I have a 2019 toro 1028 hd and it been a good Machine .. it is a wheeled version..I waned a honda but they were not in stock at the time I bought this..
Just go me a Yamaha YS1070T (EU version of the YS1028J) and it is really easy to use even in deep wet snow and night and day different to my old Husqvarna ST268 EPT (EU version of the 1827EXLT) and the only snowblower that can handle gravel well as it have a replaceable impeller lining.
Ariens 28" hydro pro rapidtrak. You should compare it with the Honda instead of the Toro. Toro looks like a beta tester snowblower looks like it's not ready. Ariens power baby!
I have a 27 year old Honda HS-622 with trac drive similar to your review model. It is a pull cord start. Routine maintenance every year. It starts on the first pull, it runs perfectly. It's worth every dollar. Nobody on the planet builds better engines.
Ditto , I have a Honda HS 55, 34 years old, plug change, oil change every year, drain and condition the fuel lines some paint touch up and cable adjustments still starts on first pull,great investment for a 34 year old Honda.
@@nicholasb1784 I have a couple HS35 single stage snow throwers, the engines seem a bit tired but they are beyond 40 years old at this point. Even Briggs or Tecumseh flathead engines can't touch a Honda flathead engine being as smooth and quiet as they are with little exhaust smell.
Honestly there's no comparison when it comes to Honda and Yamaha blowers compared to the others. The others even when they're labeled "profesional/commercial/ etc etc" they are just plain cheap with shortcuts all over the place. The other major benefit to the Japanese models is they don't require a lot of maintenance, they just keep going even with bare bones care.
Hi Will. Your 100% correct and summed it up perfectly. I have always had inexpensive blowers and I live in an area in Canada where we get snow from the end of October to the first of May. I purchased an Ariens Professional with the 420 cc Briggs and Stratton engine and power wise, it was excellent and no mater what temperature, it always started on the first pull. Extremely strong, especially in wet snow or slush and my shut only plugged once in 3 years. The power was second to none which is great, but I always had other problems such as cables freezing or breaking. I had to put antifreeze in the cables to make them last for a month or so. Many times I would have to start in second gear as first gear sometimes would not move. It would just freeze and that was due to belt problems, slippage, and for a professional machine which I used for personal use only, it was a huge disappointment to say the least. The power was second to none, but what good is power when your machine is always in the shop for repairs. Then the block cracked and a new motor was 1500 dollars Canadian, so I traded for a Toro. It was a decent blower but like the others, for a so called commercial snow blower, there was nothing heave duty or commercial about it except the 420 cc engine which was made by Toro. The joystick took a bit of getting used too and my first winter with it, the joystick cable broke twice and the engine had to be tuned several times as it backfired and ran like a old Volkswagen bug. I kept it for one winter only, then traded for the Honda. I kept my Ariens for 3 years and even with a manufacturers or extended warranty, I had to pay for the broken cables as warranty would not cover them. Both machines had wheels and not the track system. I always felt like I had to fight with the blower. I had to do all the work and it would wear me out, so I bit the bullet at bought the Honda HSS1332A. Track drive. Electric start. Over the years I’ve had a White, a Canadiana, 2 Sears models, the Ariens, Toro and absolutely nothing even comes close to the Honda. No comparison whatsoever. With the brake leaver system for turning, the electric shut, the track system, the hydrostatic transmission, and the list goes on, Honda got it right. As previously mentioned, all the other machines that I have owned, when it came to going through snowbanks after the plow would pass, I literally had to fight with the machine, pushing it to get through a snow bank and the wheels spinning and my body doing all the work, using every muscle that I have. With the Honda, what a gift. Set the speed on a snail crawl and the blower does all the work for you. No pushing and swearing, you just hang on and let it do it’s thing and not once has my shut ever plugged. To sum it up, it’s a tank. My son is 9 and he can use it with no problems, but with supervision tho. My Honda is 3 years old and with the exception of an oil and spark plug change and charging the battery before the winter, it’s maintenance free. My brother has a Yamaha. It’s on par with the Honda, but it’s a little more expensive and only sold in Canada but both are the best on the market, and as you mentioned in your comments, my Ariens was called a professional. My Toro was labeled commercial and both are just sales gimmicks. A friend of mine purchased a 3 stage blower and what a piece of junk. The little fan in the front of the auger is nothing more than a piece of tin, so don’t be fooled on the name and feature. If anyone is looking for a blower that is extremely reliable, easy to use and can throw snow well over 50 feet, invest in a Honda. I am speaking from experience and have videos and pics to back up my comments. It took a while for me to justify spending $5000.00 on a blower, but what I spent buy buying the others that I mentioned, it cost me a lot more than if I would have bought the Honda in the first place. It’s a purchase that I will never regret. Take care Will S and thanks for your comment my friend. You kept it real and called it spot on. Cheers bud and have a great winter. Jimmy.
