What do you do when snowfall blocks access to your house? Do you go the difficult way with a shovel or use a snowblower?
Today, most homeowners prefer the second approach. But that comes with the challenge of finding the best snowblower for your needs.
And here, we intend to help you out in making the right decision. Go through this comparison of Briggs and Stratton vs Toro Snowblower to know which company makes better products.
But before jumping on to the comparison, let’s dig a bit deeper into the subject.
Why do You Need a Snowblower?
Wondering why people are turning to snowblowers for clearing their driveways. More than one reasons support this.
- Using a shovel leaves you with cold hands and feet that you can prevent using a snowblower
- The machine saves time and effort, especially if you have a substantial property to clean
- Manual cleaning can cause snow compacting that, in turn, can cause hazards and challenges
- A snowblower lets you clear your driveway easily even in the worst weather conditions.
How to Find the Best Snowblower?
There are quite a few factors you must consider to get the best snowblower for you. Here’re some important ones.
Motor Type
Motors in snowblowers are of two types, electric and gas.
Electric motors are more convenient to use but are confined to single-stage, lighter-duty snowblowers.
Alternatively, gas motors bring in more power but need regular maintenance and fuel supply to operate.
Also, check for the power rating for each before buying to ensure you get what you need. Electric motors use amps as a unit for power rating while gas motors use horsepower as a unit.
Clearing Width
The width of the driveway you will clear in one go impacts the time you need to spend clearing it. Usually, snowblowers are available with 20-25 inches clearing widths.
However, you can also find models with widths up to 30 inches and narrower ones with less than 20-inch width. While that may impact the cost as well, decide on how much width is right for your snow clearing needs.
Speed Control
You can control the speed at which your snowblower operates if it allows you to do so.
While many machines come with a single-speed function, you can find multiple speed options in 2-stage and 3-stage snowblowers.
In addition to this option, you will also need to check if the lever for speed control is easily accessible.
Usually, levers are available near handgrips but if that’s out of reach, spending more on the speed control feature won’t be worth it.
Electric Start
Don’t confuse it with the motor type variation. An electric start is a different feature of a machine.
An electric start lets you turn on your snowblower with the push of a button. It’s much more convenient than the manual pull-cord option. And, you can get the electric start feature to save time with both gas and electric motor snowblowers.
Briggs and Stratton vs Toro Snowblower – Comparing the Options
While both companies have attained a reputation for quality products, let’s compare Briggs and Stratton vs Toro Snowblower in various departments.
Quality
Both Toro, as well as Briggs and Stratton, have sustained in the industry for a long and that’s only possible with quality products.
Currently, Toro deals in both 1-stage and 2-stage snowblowers which are among the most dependable ones in the market. Similarly,
Briggs and Stratton also have some reliable products including good quality heavy-duty units.
However, Toro takes a leap here by being the only brand for using a single-piece frame without any shear pin on 2-stage products.
Economy
Toro is known to produce high-end snowblowers. The brand is not known for economy products. On the other hand, Briggs and Stratton’s brand deals with economy products.
But still, Toro’s SnowMaster is a good fit in the economic range of what other brands market as economic products.
Residential Products
Toro’s Power Max product line is considered a standard by many reviewers for comparing other products. Briggs also has a dedicated line of residential snow blowers.
Heavy Duty Products
Both brands have a range of heavy-duty snow blowers but the ones from Toro are considered better.
Toro’s Power Max HD product line is considered better than many other products in the market. So, if you are concerned about heavy and wet snow, check their HD snow blowers.
Commercial SnowBlowers
Briggs and Stratton have a dedicated range of commercial snow blowers as well. But Toro doesn’t offer a separate line of commercial machines.
However, it does state its 1-stage and 2-stage snowblowers to be the best for professional use.
Tracked, Brush, and Tractor Attachments
Although none of the brands offers a tracked walk-behind, Toro’s zero-turn transforms its snowblowers into tracked units.
Comparing the brush options, Toro offers a 36-inch all-season commercial power boom but the other brand offers none.
Also, there are no tractor attachments available from both brands. But Toro takes another leap here by offering high-capacity snow blowers for some zero-turn mowers.
Sales and After-sales Service
Toro snowblowers are only available in Home Depot’s retail and online stores. But Briggs and Stratton sell through numerous retail and online dealers.
In terms of the dealer network, repair, and availability of parts, both brands have maintained large chains of independent dealers.
Wrap Up – Briggs and Stratton vs Toro Snowblower
To conclude, the comparison of Briggs and Stratton vs Toro Snowblower states that both deal in high-quality and reliable products.
However, Toro deals with high-end products but Briggs and Stratton cater to the economic market. Besides, Toro takes a lead in tracked and tractor attachment departments and is known for HD snowblowers.
FAQs
Are Toro snow blowers any good?
Toro makes some reliable and high-quality snow blowers. Among the options, the SnowMaster 824 QXE is known as a great solution for areas that get a lot of snow.
Who makes Toro snow blower engines?
Most of the Toro snow blowers use engines from the Loncin brand. But some of its products might also be equipped with engines from Honda and Briggs & Stratton.
Where are Briggs and Stratton snow blowers made?
Briggs & Stratton started with manufacturing units in the USA. Even today, 85% of its engines are made at plants in Missouri, Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama.
What snowblowers use Briggs and Stratton engines?
Many brands use engines from Briggs and Stratton including John Deere, Toro, MTD Yard Machines, Troy-Bilt, Cub Cadet, Cub Cadet, Craftsman, Snapper, Swisher, Ariens, Poulan Pro, and Gravely.