I bought the MTD 24 inch back in 2000, it’s still going strong. Used it last week here in Wisconsin. I had to rebuild the carb last year, other than that normal maintenance since 2000.
I found a craftsman branded mtd snowblower very similar to this model on a curb in my town. Pull cord broken, primer leaking, tires flat, covered in oil, bad gas. I rewound the pull cord, replaced the bulb with a cheap amazon carb kit, changed oil (was leaking as drain bolt was loose), resurfaced/cleaned the friction disk as it was slipping horribly, lubricated/greased up the parts, some new gas, and it's in now brand new condition. It's wild how minimal maintenance people put into their equipment. While I wouldn't buy the machine at retail, for 1 hr of effort and about $20 in parts I can live with it.
I would definitely take one for that price! Don't get me wrong they work in certain areas or situations and are always better than nothing but to spend $700 on one...
Haha! I honestly was thinking the video was over at that point! It locked up solid, definitely wasn't expecting it to fire that huge rock out of the chute!! Thanks for watching!
I recently purchased a PowerSmart with the 250cc Briggs and Stratton engine and it throws the snow from my side of the street to the other side. In WNY we receive all types of snow and this machine has now problem clearing out wet or deep snow. My driveway is 75 feet long and this PowerSmart so far works really well. Thanks for the great video and advise.
While MTD has its issues, they’re still better than anything made by Murray. Murrays are hard to get parts for while MTD is still really easy to find parts, MTD even throws a sticker on their snowblowers of a table of common parts and their numbers. But the worst thing about Murray is the dreaded Briggs and Stratton snow engines they throw on their machines. Those things are notorious for cylinder head issues and since they aren’t found on any other snowblowers, getting replacement engine parts can be a real pain.
We work on quite a few Briggs snow engines without issue but they do have some known problems like everything does. I think power wise they are the best out there
I live in Ontario snow belt and use a similar 208cc Briggs that I put rubber strips on the impellers this summer. However, if I get less then about 2 inches I shovel.
It works for fluffy snow and large amounts but around here most cases (central Illinois) they are virtually useless. I see people trying to use them and just have a solid ice block in the chute and pushing snow out in front of the housing instead of blowing it
Very informative video. The old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Yesterday here in southeastern MI I was snow blowing 6in of really wet heavy snow. The worst kind of snow for a snow blower. This is the first year to try out my new Toro Power Max HD 1232. I had no issues blowing the wet heavy snow. Still blew at least 40 feet or more even as wet as it was. While blowing off my deck with my single stage, the snow was so wet it was building up on the hard plastic wheels and causing them to not roll properly. With a single stage blower, the only time the wheels are needed is when pulling the machine in reverse. Overall, I was very impressed with the Toro HD 1232. Plenty of power and as big as the machine is, it is easy to maneuver thanks to the trigger steering. Toro's quick stick shoot control takes time to get the hang of. I was out blowing that wet stuff for about two hours and was starting to get the hang of the quick stick. Like you said, if you are serious about moving snow, spend the money and buy a blower that will move snow in any kind of condition. Honda, Toro and Ariens are probably some of the better machines for blowing the heavy wet stuff. My old 1980 Toro 524 with the barrel auger would plug in real wet stuff until I installed an auger kit. I have two 1980 Toro's, the 524 and an 824, both are still going strong. I am hoping my new Toro will hold up as good as those 1980 models have. Now, let's get some powdery snow to try out that new Toro's throwing distance. According to Toro, the throwing distance in the right snow conditions is 57 feet. Keep up the very informative videos. Individualized Repair, I enjoy watching them.
I bought the 33" troy bilt in 2008. Some of the issues you mention haven't changed particularly the crank for the shoot. Its crap. I had two cables to control the shoot outlet and it never worked. I ended up adjusting by hand. I am in no way defending the machine but its difficult to find any machine that can blow slush. Mine only blocked once with slush and I suspect its because I don't push it. I go much slower. Worse than blocking is the tracking. My machine has a very difficult time of tracking through very thick slushy snow, wheels slip and the machine would get stuck and I was having to muscle it around which is not fun. I have also found the snow getting pushed to the sides as you stated here.
We work on hundreds every year and see the quality has gone down. They were never great units but getting made cheaper every go round. I have used many units and probably the most efficient I have seen in slush conditions are going to be the the Toro two stage units. I will see we have one next time we get some wet snow and do a comparison between a few models. Thanks for watching!
I've had the 2010 Craftsman 247.88957 24" snowblower made by MTD that's identical to the one in video since 2015. If you depress the auger lever - left side - 1st, then apply drive lever - right side - 2nd, it locks or holds the auger lever down automatically so you can adjust your chute direction, etc w/o issue. All I've done to it is basic maintenance & always run non-ethanol fuel mixed with MMO & Seafoam, as I do with all my sblr's & mowers. Sucks Craftsman/MTD has gone downhill past few years.