@@jimmyd8958 I concur with your comment on the 3 stage. I learned quickly that I must immediately get it out to clear away the city's snow plow's, plow drift before it freezes, or I've got 4X's or more of work cut out for me. Otherwise, I have to nibble away taking quarter of the auger's (mines 24in), opening "bites" in order to clear that snow drift from in front of my driveway, that front impeller is of little benefit! This is it's 6th winter, last year I replaced the friction drive disk, (seriously, a rubber edged disk working against a steel disk?) and earlier this year the auger drive belt, again, any resistance, it's belt squeal, so you have to back off, and take yet smaller bites. Next machine will be track drive hydrostatic, just not sure which one is the be$t, most reliable, most importantly, trustworthy!
To Mike Montange. Good morning Mike. Thanks for the feedback. I don’t know where you live but we have had 5 snowstorms since the beginning of November. If you are in an area with lots of snow and you can afford it, go with Honda. What changed my mind besides what I read and watched on You Tube, was I was walking to the corner store and a fellow in my subdivision was blowing snow with a Honda. I stopped and chatted with him and he had a very small machine. 7 hp I believe. He asked if I wanted to try it and I did. For the amount of snow and the size of the machine, it blew me away. The hydrostatic transmission kept it going at a slow pace and it did a full cut with ease. Another blower the same size would of had to take half cuts. I had to go very slow as it was not a big blower, but it still powered through the snow like a little bull. My dilemma was, what model do I buy. At one time Honda made a mid size blower. I believe it was a 11hp but they did away with that. They also did not have a clutch system and the blowers with the track was very hard to turn, so they listened to critiques and added two brake levers, one under each side of the hand grips and by pulling up on the clutch lever, it locks the track and makes it easier to turn, so my choice was either the 9hp or the 13 which was the biggest they had. There is an old saying. Go big or go home, so I purchased the 13 as I kept reminding myself the type of winters that we have as I live in Northern New Brunswick Canada and our city is right on the Bay of Chaleur so the wind blows in from the north and comes across the Bay from Northern Quebec, the Gaspe Coast region which is mountainous plus we get the lake affect snow and there is a big difference between 9 and 13hp and I did not want to spend money on a 9 hp and regret it where for a bit more, I could have the 13hp and I’m glad that I bought what I did. Last year I helped my neighbour clear a snowbank where the plow passed and he said, what took me 5 minutes with the Honda would have taken him 30, plus a sore back from fighting with his blower and he has a Sears Snow King. I never charged my battery last year and this year it started within 3 seconds. Another huge advantage of the Honda is when you’re going through a big bank of snow, it has a system where you can raise or lower the auger and lock it in so technically you can go through the snowbank at a higher angle, starting at the top of the snowbank, working your way to the bottom, it does this effortlessly. I have over 100 hours on my machine and I have done absolutely nothing to it with the exception of an oil change at the first 25 hrs as it comes with break-in oil, then every 100 hours. I am far from rich. I’m a blue collar worker and I had to go through Honda financial but what I can honestly say it’s one of the best loans that I ever made. I considered it more of an investment as the Honda dealership sells used blowers that they take on trade and their showroom is full of all makes and models but you cannot find a used Honda. They are sold the same day basically, because if they would of had a good used one, I would have bought that, only because of the cost and the hour meter would also tell how much that it would have been used. I thought that a 32 inch cut was too big as my Ariens was a 28 inch and my Toro was a 30 but a Honda engine is made differently than a Briggs and Stratton or a Tecumseh. I can’t really explain how it’s built, but your controls are at your fingertips so you just open the throttle, pull the choke and it’s starts immediately. The only drawback may be, as it has not happened to me yet is that the chute and cables are electric. There is a charging system to keep the battery charged. I believe it’s a dynamometer, similar to an alternator but if the battery dies, I’m thinking that none of the electronics would work, including the electric start which is turn key, but you have the option of the pull cord but the other electronics may not work. The big advantage of the turn key system is there is no pulling on a cord, especially if you have a blower that’s hard to start, and what has happened to me in the past, I would pull like crazy to get the machine started as a lot did not have the plugin electric starter, and I would build up a sweat to get it started, then I would be so hot, I would freeze from the cold north wind as our average temperature in January and February is minus 25 to minus 40 degrees Celsius. I tried the pull cord once and it started first pull. If I were to talk about pure power, then I would have to give it to the Ariens Pro as my Ariens 420 cc had a 28 inch cut and the power was unreal, plus it was guaranteed to start at minus 20 and it always did. My Ariens was the best that I have ever seen in slush as their chute is wider where the Honda has a narrow chute and it plugged a couple of times with the spring slush and my Ariens and Toro never plugged but like I previously mentioned, it’s great to have the power but when your cables are constantly breaking, the friction wheel keeps slipping and the drive chain keeps jumping off after a couple of winters, then you know it’s time for a change as Toro and Ariens were always rated as the best blowers on the market, but over the years the craftsmanship and quality has gone down hill. What I miss with the Ariens is it had power steering