2010 Craftsman 30 Inch Two Stage Model 88830 Snow Thrower Review

Go Here to read the 2011 Review: 2011 Review Model 88830

Sears Item# 07188830000 Model# 88830

Buy Here From Sears: Craftsman 88830 Snow Blower

Again this year I am giving this unit my BEST BUY AWARD.  The unit performed well and the people who bought it all liked the features and capacity of this large snowblower.   I heard of a couple of machines that were not assembled properly from the factory but out on the driveways this snow blower performed better than expected.

I’ll go through all the details of this high power, high capacity 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)

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 0r 16 weeks!

I’m going to start off with a question and a short review I took off the mySears discussion board.  From there I will give you my opinion on this snow blower.  This website and my reviews have been around long enough that most of you trust my opinions.  You also know I normally don’t give opinions because I feel almost every snowthrower on the U.S. market is right for someone.  My goal is to help you find the right snowblower……for you.

The Question: “I am tempted by the positive reviews for the 88830 snow blower and would like to ask whether it is worth insisting on this particular model. I have a 100+ ft slightly sloped driveway, get substantial snow, and would like to spend up to $1,000. Also, how difficult is the maintenance of the machine during the season and even more important post-season? Any need for rust protection etc? Is it worth purchasing an added warranty and how much this would cost? Finally, could the lady of the house (if she so desires) handle the beast, or is it only for men? Thank you everybody for the help.”

My opinion: If you get substantial snows, have a 100+ ft driveway and want a great machine for the money this is the best choice around.  For under $1000 you get a 30 inch clearing path, 12 inch impeller, heated grips and remote chute.  It is balanced well and with the power steering/electric start almost anyone can drive it.  My wife won’t even consider using my old “Monkey Wards” Snow blower, but if I had one of these I would never get to blow snow again.

There is very little maintenance needed for this snow thrower.  I STRONGLY suggest you have extra shear pins on hand and use fuel stabilizer in the fuel.  Other than that cleaning the snow thrower of wet snow after you use it is about all the maintenance you need to do.  (I have a 250 watt heat lamp from a farm store that I shine on my snowblower for a few hours after I use it.  The heat lamp melts and dries up all the snow on the machine. )

Replacing a shear pins is easy and even if you have to change a belt it can be accomplished with only a few tools.  With a 5 year Protection Plan from Sears you don’t have to be concerned about any repairs or problems with this snow blower.

It is not the biggest, highest capacity snow blower on the market (see the review for the 88835) but for the size/money most of you who need a larger snowthrower will like this machine.

The Review:

“I live in southern Utah and have been around snowy winters all of my life.  This last week we had severe snow storms that left an amazing 18 inches of snow in one night on the previous 2 to 3 feet of accumulated snow.

I purchased my Craftsman 30″ snow blower after three days of continually hand shoveling snow.  The turning point to purchasing a snow blower was when I had to get the deep snow off of the roof of my house.  It was above my knees!  The snow went onto my previously clean 25 foot long paved walkway and covered it 4 feet deep with snow and ice.  After three days of continual shoveling, I  was physically too tired to shovel anymore.  The compacted snow and ice made it to heavy to lift and I quit from sheer exhaustion.  I am not a wimp but I knew I had finally met my match.

After researching snow blowers on the Internet, I decided to choose the Craftsman Professional 357cc 30″ snow blower.  I read the reviews (like this one) and made my decision in part from what was said about the machines.  I also made the decision to purchase this unit because it was a Craftsman and I have many other machines (ride on lawn mower, tiller, cultivator, table saw, washer, dryer, fridge, range, etc..) that bear that name and rarely have had any problems with them.  I talked to the closest Sears store, 100 miles away, to make sure they had the desired unit on hand and made the trip to the get the snow blower.  I returned home by 7:00 pm and put the unit together.  The included instructions made putting the chute on easy and I was removing snow in no time.