@@IndRepair No. The impeller kit is rubber blades that keep the inside of the impeller housing clean and won't plug as easy. It just rubs the inside of the housing nice and clean. You should be coating the housing with some kind of lubricant anyway so the snow slides out of it easier anyway. I use Fluid Film or even Lemon Pledge to keep the housing and chute nice and slippery.
I bought an MTD-sourced Craftsman 2-stage blower. I returned because the casing was not assembled true and level. One side dig into the concrete. It made no difference how I adjusted the does. Sears wanted to send it to service and I said "give me my money back!" I've owned several MTD made mowers and other equipment, and all was well.
I have not seen this before but being dropped or ran into with a forklift will do it easily. I am sure it happens more often than we think! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your video. I purchased a Troy-Bilt 2420 this year. I have been using a Husqvarna 30 inch snow blower for the last 10 years. I actually hated that thing and it had bells and whistles too. In the end, a weld broke that keeps the front auger housing connected to the back half with a bolt and I didn't have a 2K to buy a larger blower with the same bells and whistles, so I shelled out 1k for a smaller unit. I have several other troy-Bilt products that have been going on over 15 years, so I thought I would go with that brand again. as for my review... in Northern Maine, we are dealing with an Winter anomaly this year and we have only had two snowfalls with no more than 3 inches each so far. I haven't been able to test it on a foot or more of snow yet. As for the three inches, it threw it quite effectively with no complaints and it was a heavier snow. My complaints are consistent with some of yours. Despite what some of the other comments say, this thing does not have an auger lock when in drive. The updated model does have the chute crank in the middle now, so you don't have to come to a complete stop, but you do have to make a choice to give up either your auger drive hand or your wheel drive hand. I chose to let the wheel drive hand go and push it for a few moments. Not a huge problem for me. What is a huge problem for me is something no one seems to mention about the newer 2420 in any of the reviews. The only way to shut this machine off is to remove the safety key. It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard of. Why not a switch? Just a little red plastic key that is without a doubt going to get dropped in the snow and lost at some point. I'm more than likely going to make a modification and wire a switch in and get rid of that stupid key idea. Just going to wait for the warranty to expire first. I will come back again and comment when we see a decent storm up here in Northern Main. Once again... Thanks for your review.
Ha, I just picked one of these up for $250 used and I'm hoping it gets me through a few seasons of snow. I have a small property so I'm hoping it's fine.
Yup Impeller kit would fix that issue. I use heavy mud flaps or parts of snowmobile bellypan. It will wear in and something else will fail before blower housing.
I just really despise having to do a bunch of work to something once I buy it so it works correctly. Have seen a few come in with kits but the housing always look really torn up. Thanks for watching!
I was recently given a Toro 518 that wouldn’t start. I’ll repair it but I’m still in the market for a quality medium duty snow blower. What would you recommend?
Try lubricating after each use with wd40 or silicone to minimize ice buildup. Most importantly it looks like you need to adjust the tensioner to throw that wet heavy snow father. Consider an impeller kit as well.
Wd40, Pam, silicone or anything else will help for a short time but doesnt solve the issue completely. The tension on the belt was tight. An impellar kit does fix this issue (although seems to wear out the impellar area within a couple years) If you are in an area where all you get is light fluffy snow this blower will work for what you need it for. Thanks for watching!
The lack of an auger lock is rather odd. My really old MTD made yard machines snowblower unit has that feature. Most snowblower suffer poor performance in wet heavy snow conditions because of a large gap between the impeller blades and the housing. Adding a snowblower impeller kit closes that gap and make the snowblower perform quite well in wet snow conditions.
All of the lower end models around here are without the auger lock. I just despise having to install something to make a snowblower work well out of the box. The Toro and Honda two stage snowblowers perform well in wet snow along with most single stage units. Thanks for watching!
@@IndRepair When the price gap between the lower end snowblowers and the higher end Toro, Ariens, Honda snowblowers was much bigger, it made sense to do the little work adding an impeller kit. Now that the price difference isn't as big, it is easier to spend a bit more money and get the Toro or Ariens snowblower that will perform well on wet snow out of the box. Single stage units do perform well on wet snow up to 4-5 inches. After that they struggle. I would know, I use to have a single stage snowblower.
do you really think that old toro would have done a better job on that 2 inches of wet snow? I'd like to see that. I've seen the 2410 perform many times and it does a good job when you feed it enough snow. There's a reason that different types of snowblowers exist. A good rule of thumb to go by is, if you regularly get less than 6 inches of snow, get a single stage snowblower because that's what it's designed to handle. if you regularly get more than 6 inches of snow, get a 2 stage. But really, for that 2 inches of crappy wet snow, I wouldn't have used a snowblower at all. I would have used a push broom or a floor squeegee.
The older Toro would have thrown it through just fine because the design is different. I agree, under 6" a single stage is usually best. People rarely realize with 2-5" of heavy snow an MTD made snowblower of this design will disappoint 9 times out of 10. This happens even more often in warm areas that get wet/heavy snow. 6" of that just gives you snow cones/ice buildup in the chute
Agreed, most all snow blowers will react the same way in 2” of wet snow! I have a 1979 8/24 toro that works fantastic but would’ve had the same results.
