Side by Side Comparison of: Briggs & Stratton vs Classic Accessories

Other than dealing with a freight delivery issue/hassle, (not Amazon's fault), I'm happy so far with this machine and the decision to purchase it.
I researched many makes and sizes of snowblowers before springing for this one. Even tho it's "made in China" as the box states, like nearly every other machine you can purchase today, I like that this one has a Briggs branded/designed engine, as well as a three year bumper to bumper warranty. To me this made this one a great value for the price.
Putting it together wasn't too bad, but the illustrations and instructions in the manual could be better. Like other reviewers, I used better quality bolts from a hardware store to attach the main lower handle bracket. The ones included looked cheap and I read they can strip. Just bring one along to match it up at the store. I had no issues with hardware otherwise.
Mine came with oil already in the crankcase, and it fired right up immediately and runs great. Not too loud either. Controls are easy to use and all functions seem to operate as they should. Makes a little racket as the auger is engaged, but that's to be expected.
I will update this post upon using it for clearing snow.

I would highly recommend this machine. I found the assembly relatively easy....and I have no mechanical abilities. The snow blower started right up and runs very well, very quiet but powerful at the same time. I like the placement of the controls and the fact there is no external crank sticking out of the side of the machine for the directional control of the snow shute....makes it easier to store as well. The light which comes on automatically is also a great feature during night snow blowing. I think the optional electric/pull start is a fantastic feature and wish my old blower had that, especially when i pulled the cord to start my old one during a blizzard and it and snapped off due to wear. The machine itself seem solid and well made. The only cautionary comment would be to make sure the unit has oil before starting it and using it. My machine was shipped with oil, but apparently could have been shipped without it as well.....so check the dip stick before starting for the first time and look at it carefully because the fill line is very small and hard to see at first.

First, let me just give a general tip to everyone looking to buy this snowblower, and others at any random time. Do your PRICE RESEARCH! For some reason, prices vary on this particular thrower by a LOT. MSRP on this is 729 USD. When i bought it (weekend that Snowzilla, aka mid-atlantic blizzard of 2016 that dumped over 2 feet of snow in the DC area), it was sold by Amazon for 679 USD. It's sold in the past for as little as 649. However, within a few days of the blizzard, the price went up to 749, then 840, and now 979 as i type this. I urge my fellow consumers to not allow such blatant price gauging to be rewarded. This machine is fantastic, but you shouldn't have to pay 250 dollars above the MSRP.

Now, about the machine itself. setup wasn't too bad, i wasn't familiar with snow blowers, so it took me a few minutes to know what the heck they were referring to when they mentioned different cables that needed to be attached. But after i put it together, i put it to a test with some packed 2 foot high (and higher) piles of snow in front of my house. This snow had been melting a bit over the week since the blizzard, so it was packed and slushy. This baby churned through it like a champ. I had to go a bit slower, back it up, go again, in order for it to get through, but it made it through. I'm sure that when i get to use this on fresh powdery snow it will be even easier.

the only complaint i have is that it's hard to turn it. The wheels don't spin independently, so you kind of have to drag it around to turn it. Other than that though, i've extremely pleased with it.

P.S. for those that never heard of this, there's a website called camelcamelcamel dot com (yes, "camel" 3 times). COpy and paste the Amazon URL of the product you want, and it will show you the price over the last 6 months or so. Very handy.

Delivered right in time-thank you Amazon Prime and Pilot Freight. This snow blower is worth every penny and has given my family such peace of mind during this blizzard. Our previous snow blower never worked consistently. The only thing to look out for are the terrible assembly instructions. You really have to study each image in order to follow them. The biggest parts are already together which is a huge plus, but you will need to do smaller tasks, like the chute installation, deflector cable installation, etc. Having said that it still only took 1 hour to put it together.

I ordered this taking a chance because of only 1 review. I was not disappointed. This snowblower is a beast! It starts easily and plows through all of the heavy stuff. I live on the benches in Utah and we get heavy wet snow. This thing does the trick. I have bought a Toro one stage blower in the past and it works well, but it can't clean the end of the driveway where the city snow plow dumps several feet of ice chunks. This blower powers right through it! I also live on a rather steep hill and so I can attest that the traction on this is great. It has the power to blow the snow and go up a steep hill. Yesterday, I plowed through 16 inches of heavy wet snow with no problem.

