like the HID-LED lighting a lot on this snow blower. The eight individual bulbs are angled so that they shine wide and far. The Ariens Halogen with its mirrored reflector is the only other snow blower light that comes close to this one.

Husqvarna uses LCT engines. This 291 cc engine delivers 14.5 ft lbs of torque and is rated to give up to 4 times the life of your old engine. Cast iron cylinder, ball bearing crankshaft bearings make this one of the most dependable engines you can buy on a snow blower. By the way 291 cc is the right size on this snow blower. It gives you plenty of power to blow the deep snow but offers better fuel economy so you are not complaining that the gas tank is always empty.

The Husqvarna engines (LCT) are designed to run on unleaded fuel up to E10 (10%) ethanol blends. Never use E15 or E85 fuels in small gas engines like this one. Many areas of the country are now offering E10, E15 and E85 from the same pump so double-check to make sure you are getting the E10 blend.

The hard to use oil drain. Yes, it is the back of the engine where it should be but as usual with most snow blowers – it’s too short. I really wish ALL of the brands would spend an extra 10 cents on a longer pipe so the oil drain sticks out far enough so the oil is easy to drain without it getting all over the machine.

Where’s the dipstick? The next picture will tell you where Husqvarna hid it.

While I’m ranting about changing the oil I want to discuss checking the oil. There is a tall fill tube on the top of the engine but you check the oil using the old-style oil port on the lower right side of the engine. You unscrew the black plug and the dipstick is located there. My question to Husqvarna: Did the clerk who ordered these engines just make a mistake on the order form or is there an actual reason why you went “old school?”

The gray lever under the red choke is the idle control. Manufactures want you to run the engine at full speed when you are blowing snow. This keeps the engine at optimal power and reduces clogging when blowing heavy, wet snow. Husqvarna includes a convenient lever so you can if you have to take that “important” phone call you can idle the engine when you walk away from the snow blower.

Husqvarna uses a muffler system that is a lot quieter than the one on your old snow blower. The engine is not a twin cylinder, ( I actually had a salesman tell me that once) the muffler has two outlets so it is as free-flowing as possible.

Enough about the engine – now on to the dash or console. Like the Ariens the free hand control is on the left. What that means is if you are out blowing snow and want to move the chute you can take your right hand off the impeller handle and use it to change the chute and deflector position on the fly. This is the opposite of the MTD built machines. I’ll go over the individual controls in the next pictures.

Speed control for the hydrostatic transmission. You can change the speed on the ST327P in one fluid motion all the way from full reverse to full speed forward without going through notches or a set of “gates.” You can also adjust the speed on the fly so if you are going too slow or a little too fast you can take your right hand off the impeller lever and move the speed control. I like to tap it with the palm of my hand to change the speed just a little. The 300 series Husqvarna’s have one unique feature I am not aware any other snow blower has. You can adjust the reverse speed. If you do a lot of backing up and the snow blower is backing up too slow for you the control rods are adjustable. It’s a wrench adjustment but’s it’s a great feature for some of you.

Here is proof that at least one computer tech helped to design this snow blower. This is the hand warmer switch. O is off I is on. By the way these get nice and warm. You can feel them through winter gloves.

There is a trigger under each handle. These are the power steering levers. If you want to steer left pull the left trigger – go right pull the right one. If you can walk behind this snow blower and use your hands you can drive this machine.

The chute rotation is the lever in the middle of the dash. The deflector control is the left lever. To use these you push in on the handle and then move it. Husqvarna built in quite a few notches so you can put the snow exactly where you want it. The deflector won’t keep riding up like it does on the MTD built 4-way chute control.

One last picture about the dash. This is a very good example of finding the right snow blower for you. The handle in the front of the picture is an Ariens. The handles in the back are the Husqvarna ST327P. The handles on the Ariens point straight back – the handles on the Husqvarna tilt down. The Husqvarna’s handles are easier on your wrists if you are using the snow blower for a long time. Your wrists are lined up with the rest of your arm. Sounds like a no-brainer as which one is better? Not quite. Even though the front of the two snow blowers weighs the same the Ariens feels lighter when you go to raise the front up. The way the handles on the Ariens are positioned make it feel lighter in the front than the Husqvarna. So…if you have a long driveway to clean you may like the Husqvarna’s handles better because your wrists are in a normal position. But if you have a complex area to clear and have to turn the snow blower a lot you may like the Ariens straight handles better. (If you understand why a snow blower is designed a certain way it makes it easier to decide if that snow blower is the best choice for you)

Let’s stop by and visit the underside of the snow blower before we move around to the front. Hydro-Gear 1310-1001 Hydrostatic Transmission. This is the best hydro transmission you can get for a wheeled snow blower. (The tracked versions use a different hydro) This transmission is a completely sealed, one piece unit that integrates the power steering. You will never have to do any maintenance on this trans. Yes, it’s more expensive than the gear drive systems but worth every penny if you want to never worry about performing any maintenance. By the way the black plastic cover that covers this transmission is just cosmetic and used to make the snow blower look good. Don’t feel this snow blower is a lower quality because it does not have a metal cover like many of the gear drive units. The gear drive units have to keep snow and dirt out of the trans. This trans is completely sealed.

The transmission and impeller drive pulleys. The orange rod in the picture is the impeller housing hanger. This rod makes it very easy to realign the housing to the transmission when changing belts. It makes the Husqvarna 300 series easy to repair yourself.

Wing nuts on handles. If you need to drop the handles down for storage in the summer the wing nuts make the task easier. It’s still a 10 minute job so you won’t want to plan on doing this in the winter. Be sure you check these nuts when you first get your new snow blower and after the first few times you use it.

All of the cables and control rods are heavy-duty commercial grade. Springs are covered to protect them from twigs and branches.

Some snow blowers use a bolt that screws into the end of the axle to hold the wheel on, others use a key and clip. Husqvarna uses a pin and safety clip. Simple to use….it never rusts onto the axle.

15 X 4 tires are just the right size for this snow blower

Ariens Deluxe/Platinum 16X4 tire on left. Husqvarna ST300 series 15X4 tire on right. Both work equally well.

The 300 series Husqvarna snow blowers come with both steel and poly shoes.

I have two real complaints about the Husqvarna ST327P. The oil drain and the poly skid shoes. Neither complaint is a “don’t buy” issue but I have to rant about them anyway. The poly skid shoes are junk. They are too small, too flimsy and not worth installing on the snow blower. When it comes to poly skid shoes the Cub Cadet Cool Blue shoes are the best, then the heavy-duty Ariens poly and then the Craftsman. I’m going to find a way to mount either the Ariens or Craftsman poly shoes on this snow blower and throw the supplied shoes in the trash!

Drift Cutters are included. Drift cutters cut deep drifts ahead of the auger housing so the snow drops down in front of the snow blower instead of over the back. With todays tall housing designs (sorry Simplicity owners) 90% of us will never use these. I suggest if you don’t need them take them off and store them in your garage. If you do need them please check the wing nuts every time you use your snow blower. The stamped wing nuts have a habit of vibrating loose.

Your new Husqvarna Snow Blower uses four shear pins. It comes with six extra in their own little toolbox between the engine and the discharge chute. After you check them out don’t forget to make sure the cover is latched. Don’t worry, I’ll show you where they go.

Poly discharge area. If you look at many old snow blowers this area has holes worn through it or major dents that keep the old machine from working at its peak. Husqvarna chose to install a replaceable poly discharge. The poly discharge also doubles as a bearing for the discharge chute so you don’t have to grease this area anymore. Aerodynamically Husqvarna has realized that all the snow is ejected from the blower at the rear so their discharge opening is a little smaller than other brands. No, It does not clog in wet heavy snow.