and heated hand grips. You can add the heated hand grips to a Honda but it’s not recommended because it would draw too much power from the battery. Another great feature with Honda is that there are sheer pins on both the auger and impeller so you never have to worry about the impeller breaking as the shaft on the impeller is connected to the gears inside the machine and if you break the impeller, it’s very expensive to fix and Honda has also designed a system where if you hit anything hard, it kills the engine and there is a light which is next to your hour meter that come on to tell you why it shut down. This happened to me once. The plow went buy and left a big chunk of pavement in the snowbank and when I hit it, the blower shut down immediately, the warning light came on and I truly believe that any other machine, it would have broken the shaft and since owning my Honda, I have never had to replace a sheer pin. The engine in my Honda I believe is a 389 cc, but it surpasses the 400 cc mark because of the way it’s designed. If you You Tube a video called RURAL MONTANA LIVING, (The ultimate snowblower) this person is brutally honest and this was the last video which sold me. My blower is now paid for and it’s the first snowblower that I had where after starting my 4th winter, I have never had a problem and it’s works as good as the first day that I bought it without spending any unnecessary money with the exception of my oil change and I always change my spark plug once a year even if there is no wear or carbon on it. The money that I spent on interest on the loan that I took, was far less than what I spent on parts on my other machines after two years. The mechanic at the Honda dealership has been there for over 30 years and he said “ they just don’t break down “. I am a very honest person and I would never mislead anyone and try to exploit how good it is. I can only tell you from experience that Honda is hard to beat. I call a spade a spade and this is my opinion only and others may think differently and everyone’s opinion is important and everyone has a right to their own opinion , but as we all know there is a lot of BS on You Tube. Before buying and making a loan I had to keep reminding myself that I have a mortgage to pay and a family to feed so between work and raising a family, time management is very important and what it would take for me to clean my driveway, as I have a double driveway, it took 3 times longer with the other blowers. If you look the way it’s made, it resembles a tank with the track system and that’s exactly what it is. A little tank and there is no comparison when it comes to the track system and wheels. This is about all I can say. I’m sure that many would disagree but to each their own and even tho a Honda is expensive, it’s money well spent. I hope that this helps with your decision making. I was sceptical at first but once I tried the little one that the person had in my neighbourhood, I was sold. May you and your family have a great Christmas and May 2023 bring you health, happiness and prosperity. Cheers to you my friend. 🍻. Merry Christmas. Jimmy.
Until I read your comment, I didn't know Yamaha made snowblowers. As I write this, the 32" Yamaha is more than $2000 CND more expensive than the 32" Honda!
I’ve had Toro & Ariens. Bit the bullet found hardly used Honda HSS1332 track a couple years ago for our vacation home. Nothing else compares. Locked it so much I picked up HSS928 wheeled model for home use. I didn’t like the idea of an electric shoot. I was wrong. It’s amazing! People will often compare another product to a Honda. Nothing compares to a Honda!
I am looking to get a 928 in either tracker or wheeled form. ho do they compare to you? I have one short steep hill on my driveway that wheeled machines struggle with without tire chains.
My uncle bought a Honda with tracks about 15 years ago, it was a bigger model with 11hp. I have never seen a blower shoot snow as far as the one he bought. It worked very well for his long driveway and has been very reliable. If you have a large area to clear and have to deal with deep snow or hills I would highly recommend the Honda with tracks. The best thing about the tracked blower was it didn't climb up on the snow like the wheeled models do.
@@YvesStOnge That thing will throw powdered snow over 50 feet, it can climb up the stairs to his wrap around deck and the tracks don't leave chips in the deck boards like chained tires do or slip like unchained tires. In 15 years of hard use all he did was change the oil and a couple spark plugs. Nothing has broken on it. The engine still has full power. I would say it is well worth the money. Its a perfect machine for someone who lives in the countryside.
Yep. Wheeled units alway start climbing the snow and it's like banging your head against a wall. Tracked all the way. Don't care if they're harder to turn. I buy a snowblower to do the work for me not wrangle the damn thing back and forth and up and down. 😖
I own the same Honda tested here which I use to widen about 1.5 km of access road after clearing with an ATV/Plow setup. This is its third winter (end February 2024) and it has just under 70 hours total. At the end of last winter, it started 'limping' when going up steep inclines. The right side had a slight loss of traction with every rotation. It was still functional though. It was at the dealer from June until October. At first the dealer refused to service it because they couldn't reproduce the problem. It was summer/fall and there are no hills where the dealer is located. I had to ask Honda Canada to intervene, which resulted in a complete replacement of the drive system that cost me nothing since it was under warranty. Out of warranty, it would have cost $1800. Despite the repair, I am satisfied with this machine. It is powerful and can throw even heavy, wet snow quite far. The angle adjustment makes it easy to find the right balance for different inclines. I'd estimate that the protection system reduces shear-bolt replacement by about 80%. This is the only snowblower I've ever used, so I have nothing to compare it to. Having said that, I am very happy with it.
