Customer Reviews

Poulan Pro PR627ES 27-Inch 208cc LCT Gas Powered Two-Stage Snow Thrower With Electric Start 961920038

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Bought this monster in November of 07'. I live in Maine and we got 30 inches of snow in the month of December. This machine is had no problem with anything.

I price shopped for 2 days, and did tons of research before I bought it. The details are as follows.

After talking with Poulan Pro they explained that this model is made exclusively for Amazon. The engine is actually 11.5 hp. It was so easy to assemble. I was able to drive this thing through that hardened wall of snow at the end of the driveway that the plows made with no problem. The engine is a beast. It didn't ever bog down. It never clogged the chute, even with really wet snow. I think I got this at a steal price of 899 with free shipping. If I have one complaint it's just that this machine goes like 20 mph when put it on the fastest drive setting. I guess that's in case you need to run back inside before the police catch you throwing the snow back into the street. lol

I have not used the pull start. The machine starts with the push of a button on the first try every time with the electric start cable.

I am a mechanic and the only thing I adjusted was the scraper bar. It is adjustable so you can scrape right down to the driveway.

Also, the black body with yellow wheels looks so cool.

The best part is that you can be driving, and throwing, while adjusting the chute position at the same time.

The impeller, auger, and chute are all steel. Real nice. Not stamped steel like the junk at Home Depot.

Anyway, you will look forward to big storms if you own this machine, and yes...it works great with even 1 inch of snow.

Rec'd the Poulan snow thrower yesterday - 12/30/08 and had it running within an hour. This has been the 'snowiest' December in Spokane (WA) recorded history. So, this beast was a little late (my fault for not ordering it sooner) for the big dump, but was able to clean out my neighbor's drive (300') and yard (~ 2,500 sq ft) in about an hour.

Being retired military, and having access to the base exchange services, I was able to order the Poulan snow thrower through the BX on-line store. I ordered it on 12/19 and rec'd it on 12/30 with the thrower having been shipped from Atlanta. Due to the huge amount of snow, there wasn't a snow thrower (let alone a snow shovel) to be had in Spokane. Had it not been available through the BX, I probably would have ordered it through Amazon.

The freight company was very good about keeping me informed as to the shipment progress. When it arrived, I went to the freight company and picked up the blower in my pickup. That allowed me to get it a day earlier plus there was some question as to whether or not the delivery truck could even get in our driveway with all the snow on the ground.

As others have commented, this is a heavy piece of crated freight (280 lbs I believe). Instead of cutting the box per the 'cut here' lines, I opted to pull staples around the base of the box and then lift it off off the pallet - box cutters and I don't get along well. That left the unit bolted and tie-wrapped to the pallet.

I am very fortunate to have a pair of in-ground hydraulic vehicle hoists in my detached 3-bay shop (the previous owner being a '57 Chevy 'nut'). I backed my p/up to the hoist - which I had raised to the truck bed level - and (with my neighbor's help) pulled the palletized, but now unboxed, thrower from the p/up onto the hoist arms. After pulling the p/up out of the shop, I was able to assemble and prep the thrower standing up - MUCH better than stooping and/or laying on a cold shop floor. Once assembled and ready to go, I lowered the hoist, used the electric start (it started immediately) and drove it off the pallet/hoist and started looking for snow to throw.

Pros (so far):

1. The 30" Poulan thrower is heavily built - very sturdy construction. I didn't notice any handle bar wobble or instability.

2. Finding some 6"to 8" snow in my neighbor's drive and yard, I 'dove in'. The blower gobbled up and threw that stuff nearly 30'.

3. Running this, or probably any large snow thrower, takes a little getting used to - sorta like walking and chewing gum at the same time. For me, it was about a 5 minute learning curve - if I can figure it out, anyone can!

4. I like the electric start - the unit came with a 10' plain 'ol 3-conductor extension cord - I've spent a lifetime pulling starting ropes and am now taking a break from that drudgery.

5. I really like the control panel-mounted discharge chute azimuth and elevation controls - I never did care for the cranks. This is a joy to use.