There are some models that the levers lock in but many people do not realize it until they are trying to turn the chute and operate the blower at the same time. There seem to be quite a few upgrades on the new models, if we have some snow I will do a review on one this winter. Thanks for watching!
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Why is the chute deflector at the tightest (low throwing distance) setting?? Seems like you are intentionally trying to make it look like it won't throw snow very far and bog the motor down even more by driving over it a second time. A basic impeller mod fixes the clogging problem. A velcro wrap can be put on the handles for a lock.
Having it on this setting is the only way the snow even throws off of the machine, otherwise it just throws it onto the outside of the machine. It doesn't need any help looking bad in wet snow this is how they act. An impeller mod would definitely work but it is anything but basic for the average homeowner buying an expensive machine for it not to work at all in wet snow. There is a reason people loose their limbs while snowblowing and I am sure many of them used something like velcro to avoid the hassle this one causes
I have a Murray branded snowblower 2 stage , mtd product, best blower ever, goes thru all snow types, an inch or 20 inches, no matter very wet or dry. 25 plus throwing feet. Of course it’s 30 years old. Yes age does matter. Lol
I have one of those Murray built Craftsman snow blowers from the 90s that has the weird handlebar that goes horizontally across the top along with the drive levers. Even though it technically doesn't have an auger lock you can actually hold both levers down with one hand from the middle of the handlebar. It is a little awkward that way and it's not really a feature that's important to me.
Something is surely wrong with that blower. It can barely get the snow out of the chute! WTF? And blowing rocks is wrong. The skid shoes need to be adjusted so you don't dig down into the gravel. The blower needs an impeller kit (most of them need the kit) There is nothing wrong with those models of blowers. Yours just needs the belts adjusted and an impeller kit (look into it) and you will have no problem with it. You really don't know what you're doing.
Yes, it's made by MTD and a horrible model. Yes an impellar kit would help it but that is just a fix we designed to fix a flawed model. This is not by blower. It was adjusted about 3/8" off the ground, which is perfect for here. Not knowing what I am doing is a given please tell me
Another good brand to stick with is Simplicity. A good all-metal construction for major components, including the chute and the lever to point it up or down. The older ones and even the newer small ones have a metal worm gear to drive the metal chute, the latter ones have the crank up top so you’re not reaching down to turn the chute. My 1227E has an electric switch that turns it, on the right hand side near the auger control, making it easier to point the chute. The higher end Simplicity blowers have the electronic controls for turning the chute and pointing it up or down. On top of that, the newer ones have a nice Briggs and Stratton powering them. Mine started earlier today on one pull even with the -40F wind chill. No Troy-Bilt I ever used started that cold. I lucked out when I bought my M1227E last summer for 500 bucks from my local John Deere dealer. I always wanted a Simplicity and I finally got one. This brand among Toro and Honda, all three reign king of this day in age for walk-behind blowers.
The design is completely different for the chute and frame and is made quite a bit better overall. The price tag is also about $300 more than the one shown in the video. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for this video. People depend on their blowers. This might help steer people from a bad decision. You're right, a good blower isn't that much more and will last a long time. I like at the end of the video how you went from rant mode to thanks for watching so quickly 👍👍
They sure do depend on them. I fixed and took one home once upon a time. You can imagine my surprise when the 4" of wet snow on the ground would do nothing but make certified snow cones and ice chunks from the chute. Not what I had bargained for!
I have to tell you that I have a Troy Built and have used it for 15 years, it does fine. It will get plugged if your in "heavy slush" but mine only plugged once, and ALL snow blowers come with the tool to unplug it because they have to include it (2 stage), because of liability, some dummy stuck their hand in it (the discharge chute) and got hurt. About the one hand thing all 2 stage snow blowers you have to hold the auger handle down then when you hold down the lever that engages the drive you can remove the hand that the auger control is on. Why would you put it a transport gear and only hold the lever down half way that's just dumb. Read or have the person that reads this to you read the manual to you. There are higher end machines but you have a homeowner machine that's value priced so you may have to slow down. MTD isn't know for top of the line equipment they're know for high value equipment that works well enough for the average person.(MTD knew their stuff but got bought out by stanley/black and decker) I kept hearing the "If your going to be dumb, you got to be tough song" in my head through your video, at least learn how to use this stuff.
There is no lock so you can use your free hand to turn the chute on this machine. Not all of these are made the same, do not buy the low end model like the one I use here. Going as slow as this thing goes it should be able to throw anything you put in front of it. Your a funny guy.
Personally I don't care too much about auger lock and all my machines are used and so old that that wasn't a common feature. What I really don't like is about modern MTD products is the shift lever being attached by a flimsy cable. Owner MTDs set a sturdy Rod attached to the shifter.
It seems all companies use this cheaper cable but some will coat it to prolong life. At least this machine has multiple speeds, unlike its little brother that is just one forward speed (super slow)
@@IndRepair I had that single speed machine once when I bought used. Fortunately it was the older version with the Tecumseh engine which honestly is the best part of that machine.
