Craftsman 26" 2 stage snowblower first use and initial thoughts!

[@jamesorsby7553]

I live in Chicago too, and I remember when we'd get deep snow every winter; now we get almost nothing during the winter seasons. I remember the blizzard of '79, when we couldn't even get out of our front or back doors. And in 2014 or 2015, we got a pretty good one too.

[@KevinMurphy-o3c]

Very good Andy!! very informative and well explained. 2 stage gasoline snowblowers are a must when it comes to removing snow. Cheers

[@ramynovver4071]

U r a great kid, your parents must be proud.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

They are!

[@TheLawnCareNut]

That thing is a beast! Nice pickup bro.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks LCN!

[@craftman5632]

I've had my craftsman 24" snow blower for 14yrs. Still looks new, before every uses i spray WD-40 on and around the auger, and in the chute prevents snow clogging up the chute. When storing it always drain the gas out of the tank, and run it dry to get all the gas out of the carburetor.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks for the advice! Glad your craftsman is running well at its old age! Thanks for watching!

[@garykennedy5263]

I agree with Allyn. That thing is a beast for sure. The 26” swath make short work out of the biggest driveways. Great purchase.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thank you!

[@mikemorris8497]

We have a Cub Cadet 24” similar machine. 6 years now, love it. Nice find.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thank you, this machine is also 6 years old.

[@daviddave8266]

How much did you pay for it ?

[@smallengines1018]

Yay!! You got the video out! Haven't watch the whole thing yet, commenting while I'm watching. Congratulations on your purchase to. Looks like a great snowblower!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thank you! Been great so far, time will tell how it holds up long term

[@MrKing1961]

Good for you kid, keep working your future is looking good. God bless and and take care!!!!!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thank you very much!

[@JakeTheLawnKid]

Used to have a snowblower just like that one. Gave it to my neighbor. It's still treating him well 👍💯. BTW, we have been getting some killer snow storms lately, kinda psyched about it not gonna lie.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

I remember some of your old videos with the craftsman, its a great machine for the money. Yes we have, looks like the heaviest is going just to my south in your neck of the woods, looking like 3-6" for my area but 12"+ to my south right through NW Indiana

[@dhlmike]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv Did you make a new video with your snowblower in the heavy snow?

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@dhlmike I did, we only got 5 inches of snow where I was at but I did take some video. Areas 20 miles south of me got a foot of snow

[@MyGreenLawn2019]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv I didnt get a chance to really give my new blower a work out! Since I had purchased it, I only used it one time and pretty much used it, so I could use it! lol I do need to get use to the chute joystick, I also need to get use to the auger and transmission controls, my MTD blower is opposite... Of course right and I been using the MTD for 20 years! lol I do have a video on the blower on my channel. Love your video

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@MyGreenLawn2019 thank you! I'll take a look at more of your videos

[@lakehouselawncare1755]

That’s a sweet machine! Great pickup, Andy.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks Kyle!

[@tommywwalden1599]

Hey Andy, Nice to see you get to use your new snowblower. And that is one snow throwing machine! Enjoy the snow and keep safe! thx, tommy

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks Tommy, Happy New Year!

[@smallengines1018]

Hey Tommy!

[@tommywwalden1599]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv And Happy New Year to you too!

[@tommywwalden1599]

@@smallengines1018 Howdy SE101...And Happy New Year to you too!

[@smallengines1018]

@@tommywwalden1599 Thanks you too same to you Andy!

[@billbrandon1697]

nice ! i got a new one in cleveland and we had four or five feet of snow this winter!!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

I'm sure it came in handy! We didn't get all that much snow this year, but it still came in very handy for those 4-6" events and was wayy faster then shoveling.

[@BackwoodsLawnCare]

Looks like a nice machine and always nice when they aren’t gas guzzlers! Good video and review 👍🏻

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks Backwoods!

[@Striperman]

Ching $ Ching $ Andy. Looks like if the weather cooperates you can make some good money this Winter 😁

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Agreed! Hopefully we get some more snow, been a slow start so far but many weeks of winter still remain so anything can happen! Thanks Striperman!

[@robertlasich747]

That thing is a monster. I just picked one up as well used. I'm looking forward to using it this year.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Congrats on the investment! Only used mine 3 times last winter as we had a mild winter. Hoping for a big snow this upcoming winter to really test out the power of this unit

[@robertlasich747]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv you put together an awesome video bro. Great job. 👍

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@robertlasich747 thank you!

[@ninazeng6036]

Good video!

[@1-Nice-Guy]

Nice machine!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks!

[@mvg2x34]

Nice video and walk through. The intakes on mine bent in also. Consider trying to take a vice grip to bend them straight. I was able to get mine to an acceptable correction.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

I'll definetly have to get to that at some point. Thanks for watching!

[@l337pwnage]

@MVG2 X That's probably pretty common on Craftsmans. Way back when I was blower shopping, one of the blowers I looked at was a brand new Craftsman in the store and the bucket housing was already bent. Not the worst thing in the world, it'll still blow snow.

