Toro 1800 Power Curve

I wish I could say that the Toro 1800 was the answer to our snow removal problems, but unfortunately I can't. In fact, I can't even see how it works. The throat of the carriage bolts that are supposed to… connect the discharge chute to the chute deflector are too big for the holes in the discharge chute. Because of this, it's impossible to tighten the bolts. I contacted Toro about this problem and they sent new bolts that were exactly the same size as the first set. Guess what: Those did't fit either (of course)! So I called the company again. The rep suggested that I remove the discharge chute by loosening the two bolts on the chute that hold it on. There are no bolts on top of the chute. The show thrower is going back to the dealer in the morning. What a waste of time...

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I just got done cleaning a 120' driveway, sidewalks around the house, and the neighbor's drive and walks in 10" heavy, wet, Colorado snow. Not a single jam, never bogged down, and this blower seriously… threw the snow. My neighbors have big gas powered blowers and they were all clogging. Needless to say it was pretty funny watching this little red snow thrower plow through this snow like a hyperactive go cart. No gas, no oil, no smog. If you are on the fence about buying it just get it, it's great. Amazon shipped it for free, had it here quicker than expected. Also, get the low temp power cord, it's definitely worth it.

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I will only add another sad tale to many other negative reviews. My main belt shredded during the second use, and thus the curve did not move a single snowflake during a two day storm. Oh, my aching back… from all the shoveling! The manual and the Toro phone tree directs you to a local Toro master dealer/repairer. My "master" dealer (and I live in a metropolitan area) could get me a belt in a week and a half, which is too late for this snow storm. I suspect Toro has a quality control problem because a sizable minority of other reviewer here report belt and other problems. On the other hand, many reviewers are positive and my neighbor has been using his curve for 3 seasons without a problem. Buying one is taking a gamble that you will get a non-defective one. Otherwise, I wish you good luck getting parts and a lasting repair. To start, a replacement belt from Toro will cost you over twenty-five bucks with postage, and then you hope it will last. As others have noted, before buying, consider the typical heaviness of the snow in your area. The curve works wonderfully (when it works) for our typically light and dry snow on driveways and sidewalks. For wet and heavy snows, the curve works much less well; you can have frequent clogging of the chute (always unplug before clearing) and the snow will not be thrown very far.

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The first time I used the blower it worked amazingly well, for about 30 minutes. Then I got a piece of ice stuck in it. I quickly stopped the blade but it was too late, the belt was ruined. It turns out… that for 300 plus dollars, you don't get a torque limiter or shear pins so the motor turns until your release the switch or the belt breaks. The trick is to stop the unit immediately if it stops throwing snow. That's important because the belt is about $25 and you can only get it at a Toro dealer or parts warehouse. It is supposed to be made out of Kevlar but if it is, the it is a very thin grade Kevlar. I expect that with enough diligence, I can make the belt last a year, this is the second year for the blower so we'll see. Don't use this blower if the snow is heavy and wet or around ice formations.

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