Full width chute brace. The chute brace for the hanging chute is one of the strongest.

The top bracket of the hanging chute doubles as the connection for the chute rotation cables. The chute cables are commercial grade and sealed so they don’t freeze up in the winter.

For the chute to rotate more than 180 degrees there is a notch in the bottom and a rubber flap to keep the snow from running out the corner of the chute. In my experience using this for the last three years it works well. It a nice little detail that allows you to put the snow exactly where you want it.

Here is a detail that separates the mid-priced snow blowers from the high-end machines. The cable is heavy-duty. The end of the cable is a large steel eye. The end of the cable is booted completely so no moisture can get into the cable and freeze it. This cable will work in any temperature.

Like all of the high-end snow blowers the ST327 includes a rubber flap in the metal deflector hinge to keep the snow from blowing out the cracks but there is more…. 

The rubber flap on the end of the deflector adds just a few inches and really makes your snow blowing task better!  Have you ever blown light fluffy snow and have it hook right off the end of the deflector and right into your face? It can get so bad that you are instantly blinded from that fine cold snow. Aerodynamically, the snow coming out the end of the discharge is creating a lift effect at that edge and the snow is trying to fill that low pressure area. The rubber boot over the end of the discharge breaks up that low pressure area and helps to keep most of the snow from blowing in your face.

Finally we reach the front end. I’ll bet you thought we would never get here! The hole you see in this picture is a drain hole. As you know the snow flowing through the snow blower will actually heat the impeller housing up. When you are done clearing your snow many times that housing cools down and the snow/water will freeze your impeller solid. If there is no drain hole that means the next time you go to use your blower it won’t work and before you realize what’s wrong you burn out or break a drive belt. Even though there is a drain hole I still use a heat lamp to dry out the entire front of the snowblower when I’m done clearing snow. Woods 18/2-Gauge Clamp Lamp with Bulb Guard

Yes, it’s a cast iron gearbox. They just painted it silver

Front auger shear bolts. If you have ever owned a Simplicity snow blower you will appreciate one little feature Husqvarna does not advertise about these bolts. The hole on the inside shaft is elongated just a little bit. This not only helps the shear bolt to eject properly if it ever breaks but it makes it a lot easier to replace. With some of the other brands it can be an almost impossible task to line up the holes to put the new shear pin in place. There is a shear bolt on each side of the front gearbox. Be sure to replace them with an identical shear pin. Using a bolt may break your gearbox the next time you hit something.

Nice, thick scraper blade. This is easily replaceable if you like to run your front end on the pavement.

Real sealed ball bearings. No lubrication ever required.

Center gearbox brace. If one is good – is two better? (on the Ariens) You decide. There is no torsional/twisting load on this brace so one is enough. If you have ever owned a snow blower that had one too many rocks run through it you know why this brace is here. It keep the front auger from bouncing up and down.

In My Opinion: In the last few years Ariens, Husqvarna and Cub Cadet/MTD have all figured out that you can get considerably more snow through a two stage snow blower if you increase the engine size and figure out a way to get more snow to the impeller. Ariens added a small amount of horsepower and changed the impeller in the SHO models. The rest of their snow blower did not need a redesign. Husqvarna changed from a closed flight front auger (which meters the snow) to an open flight and changed the impeller from a three-blade paddle to a four blade cupped design. This improved their system well enough that they did not need to add a lot of horsepower. Cub Cadet added lots of horse power, kept the closed flight auger but increased the speed on the two center flights (the 3rd stage) to force more snow into the impeller. Toro’s 2-stage snow blowers use a completely different method to move snow that also works very well. They are simply four different ways of doing the same thing. Each method has it’s own benefits. Don’t be fooled that one method is “lightyears” ahead of the other systems. To figure out which snow blower is for you always take a look at the entire snow blower, the brand, the service and the parts to find the best snow blower for you. By the way: Briggs& Stratton/Simplicity hasn’t changed anything – yet. By the way: I don’t know if the new Honda 2-stage snow blowers are better than the older versions at moving snow. By the way: The Chinese snow blower manufacturers appear to believe we will buy anything – if it’s cheap enough. Now back to the review: Remember, I said this snow blower uses four shear pins. Two are used on the auger up front. The other two are used here. If a rock, brick, shoe or garden hose makes it into the snow blower these bolts will shear to protect the impeller from damage.

Husqvarna switched from the closed flight auger to an open flight system with the new 300 series. Open flight augers allow more air to be mixed with the snow – making it lighter and easier to flow through the snow blower. It reduces clogs and actually lets more snow through.

Last but not least. I have had quite a few people get confused by that nice gray piece on the top of the auger housing. That is not a weight. It’s simply a plastic cover to make the front of the snow blower look good… Since you made it this far thanks and feel free to ask any questions in the comments below.

I usually purchase one or two snow blowers each year for MovingSnow as base-line units to compare the other snow blower to. This year the economy unit I purchased a this Toro 824 QXE through my local Toro Dealer Eau Claire Lawn Equipment

When you first look at the Toro SnowMaster you can see right away it’s different. It looks like a two stage with the tall discharge chute and tall intake, but then you quickly realize it’s a single stage.

The front intake opening is 18 inches high. This is probably higher than your old snow blower and will allow you to go through deeper drifts.

The second thing you notice is the lack of levers and knobs and switches on the handles.

This is not an expensive snow thrower but Toro did not skimp on any of the details. Heavy duty control cables and clamps. I’ll show you examples throughout this article.

It won’t take you long to get used to this view. The operator’s position has a clear view of what is going on in the front. This snow thrower is no harder to use than your Toro Personal Pace mower! Do you see the black bar under the Loop Personal Pace handle? I will talk about that in later pictures.

Many of you will buy the SnowMaster from Home Depot and will either have it shipped to your home for free or pick it up at your local store. Because of that I asked Eau Claire Lawn to give me one in the box so I could experience the same conditions that you will. Based on previous experience I brought my wife’s van to carry it home. I was just going to slide it in the side door and head home. Guess What! The box the SnowMaster comes in was a lot larger than I had expected! She has the back end of the van full of “stuff” and the rear seat in so we ended up taking it out of the box before I left. At least I didn’t have to get rid of all that cardboard. The easy way to get it out of the box is to open the top of the box and pull out the cardboard corner supports. Then using a utility knife cut around the entire bottom of the box and lift the box off the snow blower. The chute and chute control rod are laying in protective cardboard on the top of the snow blower. If your SnowMaster came assembled you can skip these pictures and go right to checking the oil in the engine.

You will like putting the SnowMaster together. Set up is just two steps – unfold the handle and install the chute.

I raised the handle and tightened the bolts before I took the SnowMaster out of the van. It’s easier to lift that way. The SnowMaster is considerably lighter than a 2-stage snow blower (about 125 lbs.) but you still want someone to assist you with the lift.

Unfold the Handle. Toro has designed the assembly so that the cables should come right up with the handle but check them anyway as you lift the handle to make sure you don’t kink one. You will have to loosen both finger nuts and pull the handle lock (gold j-shaped bolt) out 1/2 inch to raise the handle up all the way. You don’t have to take the finger nut all the way off. If the j-bolt does not move wiggle the handle up and down – side to side. It will move. Once you have the handle raised all the way up push the j-bolt into the bottom hole and tighten the finger nut.

Here is what the j-bolt and finger nut looks like after it’s assembled.