When it comes to trac driven snow blowers, Honda and Yamaha are in a league all their own. Now, when it comes to tire drive, well, Toro's innovative features set them apart from the competition. The Anti-Clogging System, Quick Stick chute control and commercial-grade auger gearbox are what makes Toro a leader in the tire driven field. And the lighter but stronger metal used by automobile manufactures today, is also used by Toro. When looking for a commercial grade snow blower, I opted to go with Toro Power Max HD. And I opted for trigger steer for better control in any condition. If your snow blowing requires a trac driven machine, go with the best in the industry, Honda or Yamaha. They have refined trac drive and if you absolutely need this type of snow blower, then pay the big bucks it will take to purchase one these machines. You won't be disappointed, but you will have less in your bank account. Good review of the Toro and Honda trac drive machines. Toro hasn't done itself any favors by going cheap on a trac drive machine. The only way to make a hydrostatic drive work properly, is to use gearing opposed to direct drive. Toro has designed the best anti-clogging system in the industry, and if they are going to enter the trac drive market, go all in and design an expensive and bullet prove drive system that can compete with Honda and Yamaha. Otherwise, leave that segment alone. Trac drive is a very small segment in the overall snow blowing market. If you are going to build one, build it to meet the expectations of the Toro brand.
@@steve8803 I will put my Toro HD 1232 up against your Honda any day, especially in heavy wet snow. My Toro is a beast in any snow condition. No bosting, just a fact. Your Honda is a great machine, just too expensive for most. I looked at them, just didn't want to spend that much on a snow blower. When it comes right down to it, if the machine can handle deep wet snow, it can handle any conditions. That is why I decided to go with the HD Toro. There patented auger system is the best in the industry when it comes to heavy wet snow. Hondas have a tendency to clog in heavy wet snow.
@@russellmaddock3492 i have had the HD toro and Honda. Honda is significantly better. That's my first hand experience whether you like it or not doesn't matter.
I had wanted to buy a Honda for years with a hydrostatic transmission, but they didn't have steerable tracks. When they moved production to the US, they also did a redesign and added steerable tracks and power chute control, so I purchased a 28" HSS928ATD 4 years ago. It's been a great machine. The only problem I had with it new was a horrible wet snow clogging issue. Something we can get a lot of some years in Wisconsin. Some engineer during the redesign had added a choke collar to the lower part of the chute to reduce snow spay on top of the blower. It worked ok in dry snow but not wet. After many complaints and bad reviews Honda finally came out with a redesigned chute which fixed the problem (you had to ask for it). Tracked Honda's also have a weight shift feature to put more weight on the front of the intake, so you don't have to lift up on the handles in packed snow. This was also a feature on a steerable tracked Yard Man I had back in 2000. All the same features (even heated handgrips) that I really liked a lot, but it was a much lighter machine. For instance, the Yard Man chute control was just a large toggle switch while the one on the Honda is like something from an industrial forklift. The Honda electric start uses a battery instead of a power cord plug which I thought would be a problem, but it's worked fine. I don't do any charging to the battery during the office season, and it starts fine the first time I use it. I do wish my model had the double articulated chute. Something all the models in Canada come standard with. Why the US models don't is beyond me. The only US model that has it standard is the 32" HSS1332AT / HSS1332ATD.
@timmueller1314 the reason why they started clogging with the new redesign, is because Honda used a smaller carburetor jet to comply with EPA standards. The jet was too small and caused fuel starvation under load which led to issues. To solve this for the gx270 engine, all you need to do is swap out the jet to a #92. This will make a dramatic difference to your machine, you will love it! Look up a video here on youtube named: Honda Snowblower HSS Carburetor Jet Installation (re-jetting). It was posted by a user named Daniel Panycia. Very simple to do, takes only 10 minutes and cost just a few dollars.
I have that same Honda. One of the first things to do is to remove the carburetor orifice and upsize. They run VERY lean from the factory to meet emissions. The upsized jet is absolutely incredible...I honestly dont think you can stall it. The next change is to turn the chute into 3 sides instead of 4. It improves the mushy snow throw INCREDIBLY. I heard that the newest models...mine is 2021 are 3 sided from factory. Lastly...ceramic coat your entire front end...auger, chute, impeller, collection chamber. It makes a WORLD of difference. There are many good RU-vid videos on all of these changes...thats where I learned it. These changes change it from a good blower to an excellent blower for under $50 . and its easy to diy. The wizard for these upgrades lives in New Hampshire. If you cant find him on his channel...let me know. It is night and day improvement.
I bought a new 1332 in December 2021. Honda re-jetted the carburetor and fixed the surging. I agree, it's amazing how much this engine will lug (I haven't stalled it yet), and I've had nothing but heavy wet snow to blow since I bought it. The chute has also been corrected from Honda, (as I mentioned above) I've had nothing but wet high moisture snow to move and haven't plugged it yet. I'm going to look into this ceramic coating, Thanks.