Troybilt are nothing but trouble . I made the mistake of buying one 4 years ago. Cant keep auger belts,Hard to start, wheels are too small, no traction, no reverse etc. Junk
Definitely so.Depends on the exact model but the one you are speaking of is the even lower line of products! They really are horrible! Thanks for watching!!
Depends where you live. This machine would work well in canada, why? Because we have powdery snow from being -20c on average for 6 months of the year. But the real question is, why are you using a 2 stage in 1-2" of snow. 😅 also the positioning of your chute is way too low. Its like you wanted it to look crappy as much as possible for the video.
It sure may work well for you there! Around here 3" is a big deal and most two stage snowblowers will work well for it. Not this one, and I get asked the question a lot about these snowblowers where we are. It definitely doesn't need help looking bad. Thanks for watching!
It sure is! My favorite truck of them all since it has the hemi in it. Don't worry, no trucks were seriously harmed during the making of this video. Thanks for watching!
Nothing wrong with this one except the quality. The ice between the housing and impeller bogs these down so bad with wet snow they act like they are already under a load
I have a very old school Ariens st 504, they are all metal.. but a little under powered for my need.. plus it is very very old.. probably over 35 years old, but it is still running.. just quite very noisy.. i am looking for something more modern… then i saw a troy bilt 5024 at the flea market for $400.. i am wondering whether i should keep the Ariens ST 504 or go with the Troy-Bilt 5024
The 5024 has an upgraded chute so the clogging up does not happen like the one in the video. They are definitely better that what I review here but that old Ariens was made to last a lifetime. I love old equipment so I would probably stay with what I knew but only if it is doing a good job currently. Thanks for watching!
@@IndRepair dam thanks for the super quick response lol. Still decinding because i need something that would last and not break on me every winter. I had a 2015 ariens 1024 but i kept it only two years, sold it because i need emergency fund. The newer ariens was stronger than the old ariens . But still noisy like hell. As for the old ariens , i had to replace the belt once because it was sliding under heavy load. Also wet snow is a pain even with small ariens. Im wondering if a troy bilt 5024 is more powerful and can last.. i see most troy bilt , mtd, are priced cheap at the flea market. But not ariens or toro. If i had the money i would definitely grab a toro max with chute controlled by a joystick. Lol. Or better a $2k lithium snow blower.. anyway seems like you are suggesting to keep the ariens st 504.
Lol... You ain't lying, but how good could a new dual stage snowblower that costs around $500 really be? You usually get what you pay for in this life.
@@jamesorsby7553 Home Depot last year had them for sale but it’s was 1k instead of 550 I got screwed on price and the unit. I was not paying attention and honestly I was just happy at the time to have a 2 stage blower. Now I’m full of regret and should have gotten an a nicer one and name brand!
It sure is the bottom of the barrel (no offence Powersmart) throwing your money away quick. Then you see everyone try to resell them for cheap during the spring. Cycle I see around here every year
The impeller kit does help but it wears out that thin paint on the metal of the impellar housing and starts to rust out even faster. Thanks for watching!
Chinese-made engines are crap. Honda will kick any other engine. I recommend a track-drive Honda. Where nothing and I mean nothing not even snow above the blower will stop it.
I bought the MTD 24 inch back in 2000, it’s still going strong. Used it last week here in Wisconsin. I had to rebuild the carb last year, other than that normal maintenance since 2000.
That is great news! Is it one this style or one of the better made units they were producing before (or after)
I found a craftsman branded mtd snowblower very similar to this model on a curb in my town. Pull cord broken, primer leaking, tires flat, covered in oil, bad gas. I rewound the pull cord, replaced the bulb with a cheap amazon carb kit, changed oil (was leaking as drain bolt was loose), resurfaced/cleaned the friction disk as it was slipping horribly, lubricated/greased up the parts, some new gas, and it's in now brand new condition. It's wild how minimal maintenance people put into their equipment. While I wouldn't buy the machine at retail, for 1 hr of effort and about $20 in parts I can live with it.
I would definitely take one for that price! Don't get me wrong they work in certain areas or situations and are always better than nothing but to spend $700 on one...
I have the storm 3090 xp 30 inch, 357cc engine. Great machine. It's going on the 11th winter (2024-25).
For sure! On a completely different level than this one
In Germany, we love our cars more than our wives. 😉
To throw snow, ice chunks and stones against cars will be punished with tarring and feathering. 😉
Haha! I honestly was thinking the video was over at that point! It locked up solid, definitely wasn't expecting it to fire that huge rock out of the chute!! Thanks for watching!
I recently purchased a PowerSmart with the 250cc Briggs and Stratton engine and it throws the snow from my side of the street to the other side. In WNY we receive all types of snow and this machine has now problem clearing out wet or deep snow. My driveway is 75 feet long and this PowerSmart so far works really well. Thanks for the great video and advise.
Awesome! Glad it is working well, parts for the powersmart machines sure are hard to come by!!