The second and last step: Take the chute out of it’s cardboard protector and slide the long steel chute post into the square hole right in front of the engine. You can’t see it but the hole is tapered so the rod fits correctly the first time. Take the longer bolt (in the plastic bag this manual was in) and a locknut. Put the bolt through the hole in that bracket you just stuck the post in and tighten the nut. It’s a lock nut so tighten it just enough so the post and bolt don’t rattle when you shake the chute.

Here’s what the chute post looks like with the bolt and nut in place.

Look at these four steps and then move to the next picture below.

You found the black rod? One end is flattened and has two holes. Stick the OTHER end into the chute as show in the picture. Turn the rod with your hand as you are pushing it into the hole and the rod will pop in correctly. Go to the next picture.

Do you see how the flat spots are on one side of the rod? Align the rods just like the picture so when we put the bolts in it will be one straight piece. If your rod does not look like this pull it back out of the chute and turn it 180 degrees. Grab two of the remaining bolts and two lock nuts for the next picture.

Those bolts are carriage bolts and you only need one wrench to tighten them. Look at the bolts and you will see a square shoulder. Look at the two rods and you will see one set of holes are square. Put the bolts through the square holes, through the round holes on the other rod and then tighten the two bolts. Go to the next picture.

Ok, you still have one bolt, nut and screw left. In this picture you can see where one of the cables is held up with a clamp. You will see that cable hanging right below the rod you just installed. Take the remaining carriage bolt and put it through the square hole. Put the clamp on the bolt and then tighten the nut. Just one more screw in the next picture and the snow blower is assembled!

There is a cable hanging down by the right wheel. Lift it up and you will see a clamp on it. Then look at the snow blower just in front of the right wheel and you will see a hole. Put the screw through the hole in the clamp and then tighten the bolt into the hole. That’s it! You are Done! Go ahead and play with your new chute. Before you put gas in it let’s check a couple more things though. If you move it around at this point use the black bar under the Personal Pace handle. If the SnowMaster makes a clicking sound – pull back on the Personal Pace handle and it will quiet down.

Let’s cover the Toro engine next. In my opinion the 212 cc engine on the 724 is plenty for this machine and I was very surprised that Toro decided to offer a larger engine. Of course I had to feed the “Tim-the-Toolman” in me and buy the larger engine!

Before you do anything else check the oil. The SnowMaster comes with oil in it and the oil level should be correct. To check the oil get a paper towel and the loosen the Yellow cap on the left side of the engine. By the way, the engine also has two gray caps. These engines are made to be used in many different applications but the gray caps are not used on the SnowMaster – just ignore them.

Here is the procedure in the manual for checking the oil. Go to the next picture to see more.

Unscrew the cap and pull the dipstick out of the engine. Wipe it off with the paper towel and stick it back in. Don’t screw the cap down. This engine oil is checked with the cap/dipstick just resting on the threads. I like to leave it sit there for about 10 seconds. Pull it back out and check the oil level. The oil is new and a light amber color so you may have a hard time seeing the oil on the stick. If you do just lay the dipstick flat on the paper towel and watch where the oil starts to soak into the towel. A flashlight also works to show the reflection of the oil on the dip stick. The level should be correct. By the way: I’m a big fan of using 5W-30 Synthetic oil. The 212 cc uses 17 ounces (about 1/2 quart) the 252 cc uses 24 ounces (about 3/4 quart)

One of the biggest features to me on the SnowMaster is all of the engine controls are on the right side of the engine – out in the open – and easy to get at. The “mitten grip” started handle is located so you can stand in the operator’s position behind the SnowMaster to start it.

Let’s go around the engine – starting with the electric start. To use just plug in a 3-pronged outdoor extension cord. You can use a 16 ga cord up to 50 feet long, 14 ga up to 75 feet and a 12 ga up to 100 feet. If your shed is farther than 100 feet you should move your SnowMaster closer to the outlet. By the way: Electric starters on snow blowers are designed for intermittent use. You will burn up the starter if you let the starter run and run. That means push the red button for 5 seconds then let it sit for 5 seconds. It it does not start in 10 reputations – stop and figure out why. If your SnowMaster is operating correctly and you have followed the starting procedure it will start in the first two or three tries. We’ll get to the starting procedure soon.

The working end of the electric start. I like the cord wrap to keep everything neat and tidy. It’s in the details.

The part you’ll never see. I removed the protective cover to show you the engine output pulley and belt. The SnowMaster uses the new style high strength, flat belts. This belt will not dry out. It has plenty of strength to handle the power. This belt drives both the transmission and an output shaft for the working part of the snow blower. I expect that you will never have to replace this belt.

Moving around to the back of the engine. There is a nice, large hole in the engine shroud to change the spark plug.

One of my biggest pet peeve’s on snow blowers. Toro did it right! An easy to use oil drain. The pipe even has a flat spot far enough out so that you can hold the pipe with a wrench and loosen the drain plug. People, it’s in the details….I can’t find any area of this snow thrower where Toro cut corners to cut costs.

On the right rear corner of the engine – under the black cover is the carburetor. Do you see the two screws? If you are the type who has to remove all the fuel from your snowblower for storage the screw with the Phillips head is the drain screw. If you forget and let the fuel go stale in your SnowMaster you can remove this screw and drain all the gas out of the SnowMaster. Of course please be careful – it will take a 1/2 hour or so to drain.

Finally, Starting the engine. ALWAYS follow the starting procedure and the engine will start every time! The Toro engine has no throttle. It is designed to run at the correct engine speed to blow snow well. It is designed to shut off from “full throttle” without a cool-down period at idle. You turn the engine off by pulling the red key out of the engine. To start it. 1. Push the black primer bulb three times (make sure you cover the little hole in the center) 2. Move the gray lever (choke) all the way to the left. 3. Pull the starter rope or push the starter button. It should start and run very rough. If it has not started after five seconds on the electric start or 4 pulls on the handle push the primer bulb three more times and repeat. 4. Once it starts it will run very rough and probably blow gray/black smoke out the other side of the engine (muffler) Move the gray choke lever to the right and the engine will smooth out and come up to the correct speed (rpm) NOTE: If the engine stopped before you had a chance to move the choke lever to the right – move it now and pull the starter rope 3-4 times. It should start. If it did not start walk away from it for 5 minutes and then start the procedure all over. By the way: I sometimes forget to insert the key. It won’t start without the key pushed all the way in. If you turned off the engine and it has only been off for 5-10 minutes it will start without choking it. Just reinsert the key and pull the starter rope.

Moving around the snow blower. I removed the plastic cover in the center of the SnowMaster so you could see the workmanship. Toro used their famous one-piece frame to make this snow blower as strong – yet lightweight as possible.

Closeup of what’s under the hood. With Toro it’s all about the details. Remember how easy it was to insert the support for the discharge chute. The reason was Toro designed the bottom support so it slid right in! I’m impressed – I hope you are too!

The other side. The black box is the enclosed jack shaft for the front auger. You will never have to get in here to work on the machine or do any maintenance.

Moving around to the front. Here’s a quick comparison of the intake height of a typical single stage on the left to the SnowMaster. The SnowMaster will handle that end-of-driveway drift in one pass. Yes, they are always trying to photo bomb my picts.

Two stage technology. This is a play on words. The part of the SnowMaster that throws the snow is a single stage system but it is different enough from a conventional single stage snow thrower that I won’t give them too hard of time about it. With this front auger the outer areas grabs the snow and quickly sends it to the center. The center then throws it out the chute. Next Picture:

The center section is slightly cupped and curved. This allows this section to grab the snow and throw it out of the chute easily. The slight curve allows it to get most of the snow into the center of the chute.