6. As one reviewer observed, the traction control lever does not indicate the various forward and reverse speeds. I agree that it would have been nice to have the forward and reverse 'gears' indicated. However, I found that, after finding the lowest forward speed, that was what worked best for me. Not really a 'pro', but am just glad to let the machine pull itself along without me having to push it.

7. One reviewer commented that it was difficult to get it out of his garage. When 'pulled in', the handle-bar 'trigger' traction controllers disengage each wheel so the entire unit 'free wheels' - I didn't have any difficulty pulling or pushing the unit when it was free-wheeling.

8. The thrower is very well balanced and easy (for me anyway) to push around when the traction drive is disengaged.

Cons (so far):

1. The assembly manual was a little cryptic about the installation of two control rods. I kinda had to 'play with it' - it fit fine, was sort of a puzzle though - that ate up about 15 minutes of the assembly time - was probably my mechanical ineptness...

2. There is a little red 'key' that must be inserted into the engine to allow it to run. I simply couldn't find that key - finally saw it tie-wrapped to the engine and obscured by several control cables. The key doesn't turn - just insert it. Recommend securing the key to the handle bar with a piece of wire or loose tie-wrap to make sure it doesn't get lost.

3. Not a 'con' per se, but the 'drift cutters' have not been of use to me. I opted to remove and store them before they could come loose and fall off.


Observations:

1. My thrower has a Tecumseh 11 hp engine. In looking at the large Poulan thrower reviews on line, there seemed to be some concern regarding the reliability of the Tecumseh engine. Most commentors recommended allowing the engine to warm up for a few minutes before going full-throttle and putting it under load. The times I've used it so far I've let it idle for a few minutes before opening the throttle and going to work. Quite frankly, it seems to make sense to let any snow thrower engine 'warm up' for a few minutes before going full-throttle.

2. I've used several different brands of large snow throwers in the past. One thing they all share in common is at least some vibration to one degree or another. This unit is no exception - though I doubt its vibration is any worse than other blowers. Point being is to check the hardware (i.e. handle bars, skids, etc.) before going out just to make sure it's all tight - only takes a minute and can save days of waiting for replacement parts. Too, at $50/pair for replacement skids (Amazon price), it's a lot easier and cheaper to check the hardware for tightness before heading out.

3. It isn't going to move a 6' berm without a little help - you may have to chop some of the berm into manageable pieces and then use the thrower to toss it back further.

4. "Mileage": Starting with a full tank of gas, I ran it steady for about 1-1/2 hours and still had a some gas left.

5. Prior to getting the Poulan 30" thrower, I relied on my John Deere lawn tractor and 42" "snow blade" to keep our drive way cleared. Though it worked ok, a blade just can't 'pile' snow - thus our driveway kept getting smaller as more snow fell. My neighbor kindly allowed me to use his large Cub Cadet diesel tractor w/front loader to periodically pile the berms back from the drive area. However, I hated to keep imposing on him for use of the tractor, so I thought a large blower was the next best option. Turns out it was - I can now clear my driveway in less than half the time I used to spend on my little tractor, plus the snow is thrown way clear of the driveway.

This is what I needed to blast through what the plow leaves at the end of my driveway. I have about 2000 square feet and I'm usually done in less than a half hour. My only complaint is that the skids and one of the drift cutters vibrated off. Replacements are on the way and they will be peened.

I just purchased this blower a few weeks ago and we have had plenty of snow. It does blow snow very well- but it wore me out. This is my 3rd blower and I have some experience with these. The chute controls took too much effort to operate- the detent release was especially frustrating. The chute also did not swivel far enough from side to side so you could not blow straight sideways. The chute also did not pivot far enough down- when I used it on city sidewalks I struggled to keep the snow from reaching the street. I thought the friction shoes were too small for this heavy of machine. When I blew my gravel driveway, the small shoes dug too much into the ice and gravel. I also felt that it was too front heavy- it took too much effort to raise the front. The headlight was also in a bad place- while the shoot was blowing to the right it completely blocked the light. My hands also cramped up from the grip needed to hold the levers down- maybe the handles were too small. OK- I am over fifty and maybe getting whimpy- but the blower wore me out.

