Yard-Man 31AH7L3G701 10HP 28-Inch Track Drive 2-Stage Snow Thrower w/ Single Lever Discharge Control

Comment: I have one of these and I love it. It has the grip to shove it's way thru a drift. In the transport setting you can do stone drives without picking up and throwing the stones.Also the machine self balances itself which really helps keep you up when you lose your footing. Very easy to start even without using the 120V electric start.
The only down side to this whole machine is rarely it throws a track off at the worst time. It takes a 1/2" wrench to put it back on, but your doing it oout in the snow at the time. The power steering is really a great thing as well. I am a tall person so the 6 speed forward keeps it up with my pace. Tracks are definitly the way to go if you can afford it. If I had to buy one again I would.

Comment: I would give this machine a 5 star rating with one exception, and that is the electronic chute control. During the first use of my second snow season, the electronic chute quit turning. With a friend (former sears tech.) we took the motor apart and found excessive carbon buildup. I am now having to remove the motor and clean the brushes each time I need to use the machine. Replacement motor will run ~ $180 plus shipping currently. Wish there was a manual chute kit available. Other than that, it starts first pull every time. Great for tight spaces - able to do outdoor wheelchair ramps with 180* turn in the middle because of the steering. Great handwarmers help on long projects as well. Overall, would recommend to everyone.

Comment: I bought my yardman thru Amazon 2 years ago and it still runs just as well with or without the electric start. It still look brand new also. I live in the northeast so I do get enough use out of it. I even do my neighbors driveway with it. The reason I got the tracks instead of wheels is because I live on a hill and I wanted to make sure I could go up and down with ease, although I probably could have saved some money by getting chains put on a wheeled model. As another reviewer said, the steering is a bonus, especially for the snow thrower with tracks. My brother-in-law owns the Honda with tracks and it cost him about $1000.00 more with no steering. Also this come with a halogen light built in, with the Honda, you have to purchase a light kit, another $150.00 but the yardman does not throw the snow nearly as far as the Honda. The specs say it will throw snow up to 40 feet. I have tried it in all conditions,blizzard, wet, light snow and the most I have ever gotten was about 25 ft. I've seen the Honda throw it better than 50ft. If you need to do a huge area, distance is an important feature. Also, newer models have the joystick chute rotation which I think is a must have. I wish they sold a conversion kit for this model. I would save a lot of time. Overall, this is a very good snowthrower and it has not given me any problems in 2+ yrs of duty, but I would definitely recommend going with a chute rotation

Comment: I own an MTD manufactured Sears track drive snow thrower almost exactly like the Yard Man model shown here. My MTD made Sears machine is now 6 1/2 years old. I do my own service and buy MTD parts because they are the same and cheaper once you make the model number switch. You should Keep a spare friction wheel rubber and drive belt and auger belts ( U need 2 auger belts for one change ) along with a few extra shear bolts in your personal inventory. Changing all these items is really easy but you need to try this in warm weather not during a blizzard when you discover they need changing. All these items last 3-4 years of normal use. Use 100% synthetic oil in the engine it does not thicken when cold like ordinary oil. Also never fill the gas tank unless with gasoline that has fuel stabilizer added to it. I installed a Briggs & Stratton in line fuel shut-off valve, purchased for about 5 bucks, and I run the fuel out each time I shut off the machine. Mine is easy to start as a result, even without the electric start. CR has consistently rated these machines at the top of their charts for many years. They are an excellent buy, and can be maintained by any person who is handy with a set of ordinary tools. Read the owners manual, learn the adjustments ( they are moronically easy to do) and this simple machine will save you from the back breaking work of shoveling snow, and never let you down. MTD has refined the machine over the years and it works well, as CR learned when they compared ( the wheeled version) to other machines.

Comment: I have two of these for my two homes. I really love track drive snowthrowers, especially cause one of my homes has a very steep driveway, and these rigs will always go up the hill.

I recently bought a Honda top of the line track drive model and hated it because it did not have skid-steer capabilities, like these YardMan models do. The only down-side to these YardMan units is the Tecumseh engines are fairly loud and you may wish to use ear protection with them.

The grip heaters are very useful when the temperatures are very cold.