It took me 40 minutes to clear the previously mentioned walkway of snow and ice.  I was quite pleased with the distance that the snow and ice was thrown, about 15 to 20 feet away.  The power of the machine was great and I was not disappointed.  After clearing my walkway, I cleared other parts of my yard so I could park my trailer.  The snow blower went right through that non-compacted snow like it wasn’t even there.  The headlight made a big difference for seeing where I was going.  I finished that large area in just 5 minutes.

I love the power of the machine, the location of the controls and the features of the unit.  The ability to direct the travel and distance of the excreted snow is a big plus for me.  I would recommend this snow blower to anyone and when it comes to moving snow, the size of the machine, engine and snow intake, do matter!  Don’t be fooled by price.  A smaller machine based on price does not always equal a better machine for the job to get done.”

My Opinion:

This review was written by a first-time owner and he brings out a very good point.  Buy a snowthrower designed for the size of your driveway, not for the price.  A 24 inch 5 hp snowblower works great for a 2 car 60 foot drive in Chicago but it will take you hours and hours to use that same machine on a 300 foot drive in upstate New York.  Read my reviews and I will try my best to help you get the right snowblower for you.

One last question: john writes: “just purchased the 88830 & I’m concerned about the engine. The Sears salesman told me it was a Briggs engine which i now know it is not. Can you tell me which MFG makes the engine & how do you rate it? i have always had faith in B&S, should i look for a unit with the B&S engine only? Thanks”

My Opinion: The manufacture of motors used on all of the Craftsman Snow Throwers this year is one of the largest small engine makers in the world.  They have the reputation of great motorcycle engines and companies like Harley Davidson even buy components from them.  All of the 2010/2011 Craftsman Snow Throwers use this motor this year.  It is labeled Craftsman but it is the same as the MTD, PowerMore, Troy-bilt, and Cub Cadet motors.  MTD has been using motors from this manufacture for almost 10 years now and they have a VERY good reputation for power, reliability, easy starting and parts availability. Of the 2000 or so snow throwers I saw sold over the last 3 years only a half dozen of the Powermore engines had problems I was aware of. (Better than the last Briggs Sears had)  Almost all the problems were fuel related.   See my post on Powermore engines for more information.

Features:

The Craftsman Model 88830 is designed to clear lots of snow quickly.  This size snowblower is a great value for the power, features and price compared to most 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.

Yes this snow thrower is a big 30 inch unit and will quickly clear even the largest driveways.  It will not fit through the side door of your garage.  It has a price tag that is probably more than many of you want to spend but half of what the other major manufactures charge for this capacity machine.   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:

* 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.  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 motor 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 and vibration free.  (Not all of the other manufactures have updated their literature as of Sept 19, 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.  It is actually easier to use than the 21 inch Model 88779.  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 last year was the 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 will 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 19 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 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 home 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 NOW! This model sold out by November 1st last year and I really expect this snowblower to sell out a few times this year.   I 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) driveways.

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

Accessories:

Here are the common accessories and wear items for your snow blower.  I strongly recommend you purchase a bag of shear pins now!  Tape them to the handle of your snow thrower.  Change your oil every year.  I also suggest you buy the belts and hang them on your garage wall.  They should last years but a heavy, wet snow, ice chunks, or a garden hose can easily burn out a belt.  Read the manual and learn how to change them out.  It is an easy operation IF you have practiced it when it is still warm out.

Craftsman Snowblower Shear Pins or Standard Shear Pins

Universal Poly Skid Shoes

Standard Snow Thrower Cab

Large Universal Snow Thrower Cab

Replacement Snowblower Belts Your 2 stage snowblower takes two belts. An Auger Belt and a Drive Belt. Go through this list and pick the two that match your model. (Free shipping from Sears.com) If you can’t find your belt use the banner in the right hand column to go to searspartsdirect.com. Be sure to write down the coupon code for your 10% discount.

4 cycle Snow Thrower Oil

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