# MTD, Toro or Troy-bilt?



## sir spaniourd

I have never owned a snow blower. I have plans to get one soon.I have been told to get a single stage because it is easy to load/unload and it also works as good as a 2 stage. Does anyone knows which one works best (price/quality?)


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## bobingardner

In answer to your question I used to own a Toro and liked it even though I burned up a belt one time trying to move too much snow too quickly. I also owned a Troy-bilt and wouldn't buy another, but that was a 2 stage machine.

Are your sure you want a single stage? The only reason I'm asking is because your initial post suggest that your making your decision based on what someone else thinks.

Single stage machines are usually smaller and lighter than 2 stage machines so they're easier to lift into the back of a truck. A 2 stage machine will usually be wheel driven which means you can use ramps to load it but handling the ramps in snow and ice can be a pain in the butt. If easy loading is important the single stage is preferable, assuming it's light enough to lift.

The single stage machine will work better on light snow on even surfaces since the rubber auger will clean down to the surface. The 2 stage machine will do a better job of clearing the pile of snow at the end of the driveway. It will also work better in heavy deep snow. So which is better depends or what what type of snow you get and the size and type of surface you clean.

You should checkout abbysguide. It's a good source of OPE advice.


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## bolensdriver

MTD owns Troy-Bilt before. I know this because Troy-Bilt owned Bolens and sold out to MTD.


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## sir spaniourd

The main reason I am thinking about getting a single stage is because they are much lighter. I have plans to load/unload without ramps. A couple of people told me 2 stage works slower and I will need ramps. I was looking at the Toro Commander but it seems to me it is very expensive. I will need them to do a few short driveways. I have a 8' fisher and sometimes it is too wide for me to use in some of my accounts


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## Grn Mtn

*go toro*

I added commercial accounts this year which meant sidewalks and salting. There was no way I was going to shovel 300' of sidewalk, but with the salter on the back of the truck I couldn't get a 2-stage snowblower up in the bed, plus no room because of the salt bags. What was I to do! My rep at Wehner Mower told me to get the single stage Toro snow blower. I was a 2-stage snob though and had a hard time believing my rep, (although they have never steered me wrong yet). Finally it was due to snow in 2 days so I just bought it. Well IT ROCKS! :bluebounc very easy to start even in -5 degrees because its 50/50 gas/oil, it is very fast, and cleans down to the concrete without scratching. Well worth the almost $600. I bought the mid model, not too big, not too small. I went to Harbor Freight and bought for $15 a folding step that fits over my rear tire. I am very satisfied with my whole set-up. Check out the picts from my previous posts
www.plowsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8200

I'll take a better shot of the bed of the truck and the tire step to give you some ideas.


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## 4speed

I bought an MTD afew years back and boy, do I regret it. It is a poorly engineered piece of junk. Among other things,The blades hit the carriage bolts used to mount the cutting edge. so I had to grind them down. The cables constantly came apart so I had to modify them. Over the years i have changed so many things on this p.o.s. That I can't remember them all.Don't be afraid to spend a little bit more to get a quality machine.


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## sir spaniourd

grn mtn, That was a nice picture. Is it a Toro 3650?
yes, if you have the chance to take a picture of that folding step i would really appreciate it.
Where did you buy it?
Thanks a lot.


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## Young Pup

4speed said:


> I bought an MTD afew years back and boy, do I regret it. It is a poorly engineered piece of junk. Among other things,The blades hit the carriage bolts used to mount the cutting edge. so I had to grind them down. The cables constantly came apart so I had to modify them. Over the years i have changed so many things on this p.o.s. That I can't remember them all.Don't be afraid to spend a little bit more to get a quality machine.


Not to be a Smart @$$ but how were the bolts put in? Sounds like they were in the wrong way.The blades should never have hit the bolts if put together properly. I use MTD and the only problem I have run into is I did not keep a close eye on the cutting edge and it went to the bolt hole. My major screw up on that. But I have had no problems with the first one other than my screw up so I bought I bigger one this year with more hp.


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## Turfmower

Get a Toro not a MTD MTD=Cheap homeowner junk MTD sold in places like home dump. They dont have a repair shop or sell parts for them. Most likely if it breaks down you have to junk it.


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## 4speed

Young Pup said:


> Not to be a Smart @$$ but how were the bolts put in? Sounds like they were in the wrong way.The blades should never have hit the bolts if put together properly. I use MTD and the only problem I have run into is I did not keep a close eye on the cutting edge and it went to the bolt hole. My major screw up on that. But I have had no problems with the first one other than my screw up so I bought I bigger one this year with more hp.[/QUOTE
> 
> Pup, No offense taken, The Unit had been assembled at home depot so I assumed it was done wrong. I went over the whole machine bolt by bolt and everything was in place. Was every blower they made that year like this? Probably not. But I will stand by my opinion of mtd. OH by the way, I also bought one of their lawn mowers at the same time.
> And as turfmower says parts are an issue.


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## Grn Mtn

sir spaniourd said:


> grn mtn, That was a nice picture. Is it a Toro 3650?
> yes, if you have the chance to take a picture of that folding step i would really appreciate it.
> Where did you buy it?
> Thanks a lot.


Okay here is picture of the tire step and the platform I Quickly built too 1) raise the salt bags off the bed floor, and 2) create a nice little compartment to keep the snowblower from sliding around, also its about 1/2 way up the height of the side of the truck so I don't have to bend down when putting it in and taking it out.

The wooden platform, storage system works so great my buddy at St Mur welding is going to make me a steel one for next season.

I bought the step at Harbour Frieght, and the model of the snowblower is listed in my signature


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## sir spaniourd

That looks awesome! This will give me some ideas. Now I have all my stuff all over the place and I hate jumping up and down to get my tools.


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