I'm in the market for a tracked snowblower. I have a wicked steep driveway and need something with tracks to maintain stability while going up and down. I'm between Ariens and Honda and was leaning Honda until I read that some taller folks felt they were too short (I'm 6'2"). Had also read that some folks had issues with the Ariens fuel injection systems. Anyone here have experience with either machine?
Poll
I’m following, just moved to a place where everyone has asked what our plow setup is…
I think I would go wheels, with chains. More maneuverable, and tracks can get dicey on ice. Unless there is studs in them.
I have that now and there is just too much spinning. Had a few times last year where I couldn't get the wheeler I currently have up the drive. In deep
I have no experience with a tracked blower but I just can't imagine rubber tracks being better than wheels with chains. We're on a big hill also. Have had a few pucker moments over the years on a tractor doing 180s when it got away from me, because I was way procrastinating dragging the chains out. Also have a 28" Toro with chains for cleaning up the tight spaces, no issues running it up and down the icey stuff. Might chew a bit but it goes where I want it to.
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I had the big daddy Honda track snowblower and sold it and got the Honda model with wheels. The track drive worked ok but too hard to maneuver around and you cant push it with out it running. The wheel version moves the same amount of snow without the hassle of trying to muscle around the track drive model
Agree with the anti tracks guys, wheels with sheet metal screws in the tires works best.
I have experience with tracked equipment in the snow and tracks are great for everything , except snow, well icy ground under snow.
Most of the people who runs skid steers prefer tires to tracks because the tracks are really bad on ice or packed snow. I've had some puckering moments in a D5 plowing the same areas that I was able to plow with ease in my pick up truck with snow tires.
The only area I think tracks might be better in is if you have a dirt driveway. Or stone and are digging holes with the rubber tired blower. Otherwise I think tires do better at getting traction on ice or packed snow than tracks do. I've got more time on metal tracked medium sized machines in the snow than I do on smaller rubber tracked one. I know that the snow tracks they make for skid steers do make them a lot better than the dirt tracks. But still tracks are more for floatation and lower ground pressure than they are for traction.
Snowmobiles have tracks so they float onto of the snow, not for traction purposes. A snowmobile on ice without a studded track is pretty useless. one of the first time's I rode a snowmobile was on top of frozen snow that had a thing layer of ice from freezing rain. It would hardly move on it.
It will be interesting to see what people say that have run both tracked and rubber tired snowblowers.
Surprising to hear that given that pretty much everything snowblower related says that steep inclines favor tracks. I don't doubt your experience with tracks and snow just weird that first hand experience is the complete opposite of all the snowblower stuff I've read. Makes sense on surface area etc. wanting to stay on top.
I have no experience with tracks but sure have with Honda vs. Ariens. Get a Honda.
I currently own an Ariens. I cant recall which model. We get some pretty good snow falls here in WNY. Ive always been the type to go outside and do multiple clearings instead of waiting for the strom to end and try to do it all at once . I garabage picked and old toro single stage a couple years ago. I haven't touched my ariens since . I absolutely hate that piece of crap. It twist like a wet noodle ,it rides up out of the snow until it finds a depth of snow that it's comfortable removing. Mine is wheeled and not tracked but I would never consider an ariens.
IMO those favoring tracks aren't dealing with icey conditions. Or, they're studding their tracks.
But the other factor not to be discounted is maneuverability. I did consider tracks. But losing the ability to move the blower without it running, or easily spin it right around on itself when needed, also had me doubting.
Some of this would come down to where you live and typical winter conditions.
Like I said, my experience is with medium sized machines. A 25 ton excavator and the D5 was about 10 tons. Skid steers being the smallest tracked vehicles I've used in snow , and still 9k to 12k pounds . The rubber tired skid steers we had were 6 to 7k pounds . Metal tracks have decent forward and backward traction but are like ice skates with any sideways loads. It can be fun to slide when you have an area that's big enough . But it can get scary to run on any type of incline.
I have a rubber tired snowblower myself, I had to get the one I have kind of last minute before a big storm after my trusty but rusty older snowblower broke. So I had to get one last minute and thought about tracks , but they didn't have any local to me that would be the right size. I did want to try one out. My driveway is pretty flat though and the reason I was thinking about tracks was because I have a gravel driveway and thought it might be better on it during the times it is not frozen yet.