Setup was not too bad. The pictures could have been more detailed. It took about an hour to get it all put together.

Start-up is simple; just a pull or two and you're good to go. My daughter likes to use the electric start.

Metal chute and heavy gauge metal shovel. I also like the three-year warranty on everything. I would certainly buy this again.

Great cover for the price! I got this so I could keep the snow blower close to the house rather than way back in the shed. I took a chance on this cheap, generic cover, and it exceeded my expectations! I left my snow blower outside all winter here in NH, and it protected it nicely and the cover hasn't shown any signs of wear. Took me a couple tries to figure out how to cover it properly, but once I did there is still room to.spare for my SnowTek. Well worth the purchase.

I use this cover to protect My craftsman 24 inch snow thrower. I've had it 2.5 years now and still no rips. I do keep the machine covered inside my shed during the summer. But, I leave the machine covered outside beginning in December thru March here in the Midwest.

Awesome product. It fits my Ariens 642E perfectly, full coverage with a complete seal around the base. The integrated stuff sack is a fantastic feature, so you won't have to hunt around for it when you want to store the cover off the blower. It's a bit thin, so a little common sense is needed to put it on the blower around any sharp parts that could poke through it. It's not ridiculously thin, about like a microfiber windbreaker/rain jacket, but don't expect it to do your job of protecting against sharp edges for you, its not heavy canvas.

This cover is absolutely awesome! I ordered a cover from the place that sold us the snow blower. After one good gust during a nor'easter, it took flight and ended up in the woods - found by a hiker, the same day this cover was delivered. Well, the one that took flight makes a fine bike cover and I could NOT BE MORE PLEASED with this cover. It fits nice and snug and it's not made from cheap plastic. This is a quality cover for very fair $$.It's roomy enough to cover the whole unit, but it has a nice tight fit at the bottom, no way will it take flight like the old cover did. It sheds water, snow and ice.The seller deserves better because he shipped me a quality product in a very timely fashion and it took me till now to finish my review. I highly recommend this product and when I'm in need again of this type of product I'll gladly shop this seller first!

This will work great if you take apart the chute and fold it down, like the ad picture. Otherwise with the chute up, it will barely cover the bottom part of the snow thrower. I like that this will fold up into a bag that is attach to the cover, make it very easy to put it away when it is not needed. Not the best thing for snow thrower if you don't want to go the extra distance and remove the chute every time you want to store it away.Correction to above review, You can cover the entire 26 inches snow blower with the chute stay attach to the machine. Just turn the chute 90 degree inward... :) ... re-rated to 5 stars... It was operator error... :P

I live in New England and because I have no garage I leave my snowblower out it the weather. (It starts and runs fine... It is a tank!!)I ordered this cover without high expectations. It fits my large snowblower well. The material is strong and doesn't break, cut or wear badly, even in the icy cold weather. The elastic holds tight to the blower and doesn't blow off even with just having a major nor'easter coming through.I'm very happy with it. I've had it on outside for 3 months now. I'll buy the same when this wears out as they inevitably do.

Pretty solid machine. Engine is great starts every time and some very important features too. The ability to drive the machine with one free hand is crucial and very helpful. Lots of adjustable speeds and seems to handle the heavy stuff well. I did break a shear bolt under what seemed like pretty normal conditions but shear bolts are designed to break so you dont damage the transmission but it was a pain none the less. Briggs and Stratton were great and offered free bolts as it happened on the third use.

The assembly instructions could use some improvement, but I was still able to assemble in about half an hour using common sense. Engine was already filled with oil upon delivery (+), and it started up immediately with no problems.

Bit concerned for long term maintenance as there is no oil filter, and the drain plug is poorly placed and will be messy to change. The carburetor is also completely inaccessible which is troublesome.

**UPDATE*. Just used it for first heavy snow of the season. I was very happy with its power, throwing capability, and ease of starting. I was very disappointed that within 2 minutes, not one but BOTH shear pins broke in the auger. This is on a non-gravel, paved driveway where the predecessor blower hasnt broken a pin in 15+ years.

Make sure you buy extra shear pins!!!!

