[JMoe]

Not a bad looking mo-sheen. There's a LOT of choices in the $1000 segment though. IMO, if I was going to spend a grand or more, it would have to be one of the big name brands like Ariens, Toro, etc..

Joel

 

[JMoe]

I was just at Lowes... While I was there I checked out the John Deere snow blowers. The 28" JD is very similar to this Snapper except it doesn't have the electric chute deflector and it does have a cast iron auger gear case...

Exactly. Like rscurtis said earlier in this thread, this particular Snapper, the John Deere and many others are indeed built on this same EXACT Murray platform. Briggs (or MTD??) now owns Murray, so you could say it's a Briggs built unit. Snapper (and many others) don't make thier own snowblowers. Simplicity large frames are unique to Simplicity (if they still make'em). The orange Ariens are all Ariens, the higher end Toros are all Toro and Honda makes Honda. MTD and 'Murray' make and rebadge all the rest.

Joel