@@Steelrailbearing I went online after I found the stock 1132 anemic with wet snow. The guy in NH is a wizard. He calculated the orifice by testing the exhaust byproducts...unburned gas. He also did the chute retrofit. He originally was lining the chute with teflon...but did the cutting after with success. I found the ceramic coating on another channel..and Amazon sells it. I think my next upgrade is studs on the tracks. Way too much slipping for me. Good luck and stay in touch.
@@Steelrailbearing forgot to add...remove and replace or clean your spark plug every 10 hours. The new jet leaves a load of black carbon powder on mine anyway. Cleanup and reinstall is easy.
@@rogerwhiting9310 Interesting suggestions, thank you. After watching the videos I might try the next size jet. I think I'm going to stud the tracks as well, my driveway is dirt and is in the shade all season long (It can get icy). Thanks for your help!
I live in New England, and although I have neither of the snow blowers shown, I have no complaints with my 24 year old Yardman 10.5 HP 32 " blower. When we have a storm, I do my son's and neighbors driveways, at least 300' of paths that lead from my house to his, along with paths to the back and front of each house, and paths to my birdfeeders. In no way am I comparing the Yardman to the Honda or Toro, but in those 24 years I have replaced the spark plugs 4 times, and the rubber on the driving disc once. I do maintenance twice a year, once after the season is over, and again before winter arrives. I place stable in my gas tank and I have never had a problem in starting.
Honda equipment is simply unbeatable. It's very expensive but for things that absolutely, positively _must_ work when needed, there's no way you want any other brand.
Mannn hell with the Ariens and other crap made snow blowers. I had them all believe me nothing but trouble. I now own a Honda Hs32 damn it’s a beast. I love it never breaks down and little maintenance.
I have an old Honda HS 55 22” cut 1987 model still works fine. I did take it all apart about 10 years ago and rebuild it. I also have a 1966 Ariens 6hp 24” cut that also works great. I put a paddle kit on the 4 blade 11” blower fan that I made out of conveyor belt. It will blow water/snow/sush doesn’t matter about 30 feet. It also has a cast iron differential to power the augers with grease fittings and brass bushings. I also put electric start on it years ago. I had another one just like it sold it to one of the guys at work for $250 all redone. You can still buy parts for it works great I use it 90% of the time. I have no interest at all in a new blower it’ll never measure up to this blower. I do fix small engines and snowblowers and lawnmowers and I never found anything else that I like better than what I have. Just keep this in mind the more bells and whistles they put on a snowblower the more problems you’re gonna have. The kiss method keep it simple stupid.
I second your opinion. As a pensioner on a small fixed income I would never spend $5,000 plus for a snow blower that has basically the same mechnical front end as my 30 year old HS80, and the bells and whistles are more stuff to break and repair. The only thing I go though regularly are the auger belts - I've tried many different types and brands and kevlar or not, they end up shredding from the strain if I the snow bank is too high and the snow is too dense. Normally the belts last me at least a season, but this year the conditions have been brutal and I've gone through two belts already so far so I'm toying with the idea of doubling up the pulleys.
I am on my second Honda snowblower now and they are just great. My first one I bought in 1995 and sold it two years ago when I bought a more powerful one. The first one had six horsepowers and the new nine. The reason why I changed was that the old one was getting wobbly and had a tendency to be packed when the snow was wet. In all the years there was never a problem with the motor or the hydrostatic drive. That old snow blower is still running today. 🤠
I own the same Honda reviewed and love it. I don't understand some of the comments made so far below. Some are saying buy a tractor instead of this $5k Honda blower. Have they priced a tractor lately? Kabota/John Deer and even Mahindra all are over $50k without attachments. That rational makes no sense. Some said buy a plow for your truck. First one has to own a truck. I do, and there's no way I'm putting a plow on my $100k+ truck. Buy a truck just for plowing? Well, the plow will be $10k for a problem free one plus the truck(used) will still run at least $10-$20k in this economic climate. The Honda 1332ctd will likely be the last snowblower I will ever buy. With the right maintenance it should outlast me. Buy the Honda, you won't regret it.
My buddy has a Harley-he likes working on it, but when he wants to enjoy a ride and make it back home, he uses his Goldwing! Personally, I'm never disappointed withany Honda machinery I've owned through the years, specially the old ones made in the 80's to early 90's. I still have an HX lawnmower made in 85 that still runs on firts pull and has outlived 5 other lawnmowers, 2 craftsman, toro, lawnboy, a cub cadet and it looks like it might outlive my Zero turn blackmax with honda engine from Sam's club (nothing wrong with the engine, the rest is meh!). Downside about Honda snowblower is the price, I'm still hunting for an old HS621 to replace my single stage craftsman, my 2 stage is a Poulan pro from Sam's and has been lucky so far. Maybe that Honda HSS is overkill here in Chicago, but it sure is nice.
