Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

Puffin · 12-30-2015, 11:16 AM

I just bought my first snow blower after many years of plowing my own driveway. Simply couldn't justify the cost of a new truck and plow just for my own use.

I was looking closely as the Husqvarna ST330T track model but could not get one locally without ordering. This made me nervous if/when parts are needed for maintenance or repair.

I opted for the Ariens Hydro Pro 28" track model. This has a 420CC engine and will be no problem handling the heavy wet snow that we so often get here in central Ma.

Because it's the track model the cost is significantly more than a wheeled unit ($3k), however my driveway is over 500 feet long on a hill with a couple of bends, a turnaround/parking spot and 3 cars wide in front of the garage. the tracks will provide much better traction on the hill. I wanted to make sure that I didn't undersize the unit only to regret it later.

So this year I'm pretty much guaranteed that we won't have any significant snowfall. We only got about 1.5" here yesterday, not enough to fire up the new blower especially after the wife and kids drove up and down the driveway several times before I could even attempt too get out and clear it. Therefore my shiny new blower sits patiently waiting in the garage for the next chance to try it out.

12-30-2015, 11:16 AM	#12
Puffin Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 43 Thanks: 10 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	I just bought my first snow blower after many years of plowing my own driveway. Simply couldn't justify the cost of a new truck and plow just for my own use. I was looking closely as the Husqvarna ST330T track model but could not get one locally without ordering. This made me nervous if/when parts are needed for maintenance or repair. I opted for the Ariens Hydro Pro 28" track model. This has a 420CC engine and will be no problem handling the heavy wet snow that we so often get here in central Ma. Because it's the track model the cost is significantly more than a wheeled unit ($3k), however my driveway is over 500 feet long on a hill with a couple of bends, a turnaround/parking spot and 3 cars wide in front of the garage. the tracks will provide much better traction on the hill. I wanted to make sure that I didn't undersize the unit only to regret it later. So this year I'm pretty much guaranteed that we won't have any significant snowfall. We only got about 1.5" here yesterday, not enough to fire up the new blower especially after the wife and kids drove up and down the driveway several times before I could even attempt too get out and clear it. Therefore my shiny new blower sits patiently waiting in the garage for the next chance to try it out.