Yard Machines 208cc 22-Inch Two-Stage Gas Snow Thrower

There is no speed choice nor throttle control. Not worth the price

I'd put off buying a snow thrower for years.I have a Craftsman single stage that's roughly 45 years old, is barely better than just shoveling by hand, and generally required wrench turning of some kind or another before each use. More years than not, there wasn't any need to get it out, anyway. Spending several hundred dollars on a new machine would probably be a jinx, virtually guaranteeing that it wouldn't snow enough to justify having it for that year, or maybe even for several. Finally, a gigantic winter storm was predicted that was several states wide and my home was right in the middle of its' path. There was no way it was going to miss us, and the expected accumulation was up to a foot of wet, heavy, sticky snow. Yuck! Snow throwers I knew to be on season clearance going in to March. It'd be a great time to get one, they were on sale, and if I wanted one to avoid a bunch of shoveling, I knew I had to act fast because everyone else was probably thinking the same thing!Of the locally available models to choose from, this machine was the best compromise between size, features, and price. 22" isn't as wide or as tall as some, but it's big enough to cover most of what we ever get around here, including drifts up to over 2' tall. Six forward speeds provide good flexibility in use, with '1' being slow enough to 'grind in' to drifts, and '6' being fast enough for very light clearing or ferrying the machine to and fro. Two reverse speeds sounds impressive, but in reality, isn't as great as one may think. They're both very, very slow. This is a safety feature to keep the operator from running over themselves. The only real use for reverse is when you get it stuck a bit or if you have to back it up an incline and it takes a bit more strength or traction than you have at the time. For most backing, just disengage the drive paddle with your right hand and pull it backwards; it's easy enough. The machine is not overly large or heavy. I don't advise trying to pick it up, but if you have a cargo rack mounted in your vehicle's receiver hitch tube, the odds are very good that you'll be able to get it on and off of there by rocking it back so the handles nearly touch the ground, getting the shroud up onto the edge of the rack, and levering the handlebars upward. Works pretty good, actually, though it's a bit tough on the paint on the bottom of the machine. The pneumatic tires give good enough traction, although I'm sure chains would add more.208cc is roughly a 7 hp motor, and this one is good. I have yet to use the electric start as it has started on the first pull with the rope every time. The choke is controlled by a dial, and is very easy to use. The fuel cap is quite impressive, with a lot of metal in it. Substantial may be the best way to describe it, and it's three or four inches in diameter. It almost looks like it belongs on a tractor, or bulldozer, or something.The only thing about this machine I find to be annoying is the spiral screw that controls the position of the discharge chute. It does tend to disengage from the chute, which is remedied by lining it back up with the notches around the chute's flange and tapping the screw and its bracket back in place with the palm of one's hand. I suspect this is designed to scoot out of the way, somewhat like a swing away mirror on a pickup truck. If a buildup of snow or ice interferes with the operation of the screw, it will harmlessly disengage so your aggressively cranking the handle isn't going to chew up the notches on the chute.The machine arrives new in a large cardboard crate reinforced with rough sawn 1x3 lumber. It will fit into the back of a decent sized SUV, but it will take two to three people to get it in there and it will be a tight fit. It says assembly is required, but that merely involves rotating the handlebars into place, attaching the chute, filling the gas tank with 87 regular or 10% ethanol, and inserting the ignition 'key'. An extra key and two shear pins are included, as is the obligatory polymer tool for clearing jams.In operation, this machine flings wet, heavy stuff very well. Unless it's like wet concrete or applesauce, it can handle it. It also tackles the hard packed stuff well, too, but multiple passes are likely to be necessary. I strongly advise not elevating the end of the chute very far to keep snow and ice chunks off of your neighbor's house or from landing in the middle of the street.

had mine for at least 10 years never did any maintenance,sings like a dream. just did an oil change today on it im sure itll last another 10 years, btw the oil looked like mud and this beast still ran!