 Great machine, mediocre engine |
| Review Date: January 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: John K., Gaylord, MI |
I'm on my second season with this snowblower, and I'm satisfied with it overall. Bought this particular model because of the 4-stroke engine, and past experience with Toro products. So far, no problems.
The convenience of having a 4-stroke engine is great, especially since I keep it in an unheated garage. Never has failed to start, although I did have to use the electric start for the first run of this season. Since the first start, though, two or three pulls has fired it up every time.
I'm not impressed by Toro's choice of the Tecumseh Snow-King engine. It's noisy, smelly, and rattles and vibrates quite a bit. It just feels crude. Granted, this unit is basically a substitute for a similar-sized two-stroke model (like my old CCR3000), but for the price I would have expected a more refined engine. Briggs, Robin, Honda all come to mind.
Despite the lackluster performance, the Tecumseh is holding up pretty well. I've got somewhere around 50 hours on the unit now, and have not spent a dime on maintenance - except for an oil change. I can live with the engine if it holds together for a good long time.
In my locale, we usually get around 150 inches on average. The deepest snowfall I've tackled so far was about 18 inches of powder, with 36-inch drifts. The unit handled that pretty easily, although the bigger drifts took a little grunting. I've got about 45 feet of double driveway and some sidewalk to clear, and the Toro usually finishes up in under an hour. Wet snow takes more time, though. The engine labors with heavy wet snow, but it rarely stalls out. For 5.5 horses, it's respectable.
End-of-driveway performance is about what you'd expect - the machine will get it done, but be prepared to back and smash. No paddle blower does this job very well, but the Toro does a decent job if the EOD hasn't set too long.
The chute director is really slick. It's amazing how fast you can change direction with one hand still pushing. Saved me many a facefull of snow when the wind was whipping up. The mechanism felt kind of delicate at first, but I'm happy to say that it works every time, and resists freeze-up really well. When frozen, it can easily be broken free. Five-star feature, IMHO.
With the handle folded up, the Toro takes up little space, and can be loaded into a large trunk or pickup with a bed cap. My garage is filled to capacity, so this is a definite plus.
If you're looking for a fairly lighweight unit for small-to-medium jobs, this is a great pick. For really heavy snow or unpaved surfaces, you're better off with a bigger (heavier) two-stage model. However, this little blower will take on the bigger jobs up to a point, providing that you're willing to horse it around agressively. C'mon men - let me hear you grunt!
My only complaint is the price. Seems awfully expensive, considering the total package. The competition is selling decent units for much less. As of yet, no big-box discounts seem to exist on this model. I suspect that the factory has something to do with this, but I can't say. If you can find one for, say, under 600 bucks, I'd recommend you snatch it up - you won't be disappointed. Even at full retail, I'm pleased with my purchase.
UPDATE: 16 JAN 2010
Just found out that Toro has released the second-generation 421QE. Major updates include a new engine, and a new pivoting scraper that looks pretty interesting. Otherwise, looks pretty much the same as the older model. Specs are hard to come by, but it appears that the new engine is a tad bigger, has an OHV configuration, and is manufactured in China. Some owners compare it to the Briggs R*Tek, which is high praise indeed. Be interesting to see what future reviewers have to say. The new engine could turn this snowblower into the best of class. Stay tuned. |
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