# good snowblower for under $600?



## FiNaL (Jun 29, 2003)

I am going to be buying my first snowblower this year i am looking to spend under $600 is it possible to get something reliable that will last for under $600? I was looking at the mid-sized MTD snowblower with the 5.5hp and 24 inch clearing with are MTD's good or bad? I plan on just doing sidewalks for around 5 of my current lawn care customers and maybe a few small one car garage type driveways. I plan on getting a new one and a used one any advice? Is Lowes, Home depot, sears, wal-mart a good place to get one or a dealer would be better? thanks for the advice


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## Vaughn Schultz (Nov 18, 2004)

http://www.speedwaysales.com/index.php?cPath=23&osCsid=13dad06310a54deeabcfd421196e498f

I really would not suggest MTD


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## flykelley (Dec 29, 2003)

Go with a Toro, but run all the gas out at the end of winter.

Regards Mike


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## GrtArtiste (Oct 26, 2005)

I own a Toro...so I'm biased. An MTD might be okay, but if reliability is important you should really consider something better. Anything by Ariens, Simplicity or Toro is a big jump in quality and will serve you well for many years. And you'll be much better off with service and parts from a dealer than anything you can get from the big box store or W_M, IMHO.

GrtArtiste


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## TJ_with_Tusks (Oct 12, 2005)

you should be able to get a good used one for less than 600. If you tkae care, they go forever. Ive picked a few from the trashand used them all winter.


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## FiNaL (Jun 29, 2003)

MTD was my first pick because it looked pretty good and big for the price but i want something that will last because i don't plan to use it a ton. I heard some people on here liked craftsman and some don't. Are they any good? SHould i just stay away from the big outlet stores like lowes, walmart, sears etc and just go to a dealer? i live right down the road from a Snapper dealer they have amazing customer service and i have worked with them alot with my trimmer. Anyone run snapper?


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## GrtArtiste (Oct 26, 2005)

Snapper is sort of like a "poor-man's" Simplicity, but that's a good thing. Even better, I like the words "amazing customer service". If I had to choose between a great product with poor support and a good product with great support, I'd take the latter 7 days a week and twice on Sunday. By all means, check out what they offer in a Snapper and let us know. Someone else here will certainly be interested.

GrtArtiste


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## CARDOCTOR (Nov 29, 2002)

we run several mtds no problems. just watch out for the newspaper left on the side walk:crying:


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## Olderthandirt (Oct 9, 2005)

*Ariens,*
Have one that gets used a little every yr. and its 35 yrs old or better cant remember exactly when I bought it, it was so long ago


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## mcwlandscaping (Sep 8, 2005)

Have only had my ariens for a short amount of time, but can tell you I think its great!! Mine was $1k but well worth it! Good Luck


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## DJs Lawncare (Aug 16, 2003)

My dad has had an ariens snowblower for 31 years with very little maintenence. He uses it on his own driveway. I have a newer ariens that I picked up last year and it is a horse. You can get some of the smaller ones pretty cheap. I use my ariens for smoe of the local government properties that I maintain. If you are just looking for a 2 stroke snowthrower I would go with a Toro.


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## NEAL (Dec 19, 2000)

I have had an MTD 2 stage for going on 5 years now. I use it for sidewalks on 2 of my accounts plus my own. Still runs like new. During the season I keep it sprayed with a wd40 & marvel mystery oil mix to keep corrosion away. At the end of the season I put stabil in the gas, run it for a while, then drain all the gas and run it till it quits. I pull the plug and put some oil down the cylinder and pull the recoil a few times. Every fall it starts right up again. The only bad thing I see about my MTD is the "cables" that go down from your drive and auger control handles are not steel but some kind of plastic? (or something like it) and they stretch. Other than that mine has been good to me. I know the other brands are better quality but I was cheap and so far it hasn't bitten me in the butt.

FYI - My DAD still uses (although not commercially) an Ariens 2 stage that is 20+ years old. Not sure if they still make them like that anymore though.


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## nherweck (Oct 30, 2005)

I'm not really a huge fan of Craftsman, but I'm getting a good deal on one, so that's what I'm going with. One of my buddies is going to get me a snow thrower listed at Sears for $699 at a discounted rate of $450. This is my first year offering snow removal, and I only want something that'll do the small jobs I have planned. I don't have any accounts set up yet for Snow Removal, but after the first snow, I have a feeling my Lawn Clients will be running for me. If anyone has any good tips for my first year, please let me know! THANKS!


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