[@alphaplus4162]

Best value

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

For the price it's a great machine!

[@acyardcare1]

How do you do your snow removal business in the winter time and plan it around school and everything. my only problem is that I go to school and when it snows I have to be at school I can’t be clearing the snow

[@RollingWithRuss]

Nice work man! I see you've been on the KZbin and lawncare game for a while, way to go! I just subscribed. How old are you? Keep investing in your business and you will be a self-made man. There's nothing better than not having to work a corporate job and answer to "the man", even though your clients are still your bosses, it's up to you what you want to take on.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

I was 17 when I made this video, I'm 18 now. Thanks for watching and for the positive comment!

[@tyler0294]

How come when I adjust my auger down as far as it will go it’s still about an inch off the ground?

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

That's weird.. I have mine set about a tenth of an inch off the ground and it still scrapes pretty clean. I honestly don't know what to tell you

[@peterdeboer9620]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv You need to set the plastic runners under the chute to the height that you like.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@peterdeboer9620 that's what I did, I have mine set to about an 1/8" off the ground. That allows me to still scrape up the snow and not get caught on the cracks in the driveway

[@Walshslandscaping]

nice video

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks

[@marc-andregagnon6051]

How many CC is this machine please?

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

208CC engine

[@marc-andregagnon6051]

How does it perform with yet/heavy snow?

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@marc-andregagnon6051 haven't been able to try it yet in super heavy wet snow yet. Been an odd winter in my area thus far. We do have some snow forecasted tomorrow (not much) but it will be the super heavy/wet type. If (and that's a big if) we get the snow I'll be sure to try it out and let you know

[@timkivel195]

How much did this blower cost you? I am looking at the same one on FB

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

500 bucks is what I paid, I was able to negotiate it down a bit to that price. I'd say anything in the 500-700 dollar range is a reasonable price

[@ninazeng6036]

We provide accessories for your equipment【from HIPA】,can you try it ?thanks

[@ramynovver4071]

8 drive ways? How much u make bud? The least I charge is 20$, son200$ a day is good!

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Around 200 for a storm like this, if we get a large amount of snow (8" or more) I oftentimes I get some solid tips and will make more.

[@juniorhaske8372]

Yo, you don't throw snow toward your house

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

I try my best not to. Thank you for the comment!

[@juniorhaske8372]

Question, how is the beast with heavy wet snow

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@Junior Haske I've only had the chance to use it on 3" of slushy snow one time. The machine did pretty well, I did spray the chute down with DuPoint snow and ice repellent (non-stick spray I bought at Ace hardware) before I used it. It doesn't throw the snow as far as it does light snow like I showed in this video. But it still has more than enough power to throw the wet stuff far enough for what i need. It only clogged one time on the 8 driveways I used it on and that was because I ran into a slush puddle on a sidewalk and that mix of mostly water and a bit of slush did clog it. But other than that one time it clogged it has done a pretty darn good with slushy snow, much better than a shovel that's for sure.

[@juniorhaske8372]

That's what I was hoping you would say My old craftsman with new engine doesn't have the gydto with wet heavy like this past week up here near Waukegan Hoping new 26 inch machine I just bought could handle

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@juniorhaske8372 let me know how it performs when you get to use it in some snow!

[@mrbubetube]

4-5 inches? you should done the review with the single stage blower instead. you better check the engine again. it's not a craftsman engine because craftsman doesn't make engines. they buy them from other manufacturers. all snowblower engines are made in china now.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks for the comment! I've reviewed the single stage many times on my channel and since I had some snow I decided to give this unit a try since I just bought it. As for the engine, my assumption is that craftsman is just putting their name on the engine after purchasing it from overseas. The sticker says craftsman 208cc engine. I did some research and I believe it's powermore who makes the engine for this unit. They also make engines for cub cadet and Troy bilt machines as well.

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

your single stage is prob a 2 stroke thus worse gas mileage

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Yep spot on! Toro CCR 2450 2 cycle single stage

[@zxc91x]

I'm not a fan of these craftsmans. they're poorly made. You can see at 5:00 that your bucket is squished on both sides. The engine is a 208cc Powermore. I'd change the oil no matter how clean it looks.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Thanks for the comment! Someone already mentioned the engine one, that one's my bad. The bucket being like that is fine with me, it isn't affecting performance at all. The oil was changed last winter by the previous owner and only used once, I will probably change it after another use or 2 (no snow since this video was filmed almost 2 weeks ago)

[@craftman5632]

@@andyslawncareandoutdooradv the manual says change the oil every 50 hours of use.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

@@craftman5632 I feel 50 hours is a long time between oil changes. I usually end up changing it once a season, unless we have a mild winter then I might let it go 2 years.

[@realdeal3647]

I bought that exact same snowblower brand new, and have never been able to pull start it. Even after it's warmed up. The electric start works just fine though.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

Interesting.. mine starts up fine, pull start or electric start. I find when the engine is warm I still need to turn the choke halfway to get it to start back up.