Toro Power Max e26 HA Unboxing

[@PaulSikkema]

Feel free to leave a comment below. (I do moderate the comments so it may not show up right away) Thanks for watching and please Subscribe!

[@davehenderson6896]

If you live in Buffalo, you need one of those, do you live in Buffalo?

[@PaulSikkema]

Actually you need the Toro 1428, Ariens Pro 28, Ariens Platinum 24 or the Ariens Great Lakes Edition if you live in Buffalo.

[@davehenderson6896]

Ah yeah, is that where you live?

[@PaulSikkema]

No, "I currently live in Iowa - I just work in outer space." You'll get that if you've watched a lot of Star Trek :) My goal is to help you find the best snowblower for you and I've been doing this for many years. So, if you tell me where you live there's a very good chance I know the type of snow you get and how much. And for most areas, I've seen it firsthand. That said, I've been to Buffalo in the winter - I love the falls when they are all frozen up. I've been to Fort Drum when they had so much snow that you couldn't tell that there were M1A1s hiding under the 6 feet of snow. The just looked like mounds in a field.

[@davehenderson6896]

@@PaulSikkema Oh does Iowa get a lot of snow?

[@erichowell5370]

I brought the Toro TRX 1428. It's good when you get hit with alot of snow. Living in central New Jersey. We dont get hit that hard often. I like this new electric Toro. Going to buy one this year

[@ernestleo6284]

Thanks for the review Paul I took advantage of the summer sales at Home Depot to buy both the cordless Recyeler Personal Pace lawnmower as well as the 60v snowblower. The lawnmower worked without any flaws right out of the box. For the snowblower I had to adjust the speed controller rod because there was no reverse. After several adjustments the forward/reverse speeds all work. The forward increase speed as you select higher gears. The reverse is very fast no matter which speed you select. Not sure how to slow down reverse? Other than the reverse problem this is an excellent snowblower. I will keep my gas snowblower as a backup.

[@PaulSikkema]

Keep adjusting the rod in small increments. Watch this other video starting about minute 41 and I'll show you how the forward - reverse works. It will help setting the lever. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3vUZoKoi9R6lck

[@kutapio]

Smokers and blowers! Do you collect snowblowers?

[@PaulSikkema]

No, I just review snowblowers - but - I just bought my third smoker. You may be on to something :)

[@michaelnelson3469]

I have an E26. We have only had one snow so far, and it was heavy wet Sierra Cement slush. The E26 was able to blow that slush IF I could get it to move forward and get the snow into the bucket so the auger could get hold of it. I had big problems with it not having enough traction. Those knobbies would pack up with snow and just spin. I suppose I am going to have to get chains for it. Also, the E26 has auto steering, but the E24 does not.

[@PaulSikkema]

Your "SnowCrete" is unique and there is nothing like that snow anywhere else in the U.S. There are very few snowblowers that can handle 12-24 inches of that stuff well. For anyone who hasn't experienced that snow I can only explain it as. "When someone shovels off your roof and throws the snow on the ground it compacts the snow into a drift that's almost impossible to push a snow blower through." SnowCrete is like that. Heavy, dense and often wet snow. I think your problem is the e26 is too light. It doesn't have enough weight to get the traction to push a full bucket. Instead of adding chains or weights I suggest taking half or even quarter width passes. That way the snowblower should be able to push into the snow pile and clear it. It may not take as long as trying to push it into a full 26 inch width and not having the traction.

[@michaelnelson3469]

@@PaulSikkema Thank you, but my PM HD 828 OAE had the same problem, and it is about 100lbs heavier. I think the problem is what is UNDER the snow. My lot has no pavement, it is all dirt covered with wood mulch, gravel and pine needles. The tires just dig down through the snow until they get to that muddy stuff underneath. At that point the tractor part of the blower is high centered on the mud and the tires just spin. On the first pass, I have to take a full width bite. On subsequent passes to widen the initial pass, I do take 1/2 bucket width bites, but the loss of traction still happens. This is only about 6-8" of snow too.

[@PaulSikkema]

Most of the people I've talked to in your area have loose gravel driveways. They look for a high output snowblower like the Ariens Platinum series or the Toro Power Max HD to handle the SnowCrete. The Ariens Platinum 24 SHO is very popular because it can handle any snow you get and works well on the small driveways. Others have traction issues like you and in the past purchased the Honda Track Drive snowblowers. But, in the last few years the Ariens RapidTrak has become the snowblower of choice. Either the Platinum 28 RapidTrak or the Pro 28 RapidTrak. Finally, Ariens has just introduced the Alpine Edition. It is specifically designed for areas like where you live. Check it out here: www.ariens.com/en-us/power-equipment/snow-products/snow-blowers/special-edition/alpine

[@michaelnelson3469]

@@PaulSikkema I had a nice Honda HSS928AATD, but it also dug itself into self-created holes in the mud. It was heavier than either of my Toros, and was tracked too. Fortunately I am not trying to clear big wide areas. Mostly what I use the blower for is to cut tracks to get to the garage, the woodshed, etc.. And I am not trying to remove all the snow like people do on paved sidewalks. I am just making paths that are easier to walk on than the raw snow. We do get powdery stuff from time to time, and as you know that stuff is great fun with the snowblowers. Thanks!

[@erichowell5370]

Interesting. Thanks for letting us know about the steering

[@walterbordett2023]

Nice to unboxing. Thank you, Paul. This is a serious machine. Much more durable than the eGo two stage unit I saw at Ace Hardware. They wanted $1700 for a plastic toy. I really like that Toro is using a proven unit and lots of parts and dealers who know how to fix them. I await a performance video. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[@paulmysliborski4832]

Paul, Can I come over for some of that pork?? Lol That TORO looks like a great machine. I think the motor/battery housing kinda looks like a mini V-8 engine sitting on top. Really cool IMO.

