Honda HSS724AAWD

23.8" wide · 49 ft throw · 243 lb

This is the smallest of Honda's track-drive HSS line, and the one owners point slope-dwellers to when wheels just spin: hydrostatic tracks claw up steep or gravel driveways, the auger height lever lifts the bucket clear of loose stone, and the GX200 engine is the same commercial mill that runs rental fleets for decades. Owner sentiment is near-reverent about build quality — 'Honda smooth' comes up constantly — but you must know the history: 2015-era HSS machines had a well-documented chute-clogging saga in wet snow, and Honda's fix was a redesigned, larger-opening chute available free under warranty (current production has it baked in). The other rub is price: at roughly $3,299 you're paying Ariens Platinum 24 SHO money plus a thousand bucks for a 23.8-inch cut, and Honda has exited single-stage snow blowers entirely in the US, so dealer support is the bet you're making. For deep-snow country on a grade, though, nothing this size works like it.

Best for Steep, icy, or gravel driveways in serious snow country where traction and longevity outrank width-per-dollar.

28" wide · 52 ft throw · 276 lb

The HSS928ATD is the Goldilocks of Honda's track line and the model snowblowerforum lifers usually mean when they say 'just buy the Honda': a GX270 pushing 1,900 lb/min through a 28-inch bucket, hydrostatic tracks that hold a grade like a tank, and joystick chute control that owners describe as fantastic. Home Depot reviewers call it 'easily the best snowblower made,' and the engine routinely outlives the driveways it clears. Honesty file: this platform was at the center of the HSS wet-snow clogging saga — Honda's redesigned larger-opening chute (free under warranty, standard on current units) mostly settled it, but heavy slush can still slow the 270cc more than the bigger HSS1332. At about $3,599 it costs $1,300+ more than an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO and turns slower than Ariens' auto-turn wheels, yet nothing in the price class matches its traction or fit-and-finish. With Honda winding down parts of its US power-equipment line, grab one while dealer channels are still full.

Best for Heavy-snowbelt homeowners with sloped or gravel driveways who want a buy-once machine and can stomach the price.

31.9" wide · 56 ft throw · 298 lb

This is the biggest gas snow blower Honda sells in the US and the machine snowblowerforum threads simply call 'awesome': a GX390 moving 2,750 lb/min through a 32-inch bucket with a 56-foot throw that reviewers joke puts snow in the neighbor's yard. Notably, the wet-snow clogging complaints that dogged the HSS928 barely touched this model — the bigger impeller and 389cc of torque keep heavy slush moving, and current units carry Honda's redesigned chute anyway. Owners' actual gripes are practical: it's 298 lb, it fills half a shed, turning the tracks takes shoulders since there's no trigger steering, and at about $3,999 it's up against the Ariens Platinum 30 SHO and Professional RapidTrak, which cost less and steer easier. But for lake-effect country, long steep gravel drives, or anywhere the plow leaves a four-foot wall, this is the no-drama pick — commercial-grade everything, decade-plus service life, and traction that makes chains-on-wheels rivals look silly.

Best for Lake-effect and mountain-country properties with long, steep, or gravel driveways and routinely deep, heavy snow.

28" wide · 65 ft throw · 304 lb

This is the top of Toro's walk-behind line and it is built to a commercial spec — the five-year warranty carries a one-year commercial term, which most residential machines will not do at all. The 420cc engine and 21-inch intake put it in the same conversation as the Ariens Professional 28 RapidTrak, and the 65-foot throw is the longest in this catalog by a clear margin. At 304 lb it is also the heaviest wheeled machine here, which is the honest cost of that capability: it is not a machine you turn around casually at the end of a pass. Worth knowing before you buy — Toro lists heated grips as accessory 131-6460 rather than standard equipment, which contradicts a good deal of dealer copy.

Best for Long or steep driveways in heavy-snow country, and anyone who wants a walk-behind with a warranty that survives light commercial use.

24" wide · 40 ft throw · 352 lb · heated grips

The ST 424T is Husqvarna's current 400-series commercial track machine and its most direct shot at the Honda HSS724ATD — same 24-inch class, same hydrostatic-track formula, but roughly $400 less at about $2,899, and it counters with things Honda skips: electronic fuel injection for reliable cold starts and altitude compensation, factory heated grips, an all-steel control console, and trigger power steering so the tracks turn without wrestling. The 301cc EFI engine and cast-iron impeller are rated for commercial duty, and reviewers consistently single out how confidently the tracks climb steep, deep-drifted driveways. The honest counterpoints: at 352 lb it's the heaviest machine in its width class by a wide margin, the 400-series is too new to have Honda's decades-deep reliability record or resale value, published owner reviews are still scarce, and it's dealer-channel equipment, so parts support depends on your local pro dealer. If you like the Honda track concept but want EFI, warm hands, and easier steering for less money, this is the modern pick.

Best for Steep, long, or gravel driveways — and light commercial use — where a Honda track machine is the alternative but EFI and easier steering appeal.

28" wide · 60 ft throw · 339 lb · heated grips

This is the machine the forum flex threads are about: a commercial-grade 420cc AX engine, a 23.5-inch-tall Pro bucket with 16-inch serrated augers, hydrostatic drive, and Ariens' party trick — RapidTrak, a track system that flips between wheel-speed mode, full track mode for slopes, and a dig-in mode that rotates the housing down to shave hardpack. Owners describe standing at the end-of-driveway berm and simply driving through it while neighbors rock their wheeled machines back and forth; the hydro lets you feather speed to exactly what the snow allows, and it moves a rated 79 tons per hour with 60-foot throws. Reported warts: it does a poor job scraping packed tire tracks (the tracks ride up), a few owners have chased drive-skipping under heavy load, the track hardware is exposed to slush, and at 339 lb and $3,199 it's double the cost of a Deluxe 28 SHO that clears the same width. Buyers are steep-driveway owners, heavy lake-effect victims, and people who plow for elderly neighbors half the block.

Best for Steep, long, or brutal-snow driveways — the buy-once machine for people who clear multiple properties or face 2-foot lake-effect dumps.