Craftsman 30 Inch Two Stage Model 88830 Snow Thrower Review

Craftsman 30 Inch Two Stage Model 88830 Snow Thrower Review

Sears Item# 07188830000 Model# 88830

Craftsman Professional 357 cc 30 inch 2 Stage Snow Thrower Model# 88830

UPDATE:   As of August 10, 2010 the 88830 is back instock.  You can order the snowblower through the link above and pick it up at your nearest Sears.  Or you can have it delivered to your home for the normal fee. OR you can put this great Craftsman on layaway and pick it up in 8, 12, 0r 16 weeks!

I am starting the reviews this year with the newest and most innovative snow thrower in the Craftsman lineup for 2009.  I am giving this unit my BEST BUY AWARD.

I’ll go through all the details of this snowblower below but the best news is you can get it for about half the price of comparable snowblowers from other companies like Toro, John Deere, Simplicity, and Ariens (the other big four)

The Craftsman Model 88830 is designed to clear lots of snow quickly.  This size snowblower is a great value for the features and price compared to many of the snowblowers offered by other manufactures.  This snowthrower has all the features of the more expensive units like heated handgrips.  In addition it has a larger motor, bigger gas tank, easy to use controls than most of the comparable snow blowers.

This snowblower is completely new and features many new and worthwhile benefits.

Yes this snow thrower is a big unit and will quickly clear even the largest driveways.  It has a price tag that is probably more than many of you want to spend.   But the value for the dollar is good enough that you should seriously consider this machine if you regularly blow more than 6 inches of snow on driveways larger that 16 feet by 80 feet.

Here is a rundown of the Features and Benefits of this new snowthrower:

Update 10/11/09: I had a chance to spend some time with this snow thrower this weekend and there are a few additions to this article I want to make.

* The auger has six shear pins compared to the four on the red Craftsman models.  This is because the auger has six “flights” instead of the four found on the other snowblowers.  This gives the 88830 more capacity.

* The tires are larger than I expected.  I feel you will have no traction issues with this machine.

* The skid shoes are steel.  This machine is heavier than the red Craftsman snow throwers and I feel they made a good decision to stick with the steel shoes.  You can order poly ones if you like here: Poly Shoes

*If you use a side door instead of your overhead door to start snowblowing, make sure it is at least 34 inches wide so you can get this snow thrower out.  With the steel shoes the 88830 is 32 inches wide and will not fit through a normal 32 inch door.

Single Handed Operation: You can drive the snow thrower easily with one hand to make adjustments to the chute or change speeds without stopping

4 cycle, 357 cc Overhead Valve Motor:  This Craftsman motor is  larger than the one on the 33 inch professional snowthrower last year and larger than what is on the snow throwers from the big four.  It has plenty of power to bust through drifts and move the heaviest snows.  The 4 cycle Overhead Valve (OHV) engine is quiet.  (Not all of the other manufactures have updated their literature as of August 27, but so far this is the largest motor available for this size snowblower)

30 inch clearing width: The 30 inch width is wide enough to make short work of most large areas yet small enough to easily clear a normal sidewalk.  You can quickly clear most sidewalks in one pass.  Think of the time savings of not having to make two or three passes to clear your sidewalks.

21 inch intake height with drift cutters:  The intake is high enough to tackle most drifts.  From what I can tell only one manufacture has a professional model with a higher intake. The drift cutters help keep a clean edge when working the really deep stuff.

Power Steering: This feature allows anyone to easily control the snow blower.  Once you use power steering on a snowblower you will never want to go back to one without it.  A small trigger located on the bottom of each handgrip allows you to effortlessly change the direction of  the snow thrower.  It really saves the back muscles from having to wrestle a snowthrower without power steering around.

Four-Way Joystick Control:  One of the best changes to the entire Craftsman snowblower line this year is the new Four-Way Joystick Control.  As may of you know the previous cable joystick was not heavy enough, got sticky easily and wore out after only a few seasons.  This new system uses gears and shafts to rotate the chute.  The gearboxes are sealed and should not give you the icing problems the cable system was accused of.

Electric Starter: Of course this Craftsman snowthrower has push button electric start.  Just plug the 110v power cord into any wall outlet and push the button.

12 inch serrated auger with 12 inch impeller:  I would like to see a 14 inch impeller on this machine so it can handle ALL snows, but the 12 inch is large enough to handle most snowfalls (6 to 9 inch snowfalls) You may have to drop down a gear when throwing heavy wet snow.  The serrated auger effectively chews up the snow before throwing it into the impeller.

6 forward, 2 reverse speeds:  Plenty of speed choices so you can get your snow blowing done quickly and efficiently.

Headlight:  I don’t know about you but there are times when I am out early in the morning or late at night getting the driveway cleared.  The integral headlight is a welcome addition to this snow thrower.

5 quart fuel capacity:  5 quarts of fuel on a snowblower is a lot.  Most snowblowers only have 2 quarts or so.  You should be able to run hours before you have to fill up.

Extended Chute/Extreme Chute Capacity: The new longer and larger chute creates better throw patterns than the old short chutes.  When blowing light snow this will help a lot to keep it from blowing back into your face.  The longer chute will allow you to throw the snow farther with more control to put in the right spot.

HEATED GRIPS: I don’t know about you, but my hands get cold easily hanging onto the handles of a snowblower.  The heated handgrips are new for Craftsman snow throwers and are a welcome addition.

Warranty: 2 year manufactures defects warranty with up to a 5 year optional protection plan (read Are Protection Plans Worth It on Craftsman Snow Throwers)

Learn More: You can learn more about this new Craftsman Snow Thrower here. Craftsman Professional 357 cc 30 inch 2 Stage Snow Thrower Model# 88830

To Get your Craftsman 30 Inch Two Stage Model 88830 Snow Thrower: I really expect this snowblower to sell out a few times this year so I would suggest you get the machine as soon as possible.  Don’t wait to get this snow blower at the first snowfall.  Most of the Sears stores will not carry this in stock so it will take a few days to get it from the warehouses.

Here is the easy way to get your new snowthrower:

Go to Craftsman Professional 357 cc 30 inch 2 Stage Snow Thrower Model# 88830.

After you order it online you can pick it up at your nearest store and not get charged for shipping. You can get your new Craftsman snowblower delivered to your home from the store for a normal charge. Sears has a 30 day price guarantee so you can buy it, watch the sale ads and come into your local Sears and get the difference refunded to you if they come up with a better deal.

NOTE: If you have the snow thrower delivered it will be delivered in a box. If you pick it up at the store they will assume you are bringing a pickup and will keep it in the shipping box.

Assembly is simple: Cut the end out of the box and drag the snow thrower out onto the floor.  Find the manual and read the assembly directions. It will only take you about ten minutes to position the handles and attach the chute.  You will need a wrench to install the drift cutters and adjust the skid shoes.

You need to adjust the skid shoes so you don’t catch cracks in your cement driveway or pick up to many rocks if you have a gravel drive.  I place the owners manual (1/4 INCH) under the scraper bar (bottom of the auger housing) for CEMENT drives and fold it over for gravel (3/8 inch).

After you use your new snowthrower for a while, come back and tell us how well you like your Craftsman Professional 357 cc 30 inch 2 Stage Snow Thrower Model# 88830.  (scroll down for the comment section)

If you are looking for a smaller Craftsman Snow Thrower take a look at this model: Craftsman Model 888791

If you are looking for a larger Craftsman Snowblower take a look at this model: Craftsman Model 88835

If you can’t decide which size Craftsman snowthrower or Craftsman Snow Blower you need watch this video:

Video: Which Snow Thrower Is Best For You?

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