As the snow is thrown off the center section of the auger, the back of the housing channels it into the chute. The black piece at the top in this picture (called a kicker) catches any snow that didn’t make it into the chute and forces it back down into the auger to be thrown again. This smooth tapered area is a big feature in how well the Toro SnowMaster gets the snow into and up out of the chute. It’s one of the reasons why it’s faster than their two stage snow blowers. What makes this system unique is all the smooth tapered surfaces. Most single stage snow throwers have corners and edges inside the housing that don’t let the snow flow freely through the snow thrower. In fact a few that I have used throw more snow out the front than they do out the chute. The SnowMaster is one of the best designs I have seen.

The chute hangs off of this bracket. The bracket is metal. The gears are self lubricating and covered to stay out of the ice and snow.

It’s in the details. Commercial grade cables. Heavy duty ends. Protective boot over the cable. Heavy duty clamps, springs and brackets.

Under the chute control. This is made from the same tough sub-zero poly as the chute. Ask any dealer if he has ever seen one of the gears wore out.

Just another angle. Here is what the snow sees going into the chute.

And what the snow sees as it leaves the top of the chute.

By the way: The SnowMaster uses sealed ball bearings. No grease fittings to forget or bushings to wear out. This snow thrower is about as maintenance free as you can get.

Toro uses a compression scraper on many of their machines and the SnowMaster is no exception. This scraper “gives” a little so it will ride over small cracks and obstructions. I show you more detail in the next picts.

I’ve tipped the SnowMaster back on the handles so you can see the scraper. When you are cleaning a smooth surface the edge rides on it to give you a clean, clear path right down to the pavement.

When you hit an obstruction like a crack in the cement or a rough spot in your asphalt the scraper flexes up and doesn’t get caught like a metal scraper will. You will be able to clear right down to the pavement most of the time. You won’t get the bone-jarring jolt that you get from a 2-stage when the 2-stage gets hung up on a crack. I know, it’s plastic…..but…

The scraper is made from a hard wearing plastic and reinforced the entire length with the channels you see here. These scrapers don’t crack or break and wear as well or better than than a steel one. Toro has been using this system for years and it works well.

Another picture showing all the wear points on the scraper

The skid shoes are metal and poly. They are made of the same dense material as the compression scraper and will last. This snow blower is so lightweight compared to the 2-stage machines that these skid shoes will give a much longer life. They will not scratch your pavers or stained concrete.

The SnowMaster uses a hanging chute. What that means is all the surfaces that stick on your old 2-stage and normally wear out on your old single-stage won’t. There are no load bearing parts other than the support up on top to wear out or rust. Most manufactures use this technology today because it works so well.

Big hole, solid workmanship. There is nothing flimsy about this chute. In fact many of the parts are used in the Power Max and Power Max HD snow blowers.

Chute Controls. People, it’s in the details….I can’t find any area of this snow thrower where Toro cut corners to cut costs.

No, it’s not the plastic you buy at Walmart. This is not the plastic the old guys complain about. This poly is rated to over -100 degrees and guaranteed for life. It won’t crack or break.

Extra braces as needed. People, it’s in the details….I can’t find any area of this snow thrower where Toro cut corners to cut costs.

Rubber boots, cast eyes, rust resistant coating on the springs, heavy duty cable clamps. People, it’s in the details….I can’t find any area of this snow thrower where Toro cut corners to cut costs.

If you ever have to change the auger belt it’s under this easy to remove cover. Three screws and it’s off.

If you ever have to change the belt it very easy to do. You remove the black pulley, have someone engage the auger handle and then remove the belt. Slip the new one on and reinstall the black pulley. This whole system is tough enough that I have a feeling you will never need to change the belt. In this picture the belt is shown in the tightened position.

Lock nuts on all fasteners. People, it’s in the details….

Extra support under the scraper bar. People, it’s in the details….I can’t find any area of this snow thrower where Toro cut corners to cut costs.

No sharp edges on the metal. Ok, I just like this picture…

Carbon Cold Drawn Steel Axle. The axles from the transmissions are carbon steel, cold drawn rounds. In terms of mechanical resistance, this is a good compromise. The shaft itself is not rust treated, so you should expect it to rust over time, which is normal and has no negative impact on the life of the transmission.

Let’s talk about the tires. I first thought the tires were too small. But they are not for two reasons. 1. The SnowMaster is a lot lighter than a 2-stage snow blower. Because it’s lighter it does not need big tires to get enough traction. 2. It’s for use on hard surfaces. You won’t be trying to clear your lawn or trying to clear loose gravel. Because of that you don’t need tall tires.  These tires are actually bigger than the old Noma snow blower my neighbor still uses.

Deep Lug Tires. 

The Personal Pace transmission with automatic steering. I like this transmission a lot. I expect to see this tranny on more snow blowers next year. Toro does not sell anything until it’s met their extremely high quality standards so don’t be cautious about buying this new model. This transmission has been tested and tested and tested in real world conditions for over three years. By the way: If you are moving the snow thrower around the garage and it’s making a clicking sound, pull back on the Personal Pace handles and the sound will go away.

A size comparison of the Toro SnowMaster to a 21 inch lawn mower

A size comparison of the Toro SnowMaster to a 21 inch lawn mower

A size comparison of the Toro SnowMaster to a 21 inch lawn mower

Wednesday Night at GIE-EXPO

Gravely Pro-QXT Tractor at GIE-EXPO

Nice large tires. You can see the kickstand in this picture

The Quick-Tach. Just move the black lever forward to release the front attachment.

Rapid Control. You can also see the large number of height adjustments for the handlebar.

Gravely invited a few media writers the day before the GIE-EXPO show to a remote location so we could get a chance to try out and thoroughly check out the new Gravely Pro-QXT

Ariens Track Drive. 28 inch with Auto Turn

Ariens Track Drive. 28 inch with Auto Turn

Ariens Track Drive. 28 inch with Auto Turn

Columbia on a MoJack EZ Max Mower Lift

New infinite height adjustment and old low clearance track system

Specifically the chute is still the old style friction type that rests on the impeller housing. The chute turning gear is thin sheet metal and not replaceable.

The rumor is this transmission is what is causing the snow blower to be delayed. The Honda Reps at the show would not comment.

Daye Snow Blower. 

Toro Snow Master

L.T. Rich was showing a Prototype stand-on snow machine.

I’ll let you take a wild guess at where these are made. You can buy them in any color you want for less than $250 – $450 each – As long as you buy a container full at a time.

I wonder if a BOSS V-Plow will fit on this?

GT CVT snow blower transmission. It’s offered with or without power steering and also has the option of the DI300 Intuitive Differential. This is a great snow blower transmission at a great price for OEM’s.

This review is going to cover the 24 inch Vortex 2490. Troy-Bilt heard I don’t have a Lowes or Troy-Bilt dealer in my area so they dropped off a 3-stage 24 inch Vortex 2490 and 2-stage 30 inch Storm 3090 to test. Todd Pierce and David Rockwell from MTD Consumer Products dropped them off the week before GIE-EXPO. They spent 3 hours with me going over the products and showing off a Troy-Bilt Flex they brought along. Thanks Andrew Ziemba, for setting this all up.

The 2015 Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490 is rated a residential snow blower but has all of the same features as other snow blower with commercial warranties. The Troy-Bilt red is a baked on powder coat and I have yet to see a Troy-Bilt where the paint is flaking off.

The 24 inch front housing (bucket) is 21 1/2 inches tall. This lets you clear deeper drifts and your old snow blower.