This is a beast. Easy to assemble (Google the model number and there's a great assembly video on the B&S website); took me about an hour taking my time. Self propelled is nice, one hand operation is great. Wish it had power steering but I don't think it will be that big of deal.

The manual said it was shipped without oil, however that was not correct. It had some oil in the crankcase and when I put in the correct amount and started it up oil started pouring out the vent. I drained the oil and started it up again and all is well. Engine started so easy. It has an electric starter but didn't need it. One pull and it starts.

I'd say it took me about 2 hours to assemble. The directions were just ok - after a bit of studying I was able to figure it out. Last weekend's major storm here in the Northeast was my first chance to use it. The first pass was done after about 18" had fallen. It ate through the snow without any issues. More than enough power to throw the snow quite a distance, and good traction. I like that it is a bit wider (27" vs 24") and has a larger engine (250CC vs 208CC) than the compact models. On the downside that may make it a little harder to handle and turn, since it does not have power steering. Overall I think it is a very good machine for the price, and I'm pleased with the purchase.

It's definitely not for outdoor use! Think of it as a dust cover and you're on the right track.As a dust cover, for the price, it's nice. I'm using it on a new 24" Craftsman 2 stage. It would fit correctly EXCEPT some of these newer new snow blowers have the very tall discharge chute which this cover is not designed for, hence on one side by the front doesn't go to the ground like it should. Still acceptable to me.

This Classic Accessories 52-003-040105-00 Two-Stage Snow Thrower Cover is a good cover but it sees a little light weight and thin. It will easily blow off your snow thrower I would recommend picking up some high powered magnets to secure the cover onto the side of your snow thrower I have not had it blow off since I have used the magnets between the cover and the snow thrower. Do not put this cover on your snow thrower when it is hot as it will easily melt if it touches your exhaust muffler.

Got this cover for our Craftsman 26" snowblower with some reservation after reading the reviews here, because I wasn't certain that it would fit over the unit. As it turned out, it fits perfectly (see attached picture). With the chute rotated fully to one side, the entire unit can be covered.It loses one star because the material isn't terribly thick or robust, but it's more than sufficient to keep snow off your snowblower if it's left outside. Would expect it to last a few seasons at least. Fine value for the money.

I like the quality of this item! Covered the snowblower - FINALLY! This cover seems durable but only gave it four stars since I'll have to check how well it protected the snowblower once November returns. The fit is perfect on my Poulan two-stage blower and there doesn't seem to be any stress points that might poke through the cover. Only time and the heat of summer will prove that out. The cover folds into a surprisingly small package that will fit into a pouch that is attached to the cover making storage simple and easy. I'll update this review when it is time to once again un-cover the blower!

Fits my 26" two stage like a glove. However, this is the second one I've owned. I don't have a storage facility so the snow blower sits outside, covered, next to the house. If you're storing your machine in covered storage then this cover will be perfect. If you have to store your machine outside don't expect more than 2 seasons from this cover. The UV eventually breaks down the fabric.

I can't say for sure how long this cover will last, but it does seem to be exactly the same as the one I purchased from Amazon 3 years ago that was made by a different company. That cover had weakened over time due to the elements and got to the point where it ripped pretty easily (the cover is pretty thin right out of the box). I use it to cover my snow blower (Sears Craftsman 2-stage) for about 7 off-winter months here in New England, and during this time it is kept outside in a spot where it does get rained on and endures the summer sun for some of the day. It does fit perfectly and keeps the machine dry, but since this cover appears to be the same material, I would think I will probably get the same life out of this one. You may get more or less life out of yours depending on the conditions and location of where it is stored.

It came dented works fine

there were several problems the item came without assembly or operator manuals. There was no oil or any instructions on what oil to install in the unit.Missing several pieces of hardware needed to assemble the item. 1 tire was flat. Disappointed in this purchase. I have never experienced such poor service from Amazon before. Please advise what can be done to correct this situation

Well I haven't been able to use it yet. Of course we got it after all the big storms decided to hit. Go figure....

Putting it together was painful! It was really a pain in the butt. Took a few hours to do it.

It had some trouble with wet snow but did the job. I should have gone for the 250cc one. Also, getting spare parts is difficult. None of the local dealers have any spare part for this machine. I should have bought Ariens from a local dealer.