While MTD has its issues, they’re still better than anything made by Murray. Murrays are hard to get parts for while MTD is still really easy to find parts, MTD even throws a sticker on their snowblowers of a table of common parts and their numbers. But the worst thing about Murray is the dreaded Briggs and Stratton snow engines they throw on their machines. Those things are notorious for cylinder head issues and since they aren’t found on any other snowblowers, getting replacement engine parts can be a real pain.
We work on quite a few Briggs snow engines without issue but they do have some known problems like everything does. I think power wise they are the best out there
I live in Ontario snow belt and use a similar 208cc Briggs that I put rubber strips on the impellers this summer. However, if I get less then about 2 inches I shovel.
It works for fluffy snow and large amounts but around here most cases (central Illinois) they are virtually useless. I see people trying to use them and just have a solid ice block in the chute and pushing snow out in front of the housing instead of blowing it
Very informative video. The old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Yesterday here in southeastern MI I was snow blowing 6in of really wet heavy snow. The worst kind of snow for a snow blower. This is the first year to try out my new Toro Power Max HD 1232. I had no issues blowing the wet heavy snow. Still blew at least 40 feet or more even as wet as it was. While blowing off my deck with my single stage, the snow was so wet it was building up on the hard plastic wheels and causing them to not roll properly. With a single stage blower, the only time the wheels are needed is when pulling the machine in reverse. Overall, I was very impressed with the Toro HD 1232. Plenty of power and as big as the machine is, it is easy to maneuver thanks to the trigger steering. Toro's quick stick shoot control takes time to get the hang of. I was out blowing that wet stuff for about two hours and was starting to get the hang of the quick stick. Like you said, if you are serious about moving snow, spend the money and buy a blower that will move snow in any kind of condition. Honda, Toro and Ariens are probably some of the better machines for blowing the heavy wet stuff. My old 1980 Toro 524 with the barrel auger would plug in real wet stuff until I installed an auger kit. I have two 1980 Toro's, the 524 and an 824, both are still going strong. I am hoping my new Toro will hold up as good as those 1980 models have. Now, let's get some powdery snow to try out that new Toro's throwing distance. According to Toro, the throwing distance in the right snow conditions is 57 feet. Keep up the very informative videos.
Individualized Repair, I enjoy watching them.
Your so right!! Thanks for watching!
I bought the 33" troy bilt in 2008. Some of the issues you mention haven't changed particularly the crank for the shoot. Its crap. I had two cables to control the shoot outlet and it never worked. I ended up adjusting by hand. I am in no way defending the machine but its difficult to find any machine that can blow slush. Mine only blocked once with slush and I suspect its because I don't push it. I go much slower. Worse than blocking is the tracking. My machine has a very difficult time of tracking through very thick slushy snow, wheels slip and the machine would get stuck and I was having to muscle it around which is not fun. I have also found the snow getting pushed to the sides as you stated here.
We work on hundreds every year and see the quality has gone down. They were never great units but getting made cheaper every go round. I have used many units and probably the most efficient I have seen in slush conditions are going to be the the Toro two stage units. I will see we have one next time we get some wet snow and do a comparison between a few models. Thanks for watching!
I've had the 2010 Craftsman 247.88957 24" snowblower made by MTD that's identical to the one in video since 2015. If you depress the auger lever - left side - 1st, then apply drive lever - right side - 2nd, it locks or holds the auger lever down automatically so you can adjust your chute direction, etc w/o issue. All I've done to it is basic maintenance & always run non-ethanol fuel mixed with MMO & Seafoam, as I do with all my sblr's & mowers. Sucks Craftsman/MTD has gone downhill past few years.
Some of then have the handle lock and the cheaper ones are still made the same. Thanks for watching!
Look up snowblower impeller mod. You will be amazed how much further the snow get thrown out the chute.
I have seen them work pretty good but the impellar housing seems to get worn pretty fast if doing this doesn't it?
@@IndRepair No it won't cause any damage to the housing. czcams.com/video/qraAEDRKA9Y/video.html
@@IndRepair No. The impeller kit is rubber blades that keep the inside of the impeller housing clean and won't plug as easy. It just rubs the inside of the housing nice and clean. You should be coating the housing with some kind of lubricant anyway so the snow slides out of it easier anyway. I use Fluid Film or even Lemon Pledge to keep the housing and chute nice and slippery.
I bought an MTD-sourced Craftsman 2-stage blower. I returned because the casing was not assembled true and level. One side dig into the concrete. It made no difference how I adjusted the does. Sears wanted to send it to service and I said "give me my money back!" I've owned several MTD made mowers and other equipment, and all was well.