The 2490 is balanced well. It takes very little effort to push down on the handles to maneuver this snow blower. With the balance and power steering it is one of the easiest 24 inch snow blowers to use. The handles are straight so they give a good combination of leverage and comfort.

View From the Operator’s “Seat.” This Vortex has a clear view of what’s going on up front even for shorter people. The tall chute is located way to the left so it does not get in the way of your view. Yes, The dash is plastic but it is made of the same tough polymer as the chute. When I visited MTD a few years ago they offered to show how tough their polymer really is. They took a chute out of a -20 degree freezer and threw it on a 100 degress blacktop. They proceeded to run over it with a pickup. No, it was not damaged at all.

Just a quick picture to show you the difference in handle height between the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO and the 24 inch Vortex. The Vortex is great for people under 6 feet. By the way the handle height on the 28 and 30 inch Troy-Bilt’s with 16 inch tires is just a little higher.

Like the other brands Toy-Bilt doesn’t label their engine “Premium” but it a premium engine is by the criteria I use. Troy-Bilt® engines are a premium small block engine with advantages that in many cases are better than competitive engine models. Some of the premium features include: Overhead Valves. (OHV) Cast iron cylinder sleeve. Low tone muffler. Ball-bearing supported crank shaft. Large fuel tank capacity. The power output of the Troy-Bilt family of engines compares favorably with engines of similar displacement from Briggs & Stratton®, Honda®, and other popular small engine brands.

The Troy-Bilt Vortex has all the engine controls you are used to. Throttle with a stop. Multi-position choke, primer bulb and removable safety switch. There is a separate button for the electric start. Please remember to run the throttle wide open when blowing snow.

Troy-Bilt engines are designed to run on unleaded fuel up to E10 (10%) ethanol blends. NEVER USE E15, E20 or E85 in small gas engines like this one. Read the labels on the pump before you fill your gas can. E15 will ruin your snow blower engine and that failure is not covered by any warranty.

Troy-Bilt has a really nice gas cap. Both the tank threads and the cap threads are machined with the vent in the cap. A feature most people miss is the fill hole is not centered. With a Troy-Bilt when you change the transmission drive belt you have to tip the snow blower up on it’s nose. By having the fill hole towards the back of the snow blower you can have over a half of tank of fuel and it will not spill out.

Easy To Use Rear Oil Drain. No need to spill oil all over the frame or tire when changing oil.

If you ever forget to put fuel stabilizer in your gas and you end up with stale fuel there is a drain on the bottom of the carb. Just remove the Phillips screw and you can drain all the fuel out of the system.

Yes, This engine has a dipstick. To read it pull the dipstick out wipe it off with a paper towel and then reinsert it. Don’t lock it down, just leave it there for few seconds and then remove it again to check the level. If you are checking the engine before you run it for the first time you may have a hard time seeing the oil (it’s light amber in color.) Just lay the dipstick on the paper towel and see where the oil soaks in. By the way, small engines are now used in many different applications. The yellow oil plug at the bottom of the engine is not used to check the oil on this snow blower.

This low tone muffler is quieter than the ones put on snow blowers 10 years ago. This is not the “quiet muffler” that Craftsman has on the 208 cc engines. I measured 90 db with my trusty Craftsman decibel meter so please use hearing protection if you are going to use this snow blower for more than 2 hours at a time. (I measured the sound at my ear with the engine running at full throttle.)

Moving on to the controls. Troy-Bilt has made quite a few improvements to the internal structural parts of the dash. The controls are stronger than they were in the past but are still located in the same places. Do you know why Troy-Bilt uses a small cable from the gear lever to the transmission instead of a big, heavy rod? The reason is they don’t have too. When the snow blower is not being used there is no tension on the friction wheel inside the transmission. Because there is not pressure on the friction wheel you can easily move the shift lever even with the engine turned off.

The inside of the transmission. The black rubber wheel, called the friction wheel, does not rest on the aluminum drive plate when the clutch lever is disengaged. This keeps the tire from getting flat spots and allows you to change the speed control with the engine off. The spring that allows Troy-Bilt to use the smaller cable is hidden behind the top shaft in this picture. The bronze gears are self-lubricating so you don’t need to grease them. The only spot you should ever lube is the hex shaft in the middle of the picture. Wipe on a heavy grease – don’t use too much or spray it on or it could get on the large aluminum drive plate and make the trans slip. The power steering is located on the outside of this case.

SECRET NUMBER ONE! When most people first grab a hold of the chute control they grab it like a pistol grip from a video game but that is not the right way to use the control. It will be very hard to turn the chute if you grab it like that. The chute control is called a “forearm control” and there is an easy way and a hard way to use it. When blowing snow take your left hand off the handle and place it on the top of the control – like you are grasping the end of a baseball bat. Use your finger to pull in the red chute release lever and then use your forearm to swing the chute from side to side. See how easy it is?

This picture looks strange because the snow blower is tipped upon it’s nose. The hand warmer switch is located below the dash on the metal support bracket.

Nice bright light. The Snow Blower forums state the light is in the wrong place but that’s not true. On the Vortex the tall chute sits farther to the left and is narrower than many of the other brands. Because of that the light shines in all the right places to give you plenty of light if you ever have to blow snow at night.

All of the controls are easy to adjust and there are sections in your operating manual that explain how make the adjustments. If a cable is slack, the snow blower is not going into reverse or the handles are not popping up all the way you make adjustments to the three gold colored brackets at the bottom of this picture.

One more picture about the controls. There are two holes in the handles for bolts but you only need bolts in the top ones. The bottom holes are no longer used.

15X5 XTRAC tires. Most 24 inch snow blowers use a 13 inch tire. These larger tires have really good traction and you will not need tire chains. Notice the bolt in the center? We will talk about that next.

If you ever have a flat tire you will want to remove the entire wheel and take it to a shop for repair. To remove the tire take out the bolt I pointed out in the last picture and slide the rim off the axle. Troy-Bilt does not use keyways and keys that can fall out. Instead they mill flat spots on the shaft that align with flats inside the rim. If the axle is not going on turn your rim until it lines up with these flats. I strongly recommend once a year tip the snow blower up on it’s nose, remove the tire assemblies and grease the axle. Use a heavy axle grease. If you do this every year the rims will easily come off if you ever have to fix a tire.

Years ago it was very common for gravel and other junk to eventually wear a hole in the impeller housing. Even today I hear of owners who get a large rock, hammer or other surprise into the impeller and before the unit can stop it puts a large dent or crack in the housing. If the housing is all one piece you are looking at $300-400 for a repair. The Troy-Bilt uses a replaceable poly section that is inexpensive to replace.

All the modern snow blowers have gone to hanging chutes. These chutes don’t bind up, don’t get stiff and hard to use in cold weather and don’t rust. This Troy-Bilt uses a hanging chute and this area is just a guide to hold the chute in place. There is no load – meaning nothing to wear here.

The deflector control is simple. It doesn’t bind up or wear out.

Troy-Bilt’s come standard with large steel reversible skid shoes. If you would like ply you can replace them with large poly shoes for about $30. Take a look at how the Troy-Bilt’s shoes are tilted and how the auger housing tilts back compared to the Ariens in the background. The reason for that is because this snow blower uses the large frame transmission which normally has 16X6.5 inch tires. To get the clearance for the smaller 24 inch width Troy-Bilt had to use smaller 15X5 inch tires. These shorter tires cause the unit to look like it tilts back. There is nothing wrong with this. Everything works including the bottom scraper as designed.

