Forums Archive Index > Snowblowers-Reviews Only Please > Snapper LE 17r & LE 19r Snowblowers Reviews.

Author: buttlint

Date: 22 Sep 2005 7:36 pm

The Snapper LE 17 and its larger sister the LE 19 offers very little too anyone looking for durability in a single stage, 2 cycle machine.
Although the LE series has been on the market for many years, very little has been done too improve on its poor track record of simply "falling apart".
The little Tecumseh 3 hp engine has no problems doing its job .....Problems abound in other areas.
The lightweight stamped steel auger heads the list of problem areas. It will absolutely not stand up too any type of impacts that one might expect too incur during the life of a snowblower. Any accidental contact with solid objects (frozen newspapers, buried ice chunks or dead pets) will leave its permanent imprint on the auger structure. But the problems don?t end there. Even under the most careful use, the constant pressure of the snow meeting the paddles will distort them and eventually lead too the edges cutting into the plastic auger housing which will require replacement of the auger and the housing. (An expensive repair.)
If the auger housing survives that.....then there is another problem. Due too the design of the scraper bar, it has a tendency too grab anything that it comes in contact with. Expansion joints in concrete take their toll on scrapers and auger housings.
There is also the problem of the belt cover mounting studs breaking off. The 2 studs that hold the cover on also serve as engine mounting bolts. (There are 4 altogether) Snapper has tried different fixes for the problem, but have yet too come up with any solutions. (Another expensive repair that will only repeat itself because the underlying problem still exists...vibration.)
There are other small problems associated with the LE series of Snapper snowblowers, but those can be expected with any snowblowing machine.
Listed at $429.00 for the LE 17r and $499.00 for the LE 19r (Both non electric start) puts them in the high end for that class of blowers. There are much better machines available in that price range. If you happen too see them in the dealers for much less than that....be sure that they are a current model. Dealers often buy them when the supply of other machines are exhausted, and need something too put on the floor for sale. What doesn?t get sold then.....gets sold at discounts the next year.
Better yet.....shop early and avoid them altogether.

Author: Navihawk

Date: 5 Oct 2005 9:26 am

"Lint old buddy.Dropping in to say Hello...."Hello"