I have not seen this before but being dropped or ran into with a forklift will do it easily. I am sure it happens more often than we think! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your video. I purchased a Troy-Bilt 2420 this year. I have been using a Husqvarna 30 inch snow blower for the last 10 years. I actually hated that thing and it had bells and whistles too. In the end, a weld broke that keeps the front auger housing connected to the back half with a bolt and I didn't have a 2K to buy a larger blower with the same bells and whistles, so I shelled out 1k for a smaller unit. I have several other troy-Bilt products that have been going on over 15 years, so I thought I would go with that brand again. as for my review... in Northern Maine, we are dealing with an Winter anomaly this year and we have only had two snowfalls with no more than 3 inches each so far. I haven't been able to test it on a foot or more of snow yet. As for the three inches, it threw it quite effectively with no complaints and it was a heavier snow. My complaints are consistent with some of yours. Despite what some of the other comments say, this thing does not have an auger lock when in drive. The updated model does have the chute crank in the middle now, so you don't have to come to a complete stop, but you do have to make a choice to give up either your auger drive hand or your wheel drive hand. I chose to let the wheel drive hand go and push it for a few moments. Not a huge problem for me. What is a huge problem for me is something no one seems to mention about the newer 2420 in any of the reviews. The only way to shut this machine off is to remove the safety key. It's the most ridiculous thing I've heard of. Why not a switch? Just a little red plastic key that is without a doubt going to get dropped in the snow and lost at some point. I'm more than likely going to make a modification and wire a switch in and get rid of that stupid key idea. Just going to wait for the warranty to expire first. I will come back again and comment when we see a decent storm up here in Northern Main. Once again... Thanks for your review.
Awesome first hand review! Keep the updates coming, we appreciate you!
I have the same one used it one year and the gear box leaks,had to adjust the crank for Shure controll wasnt waorking
Doesn't take long
Ha, I just picked one of these up for $250 used and I'm hoping it gets me through a few seasons of snow. I have a small property so I'm hoping it's fine.
It works, I owned one and used it for a frlew years but around here not worth a darn in most snows
Yup Impeller kit would fix that issue. I use heavy mud flaps or parts of snowmobile bellypan. It will wear in and something else will fail before blower housing.
I just really despise having to do a bunch of work to something once I buy it so it works correctly. Have seen a few come in with kits but the housing always look really torn up. Thanks for watching!
Try to keep the chute pointing to the right, it will throw the snow better, especially wet now.
Good info! Thanks for watching!
I was recently given a Toro 518 that wouldn’t start. I’ll repair it but I’m still in the market for a quality medium duty snow blower. What would you recommend?
I like the auger/chute design on the Husqvarnas. If I was to buy one I would probably spend the extra and get the Honda. They are amazing!
Dude that thing didn't have a problem throwing that rock at your truck!
Snowblowers make great rock throwers! Thanks for watching!
Wet snow like that burns belt. I would suggest staying in first gear specially for smaller engine s. It’s what I do with mine.
Yeah it's definitely hard on them! Thanks for watching!
Try lubricating after each use with wd40 or silicone to minimize ice buildup. Most importantly it looks like you need to adjust the tensioner to throw that wet heavy snow father. Consider an impeller kit as well.
Wd40, Pam, silicone or anything else will help for a short time but doesnt solve the issue completely. The tension on the belt was tight. An impellar kit does fix this issue (although seems to wear out the impellar area within a couple years) If you are in an area where all you get is light fluffy snow this blower will work for what you need it for. Thanks for watching!
The lack of an auger lock is rather odd. My really old MTD made yard machines snowblower unit has that feature. Most snowblower suffer poor performance in wet heavy snow conditions because of a large gap between the impeller blades and the housing. Adding a snowblower impeller kit closes that gap and make the snowblower perform quite well in wet snow conditions.
All of the lower end models around here are without the auger lock. I just despise having to install something to make a snowblower work well out of the box. The Toro and Honda two stage snowblowers perform well in wet snow along with most single stage units. Thanks for watching!
@@IndRepair When the price gap between the lower end snowblowers and the higher end Toro, Ariens, Honda snowblowers was much bigger, it made sense to do the little work adding an impeller kit. Now that the price difference isn't as big, it is easier to spend a bit more money and get the Toro or Ariens snowblower that will perform well on wet snow out of the box. Single stage units do perform well on wet snow up to 4-5 inches. After that they struggle. I would know, I use to have a single stage snowblower.
Never go wrong with an Ariens, stay warm out there 🍻
Thanks for watching!!
do you really think that old toro would have done a better job on that 2 inches of wet snow? I'd like to see that. I've seen the 2410 perform many times and it does a good job when you feed it enough snow. There's a reason that different types of snowblowers exist. A good rule of thumb to go by is, if you regularly get less than 6 inches of snow, get a single stage snowblower because that's what it's designed to handle. if you regularly get more than 6 inches of snow, get a 2 stage. But really, for that 2 inches of crappy wet snow, I wouldn't have used a snowblower at all. I would have used a push broom or a floor squeegee.
The older Toro would have thrown it through just fine because the design is different. I agree, under 6" a single stage is usually best. People rarely realize with 2-5" of heavy snow an MTD made snowblower of this design will disappoint 9 times out of 10. This happens even more often in warm areas that get wet/heavy snow. 6" of that just gives you snow cones/ice buildup in the chute
You're absolutely right. I live where there's Big snow and I would never run any s
Agreed, most all snow blowers will react the same way in 2” of wet snow! I have a 1979 8/24 toro that works fantastic but would’ve had the same results.