The Working End. The 3-stage system on the Troy-Bilt is designed to collect the snow with the two red augers (flights) and then the white augers, spinning at 10 times the speed of the red augers, blast snow into the 4 blade impeller in the rear. Troy-Bilt claims that this system coupled with a larger engine will clear snow 50% faster than their 2-stage system. I have not had a chance to use on myself so later on this winter I will update as to how well it works.

Standard hardened scraper bar. For black top, cement and patios adjust the skid shoes so there is about 1/8 inch clearance under the scraper. (thickness of the cardboard the snow blower came in) If you are going to clear off of gravel set it a little higher so you don’t throw a lot of rocks.

No, you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Thicker is not always better. The Troy-Bilt auger housing is actually one of the strongest housings on the market. Why? The answer boils down to metal thickness or structural strength. Other brands use thick metal to get the strength you want in the front but at a trade-off of making the snow blower heavier and harder to use. Troy-Bilt use a thinner steel but stamps channels into the steel to give it the same strength. Those bumps and ridges you see in the sides and back of the housing give the Troy-Bilt housing strength without adding a lot of weight. The channels are tapered so you won’t get stress cracks over time. This bucket will not cave in or warp like most of the Chinese brands (and even a few U.S. made snow blowers) Yes, the Internet lies! By the way: The white stripes are reflectors.

If you read comments on the Internet you will read the opinion that you must have a brace above the center auger gearbox to have a strong snow blower. That comment is from an un-informed person, not a person who understands how snow blowers are built. In the next four pictures I will use diagrams to explain why Troy-Bilt does not need to use braces on the gear box.

The reason some snow blowers use braces is because the auger shaft coming out of the center gearbox does not go all the way to the ends of the auger housing. For example this Husqvarna ST327P gearbox uses a stub shaft. This box has to be held in place with a bracket or it will twist and tear up the augers.

The augers on the Husqvarna ST327P are hollow tubes and supported on the outside with bushings and connected to the short shaft of the auger gearbox. The auger fits closely to the auger gearbox shaft so it doesn’t vibrate. The shear pins hold the auger tightly to the shaft.

The cast iron gearbox on the Ariens Deluxe and Platinum snow blowers is also designed with stub shafts coming out of the gearbox. So the braces hold the gearbox in place and keep it from twisting under load. Shear pins connect the augers to the gearbox stubby auger shafts. Ariens has a grease fitting here so the if a shear pin breaks the auger shaft will spin freely.

The Troy-Bilt is built differently. The front auger shaft runs the entire width of the snow blower. Because of this the center gearbox does not need a brace. The auger shaft is supported on the ends with maintenance free bronze bushings. (Bronze bushings are used because they will handle impact/shock loads better than ball bearings) The augers are not part of the load-bearing components and because of that they are designed to spin easily on the auger shaft if a shear pin breaks. This allows Troy-Bilt to use smaller shear pins that protect the whole system faster from hard objects like shoes, bricks and frozen newspapers. Which system is better? The stub shaft like Husqvarna or the full shaft like Troy-Bilt? The answer is neither one. Both do the same thing just differently. By the way the reason aluminum gearboxes got a bad rap was because another brand used stub shafts without bracing and the vibration and twisting tore out the gearboxes.

Troy-Bilt uses a shear pin to protect each auger flight so there are four shear pins on the 24 inch Vortex 2490. When a shear pin breaks it is designed to fall out so replacement is easy right out on your driveway. No need to get the drift punch, hammer and flashlight. Then try to find the sheared off pin in a shaft and pound it out with the punch and hammer.

The entire front end of the Troy-Bilt is designed to be maintenance free because most homeowners today don’t have the time or experience or tools to do any routine maintenance besides changing the oil and putting fuel stabilizer in the fuel. Instead of grease zerks. For example, The augers have more clearance between the tube and the full length shaft and plastic bushings keep the auger centered. You don’t have to lubricate the shaft and it never rusts and sticks onto the shaft. By the way these plastic bushings are just guides and don’t wear out or break.

The white augers use the same shear pins as the red side augers.

Secret Number Two: Replacing the back shear pin. There is one person on the Internet who made a big stink about breaking this back shear pin and then not being able to put a new one in. Look closely and you will see that the pin lines up with the blades on the impeller. So if you break this shear pin remember that the hole in the shaft is lined up with the blades on the impeller.

Lowes Service Tag

The parts you need – All on permanent label on the rear of the machine! Any Troy-Bilt, MTD, Cub Cadet will be able to quickly get these parts. The majority of the parts are also available at Amazon. Just use this link and type in the part number. MTD Snow Blower Parts

That’s it! If you have any questions feel free to leaves them in the comment section below.

1. This review is going to cover the 30 inch Storm 3090 XP. Troy-Bilt heard I don’t have a Lowes or a Troy-Bilt dealer in my area so Todd Pierce and David Rockwell from MTD Consumer Products dropped off a 3-stage 24 inch Vortex 2490 and 2-stage 30 inch Storm 3090 XP to test. Todd and David spent 3 hours with me going over the products and showing off a Troy-Bilt Flex they brought along. Thanks, Andrew Ziemba, for setting this all up.

2. The 2015 Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XL is rated a residential snow blower but has the same features and quality as the Cub Cadet snow blowers with commercial warranties. The Troy-Bilt gray is a baked on powder coat. There is another version available at Amazon – the Storm 3090 without the electric chute. Troy-Bilt Storm 3090.

3. It’s the second from the left. The front housing (bucket) is 30 inches wide and 21 1/2 inches tall. This lets you clear deeper drifts and your old snow blower. With the skid shoes this snow blower needs a door 33 inches or wider. If you need to go through a side door to clear snow out back be sure to measure the door opening before you buy this snow blower.

4. The 3090 is a large snow blower but is balanced well. In fact, this snow blower is one of the best balanced snow blowers and since it also has power steering almost anyone can use it. If you need to go through a door or over a curb it takes very little effort to push down on the handles to maneuver this snow blower. The handles are straight so they give you good leverage but they are not as comfortable as handles that tip down like the ones on the Husqvarna ST327P.

5. View From the Operator’s “Seat.” This Storm has a clear view of what’s going on up front even for shorter people. The tall chute is located way to the left so it does not get in the way of your view. Remember the chute location. I am going to talk about it more a little later. Yes, The dash is plastic but it is made of the same tough polymer as the chute so it won’t crack and break like the older Simplicity/Snapper dash did.

6. Just a quick picture to show you the difference in handle height. From the left: Troy-Bilt 24 in Vortex, Troy-Bilt 3090 XP, Husqvarna ST327P, Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO. The Vortex is great for people under 5′ 5″ feet. The 3090 XP will fit most people comfortably.

7. Like some of the other brands Troy-Bilt doesn’t label their engine “Premium” but it a premium engine is by the criteria I use.  Troy-Bilt® engines are a premium small block engine with advantages that in many cases are better than competitive engine models. Some of the premium features include: Overhead Valves. (OHV) Cast iron cylinder sleeve. Low tone muffler. Ball-bearing supported crank shaft. Large fuel tank capacity. The power output of the Troy-Bilt family of engines compares favorably with engines of similar displacement from Briggs & Stratton®, Honda®, and other popular small engine brands. They don’t state expected life in hours like Husqvarna does but the 357 cc engine on this snow blower is proving to be one of the more reliable snow blower engines on the market. Put fuel stabilizer in the fuel – change the oil once a year and this engine will last longer than your old engine.