I bought this snow blower last year (Dec 2009) in New Jersey. Assembly instructions are not good. Product description sheet shows figures that do not correspond to the actual machine. First time I put fuel and started it. it was ok for a couple of snows, but it stopped on the way (it is very heavy to haul, if it stops like it did for me). Starting the machine is a luck of draw; even with the power ignition, it does not start; only if one is lucky, it starts. Couple of times when there was a heavy snow storm, it did not start and I had to call the snow-plowing company and pay them. My neighbors with cheaper snow blowers happily clear their drive-way while I am stuck with this expensive machine that works only intermittently. Also, it is so heavy to transport to the authorized dealers to be checked.
I have done a lot of purchasing on amazon, but this is one of the WORST purchase. DO NOT PURCHASE THIS machine, it will not work when there is a big storm.

I am the guy reading only the bad reviews on everything. I read it leaves snow behind (grossly untrue), I read its underpowered (again untrue).

Here is my take on the beast. We have had several feet of snow my old thrower died and left the snow to pile for three storms in my two driveways, because there were no snow blowers in the tristate area. I orderd the 208cc poulan pro it is 6.5 hp and the important part a bit over 9 fp of torque. I spent about 20 mins putting it together then added a little oil and gas, primed it, pulled it and to my surprise it started...first pull!!! with low expectations I got started on the 3 feet of snow and ice in the driveways. I did not have any problems except the snow was taller than the blower.

The good is its fast or slow the auger is serrated and breaks through the ice quite well. It will throw snow upto 30 feet. The construction is solid, even a metal chute.

The bad is it tells you where it wants to go and is hard to control at higher speeds (this is with most bigger models of any brand) and the chute control feels a little flimsy (I dont believe it will break but just a thought, I fix everything myself and never had a machine this big but it looks time consuming to get inside this machine.

I would not hesitate to purchase this machine. For the price it stands above the rest. I feel like I became a real man the day it was delivered to my house and my neighbor who has the best of everything looked at this and said "WOW thats a nice snow blower", he was a little jealous. I will post another review if I run into any issues.

Potential buyers need to know that the engine on this snow thrower has changed. I purchased this snow thrower because I wanted a very powerful one to handle the Northeast winters. It was expensive, but considering the snow storms we had last winter I felt the extra money would be worth it.

When I bought this it was advertised as a very powerful 11.5 horsepower (HP) engine, but I received a 6.5 HP engine. I had already put gas in it to test it out and destroyed the packaging before I noticed that it had a 6.5 HP engine rather than the advertised 11.5 HP engine (there is a decal next to the light saying "6.5 HP"). I was unable to return it due to this, but I should mention that Amazon's outstanding customer service took care if me to my satisfaction without any arguements or hassles. The product description no longers mentions any HP specifications.

Most of the reviews for this item was written when it had an 11.5 HP engine, so in my opinion they no longer apply to this snow thrower. The difference between 6.5 HP and 11.5 HP is huge! I would never have bought this had I known the engine was only 6.5 HP. I haven't had chance to use it yet, and I will update this review when I see it in action. However, in my opinion a 6.5 HP snow thrower is not worth the price.

Living in a row home in Philly it was hard to justify spending money on such a thing, but this past winter made the purchase seem like a stroke of genius, as we had 3 bad storms within one month. THANK YOU POULAN

Ate threw the snow like it was butter.Even after the snow got hard it still ate threw it like butter.Very pleased with this snow blower.Had other snow blowers they were not as good as this.Hooked up the electric start pushed button started on first push of the button with no hesitation.Used it three times this year enjoyed using it.Hope it stays working as good as it had this year for the snow coming next year.

Just tested this machine on 6-8" of moderately wet snow. Since it's underpowered you can only clear an 8-10" path, rather than 27", at the slowest forward speed setting. If you try to clear more snow, the machine just pushes the snow to the side, rides over the snow without clearing it, or bogs down. The machine could clear its full 27" cutting width only when moving through snow 1-2" deep.

The build quality seems cheap (thin steel).

The high ratings for this snowblower are either for other models (e.g. 30") or perhaps written by people paid by Poulan.