Side by Side Comparison of: Toro vs Briggs & Stratton

Unbelieveable improvement for an 8 year old unit. My blower was sucking. Couldn't push snow, and clogged up constantly. This overhaul kit now allows the blower to blow. Went from pushing snow 10 feet to 25+. Pay attention to the R/L orientation of the paddles-- I inadvertently installed two backwards and had to remove and reorient. Overall, took about an hour to overhaul the blower.

This is an excellent OEM kit. All parts are included and install was easier than I thought. A little over an hour with no break. I would only recommend a Honda NGK BPR5ES spark plug and oil change for a complete maintenance update. A stubby slot screwdriver and an offset 6mm wrench are handy. Outside paddle nuts do not have clearance for 6mm socket wrench. When installing the paddles only put the nuts on one or two turns until all of the bolts are installed and then tighten. I put the center paddles on last. I used a vise grip to straighten the lip where the wear blade wore through. Before installing I hit the exposed metal and minor rust spots with Rustoleum Rust Reformer for a new looking machine.

It arrived on time, so today my husband showed my son how to put this together on our snowblower. Quality time, quality parts! My son was delighted that he was able to fix the machine--it broke last year, and we hand shovelled quite a bit of snow! Should have ordered this last year! We appreciate the great price and the fast service. Tonight through tomorrow we are expecting 6"-10" in our area. This will come in so handy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

All parts came packaged in OEM plastic bags with full tags.The rubber auger paddles had that super thick OEM quality and the whole "thin, thin, thick" appearance.The scraper bar looked nice and sturdy and had the same heft and material quality as the worn out OEM part I replaced.The belt had the same markings as the OEM part I replaced.Annoyingly, the auger paddle bolts all came packaged individually. Make sure you free them all and not throw one out accidentally.Kind of wish new nuts were included, but mine were in reusable shape.The scraper bar bolts and nuts are not included, but that may or may not be a big deal. I cut my rusted carriage bolts off and used 1" 5/16 stainless socket button head screws, washers, and nylocks. The carriage bolt design used is incredibly annoying on the HS520. Who designs carriage bolts to be held in place by sheet metal?Great parts kit, and will buy this again in the future.

Keep a spare box!!! My Honda HS 720 is only a year old but i bought these to have spare parts on hand. I have learned over the years that parts always fail when you need the machine the most. I will most likely use the whole kit in the next year or two depending on our Northeast winters!! Everything in this kit is a wearable part so it is inevitable that you will need them at some point. These are genuine OEM parts. I also bought spare NGK Plugs while I was ordering this. NGK (7734) BPR5ES Spark Plugs Pack of 4 The 4 pack is somewhat overkill as the manual only suggests replacement every 100 Hours.

Everything I needed to change out the rubber on my machine was included. The process was pretty easy and the instructions were clear. Saved myself $$$ from going to a service shop. The machine has worked flawlessly through the first couple of snows this year.

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.

All original Honda OEM componetns. I needed to shave one of the paddles a bit..but I think that is just because the body of my snowblower is all banged up. It would be nice if the kit included new fasteners for the scraper bar as it does for the paddles, mine were horribly rusted.

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 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.

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.

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.