They are almost pointless! 6 inches or more of fluffy snow and they work OK
The auger does lock in place. You have to hold the drive control down and use your left hand to adjust the chute control.
Maybe the model? The chute on my Storm 2620 can be adjusted while on the move.
There are some models that the levers lock in but many people do not realize it until they are trying to turn the chute and operate the blower at the same time. There seem to be quite a few upgrades on the new models, if we have some snow I will do a review on one this winter. Thanks for watching!
Why is the chute deflector at the tightest (low throwing distance) setting?? Seems like you are intentionally trying to make it look like it won't throw snow very far and bog the motor down even more by driving over it a second time. A basic impeller mod fixes the clogging problem. A velcro wrap can be put on the handles for a lock.
Having it on this setting is the only way the snow even throws off of the machine, otherwise it just throws it onto the outside of the machine. It doesn't need any help looking bad in wet snow this is how they act. An impeller mod would definitely work but it is anything but basic for the average homeowner buying an expensive machine for it not to work at all in wet snow. There is a reason people loose their limbs while snowblowing and I am sure many of them used something like velcro to avoid the hassle this one causes
I have a Murray branded snowblower 2 stage , mtd product, best blower ever, goes thru all snow types, an inch or 20 inches, no matter very wet or dry. 25 plus throwing feet. Of course it’s 30 years old. Yes age does matter. Lol
They sure used to make some nice ones!! Those, the Simplicity and the Toro were beasts but most things we made well back then
I have one of those Murray built Craftsman snow blowers from the 90s that has the weird handlebar that goes horizontally across the top along with the drive levers. Even though it technically doesn't have an auger lock you can actually hold both levers down with one hand from the middle of the handlebar. It is a little awkward that way and it's not really a feature that's important to me.
Say no more.😉 thank you for the heads up👍
Thanks for watching!
Something is surely wrong with that blower. It can barely get the snow out of the chute! WTF? And blowing rocks is wrong. The skid shoes need to be adjusted so you don't dig down into the gravel. The blower needs an impeller kit (most of them need the kit)
There is nothing wrong with those models of blowers. Yours just needs the belts adjusted and an impeller kit (look into it) and you will have no problem with it. You really don't know what you're doing.
Yes, it's made by MTD and a horrible model. Yes an impellar kit would help it but that is just a fix we designed to fix a flawed model. This is not by blower. It was adjusted about 3/8" off the ground, which is perfect for here. Not knowing what I am doing is a given please tell me
Another good brand to stick with is Simplicity. A good all-metal construction for major components, including the chute and the lever to point it up or down. The older ones and even the newer small ones have a metal worm gear to drive the metal chute, the latter ones have the crank up top so you’re not reaching down to turn the chute. My 1227E has an electric switch that turns it, on the right hand side near the auger control, making it easier to point the chute. The higher end Simplicity blowers have the electronic controls for turning the chute and pointing it up or down. On top of that, the newer ones have a nice Briggs and Stratton powering them. Mine started earlier today on one pull even with the -40F wind chill. No Troy-Bilt I ever used started that cold. I lucked out when I bought my M1227E last summer for 500 bucks from my local John Deere dealer. I always wanted a Simplicity and I finally got one. This brand among Toro and Honda, all three reign king of this day in age for walk-behind blowers.
Very true! They make a great blower also. Thanks for watching!
Weird my Troy bolt is great 2420 model
The design is completely different for the chute and frame and is made quite a bit better overall. The price tag is also about $300 more than the one shown in the video. Thanks for watching!
You're wrong about that pal. I have a Troy-Bilt. A really good machine
This design is horrible. Troy Bilt does make some machines that work well
Thanks for this video. People depend on their blowers. This might help steer people from a bad decision. You're right, a good blower isn't that much more and will last a long time. I like at the end of the video how you went from rant mode to thanks for watching so quickly 👍👍
They sure do depend on them. I fixed and took one home once upon a time. You can imagine my surprise when the 4" of wet snow on the ground would do nothing but make certified snow cones and ice chunks from the chute. Not what I had bargained for!
I have to tell you that I have a Troy Built and have used it for 15 years, it does fine. It will get plugged if your in "heavy slush" but mine only plugged once, and ALL snow blowers come with the tool to unplug it because they have to include it (2 stage), because of liability, some dummy stuck their hand in it (the discharge chute) and got hurt. About the one hand thing all 2 stage snow blowers you have to hold the auger handle down then when you hold down the lever that engages the drive you can remove the hand that the auger control is on. Why would you put it a transport gear and only hold the lever down half way that's just dumb. Read or have the person that reads this to you read the manual to you. There are higher end machines but you have a homeowner machine that's value priced so you may have to slow down. MTD isn't know for top of the line equipment they're know for high value equipment that works well enough for the average person.(MTD knew their stuff but got bought out by stanley/black and decker) I kept hearing the "If your going to be dumb, you got to be tough song" in my head through your video, at least learn how to use this stuff.
There is no lock so you can use your free hand to turn the chute on this machine. Not all of these are made the same, do not buy the low end model like the one I use here. Going as slow as this thing goes it should be able to throw anything you put in front of it. Your a funny guy.