Are the guys with tracked snowblowers running studs or anything to help the tracks get more bite? I'm not saying that they will not work better for you , just that my experience with tracks makes me think that they are likely to not work well. But I have no experience with tracked snow blowers only bigger heavier machines that have tracks mostly designed for dirt on them. So take that for what it is.
I am honestly interested in seeing how they make them work if they do work better than tires with chains on Icey slopes . I think I'll do some Youtube searching . If You have any links to videos You have seen share them.
I’ve got a steep long gravel driveway and enough property to warrant a skid steer, I’ve been dealing with this dilemma because I get loads of mixed feedback on tracked loaders. Obviously the right tracks makes a difference and they offer bolt on cleats, but I still don’t know enough to make that big of a $ decision. I sure would like a tracked skid for working in a moto track…
As far as skidsteers go, I would go with tracks and get an all season track. Unless You were just using it for snow removal and on asphalt most of the time then rubber tires would be the way to go. But for a multi purpose machine that snow removal is just one of the many things You'll use it for , tracks do a lot of other stuff better. The tracked skidsteer will be better for pushing dirt and grading and building jumps on a motocross track or trails, and for any type of grading the tracked machine will be better.
On a gravel driveway I wouldn't worry as much as if it was asphalt. As longas you do not allow the snow to pack and turn into ice. For me, I would also be using a skidsteer for building and maintaining tracks and trails, yardwork, etc. And the tracks would be my choice for the best overall machine as far as a skidsteer goes. Even on grass , if your not turning aggressively I think tracks can be easier on it than tires. And for me the little extra sliding around in the winter would be worth the extra work it could do the rest of the year. I have seen people stud their skidsteer tracks too if You end up having to run it on ice. It sounds like you would also be using it in similar ways , so I think I would go with tracks if I was you.
My opinion about tracks on a snowblower is different because a snowblower only gets used in the snow. I have a flatter gravel driveway and I would like to try a tracked snowblower on it. Its more the harder surfaces that get sketchy on tracks. Like asphalt with a thin layer of ice or snow .
But on gravel or any soft or uneven surface I think tracks on a snow blower could work better in certain conditions. I just do not think that icy slick conditions would be the one they are better in. Since that's the weakness of every track machine I've ever run.
Single stage blowers seem to work better on smaller storms and wet snow from what I've seen. My Dad had an old craftsmen single stage that was a beast on wet stuff. He bought it for $100 and it was amazing. We lost it in a fire and replaced it with a Toro 2 stage. It was better in deep dry snow. But for the smaller storms with wet stuff I always missed having that old single stage. After he passed I kept using his blower until last year when a piece if it rusted off that would require some fab work and it was just really worn out all around.
So I replaced it with a bigger Cub Cadet 3 stage. In deep stuff its a beast. But again for shallow wet stuff, it sucks. I was regretting my purchase after the first storm we got ended up being 6 inches of wet slush. But then when we had the couple big storms this year I was in love with it. It just eats through the deep stuff. I think I'll keep my eyes open for a cheaper single stage to have around for smaller wet storms . And between the 2 will be good. I've heard there is a single stage Honda that is a beast for the wet stuff.
I dont have a huge area to move snow from ,4 car driveway and a sidewalk , its so much easier with the single stage to fire it up and run around for 10 to 15 minutes during the storm then to fight with 3 feet of snow with that ariens I have.
I like to go out often and keep up with storms too. This last winter we had one storm that was a record breaker and I went out early in the morning to about 16 inches. And by the time I had finished there were already 3 or 4 inches on the area I started . I took a 4 hour break then went out again to another foot or more of fresh powder and cleaned that up. Then it slowed down a little bit and I was able to go out every few hours and it was only 4 to 6 inches. But it was drifting in some spots. On the flat open area of my driveway I measure around 39 inches . With drifts being endless. I'm at the bottom of a hill and my neighbors driveway is close to the same height as my roof. The snow blows off their yard into that valley and in big storms I worry about it filling in so I stay out and keep it clear.
That big storm was pretty slow almost all night and then just started dumping right around sunrise. I was recording a timelapse video and when the sun came up the snow level just goes up pretty quickly . I think they said we were getting 3 to 4 inches an hour at one point and thunder snow. Thunder snow is wild. So loud if it happens close by, and its normally almost silent other than wind so its crazy the first time it happens. I've only seen it twice in my life. Onetime it hit close by to me and it seemed like it instantly dropped 4 inches of snow in the flash of the lightning.