8. The Troy-Bilt Vortex has all the engine controls you are used to. Throttle with an off position. Multi-position choke, primer bulb and removable safety switch. I have people complain that their 2-stage snow blower plugs all the time when clearing snow. In particular I’ve heard more complaints using a 30 inch machine than any other size. So why does it plug. After performing a root-cause on the problem I’ve realized it is not the snow blower that’s the problem. It’s the throttle. Many people don’t run their snow blower’s at full speed. They use the excuse, “It’s quieter or I don’t want to wake the neighbors.” In reality you must have the throttle in the full open position (rabbit) for the snow blower to work properly. This is especially true with a 30 inch snow blower because they can  have a lot more snow going through them and will plug if the throttle is not wide open.  Please remember to run the throttle wide open when blowing snow. It gives you the best throwing distance and capacity.

9. Troy-Bilt engines are designed to run on unleaded fuel up to E10 (10%) ethanol blends. NEVER USE E15, E20 or E85 in small gas engines like this one. Read the labels on the pump before you fill your gas can. E15 will ruin your snow blower engine and that failure is not covered by any warranty

10. Feature #1: Troy-Bilt has two features on the gas tank that I like better than any other brand. 1. A really nice gas cap. Both the tank threads and the cap threads are machined with the vent in the cap. 2. A feature most people miss is the fill hole is not centered. With a Troy-Bilt when you change the transmission drive belt you have to tip the snow blower up on its nose. By having the fill hole towards the back of the snow blower you can have over a half of tank of fuel and it will not spill out.

11. Easy To Use Rear Oil Drain. It sticks out nice and far so you won’t spill oil all over the frame or tire when changing oil.

12. If you ever forget to put fuel stabilizer in your gas and you end up with stale fuel there is a drain on the bottom of the carb. Just remove the Phillips screw and you can drain all the fuel out of the system.

13. Yes, This engine has a dipstick. To read it pull the dipstick out wipe it off with a paper towel and then reinsert it. Don’t lock it down, just leave it there for few seconds and then remove it again to check the level. If you are checking the engine before you run it for the first time you may have a hard time seeing the oil (its light amber in color.) Just lay the dipstick on the paper towel and see where the oil soaks in. By the way, small engines like this one are used in many different applications. The yellow oil plug at the bottom of the engine is not used to check the oil on this snow blower.

14. This low tone muffler is quieter than the ones put on snow blowers 10 years ago. This is not the “quiet muffler” that Craftsman has on the 26 and 28 inch “Quiet Snow Blowers” but… I measured 90 db with my trusty Craftsman decibel meter so please use hearing protection if you are going to use this snow blower for more than 2 hours at a time. (I measured the sound at my ear with the engine running at full throttle.)

15. Moving on to the controls. Troy-Bilt has made quite a few improvements to the internal structural parts of the dash. The controls are stronger than they were in the past but are still located in the same places. Do you know why Troy-Bilt uses a small cable from the gear lever to the transmission instead of a big, heavy rod? The reason is they don’t have too. When the snow blower is not being used there is no tension on the friction wheel inside the transmission. Because there is not pressure on the friction wheel you can easily move the shift lever even with the engine turned off.

16. Let’s take a minute and look at the inside of the transmission. The black rubber wheel, called the friction wheel, does not rest on the aluminum drive plate when the clutch lever is disengaged. This keeps the tire from getting flat spots and allows you to change the speed control with the engine off. The spring that allows Troy-Bilt to use the smaller cable is hidden behind the top shaft in this picture. The bronze gears are self-lubricating so you don’t need to grease them. The only spot you should ever lube is the hex shaft in the middle of the picture. Wipe on a heavy grease – don’t use too much or spray it on or it could get on the large aluminum drive plate and make the trans slip.

17. Changing the belts: Even though you won’t need to change the belts more than every 5 years or so changing the belts is fairly easy on this snow blower. What I like is you don’t have to “split” the snow blower. The belt path is easy to get to. You will need someone who can lift 50 lbs to help you tip the snow blower up on its nose. You will need a 9/16 wrench, a 13/16 wrench and a 3/8 socket with 6 inch extension and ratchet. Donboy73 has a very complete video on changing the belt on youtube. Just search youtube for “HOW TO REPLACE The Auger Belt on MTD, Cub Cadet & Yard Man Snowblowers”

18. The power steering mechanics is a simple planetary. It doesn’t wear out. Don’t mess with it. Just pull the trigger under the handle and the snow blower turns.

19. Feature #2: I like the chute/deflector control on the 3090 XP a lot. The Quick-Stick Chute control on the Toro Power Max HD may be the easiest manual chute control but the thumb joystick control on the 3090XP is the easiest of all the chute controls to use. It let’s you quickly move the chute and deflector to put snow right where you want it. The industrial grade thumb controller is located right next to your thumb. You don’t have to think about moving your hand to the center of the console. (like the new Honda Snow blowers)  In addition is it the most reliable electric control on the market.

20. This is an industrial thumb switch and a nice size for gloved hands. I like where it’s located because you never have to remove your hand from the handle to move the chute. I’m really surprised MTD doesn’t use this on many more snow blowers. It’s a better design and easier to use than their pistol grip 4-way chute control.

21. Electric chute controls have a bad reputation because Simplicity and Honda put the motors down in the snow zone. In addition they don’t use a hanging chute so over time the metal chute binds up and burns out the motors. The MTD electric chute is different and designed the right way. All the electric motors are tucked up under the dash out of harm’s way. That in combination with the hanging chute makes this the most dependable electric chute control on the market. In fact, this chute control has been around for over five years now and I have yet to hear of one having problems. I repeat… I’m surprised that MTD doesn’t use this on more snow blowers. It’s easy to use, quick and as dependable as it gets.

22. If the electric chute control ever breaks you are not “dead in the water” like you are with the Simplicity and Honda controls. Just move a small clip on the chute rod and it becomes a manual chute control.

23. The knob on the deflector is used for the 4-way and manual models. Just keep a little tension on the knob and ignore it. On this model it doesn’t bind up or wear out.

24. The chute is designed so you don’t need any extra flaps or covers to keep the snow from forcing its way out the hinges. This chute looks narrow but that fact allows the snow to stay in a tighter stream. That allows the XP to throw farther than the old-style impeller mounted chutes. Like Toro’s Sub-Zero poly the material this chute is made of is designed to stay flexible in the winter and won’t crack. First introduced around 2010 this chute has proven to be tough. When I visited MTD a few years ago they offered to show how tough their polymer really is. They took a chute out of a -20 degree freezer and threw it on a 100 degree black top. They proceeded to run over it with a pickup. No, it was not damaged at all.

25. All the modern snow blowers have gone to hanging chutes. These chutes don’t bind up, don’t get stiff and hard to use in cold weather and don’t rust. This Troy-Bilt uses a hanging chute and this area is just a guide to hold the chute in place. There is no load – meaning nothing to wear here.

26. Heated Hand Grips! These hand warmers actually work well. The hand warmer switch is located below the dash on the metal support bracket if you don’t want to use them.

27. Nice bright light. The Snow Blower forums state the light is in the wrong place but that’s not true. On the Vortex the tall chute sits farther to the left and is narrower than many of the other brands. Because of that the light shines in all the right places to give you plenty of light if you ever have to blow snow at night.

28. All of the control cables are easy to adjust and there are sections in your operating manual that explain how make the adjustments. If a cable is slack, the snow blower, is not going into reverse or the handles are not popping up all the way you make adjustments to the three gold-colored brackets at the bottom of this picture.

29. One more picture about the controls. There is an empty hole in each handle. Nothing goes there anymore. You only need bolts in the top ones. The bottom holes are no longer used.