I miss my Honda snow blower, really regret selling it. Had a HS622 I found in a scrap yard that only needed a new coil. The thing was a literal tank compared to any of the snow blowers for sale at my work.
Great video. So many show you something with no snow no cold. Just what i want to see . Something showing the machine doing what your going to buy it for.Most things work well when its warm. Not so under poor conditions. GOOD JOB
I got two Honda snowblowers. Honda hs1332 tracks which is cumbersome to move and a Honda hss928 AWD wheels. I think I like the wheels better as it’s easy to move around. Tracks are too much for me I think
I have had my Honda blower for 26 years. It's still going strong. I've used the electric start twice when I hurt my back. But it always starts first pull. Out of the box it started on the second pull. Just put gas in it this year for the winter. Have it a light pull to turn it over and it started. Throws snow like nobodies business. Best snowblower ever.
My favourite snowblowers are the older Toro powershift models powered by tecumseh snowkings from the late 90s early 2000s. I own a 8hp flathead and 10hp OHV. Love their lightweight design, drum auger and the PowerShift feature which allows you to drop down the axle for a cleaner pass. Also those snowkings were ultra reliable if you take care of them. If I had the choice between these 2…it would be the Honda because of their reliability and quality. New toros aren’t built like they used to. A great video comparison would have been the Yamaha and Honda
Yamaha contacted us recently, we are currently looking at a future video with the brand :) still checking if it will be a comparo or a technical review.
I had both the 724 and 928 Honda's , both have been flawless and hold there value. I essentially got what I paid for the 724 when I sold it after six years when I upgraded to the 928. BTW great video!
The 28" model of this level is my dream, just being a bit under $5000 before HST in Ontario. Right now I own a Cub Cadet 3X 28" HD and use it commercially. I had to rebuild the transmission on it this year but overall it's been a good unit. That Toro looked really nice but nothing can beat a Honda. I have been a fan of Toro snow blowers as well but most of those are older units from the 70s or 80s.
i miss the early craftsman / mtd blowers , cheep but if you took care of them , a few i had lasted longer than 10 years , mostly body rusted out first ( toronto loves its salt ) . good vid
The 420cc engine on the Toro is also made in China and used on a number of other machines as well. No excuse at the price for the Honda to lack heated grips, but the Honda is the far superior machine. The joystick chute on the Toro eventually becomes sloppy and starts to “walk” as you blow which is really annoying.
I have an older Toro wheeled snow thrower and it’s got plug in electric start that works great. Touch wood, I’ve had no issues the many years I’ve owned it. My Toro does a great job. It was way cheaper than my neighbour’s much newer Honda tracked blower but he’s happy with it.
You are absolutely right about the Toro HD track drive system. To save money Toro opted to use a belt drive system in their Hydro Drive. Like you said, not reliable. Toro didn't do their brand any favors by cheeping out with their track drive machine. I know I would not buy one. To expensive anyway. Thanks for sharing.
I have a Honda HSS928 with tracks. It is a bit heavy to turn but it pulls itself anywhere in any conditions. I am happy with the compromise of having to expend some effort to turn it but never needing to push the blower. The blower is about ten years old and still on it's original battery even though I charge the battery only when the first snow falls, i.e. once a year. I have had a spare battery on the shelf for many years but have not needed it. yet. The electric joystick chute is excellent as it allows to micro manage where the snow goes. That is very important in the cramped spaces I use the blower. The blower does not work with wet snow at all, the chute gets immediately blocked. I noticed in the comments here there may be a newer design which can through even wet snow. That is a good hint, worth investigating. Fortunately we have wet snow only a couple of times a year.
When we have Wet Snow, I use Teflon Spray Dry Lube on the inside and shoot to alleviate most of the clogging. I keep Teflon Dry Lube around as it’s the only thing I use on the garage door, doesn’t attract dirt and dust.
Got myself a old Toro 1132 from -82 for 60 bucks, my god it has delivered very much, undet coming summer I'll give it a real maintenance and mod it with the rubber kit on the thrower blades.
Honda is expensive, but it's a for ever machine. The difference shows 10, 15, 20 years down the road. When it's had zero break downs and resale value is high. Buy once cry once.
I have a new (Jan 22) HSS724CTD and an older HSS1332 (270 hrs), both great machines. Putting the 1332 on Kijiji this week so as to buy a new one. Happy holidays to all from Ontario.
I am glad to hear that your dealer got the TRX up and running. I remember your vid from last season, and that was a pretty big disappointment. Great head-to-head comparison vid!
I bought the new Track Toro HD 420 and It’s GREAT! I Bought it when It first came out and I haven’t had any issues with mine. I’ve owned Honda and Yamaha and ID say it’s not far off it’s competition. It would be nice to have a battery electric start.
@@CarQuestion I’m not denying that some have issues I’m just stating I have not as of yet. I don’t baby it and Since it didn’t come with an hour meter I installed one from new and so far with 40hours it seems golden.