Arrived missing the engine key. Spent 1 hr on the phone so they could look up the part. Should be on the way... can't comment on performance yet. Looks like Bridds & Straton bought Murray and this may be a rebranded Murray machine. I spent hours looking for backup parts; this is what I thin- belts parts 707585 drive and 797584 auger. Ordered from Sears. Shear pins 707555. My best guess.

This cover was good but only lasted two seasons before deteriorating and eventually ripping apart. I guess that about what you could expect for 22 bucks though....You have to be careful or it could easily rip on the snow chute or another metal part when putting it on.

Very nice cover however it's very thin I know it's not going to last very long and for $25 I expect better second problem there's a little bag that it all comes out of the little pouch however after you open it up and I have it on my snowblower that little pouch hangs out like a little parachute blowing in the wind catching rain catching snow I guess I could take the cover back off and put it on the inside however it's not very easy to slide over and I don't want to do it all over again so for now it's staying the way it is

This product is best suited for the smaller 2-stage snowblowers It will not fit well on any machine larger than 26 inches. Product does not fit well on my 11 HP/28 inch Ariens and 9hp/28 inch Honda. A motorcycle cover will work better on the larger machines.

Worked good while it lasted but I bought it in 2015 and it is now 2017 and I need to replace it. The material is badly sun damaged and very fragile.

This isn't too bad. It does fit, but it could stand to be a little bit bigger. I have a TORO 26" 2 stage snow blower and it barely fits. I will keep the snow blower in a shed when not being used, so it's not critical for it to be completely covered from the elements. If I had to keep this outside, this cover probably would not be sufficient. It would need to be bigger. It goes over everything, but doesn't go all the way to the ground, so the tires aren't completely covered and the front doesn't go all the way to the ground. The material is pretty good, but again...it won't be in the elements.

Fits a Husqvarna 2-stage well. Quality is mediocre. Glad I'm just using it to keep crud off he machine during summer storage as the thin material will likely tear easily if anything gets dropped against it. Can't imagine it holding up to weather.

Not impressed with this unit. It works ok in fresh fluffy snow. I had a Honda single stage snow blower for years and finally decided to upgrade. Unfortunately this isn't as much of an upgrade as I thought. Power seems low and it won't drive itself through much snow. I was hoping for a lot more, it does start easy and hasn't vibrated apart yet.

Works okay with light snow but still an insane physical workout to remove the snow and I am in great shape. The blower is garbage in wet spring snow over a foot. After 4 uses I am ready to get rid of the blower and buy a ATV with a ploy again. For me this was a waste of money and failure.

A word of caution; since you only have 30 days to return, don't do what I did and wait for snow before starting. The engine started fine but the snow blower started moving away dragging the line cord without the traction handle being held down. The unit moved about 10' before I could turn it off. If it hadn't been for 10" of snow enabling the wheels to slip as I held on it would have gone further. Now all I need is a pickup truck to lug this to a dealer for repair-should be just about Springtime when I get it back

The good: It is a beast. It can handle serious snow. I am very pleased with its snow clearing ability.
The bad: The flipping thing won't start. It has never pull-started (I have always had to use the electric backup starter). I was using it today and it sputtered and died. It won't start again. There is gas in the tank.
I bought it a few months ago. It was plowing its fourth snowfall when it died. Not happy.

Blasts through snow fine but the auger housing is crooked. The attachment bolt holes are not slotted, so the scraper blade (which is not adjustable) contacts the driveway on one side but has a quarter inch gap on the other. My choice was to figure out how to repackage it for return shipment (no way to get it out of the box without cutting it apart) or re-engineer it myself. I made the bolt holes on the scraper blade slotted in a drill press so I could adjust that; got rid of about half the problem. Better but I don't like it. Will never buy something this big and hard to ship online again.

Was too small and did not cover the Toro snowblower.

I have a mid '90s 24" Simplicity 2-stage self propelled snow blower. That is NOT a big snowblower. This cover is about 25% too small. No matter what I did, I just couldn't get it to cover more than the auger housings, engine, and wheels. The handles and gear shifter were completely exposed. I also feel that the material is too flimsy, and may cut easily. If you have a non-self propelled 2-stroke snowblower, this will probably work fine. They tend to be noticeably smaller than mine.

