SnowblowersGardening

What are the best snow blowers under $1000?

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Oct 30, 2017

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Here’s the Deal

3 Options Considered

3 Options Considered	Price	Weight	Dimensions
-- Husqvarna ST227P	$949.99	212 lbs	59” x 27” x 40.5”
-- Honda HS720AA	$761.01	89 lbs	49.6” x 20.9” x 40.6”
-- Ariens Compact 24	$899.00	212 lbs	44.5” x 27” x 34.25”

Husqvarna ST227P

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Top Pro

Perfect for cleaning sidewalks

The 27" wide auger makes this machine very efficient when it comes to sidewalk cleaning as it requires only two passes to clean a regular two-person sidewalk, which usually is 42" to 60" wide. Keep in mind that the regular auger sizes are 20", 24”, 27" and 30". While the smaller, 24 inch units, would not be able to clean a perfect 48 inch walk on just two passes (due to the overlap between the passes), the 30” units are simply too expensive. On average, the price difference between a 27” and a 30” snowblower (of the same model line) is 20%. See More

Top Con

You need to be careful not to break the drive axle assembly

Drive axle assembly failure is one of the most common breakages of the Husqvarna’s ST snowblower class. This is most commonly caused by an improper axle reassembly after maintenance. See More

Top Pro

Easy to steer

Even though this machine weighs a lot (212 pounds), the steering is piece of cake. The amount brute force you need to apply to control the machine is the bare minimum, thanks to the power steering feature of this snow blower. This feature allows you to turn the machine with a pull of a lever. There are two power steering levers located on the handle of this snow blower if you pull the left lever the machine will steer left, however, if the right lever is engaged, the machine will turn right. See More

Top Pro

It’s not overly loud

It is very unlikely that you will disturb your neighbors while running this machine. It produces a mere 88.4 dB of sound pressure (near the machine). This is about the amount of sound pressure you would experience near a busy residential road. See More

Top Pro

It keeps your hands warm

The heated handgrips of this snow blower will keep your hands warm while you are operating the machine. See More

Top Pro

Easier engine maintenance

A four-stroke gasoline engine is a stand-out feature of this snow blower. While being more efficient than its two-stroke competitors, it's also less demanding when it comes to maintenance. With this engine, you will not need to deal with the hassle of mixing gasoline and oil. See More

Specs

Dimensions:59” x 27” x 40.5”

Warranty:3 Year warranty

Power source:254cc LTC engine (gasoline)

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Honda HS720AA

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Top Pro

Excellent value for money

At its price point, this reliable single stage snow blower can do almost anything a bigger two stage unit could do as it can easily remove up to 12" of snow on a single pass. See More

Top Con

Not good for working in the dark

This machine lacks headlights. See More

Top Pro

The engine is very reliable

The 187cc Honda GC190 engine of this machine is very reliable. The GC line engines are used to power Honda’s snow blowers since 2005, when the legendary HS520A snowblower (now discontinued) was introduced . These machines dominated the market for more than 5 years, in fact, there are still a lot of HS520A units in working condition. See More

Top Con

The auger blades tend to wear off

As the auger blades of this machine are made entirely from rubber, you will need to occasionally replace them. The authentic auger kits are priced around $59. See More

Top Pro

You don't have to mix gasoline with oil

This snow blower is powered by Honda’s 4 stroke 187cc engine. Compared to the regular 2 stroke engines, used by the competitors, the Honda GC190 is by far more advanced. The maintenance of such an engine is very simple, as there is no need to add any oil to the fuel. See More

Top Con

You have to push it around

Unlike the 2 stage and 3 stage machines, this one stage machine do not have any wheel drive mechanism, thus the operator has to push it manually. Therefore, this snow blower is suitable only for cleaning flat surfaces. See More

Top Pro

Easy to maneuver

Compared to large and bulky 2 stage snow blowers, this machine is much easier to control. This is caused ,mainly, by to the low weight of the given unit (only 89 pounds). This snowblower is perfect for maneuvering between cars in a small (2 to 4 car) driveway. See More

Specs

Dimensions:49.6” x 20.9” x 40.6”

Warranty:2 Year residential warranty

Power source:187cc Honda GC190 engine

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Ariens Compact 24

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Top Pro

All metal body

The body of this snow blower is almost entirely built from metal, therefore, the machine is both tough and strong. The only exceptions are two non-metal covers, used for chute and belt protection (those are, in fact, heavy duty plastics). See More

Top Con

Steel skid shoes leave scratch marks

It is very likely that you will have to replace the original steel skid shoes with the optional non-abrasive shod shoes. The steel skid shoes can easily scratch concrete and asphalt, thus leave the scratch marks all over your driveway. The optional, non-abrasive skid shoes ($ 40.19), on the other hand, are made from high quality polyethylene (plastics), therefore they can not scratch concrete and asphalt. See More

Top Pro

You can buy a lot of useful accessories

This machine supports a lot of useful optional accessories provided by Ariens. For example, you can buy optional heated handlebars, ‘Sno-Thro’ cab, and even Ariens ‘Sno-Thro’ tire chains. The complete list of optional accessories is available in Ariens' catalog. See More

Top Con

It's heavy

The fact that the machine is almost entirely made from metal has one very noticeable downside. The machine becomes very heavy. The total weight of this 24” unit is 212 pounds, it is, in fact, as heavy as a 27” Husqvarna snow blower (which is a much bigger machine). See More

Top Pro

It will not take too much space

With its handles folded, this snow blower will require only 29” x 34” x 35” of storage space. In contrast, you'll need 50% more storage space to store a 24" Husqvarna's snow blower. See More

Top Pro

Durable gear case

The solid cast iron gear case is one of the most reliable components of this snow blower. It is used to transmit the force from the impeller shaft to the auger, basically being a simple 2 gear system. The majority of competitors offer a symmetrical gear non-iron gear cases, such gear cases are particularly prone to breakages and oil leaks. The Ariens Compact series snow blowers, on the other hand, have a top loaded gear case, therefore the oil leaking problem is almost fully eliminated (note, that the oil leaking is directly related to the failure of a gear case). The manufacturer, in fact, provides an additional 5 Year gear case warranty, additionally to the standard 3 Year warranty of the machine. See More

Specs

Dimensions:44.5” x 27” x 34.25”

Warranty:3 Year warranty; 5 Year gear case warranty

Power source:208cc Ariens AX engine (gasoline)

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4 Community Recommendations

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Contributor for 4 years

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Husqvarna ST227P

Recommended 9 months ago

Patricia hasn’t added their experience, pros or cons to their recommendation.

Contributor for 2 years

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Recommended 9 months ago

Excellent value for money

Not good for working in the dark

Contributor for 2 years

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105K

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Husqvarna ST227P

Recommended 9 months ago

Perfect for cleaning sidewalks

It’s not overly loud

You need to be careful not to break the drive axle assembly

Contributor for 2 years

423

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105K

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Ariens Compact 24

Recommended 9 months ago

Durable gear case

It will not take too much space

You can buy a lot of useful accessories

Steel skid shoes leave scratch marks

No highlighted recommendations.

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