Honda for sure! just forget about all other special features from other brand! when the snow is on the ground, start and go is the only thing you want!!!!!!
Yes, you may have the edge in the snow blowing world, but I still have nearly 1000.00 extra in my bank account. For the snow that I have to deal with in southeastern MI, my Toro HD 1232 is plenty machine for what I have to deal with. Now, if one lived in say Buffalo NY, then maybe that extra expense would be warranted. Like I said, Hondas tend to clog in wet heavy snow. I know that by watching and listening to countless videos and personal views of people who own them. The dealer I purchased my HD Toro also sells Hondas. The track drive system on the Honda is slow and cumbersome in tight places. That is another complaint many have with the track drive Hondas, or any track drive snow blower for that matter. One great feature on the Honda is the Hydro Drive Transmission. But that is one of the reasons for the extra expense of a Honda Track Drive Snowblower. With a simple adjustment of the drive rod on my Toro HD, first gear crawls through deep snow. That is one of the biggest complaints of the Toro HD machines. A simple adjustment takes care of that issue. I am 68 and the ease of use of my Toro HD with trigger steering is a blessing. Traction is not an issue; the tires dig in exceptionally well. I opted for the Toro HD over an Ariens Pro Model because of the superior balance Toro engineered into their HD machines. A simple pull of the triggers and I can maneuver the machine on a dime anywhere in the garage with very little effort. So far this winter I used the snow blower twice. Once in of 6 inches of extremely wet heavy snow. The machine still blew the snow 30 plus feet with no clogging and that was nearly two hour's worth. So, there is no doubt about the machine not clogging in wet snow. Anyway, nice chatting with you. Have a blessed and safe rest of the winter.
The track drive on the Honda is reliable, the track drive on Toro is not, period! There is still some problem going on and Toro still can't fix them after all this time since we receive new message about that. Keep us posted on how it goes over time! Safe winter to you :)
Hello. Good review but there is one test that is seldom done. In Halifax and other areas we experience snow followed by rain frequently so tests on its wet snow blowing capacity usually makes the Honda shine while others fail miserably. I wonder how the Toro would perform in wet snow. I assume you are in Quebec ? Some other brands do better than others in wet snow but they all can easily blow light fluffy powder snow.
Honda because I have one that I bought from a neighbor. As soon as I seen it was a Honda I had to have it. It’s a 80’s model with tracks. I had to put new shoes & wearbar on it & nothing else. Starts first pull most of the time like our 80’s Honda generators that where given to us. The Craftsman always had issues not running right. I even have a 01 Honda Rubicon quad that still runs good.
I used that Toro with the joystick when I worked for a snow removal company and hated that joystick - you could never get it positioned to exactly where you wanted the snow to go and every time you tried to adjust it it went too far left or too far right - hated that thing the Toro did blow snow well but Honda is the king
Not even close. I have had a Honda 1332A with the electric start (12V battery onboard) for 4 years. Sweet trouble-free use (over 300 hours on my engine hour meter) over 4 winters. I have friends who own that Toro and a commercial Ariens. Boththose machines are unfit to be compared to my Honda 1332. Who are we kidding? The Toro and Ariens are typical of manufacturers who build poor, badly designed machines which are pushed out to the dealer without ironing out the defects and doing testing. They dump the problems on the retail dealer's heads because they give the dealers huge markups/profits. Once they have your money, they don't care if you like or dislike their machines. You're stuck with it and with paying for the out-of-warranty repairs which adds more profit to the selling dealer. I'd stick with a Honda 100% of the time. That Briggs Stratton (?) 420 engine isn't terrible but you'll have a hard time pull starting it when it's cold. You'll need to let it idle while you clear things from your path or want to shovel an area by hand. My Honda has a 12V battery on board. I shut it down and start it like a car. It has a key. I miss the heated grips on my old John Deere (mfd. by Simplicity) but I developed Reynaud's condition several years ago so I always wear heated gloves in the winter when I'm outdoors. I have only 1 suggestion to Honda: Make the handlebars a bit higher for taller people. They could make them adjustable on a 4 or 5 inch slotted fastening system.
With few exceptions, Honda makes excellent products of all sorts and will last a VERY long time if they’re not abused and properly maintained but they are EX-PEN-SIVE!!!!!
I'm still running my 1985 HS55. The damn thing won't die and it's got some serious hours on it. I installed my own impeller kit made from an old mudflap off a Kenworth and some galvanized self tapping screws. it never clogs, starts first pull. If I manage to kill this thing one day you better believe it'll be another Honda.
Purchased a Troy Built 2 stage 7.5 hp 24 inch from Lowe’s 20 years ago and other than the electric start gears breaking twice I have done nothing but change oil once and clean out the carburetor
Great review - very helpful. I recently gave away a 10-year old Toro 1028 snow blower because I downsized and I did not need such a large machine. That machine was dead reliable and would chew through anything, even the heavy clumped snow that the street plows would kindly leave for me. I replaced that workhorse with a Toro battery-powered machine for my new place and I regret doing so as this machine is falling apart after one year's use. So now, I am looking for another snow blower and I think that the Honda is the logical choice based on your review. Toro really seems to have dropped the ball lately.
