[AT] Fw: Snow Blower REPOST using new acct...

Dick Day ddss at telebeep.com
Sat Oct 30 12:18:39 PDT 2010



I have my flame suit on :)

I checked around with local implement dealers as well as on-line ag search
engines and found little in the way of used or new 72" snow blowers for
under $2k.

So, despite all of the excellent reasons not to buy the $1399 Braber from
Northern Tools... I just took delivery of my shiny new black Braber snow
blower.

This same blower (shown in red because it's the older model) sells in Canada
(on-line) for $2495 plus freight...
http://www.ironsearch.com/Searches-Farm/SmartSort-Popular/Braber/1405254.aspx


Here is the link to the Northern Toll website for this item (shown in black
which is the updated model) at $1399 plus freight...
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200435197_200435197


If it turns out to be junk, it's nothing that cannot be
fixed/welded/fabricated locally.  The warranty (12 mos parts, no labor) is
what I would expect for a product that sells for 50% of normal retail.  It
will not be used commercially and frankly now that I own one, it may never
snow again, in which case, I got my money's worth :)

Before buying, I conversed with Aaron Van Beers of Braber.  I told him that
I was frankly concerned with a product that sells for considerably less than
other similar units. Here was his reply...

Quality - For the money, very very good value.
We make these ourselves, but in China.
BE (Braber Equipment) makes all kinds of spare parts and machines.

Prices - Prices are very sharp, we actually had price increase when we made
modifications, but did not pass along to Northern Tool.

These come with PTO Shaft.

We're based out of Canada, and Northern will never see the unit, it's a ship
direct from us to you.
We sold many units last year through our dealer network in Ontario, and we
had great feedback.

The prices are low because of where it's made, typical scenario with many
things these days.
We supervise the production, and inspect all units before they ship.

Unit comes assembled.

Standard chain drive and shearbolts

Regards
Aaron






--------------------------------------------------
From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2010 5:50 AM
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Subject: Re: [AT] Snow Blower

When I was in the tractor and implement selling business, you could
generally go by the weight and price when comparing similar items.

That being said, I never sold a new three-point snow blower. The reason
was that there were so many barely used ones available if someone really
wanted one. And there lay the problem: Almost anyone who has ever used a
rear mounted snow blower decided to sell it immediately afterward. There
are many reasons for folks being unhappy with them, but the first one is
that they are literally a pain in the neck to use - after a very short
time, you find yourself in pain from having to twist yourself around to
operate the machine. The second problem is operating in reverse - older
tractors have only one speed in reverse, and even modern tractors have
maybe two speeds (too fast and too slow). I guess if you have a hydro
you might be OK, but a snow blower needs to be fed into the snow just
right. And, of course, a snow blower does just that: blows snow. If you
happen to have the wind shift, you wind up being dumped on, and if you
have a cab, the whole back of the cab gets instantly blanketed and has
to be cleaned off. Then, there are the usual problems with all snow
blowers - clogging with wet snow, jams from the machine "finding" hidden
objects (rocks, children's toys, hunks of fallen trees, etc.), shooting
small objects long distances into cars/trucks/houses, etc. The only
advantage of a three point mounted snow blower is that it adds a fair
amount of weight to the back of the tractor for traction when pushing
snow with a front blade/bucket.

If you are still determined to try a three point blower, I suspect you
would be better off either borrowing one from a disgruntled neighbor or
buying a good used one, rather than investing good money in a new Asian
manufactured one. You can generally find a good used blower for under
$1000. Put a "wanted" ad in your local "Penny Saver" magazine or
newspaper, and you will have a dozen responses the next day.

Mike

On 8/15/2010 7:26 PM, Dick Day wrote:
> I just received the 2010 Northern Tools catalog.  As I said in a previous
> post concerning Harbor Freight, I normally do not buy big-ticket items
> from
> Northern or HF.
>
> However... in the new Northern catalog, a 3-pt snowblower  did catch my
> eye.
> It's a Canadian product from a company called Braber...
>
> http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200435197_200435197?cm_ven=natural&cm_cat=netconcepts&cm_pla=Yahoo&cm_ite=braber%2Bsnowblower
>
> $1399 for a 72" blower is mighty tempting.  It lacks the bells and
> whistles
> on the more expensive units. The cheapest I've ever seen new around here
> (Nebraska) has been around $4800.
>
> Ever heard of Braber?  Thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dick Day
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>
_______________________________________________
AT mailing list
http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at





No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3074 - Release Date: 08/15/10
13:35:00 




More information about the AT mailing list