The average storm around me tends to be 8 inches or less and often mixes with rain. I'm right on the edge of the area that there is a shift from snow to rain pretty often. So sometimes I'll have rain in my driveway and snow and sleet just up the street. I think a single stage would be best for most of the storms we get here. I'm closer to the coast now than where I grew up. I keep thinking about moving a little north and west. I was just looking at a property that has a small mountain on it and thinking about how cool the trails could be. Its not a giant property , but much bigger than what I have now. just under 60 acres. And about a half mile deep. And it goes up about 600 feet in elevation! Would make for some sweet MTB trails. The house on the property is likely no livable , and I really am not in a position to move right now anyway. But I would love to get a place like that and build an off road park someday.
I've watched lots of videos, but none of them are on steep inclines. My drive is basically at a 14% grade so it's kind of gnarly using a snowblower and I'm looking for max traction/control because my current setup couldn't make it up the hill and floated on top on the way down.
Pit Row
Is there any dealers near by? My friends dad built a house with a rather steep back yard and he told the johnndeere salesman to come look at his yard and tell him which tractor he needs . He ended up buying the next better model just to be sure.
I watched a few of videos . It looks like a tracked snowblower is less likely to climb on top of the snow since the tracks help keep it at the correct angle VS having to do it yourself with the tires. Walking down hill and trying to keep pushing the front of the blower down can be sketchy and tiring, I think a tracked snowblower would help with that.
On the way up, is the snowblower not blowing the snow fast enough and that's why it spins? or is it just spinning and not pushing the snow into the augers ? You might be putting too much pressure on the front as you go up and it is trying to push into the driveway enough to cause that loss of traction . Tracks could help with that too. The way that you adjust the angle of attack is different between the 2 types. the tracked blowers sit on the flat spots of the tracks so they have an adjustment to raise and lower the area where the augers are. And with the blowers with tires rely on the operator pushing down or lifting up on the handles to adjust that height. That seems to be the biggest thing I saw, is that it helps keep the attack angle consistent and that can make it easier on hills since your not holding onto it at awkward angles and it keeps it at the set height with much less physical input from the operator.
What about trying to talk to some local dealers like the post above suggested? see if they will come out with a demo unit or if there is a way to rent one and see if the tracks do help. I don't know if they do anything like that with smaller stuff. But with heavy equipment you can demo a machine as long as You have the credit to buy or show proof of funds . With heavy equipment, sometimes its free, sometimes they will credit a rental fee towards the purchase.
It might be worth looking and seeing if any local dealers have Youtube channels or social media . And they could use video of making easy work of your driveway, and sell you a new snowblower at the same time. Or even if there are any local ish guys that do snowblower reviews on youtube that You could try and convince to come out and try some different blowers on your driveway. If there is a lack of videos out there on steep hills, that might be enough of a incentive for one of the guys to come out and film on your driveway.
On the uphill it's only a problem when we get larger snowfalls, but I'm in NJ and we can get multiple nor'easters a year with 18-24" over the course of the storm. I try to clear it out as often as I can, but when it piles up the current MTD I have just won't make it up the hill in the deep stuff. Especially since it floats on top on the way down and the path isn't clear and the tires will start to spin on the steepest setions. It works great if we have 5-6 inches, but when it piles up its a problem and it's honestly dangerous to use.
I want the Honda, but I've read they aren't great for tall people and I'm 6'2". The height issue will be compounded by going down a steep grade so I really need to go try out one. Seems like the dealers might have to special order to get one in the showroom. I'll have to check around this weekend to see where I can see it in person.
I appreciate your input on the subject.
That's exactly what I'm going to do. Doesn't seem like anyone has the Honda's in stock though.
There is likely no doubt Honda is the best at tracked blowers. They have been doing them a long time. And, we'll, they're Hondas. Likely more a matter if you are OK with the price of admission or not. Checking in person is the thing to do. I'm surprised to hear they are hard to find, have to be the most popular blower going. And I'm sure dealers are making decent $ selling them.
I've started to see a lot of tracked Hondas showing up on marketplace . Its that time of the year that they all want all the money for them. Seems like the springtime is the best for buying a used one. Last year was a pretty heavy year for snow compared to the previous years for me. So the used market will likely be on the higher side around here.
Might be worth the OP looking into some used options and then you also get to ask the person why they are selling and what they are replacing it with . That way you could get some real world feedback from people in the area. I saw a couple of low use used options while looking around my area this morning. One guy even had an hour meter on his.
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