I purchased a husqvarna ST 427 T fuel injected, Electric start, if I would have known then what I know now I would have bought the Honda 928 or the 1332, Like you said about the toro the customers are the Guinea pigs on what needs work and the first year that I used it the axe bracket broke ,fixed it and then the other side broke ,fixed it ,the cable for the chute control broke twice, and its supposed to have a 389 cc engine ,its very uder powered ,if I went as fast as you did it would die,and I thought maybe I got a lemon but no my neighbor bought the ST 430 T and had the same problems ,Shame on you Husqvarna,have a great day
I would have liked seeing you deal with snowbanks in front of your driveway. Fluffy deep snow, any machine can do that. Deep, hard-packed, ice chunk filled snowbanks, that's another matter entirely. I've had a few machines that couldn't last more than an winter or two until I got my HS80. The 'snow' I have to go through is so hard I usually go though shear bolts at least once per 2 hours or so, and in bad winters with heavy snow that turns into icy banks I can go through kevlar auger belts as if they were made of cotton. Still cheaper than paying 600-800 per season to have my two car parking area cleared, though.
what Engine does Toro Use, I thought they were using Chinese but I just googled it say they were using Kubota, Kubota are a nice Japanese engine if I'm not mistaken.
Engine is awesome. The problem is with everything else and how they did not test at all this snowblower before selling it :( But this is one strong engine
There is one other thing I forgot to mention about Honda snowblowers (at least when I bought mine) that can be a problem, the sides of the snow intake are slightly short of the outer edge of the auger. You can't just push it up to a curb to stop the blower without the auger hitting the curb and breaking one of the shear bolts (you also have to be careful around chain link fences). The bolts are easy to replace, and you don't have to use the expensive Honda bolts. Regular bolts work fine (I had a Honda dealer tell me that). I get mine in packs from ebay.
On the Toro...they should have lowered the main drive wheel to also contact the bottom portion of the track. Doing this plus the two idler wheels would improve traction that much more.
good review of the Honda, I have the same model and agree that the carburetor needle adjusyment helps when the engine is under load.. worth the 5$ part and 5 minute swap.. The only suggested improvement I see would be heated grips like I had on my Husqvarna ST330 which was powerful but nothing compared to the Honda, you get what you pay for and on top it holds it’s value compared to others.
As big and known for early well built things, Toro should be ashamed. Did they not even test these before selling them? I hope they upgraded everyone for free.
back in the days, now today, i really doubt it. They offer no to bad service on their phone line, they know about the problem but they don't do nothing to put you trough some ppl in the company that will really help you, they just keep sending you back to the dealer and back then they had less info than i did. We offered them to work with us to find solution, but hey didn't give a damn about that. i feel sorry for the dealer as the Rep back here has a really bad reputation of doing nothing and is just lazy. I've exchange a few emails with then before putting up that review.... but their attitude cost them more than trying to figure things out with us. So now, it's too late, i will never trust a Toro products again.
I can't imagine dumping that kind of cash on either of those. My 30-inch Troy-Bilt has lasted me 13 years with zero issues. I'm in New England and I use it to clear a 150 foot gravel driveway along with two areas with parking for about 24 cars. Lots of pathways too. It eats anything I throw at it.
I have one with wheels and I have had nothing but problems, 3 years and every year major issues, tired and I am going to sell for a loss, just to get rid of the trash
I have that HSS1332 model. Since 2018 Only issue now is when the joystick control gets carbon buildup on its contacts, it won't function. Seems i will have to clean those once a season now? It's a pain.
Have a Honda "snömonstret " HSS 1380i and a EGO power 2 stage battery so only a hard snowstorm makes the Honda to come out of the garage.. Ego is wheel
It's all about the terrain you have.... i you have many inclines, and a difficult terrain where traction might be a gain, go for tracks. if you don't, stick with wheels, it's less maintenance also.
I have the joystick on the toro 824 and 724 QXE. I have used them commercially for the past 4 years. No issues with freezing or any jamming. It’s a great innovation. Dependable, quick adjustments and reliable.
I have the hs1332 its 9 years old now and I'm having trouble with the carburetor surging. Had the carburetor cleaned by the dealer but it didn't work still surging they told me I need a new carburetor and at that time it was over 350 dollars. That was 4 years ago probably more now. Having said that I would still pick Honda because there as not been a snow storm that this snow blower couldn't handle and I'm from Newfoundland I know what its like to get 3 to 4 feet of snow at times.
What do you see at all the lift towers at every ski resort in North America??? That's right, HONDAS!! Yoo din't see janky Toros or Ariens or Husqvarnas, you see Hondas, exclusively. In that extreme environment they're tried and true.