Husqvarna ST327 27 in. 301cc 2-Stage Gas Snow Blower

Well, we got blasted with snow in Dec 2025 and I had a large tent clean up job to do and my snow blower was the right tool for this job. Of coarse it broke down and my mechanic was on hospital leave and the weather was too bad for me to go to the next town for service work. So I bought a new Husqvarna. As I was not at the city where I bought it and was in a hurry, I didn't check it out as well as I should have. I was going to get 227 because it didn't have the electric start, which I think is a waste of money if the machine is working properly, You don't need it. I wanted handle warmers and they didn't have a kit so I ended up getting a 327 because it had handle bar warmers on it already. They told me it didn't have electric start which I thought was good so I got it but it did have electric start so it cost me a bunch more money I didn't want to spend and in the end the electric hand warmers don't work that great anyway. The whole design factor of how they are on there is lousy. The agronomics of the whole machine is not designed for someone that really wants to use his machine to the fullest. The throttle should be on the dash board where you can use it if you have to stop for a bit to move something or do some shoveling rather than fight your way through the cables and wires with your mitts on. Which in the end you have to take off. The next thing I thought was a poor design was the way they rout the cables. You can't put tire chains on because they will catch on the cables the way they have them hanging all over the place. Also, because they put on those huge knobby tires for traction in snow and are no good on ice, I wanted to put chains on but they don't work on them as the chains fall in between the lugs and are of no effect. Oh goody!!! So they suggested to put in studs. How stupid is that????? So now what do I do when I want to go on a surface I don't want to mark up??? I either have to have another set of tires to change over every time I want to move somewhere else or take the studs out each time. Well that won't happen!!! So the only other options are to grin and fight with the ice or re-engineer and re-rout the cable situation, put on different tires so you can use chains. For a snow blower that costs what they do, you shouldn't have to fuss with this little picky stuff. I may look for a different snow blower that is already designed to be proficient from the start. This is a weekend warrior snow blower. Ten minute drive way sort of a thing. On the good side it runs good and really blows snow. But, I will consider looking at other brands that may have better design features. I will make no recommendations. Here are the facts. You decide for yourself if you want one. For now I will have to grin and work with it.

This is my fourth winter using this snowblower and it has been problem free. My driveway is 100 yards long so it gets a good workout. It throws snow 50 feet or more and handles snow left by the plow at the road with no trouble.

Just one pull and it starts, even in temps down to -10C. Just one suggestion on the blower shoot. For some reason it has more range on the right side than the left.

Shear pins in the flywheel constantly brake and are difficult to get to when they break off