I decided to store my blower outdoor until I get the garage cleaned out, hence i bought the cover. It fit nice on my cub cadet 2x 528swe. I thought it was a good buy but the first decent wind storm we got, it blew off and away. It doesn't have sinch ties so I would recommend finding one that does. I had it tucked under the skids and Tires when this happened. I only had it on for a day so I wansnt too happy about it.

I bought 2 of these. One for a 21inch single stage Cub Cadet snow blower and the other for a 24inch SnoTek snow blower. While the cover is a bit big for the Cub cadet it does the job of keeping it covered form dust and grim while stored in my garage. I returned the second cover as there is no way that it would fit on the 24inch SnoTek. It is just not big enough or the right shape to fit that snow blower.While the cover would be "good enough" to keep dust and grim off my snow blower while stored in a garage by no means is it of a quality for long-term storage outside in the elements. The material is a thin quality that would rip easily or deteriorate in the hot sun. Spend you money on something with a bit more substance that actually will fit and last.

This is the second time I have purchased this same item number from Amazon. The first purchase (about 3 years ago) fit perfectly and withstood the weather very well. This second purchased cover does not fit the same snow blower. It is at least 4" short of material to cover the equipment. Very disappointing as the cover is of good quality material and not even close to fitting properly.

Be aware that although this product is described as being made of a "heavy duty fabric", it is not. It appears to be made of thin vinyl. If you are storing your snowblower inside a structure and you just want to keep it otherwise clean and dust free, this might work, but for how long?

I'm freaking out right now because we're in the middle of a blizzard and this piece of garbage broke before we even got the first pass done on the driveway. It hit a stick, which is supposed to make the sheer pin break and protect all the insides, then you just replace the sheer pin (it comes with extras). But instead, that didn't brake and the whole gear box broke! Now we're trapped in our house, with no way to leave, and a busted snow blower! We're expecting 18-24" of snow and have a huge driveway. Not very happy at all... we've owned this for exactly 3 months, and have used it twice so far for mild storms. 2 uses for $900!?! I'd rather pay to have it plowed. BUYER BEWARE!!!

This does not work as advertised. It can only function on a powdery snow. The chute gets jammed with snow and the engine shuts down with only 3 inches of snow. Wasted money because there was no snow to test this thing when I bought it and now I cannot even return it after seeing the results. Had to shovel the big drive way manually even after spending this much money, very disappointing.

The snowblower arrived in the box but covered with oil. My guess is that somebody during shipping turned the box over for a while to allow this oil to come out. So I checked and the oil wasn't within the operating range, so I put more oil in the unit and finished assembling it. Tomorrow I will start it up when I have gas. Hopefully this won't keep it from starting up if the oil has gotten anywhere it shouldn't. I'll see tomorrow and follow up with an update and possibly more stars.

shipper was not very good. box was upside down and oil spilled all over the outside of box.

I bought this because of the Briggs engine. I used it for the first time yesterday and it kept bogging down with just 3" of snow. I was disappointed. Then overnight we get a lot of snow so I can only take in about 6" at a time and that's on the lowest speed.

Then it stops. Restart and stops again. I look in the collection area and the whole metal casing that moves the auger cracked. See picture. Can't believe it. So now I'm stuck with no blower and a ton of snow on my driveway while my wife laughs because she wanted to continue out snow service.

UPDATE

Amazon fully refunded me the same day and let me keep the machine, which Briggs & Stratton fixed fixed quickly without any cost. The machine is brand new again. My guess is that it was more of a freak issue.

This cover is a piece of junk. I bought a light weight tarp from WalMart that's thicker and does a better job of covering my snow blower. Also, you can actually move the machine with the tarp on, not like the cover purchased. Enough said.

This cover did not hold up against the elements after only two winters.

The material used for this product is extremely thin & doesn't fit properly, DEFINITELY NOT WORTH THE MONEY!

Doesn't fix way to small for 2 stage snow blower

flimsy poor quality.

Does not fit my Cub Cadet 2X 26" Snowblower. I bought this one as it's the bigger of the two I noticed from this company. It stated it fit 2 stage snowblowers....it doesn't fit mine. Material is thin. Similar to a Gas Grill Cover I own that ripped after a year of use inside the garage. I decided to cut the elastic cord on the bottom and make two slits along the seams to get this to fit. I'll make due with this until winter.