A plastic chute is a dead giveaway to me that a blower is probably junk.
They have made a newer design this isn't nearly as bad but still clogs up regularly. Thanks for watching!
Never need one in West Texas but I watch any way
Thanks for watching! Wouldn't wish these junk snowblowers on anyone!!
Personally I don't care too much about auger lock and all my machines are used and so old that that wasn't a common feature. What I really don't like is about modern MTD products is the shift lever being attached by a flimsy cable. Owner MTDs set a sturdy Rod attached to the shifter.
It seems all companies use this cheaper cable but some will coat it to prolong life. At least this machine has multiple speeds, unlike its little brother that is just one forward speed (super slow)
@@IndRepair I had that single speed machine once when I bought used. Fortunately it was the older version with the Tecumseh engine which honestly is the best part of that machine.
Those Tecumseh engines are solid! The true Sno King!
That thing barely throws the snow at all
Haha a light push! Thanks for watching!
Troybilt are nothing but trouble . I made the mistake of buying one 4 years ago. Cant keep auger belts,Hard to start, wheels are too small, no traction, no reverse etc. Junk
Definitely so.Depends on the exact model but the one you are speaking of is the even lower line of products! They really are horrible! Thanks for watching!!
Depends where you live. This machine would work well in canada, why? Because we have powdery snow from being -20c on average for 6 months of the year. But the real question is, why are you using a 2 stage in 1-2" of snow. 😅 also the positioning of your chute is way too low. Its like you wanted it to look crappy as much as possible for the video.
It sure may work well for you there! Around here 3" is a big deal and most two stage snowblowers will work well for it. Not this one, and I get asked the question a lot about these snowblowers where we are. It definitely doesn't need help looking bad. Thanks for watching!
I hope the truck you were blowing the show (with rocks) into was your's.
It sure is! My favorite truck of them all since it has the hemi in it. Don't worry, no trucks were seriously harmed during the making of this video. Thanks for watching!
Could it be a bad gear case or the engine needs a tune up.. valve adjustment!?
Nothing wrong with this one except the quality. The ice between the housing and impeller bogs these down so bad with wet snow they act like they are already under a load
I have a very old school Ariens st 504, they are all metal.. but a little under powered for my need.. plus it is very very old.. probably over 35 years old, but it is still running.. just quite very noisy.. i am looking for something more modern… then i saw a troy bilt 5024 at the flea market for $400.. i am wondering whether i should keep the Ariens ST 504 or go with the Troy-Bilt 5024
The 5024 has an upgraded chute so the clogging up does not happen like the one in the video. They are definitely better that what I review here but that old Ariens was made to last a lifetime. I love old equipment so I would probably stay with what I knew but only if it is doing a good job currently. Thanks for watching!
@@IndRepair dam thanks for the super quick response lol. Still decinding because i need something that would last and not break on me every winter. I had a 2015 ariens 1024 but i kept it only two years, sold it because i need emergency fund. The newer ariens was stronger than the old ariens . But still noisy like hell. As for the old ariens , i had to replace the belt once because it was sliding under heavy load. Also wet snow is a pain even with small ariens. Im wondering if a troy bilt 5024 is more powerful and can last.. i see most troy bilt , mtd, are priced cheap at the flea market. But not ariens or toro. If i had the money i would definitely grab a toro max with chute controlled by a joystick. Lol. Or better a $2k lithium snow blower.. anyway seems like you are suggesting to keep the ariens st 504.
PowerSmart is also absolute junk!
Oh boy, probably the worst of the worst out there!
Lol... You ain't lying, but how good could a new dual stage snowblower that costs around $500 really be? You usually get what you pay for in this life.
@@jamesorsby7553 Home Depot last year had them for sale but it’s was 1k instead of 550 I got screwed on price and the unit. I was not paying attention and honestly I was just happy at the time to have a 2 stage blower. Now I’m full of regret and should have gotten an a nicer one and name brand!
@@jamesorsby7553 That is about the truth! Good luck sourcing parts!
That sir is a pitiful excuse of a snow blower.
It sure is the bottom of the barrel (no offence Powersmart) throwing your money away quick. Then you see everyone try to resell them for cheap during the spring. Cycle I see around here every year
Sad that those go for around $1000 new. I’ve had better older machines left for free.
Yeah, they seem to be getting worse and worse for a higher and higher cost! Thanks for watching!
Dude, you're blowin white mud. But yeah, it's a piece of junk.
Sloppy sloppy! Thanks for watching!
Impeller kit help? Plastic chutes, uhg.🤮
The impeller kit does help but it wears out that thin paint on the metal of the impellar housing and starts to rust out even faster. Thanks for watching!
Chinese-made engines are crap. Honda will kick any other engine. I recommend a track-drive Honda. Where nothing and I mean nothing not even snow above the blower will stop it.
They make a great blower and engine!! Thanks for watching!
more like snow floppin ....LOL new camera eh
Had it a while now! First time using the clip though!