30. 16X6.5 X-TRAC snow tires. Most 30 inch snow blowers use a 16 inch tire and these 16X6.5’s are wider than most other brands. These wider tires really work well on gravel driveways. By the way: If your snow blower wants to always pull to one side – check the tire pressure. One tire probably needs air. You will not need tire chains. Notice the bolt in the center? We will talk about that next.

31. If you ever have a flat tire you will want to remove the entire wheel and take it to a shop for repair. To remove the tire take out the bolt I pointed out in the last picture and slide the rim off the axle. Troy-Bilt does not use keyways and keys that can fall out. Instead they mill flat spots on the shaft that align with flats inside the rim. I strongly recommend once a year tip the snow blower up on its nose, remove the tire assemblies and grease the axle. Use a heavy axle grease. If you do this every year the rims will easily come off if you ever have to fix a tire.

32. Years ago it was very common for gravel and other junk to eventually wear a hole in the impeller housing. Even today I hear of owners who manage to get a large rock, hammer or other surprise into the impeller and before the unit can stop it puts a large dent or crack in the housing. If the housing was all one piece you are looking at $300-400 for a repair. The Troy-Bilt uses a replaceable poly section that is inexpensive to replace. If you are the type who keeps snow blower for 15-20 years this will come in handy…eventually.

33. Troy-Bilt’s come standard with large steel reversible skid shoes. If you would like poly shoes that won’t scratch your stained concrete or pavers you can replace them with large poly shoes for about $30. These shoes last longer than most other brands for two reasons. 1. Because they are longer than most. 2. Since the 3090 XP is balanced well there is very little weight on the front end. Because there is not a lot of weight on them even the poly shoes last a long time.

34. The Working End. This is the standard Troy-Bilt 2-stage system. It uses a 12 inch closed flight auger system and a 12 inch, 3-bladed impeller. The closed flight augers work very well to meter the snow so this snow blower rarely clogs. The only time you will have issues is when you are trying to clear slush. Then again, very few snow blowers will handle slush well. Yes, Troy-Bilt has a 3-stage snow blower that claims to clear snow 50% faster but this 2-stage system also has the advantage of being a very simple, reliable snow blower.  That makes this snow blower a great choice for many. I’ll go through the advantages of this system in the next few pictures.

35 Standard hardened scraper bar. If you run this scraper right on the ground you will wear it out in a season or two but most of us leave a small gap. (It is inexpensive and easy to replace) For black top, cement and patios adjust the skid shoes so there is about 1/8 inch clearance under the scraper. (thickness of the cardboard the snow blower came in) The gap also helps to keep the snow blower from sticking on every crack and misaligned slab in your cement driveway, sidewalk and patio. If you are going to clear off of gravel set it a little higher so you don’t throw a lot of rocks.

36. Feature #3: No, you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet. Thicker is not always better. The Troy-Bilt auger housing is actually one of the strongest housings on the market. Why? The answer boils down to structural strength. Other brands use thick metal to get the strength you want in the front but at a trade-off of making the snow blower heavier and harder to use. Troy-Bilt use a thinner steel but stamps channels into the steel to give it the same strength. Those bumps and ridges you see in the sides and back of the housing give the Troy-Bilt housing strength without adding weight. The channels are tapered and rounded so you won’t get stress cracks over time. This bucket will not cave in or warp like most of the Chinese brands (and even a few U.S. made snow blowers) Yes, the Internet lies! I could write another paragraph or two about how the “Internet Urban Legends” have made it really hard for many people to buy a snow blower. You don’t know what is fact or what is fiction. By the way: The red stripes are reflectors.

37. Feature #4: If you read comments on the Internet you will read the opinion that you must have a brace above the center auger gearbox to have a strong snow blower. That comment is from an un-informed person, not a person who understands how snow blowers are built. In the next four pictures I will use diagrams to explain why Troy-Bilt does not need to use braces on the gear box and still have a unit that will last you many, many years.

38. The reason some snow blowers use braces is because the auger shaft coming out of the center gearbox does not go all the way to the ends of the auger housing. For example this Husqvarna ST327P gearbox uses a stub shaft. This box has to be held in place with a bracket or it will twist and tear up the augers.

39. The augers on the Husqvarna ST327P are hollow tubes and supported on the outside with bushings and connected to the short shaft of the auger gearbox. The auger fits closely to the auger gearbox shaft so it doesn’t vibrate. The shear pins hold the auger tightly to the shaft.

40. The cast iron gearbox on the Ariens Deluxe and Platinum snow blowers is also designed with stub shafts coming out of the gearbox. So the braces hold the gearbox in place and keep it from twisting under load. Shear pins connect the augers to the gearbox stubby auger shafts. Ariens has a grease fitting here so the if a shear pin breaks the auger shaft will spin freely.

41. The Troy-Bilt is built differently. The front auger shaft runs the entire width of the snow blower. Because of this the center gearbox does not need a brace. The auger shaft is supported on the ends with maintenance free bronze bushings. (Bronze bushings are used because they will handle impact/shock loads better than ball bearings) The augers are not part of the load-bearing components and because of that they are designed to spin easily on the auger shaft if a shear pin breaks. This allows Troy-Bilt to use smaller shear pins that protect the whole system faster from hard objects like shoes, bricks and frozen newspapers. Which system is better? The stub shaft like Husqvarna or the full shaft like Troy-Bilt? The answer is neither one. Both do the same thing just differently. By the way the reason aluminum gearboxes got a bad rap was because another brand used stub shafts without bracing and the vibration and twisting tore out the gearboxes.

42. Feature #5: Troy-Bilt uses a shear pin to protect each auger flight so there are six shear pins on the 30 in Storm 3090 XP. When a shear pin breaks it is designed to fall out so replacing a broken one is easy right out on your driveway. (Shear pins on other snow blowers can be hard to change. With other types of shear pins they don’t always fall out when they break and you have to pound them out with a drift punch, hammer and flashlight. You then have to install the pin correctly using wrenches)

43. The entire front end of the Troy-Bilt is designed to be maintenance free. Troy-Bilt knows most homeowners today don’t have the time, experience or tools to do any routine maintenance besides changing the oil and putting fuel stabilizer in the fuel. For example, instead of grease zerks, the augers have more clearance between the tube and the full length shaft and plastic bushings keep the auger centered. You don’t have to lubricate the shaft and it never rusts and sticks onto the shaft. By the way these plastic bushings are just guides and don’t wear out or break.

44. Another picture of the guides. If you break a shear pin installing a new one is very easy.  Just take a new one from the storage spot in the dash and quickly replace it. You don’t need any tools to install the new shear pin. Hint: If you are clearing snow and the front end wants to ride up on you stop, turn off the engine and then check the front shear pins.

45. Almost done with the review! Drain Hole! A big problem in the past is people would put their snow blower away without cleaning out the front housing of snow. The next time they went to use it they would burn up the impeller belt because the impeller was frozen into the housing. This Troy-Bilt has a drain hole so that won’t happen.

46. The 3-blade impeller is cupped so it will throw the maximum amount of snow. The impeller paddles are braced well and balanced well so there is no vibration and the bearing will last the life of the snow blower.

47. The parts you need – All on permanent label on the rear of the machine! Any Troy-Bilt, MTD, Cub Cadet will be able to quickly get these parts. The majority of the parts are also available at Amazon. Just use this link and type in the part number. MTD Snow Blower Parts

48. That’s it! If you have any questions feel free to leaves them in the comment section below.

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24 pack Driveway Markers

Driveway Marker Mount