I updated this article for 2011 and you can read the new one here: 2011 Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, Yardman, MTD Pro, Yard-Machines, Craftsman®/MD Snow Blowers What’s the Difference?

Paul,
“I was looking at your reviews on your website MovingSnow.Com and was reading the reviews that you were giving. I must admit that you saved me from making a huge mistake. A friend of mine was going to give me his old 22” Sears Craftsman snow blower (it needs work). After reading your review on how much of a piece of crap the thing is; I went out and bought myself a 26” Troy Built 2 stage. Do you have any reviews about this machine? I would be curious on your thoughts. Also I’m a person that believes in preventive maintenance. Any advice on what the best way to take care of my investment so that it will work at peak performance? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time and honesty,” Kurt

Kurt purchased a Troy-Bilt Storm 2620 From Lowes.  He has a driveway about 25’ X 60’,  sidewalk and  back patio. Last winter he got slammed with a total of 84” of snow. He said, “I’m hoping that we don’t have a repeat, but I would like to be prepared if we do.”

My Response:

It’s not which is the best snow thrower.  It which snow thrower is best for you!

Kurt, all of the snow blowers manufactured by MTD are similar.  They will all give you years of service for your size driveway. The main three differences are price, service, and each retailer has a few exclusive features that you can use to differentiate the snow throwers. In this article, I will take a 26 inch, Cub Cadet, Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, Yard Machine, and Yardman and compare each one. (Note the info I use is from Sears.com, Lowes.com, Cubcadet.com, HomeDepot.com and Amazon.com)  You can easily use what you learn here to compare the other sizes and brands.

Engine Size

Cub Cadet:  26 inch 277 cc Authorized Dealers.

Craftsman: 26 inch 208 cc Sears.com

Troy-Bilt: 26 inch 208 cc Lowes.com

Yard Machines: 26 inch 208 cc HomeDepot.com

Yard-Man: 26 inch 208 cc Amazon.com

My Opinion: The Cub Cadet clearly has the largest motor.  Cub Cadet has always tried to be a little better than the other brands manufactured by MTD so this is not suprise.

Price:

Cub Cadet:  Highest price (Can sometimes be negotiated)

Craftsman: Best Value for features. Sears.com

Troy-Bilt: “Tries To Be Lowest Price.” Lowes.com (Sears is taking their 2011 “Turf War” price and availability campaign into snow blowers.  Good Luck to the rest of the big box stores.)

Yard Machines: Now that I have you in the store I would rather sell you a high priced Ariens. HomeDepot.com

Yard-Man: Northern Tool

My opinion: Although The Troy-Bilt at Lowes is usually the lowest price it does not have all the features of the Craftsman, Cub Cadet and Yard-Man

Chute Control

Cub Cadet:  4-way extended. Authorized Dealers.

Craftsman: 4-way extended. Sears.com

Troy-Bilt: 2-way Lowes.com

Yard Machines: Manual Short. HomeDepot.com

Yard-Man: 4-Way.  Northern Tool

My opinion: The 4 way chute allows you to precisely put the snow where you want it.  If you have never owned a snow blower where you can control both the chute and the discharge from behind the machine you don’t know what you are missing.

Skids:

Cub Cadet:  Large Poly Authorized Dealers.

Craftsman: Small Poly Sears.com

Troy-Bilt: Steel Lowes.com

Yard Machines: Steel HomeDepot.com

Yard-Man: Large Poly  Northern Tool

My opinion: The poly skids don’t scratch your cement driveway or sidewalks. In other words you won’t have brown (rust streaks) on your driveway in the spring.  The large ones will last longer than the smaller skids on the Craftsman but they are only $30 when you need to replace them.

Warranty:

Cub Cadet:  3 year limited. Authorized Dealers.

Craftsman: 2 year limited.  optional 3 and 5 year full Protection Plan.  Buy the “home” plan. If you live anywhere in the United States Sears will come to you and fix the snow blower. Sears.com

Troy-Bilt: 2 year limited. optional 3 and 4 year full extended warranty. Lowes will send a technician to your home if you paid more than $800 your snow blower. Lowes.com

Yard Machines: 2 year limited. Website does not show extended plans. HomeDepot.com

Yard-Man: 2 year limited. 2 year addtional that includes damage.  Northern Tool

My opinion: The Craftsman clearly is the winner here.  Limited warranties only cover manufacture defects, don’t cover getting the snowblower to the repair technician and very seldom cover the labor to replace the part.   Above all, manufacture defects warranties DO NOT cover carburetor and fuel related issues.  Lowes has a 4 year extended warranty but the Sears Protection Plan costs less to own, is longer, and covers more things that will go wrong with your snow blower.

Summary:

As I said at the beginning, the main three differences are price, service, and a few exclusive features each retailer has. Here is my opinion on the three.

Features. Getting the exact machine and features for you is the top priority.  The 4-way chute control is nice. It is built better than the 2009 and older models and will hold up well.  The extended chute does a better job of putting the snow where you want it.   Being able to accurately put the snow where you want it can be a real blessing if your driveway is right up against your house or you have fences and other obstacles to go over.

Service. Getting it repaired should be your second priority.  Dumb things happen with snow blowers.  You forget to pickup the garden hose, your kids leave a toy in the drive, you don’t mark the edge of your patio with stakes, or some jerk throws a frozen bottle of water out of their car and you find it hiding in the snow.  If you do all of the repairs yourself, know how to get parts, have a heated garage, and don’t bother with warranties, buy the cheapest model.  If you don’t want to fix your machine, don’t know how to, or don’t have the time, buying an extended warranty or Protection Plan is the way to go.  Sears clearly has the best value here.  They use their own trained technicians, The technicians will come to you, have the longest plan, and the lowest cost per month. Just call 1-800-4MY-HOME to schedule the service and your snow blower gets fixed.

Price.  Price is the last item to think about.  If you have a Cub Cadet Dealer down the street and the nearest Lowes or Home Depot is 60 miles away…….. buy the Cub Cadet. Sears is taking their 2011 “Turf War” price and availability campaign into snow blowers.  Good Luck to the rest of the big box stores.

Go here to read all of my reviews:  2011 Reviews

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