[@andyslawncareandoutdooradv]

It looks like a super well built unit just like the gas Toro 2 stagers! Hopefully you and I both get snow to use our snowblowers, bought a Craftsman 2 stage snowblower, gently used (I live in the north suburbs of Chicago) and I think that scared the snow away last winter

[@Jeo-What]

Look forward to the video when it's in action.

[@r.stanley1049]

I bought this model late last winter. Only used it twice on about 9” of wet snow, and it worked flawlessly. I did change the skids over to the polymer version, since I found the standard steel skids can scratch some sidewalks or driveways. I am wondering, although it had plenty of power and run time with two 7.5 amp hour batteries, do the new 10 amp hour batteries fit in the same slots? Although I think most people would not likely need more than three 7.5 amp hour batteries, the 10 amp hour option would be nice for those who might need that extra run time. Nicely designed machine. Looking forward to your full review!

[@PaulSikkema]

Yes, the 10 AH batteries fit all the Toro 60 volt tools including the Snowblowers. The Pro (Black) batteries coming out next spring will also fit.

[@r.stanley1049]

Thank you for the update! Good to know Toro battery 60 volt technology is compatible with the residential and commercial machines.

[@randomrazr]

why is it running when ur not using it?

[@PaulSikkema]

The e26 operates exactly like the gas version. In other words Toro just replaced the gas engine with the electric power unit. So, when you are ready to clear snow you use the key to turn the power unit on. The you use the same levers as the gas unit to operate it. If you need less power just use the economy button when you need more power it automatically increases the motor speed. (just like the throttle and governor on a gas version) Nothing new to learn.

[@johnsikora6043]

That pork looks great. Let’s see a video of the fully smoked pork!

[@PaulSikkema]

I can do that the next time I make pulled pork. My process takes 24 hours and it's worth every minute of the wait.

[@markschommer7407]

@@PaulSikkema I'll be doing a turkey on my Traeger Thursday. That worked very well last year(I got it last year). Got a few things I'm going to try this year to hopefully improve on last year. Not that last year wasn't good. It sure was.

[@PaulSikkema]

My dinner is Saturday. Last year I cooked it too slowly and it dried out. This year I'm going to try Spatchcocking the Turkey so it cooks faster and more evenly.

[@markschommer7407]

@@PaulSikkema Spatchcocking sounds interesting and I may try it someday. But I think I'll try that on a much cheaper chicken first. LOL

[@corystansbury]

I do like the build quality and battery system on the Toro, but rather prefer the intrinsic design of the SnowJoe 100V, with a direct drive brushless motor on the Auger and separate, brushless, geared drive to the wheels. I think the SnowJoe controls could be a bit better and there is nothing hiding that it's a low end Chinese blower, but I consider the e26 as a missed opportunity to embrace the advantages electric power affords the designer.

[@PaulSikkema]

I'll talk about the Snow Joe and the Ryobi in the walk around video I'm going to do on this one soon.

[@corystansbury]

@@PaulSikkema I have the SnowJoe and bought it when it first came out (also have the single stage). It was the only two stage at that time and I also wanted the rubber paddle on the single stage. I'm here in Maine and have a 250ish foot driveway. They've done well with 2-2.5 foot snows. However, if Ariens or Toro went all in with something that harnessed the SnowJoe design points I like with the build quality that they do vastly better, I'd be tempted very hard.

[@PaulSikkema]

OK, I'll bite. And I won't knock the SnowJoe. I gave the single stage to my son-in-law and it's just perfect for his 2-car, 60 foot driveway located just south of Chicago. The question that I have is what's more important. A snowblower that throws the snow well without ever clogging and throws almost all types of snow as far as possible? Or, a snowblower with all kinds of electronic bells and whistles that's just an "Average" snowblower? The Toro Power Max is one of the most popular snowblowers ever sold. It's fits the needs of about 80% of the people that get snow here in the U.S. For it's size it throws snow very well, never clogs on the heavy, wet stuff and even handles slush better than most other snowblowers. It's great for most suburban homeowners that get between 30 and 60 inches of snow a year. So why not use that snowblower as the basis for an electric one? The power unit uses one brushless motor. It has power sensing so it maintains constant rpm's as the snow load changes. The batteries are the current state-of-the art construction. They don't short out and they have the heat sensors and electronic safeties so they charge correctly. (Toro has just introduced batteries that will charge in 15 minutes.) It has a high intensity LED headlight. The V-belts and friction disk transmission are more efficient than most people realize. You don't lose any more power than a gearbox full of plastic gears. The snowblower is easy to use. The controls are comfortable and there is no learning curve from your old gas powered unit. There are no plastic switches and rheostats to wear out and break. No control levers that will cramp your hands after a few minutes. The Power Max snowblower has been around for many years and has proven very reliable. In other words Toro put their engineering design into making a snowblower that is proud to wear the Legendary Toro Bull Logo!

[@plmn93]

​@@PaulSikkema The advantage to Toro's design is that we know everything but the motor and batteries will last for decades. I highly doubt anything made by Snow Joe will do that.

[@PaulSikkema]

I have the single stage Snow Joe with the rubber paddles. My son-in-law has been using it for 5 years now and the snow thrower and batteries are working well. That said, I also had one of the original 2-stages and that only lasted two seasons - a motor failed.