Powerful Honda GX200 Engine •Commercial grade engine churns through winter's worst •Easy starting even in the coldest of weather
Automotive-Style DC Electric Key Start •No plugging in to start, turn a key and you are ready to go •Comes standard with recoil start for backup purposes
Hydrostatic Track Drive •Perfect for complete control on inclines and icy conditions •Variable speed control allows the user to pick the right speed for them
Fingertip Steering Control •Left and right control levers provide easy and intuitive steering control •Great for transporting unit as well with engine off
Variable Auger Height Control •Easily adjust the auger height with just a press of a thumb •Variable positions allow user to pick best height needed for conidition •Pneumatic gas strut provides smooth and accurate auger housing adjustment
Electric Joystick Chute Control •All new 4-direction chute control allows for on the go chute adjustments
High Powered LED Headlight •Provides exceptional lighting and high visibility in all conditions
After receiving glowing recommendations of the Honda line of snowblowers from my father-in-law, who lives in upstate New York, I decided to buy a 2016 HSS724ATD in January when my Ariens started to get old. In summary I'm so disappointed I've decided to absorb a $1,600 loss just to get back into a basic Ariens.
When it was delivered it looked incredible, with tons of features track drive, electric start and that beautiful Honda engine at the heart. I have Honda engines on a number of other lawn and garden tools and love the reliability. But when put to actual use in the heavy slushy southern New England snow, it made me realize that this is a Champagne powder blower at best.
Here are my biggest issues
1) Way under-powered - even for the smaller 24" deck. Heavy snow consistently caused the engine to bog down and struggle. Working on 4" of typical NE heavy snow, the discharge never carried more than 15 or 20 feet. Moreover, the chute clogged at least once a pass - which brings me to the second issue:
2) The ejection chute is an engineering disaster. It's too small, which means it clogs AND the base exit is not round. Specifically the exchange chamber going from the 2nd blower blade to the discharge chute is rectangular and where this meets the round opening of the discharge chute it causes the heavy snow to fall back, accumulate and clog. The real issue then is that you can't unclog the chute with the supplied stick because it keeps bottoming out on the corners of the rectangular exchange chamber. SO with every clog I would have to shut the engine off, take off my gloves (because the chute is too small for gloved hands) and dig the snow out. To add injury to insult, My knuckles kept hitting the interior retaining bolts leaving me bloodied and numb. No way to clear a driveway.
3) It doesn't clear all the way to the pavement and you can't force the scraper down too hard or else the front bucks and pops up incredibly. So In normal operation, I could never get the scraper to get down to the bare pavement leaving at best, a 1/4" glazing on my driveway. And for everyone living in Southern NE that means you'll wake up to a big old ice skating rink for a driveway the next morning.
Above are the biggest but not the only limitations. Other areas failing to meet expectations
* steering is very ineffective and clumsy,
* very shallow chute rotational range - left side won't go beyond 90 degrees and right side only goes back another 10 or so degrees.
In conclusion - very unimpressed considering the premium paid. Honda, you need to do much better.
After receiving glowing recommendations of the Honda line of snowblowers from my father-in-law, who lives in upstate New York, I decided to buy a 2016 HSS724ATD in January when my Ariens started to get old. In summary I'm so disappointed I've decided to absorb a $1,600 loss just to get back into a basic Ariens.
When it was delivered it looked incredible, with tons of features track drive, electric start and that beautiful Honda engine at the heart. I have Honda engines on a number of... more
Pros:Features, Quiet, High Quality
Cons:Difficult To Use, Does Not Deliver On Basics
Craig Does Not Recommend This Product
Product Expert
Craig,
Thank you for sharing your review. While it's unfortunate that you've had these difficulties, your shared experience can lend insight to others who may benefit from stepping up to a more powerful model.
As far as clearing all the way to the pavement, two-stage units aren't designed for this purpose. A single-stage snow thrower with rubber augers will be more effective for clearing all the way to the pavement.
For easier steering, we'd also recommend not opting for a track-drive unit. While track-drive units are great for clearing snow on hilly terrain, they're not the easiest to steer when compared to other styles.
First, thanks for the detailed write-up; when I share updates from customers with our service engineering team, it is always idea to have as many specifics as possible.
Next, some of the problems you experienced *might* be due to the set-up on this specific machine. For example, low power may be due to an engine not running at proper RPM; a small-engine tach can verify that it should be running at 3,800 +0/-150 rpm. Next, the scraper blade and shoes are individually adjustable. You may wish to have a local dealer inspect and evaluate the machine and verify it is proper set-up. Here's a link to find a Honda dealer near you (FYI, you can obtain warranty service at any location, even if you did not buy it there):
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