World Premiere: Toro Power Max HD Snow Blower First Look, No Flat Tires, No Shear Pins

Table of Contents

• World Premiere: Our First Look
• Four Sizes, Including an All-New 24 Inch
• Never Flat Airless Tires
• Steel Dash, Ultra-Wide Light Bar and an Under-Dash LED
• Quick Stick Gets Metal Where It Matters
• No Shear Pins: Grade 5 Bolts and Hardened Gears
• Anti-Clog Technology
• Engines and Ergonomics
• Who Is the Toro Power Max HD For?
• Final Thoughts
• FAQ

World Premiere: Our First Look

This is a world premiere. Tools In Action is one of the first to show the new Toro Power Max HD, and this is a first to market look at Toro’s refreshed heavy-duty two-stage snow blower line. Toro invited our editors out to its snow event in Breckenridge, Colorado, to see the machines before anyone else and hear about them straight from the people designing them.

Toro says the whole heavy-duty two-stage line is getting a major refresh for this fall. Our editors went over every part of the machine with Toro and then watched it work through heavy, wet spring snow. Here is everything we learned.

Four Sizes, Including an All-New 24 Inch

Toro says the Toro Power Max HD comes in 24, 28, 30 and 32 inch sizes. The unit Toro walked us through was the 32 inch, badged Heavy Duty 32 right on the auger housing.

The 24 inch is brand new. Toro says it has never had a Heavy Duty 24 inch before, and it added one for customers who want all the clearing power of a heavy-duty machine but still need a narrow, compact frame that fits better in their garage or on their property.

Never Flat Airless Tires

Maybe the most striking update is the tires. Toro has gone to never flat airless tires on all four Power Max HD models. Toro says these high-traction tires perform super well in wet snow and icy conditions, and actually provide more traction than its current pneumatic tires.

Just as important, you’re never going to come out to 10 inches of snow in the morning and find a flat tire you have to fix. Toro pointed out that a low tire at best makes the machine pull to the left or right, and at worst the tire comes off the bead and you’re stuck with a bigger repair. Our editors summed it up simply in the video: no flat tires, and these things are awesome.

Steel Dash, Ultra-Wide Light Bar and an Under-Dash LED

Toro put a lot more metal in the dash. The new steel dash carries Toro’s updated Power Max branding, and it’s topped with a big, ultra-wide light bar. Toro says older machines had a light mounted in other spots, but this light bar produces over twice as much light, helping you see and be seen when it’s dark out.

There’s also what Toro called a little secret feature: an LED under the dash. It lights the foot well and the path you’re walking on in slippery conditions, and it gives you extra light when you’re backing the machine into the garage. It’s one of those features you didn’t know you needed.

Quick Stick Gets Metal Where It Matters

Quick Stick is Toro’s chute control, and Toro says the design has done really well over the years for reliability and usability. For this fall, Toro is adding metal to key areas to inspire more confidence. The unit we saw had a 3D-printed prototype part, and Toro says production units will be cast aluminum.

In the video, our editors also point out the double deflector on the chute, which gives you more range for how far up or down you want to throw the snow.

No Shear Pins: Grade 5 Bolts and Hardened Gears

This is the feature our editors are most excited about. Toro designs these snow blowers without shear pins meant to break. Instead, there’s a grade 5 steel bolt, which Toro calls construction-grade hardware, so you never have to fiddle with a broken shear pin in the cold.

Why do snow blowers have shear pins in the first place? They act like a fuse to protect the gears. Toro says it fixed the need for that fuse by hardening the gears, and all four Heavy Duty models share the same gearbox with hardened gears.

So what happens when the plow dumps your neighbor’s patio pavers or other landscape material at the end of your driveway and it gets sucked in? Toro says that’s when a shear pin would typically break. With the hardened gears, the machine simply shuts off, almost like a lawn mower that goes into grass that’s too heavy. You clear it out, restart it and finish the other half of your driveway.

Anti-Clog Technology

Toro’s anti-clog technology will also be standard on the heavy-duty lineup. Toro says there is extra space in the impeller that lets snow recirculate back into the auger housing, so it gets chopped up even finer before it goes out the chute. The goal is to prevent the jams and clogs you would get before.

That matters with the kind of snow we saw in Colorado. It was heavy, wet and slushy, the type that packs into a lot of machines.

Engines and Ergonomics

Toro says the 32 inch model has the biggest engine of the bunch, a 375cc. The 28 and 24 inch models both have a 252cc engine.

Toro also made slight changes to the operator presence control switches to make them easier and more ergonomic to hold. Toro admits that’s one of those features that doesn’t show up on a spec sheet, but it has a major impact on how the machine feels to use.

Who Is the Toro Power Max HD For?

The Toro Power Max HD is for people who need heavy-duty clearing power and are tired of flat tires, broken shear pins and clogged chutes. If you deal with wet, heavy snow or the plow pile at the end of the driveway, these updates go right after your problems. The new 24 inch is a great fit if you want that heavy-duty power in a narrower machine that’s easier to store.

If you want something lighter, check out our Toro 724 QXE review, our TORO Power Max 826 OHAE review or our TORO e21 electric snow blower review. You can compare every machine we’ve covered in our full snow blower review list. Still deciding between brands? See our take on which Cub Cadet snow blower is right for you, or browse all of our Toro coverage.

Where to find it: Toro lists all four models on Toro.com: the 24 in. Power Max HD (39960), 28 in. Power Max HD (39961), 30 in. Power Max HD (39962) and 32 in. Power Max HD (39963). Toro says the series will also be sold at Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and authorized Toro dealers.

Where to buy: The 24 in. Power Max HD (39960) is available at Ace Hardware (affiliate, we may earn a commission).

Final Thoughts

This was a world premiere, and our editors came away impressed. Never flat airless tires, a steel dash with an ultra-wide light bar and under-dash LED, a tougher Quick Stick, no shear pins thanks to hardened gears and anti-clog technology all go after real problems snow blower owners deal with every winter.

Toro plans to send us a 24 inch Toro Power Max HD this snow season, so stay tuned for more hands-on coverage. Tools In Action has been covering tools since 2003, and we can’t wait to put this one to work. Let us know in the comments what you want us to test.

FAQ

What sizes does the Toro Power Max HD come in?

Toro says the Power Max HD comes in 24, 28, 30 and 32 inch sizes. The 24 inch is brand new, and Toro says it has not offered a Heavy Duty 24 inch before.

Does the Toro Power Max HD have flat-free tires?

Yes. Toro says all four Power Max HD models get never flat airless tires, and that they give more traction than its current pneumatic tires in wet snow and icy conditions.

Does the Toro Power Max HD use shear pins?

No. Toro says it uses a grade 5 steel bolt and a gearbox with hardened gears. If something like a frozen chunk of landscape material gets in there, the machine simply shuts off, almost like a lawn mower in heavy grass, so you can clear it and restart.

What engine does the Toro Power Max HD have?

Toro says the 32 inch model has a 375cc engine, and the 28 and 24 inch models both have a 252cc engine.

What is new on the Toro Power Max HD dash?

Toro says the dash now has a lot more steel, an ultra-wide light bar that puts out over twice as much light, an LED under the dash to light your path, updated operator presence control switches and a Quick Stick that gets cast aluminum parts.

Is this a full review of the Toro Power Max HD?

No. This is a world premiere first look from Toro’s snow event in Colorado. Our editors plan to spend more time with a Toro Power Max HD this snow season.