Murray (27") 249cc Two-Stage Snow Blower

Bought this unit new in 2004, nothing but trouble, I've had it in the shop 4 times over 8 years, will never by another Murray...

Unfortunately I didn't have my new Murray 27 " 2 stage snow thrower the day we got 24" of snow. I burned up the last of the rubber left on my 15 yr old Toro 2000 single stage but it gave me one solid lane of my 3 car driveway to use.

I found your Web site and had my Murray over a week later but all the snow had been frozen due to the super cold weather following. I was a little upset there were not clear assembly instructions in the manual but I got it un-crated and put together in less than an hour.

It started on about the 5-6 pull. I never had to use the electric start yet (heated garage). It cranked up and sounded so sweet and powerful. It was single digits, dark and cold but I had to get out and (play) try it. The headlamp is fabulous....really lit up my path very brightly. I was cutting through 3-4 ft drifts (created by clearing previously thrown snow) and clearing my whole driveway in a little over an hour. I proceeded to the street next and cleared snow blocking my mail box caused by the street plows ....... and then the sidewalks to my neighbor.

I had to be careful not to aim snow at the house cause it would throw the snow over 30 ft. I was afraid of ice chunks breaking windows. My daughter looking out from the house said it appeared I had a high performance "walker" as I walked behind the Murray (I'm 59....old to her). I really had fun.

I couldn't be more pleased at how easy throwing snow will be in the future. What a machine.

I called the Snow Blowers Direct toll free number... spent 45 minutes on the phone with the representative. He was VERY patient answering all my questions and providing advice. NEVER, not once did he seem annoyed! Trust me, I had a lot of questions.
After the call, I needed to make some decisions regarding all the choices available. At this point, I was suffering from information overload.

I decided to purchase the Murray (27") 249cc Two-Stage Snow Blower. It was Thursday, late morning, and this model wasn't expected to be in stock until Friday. I purchased online and paid. Immediately I received an email advising my order was received. Then another shortly stating it was being processed. Then I received a pleasant surprise email around 5 pm that same day telling me my Blower was in a "shipped" status. Unbelievable!
I received my blower the following Tuesday afternoon.

I highly recommend this retailer!

I am now waiting for a snow storm so that I may use my new snow blower. I found it very easy to assemble. It started right away and I stored it in the shed with a full tank of gas and ready to go! I am pleased with the product up to this point. I am sure it will be great.

Though it has been delayed for over a week when I received and just tried it this Monday (Feb. 21, 2011). No snow drop for the past week and half. Having a little concern also after it got out of the box, maybe it's not going to work or got broken from shipping.

But voila! No problem at all, 1st time I tried it and the snow been shooting upward at least 40 ft. in the air. Nice traction and power. I would definitely recommend Murray brands with the engine of Briggs and Stratton.

Thank you Snow Blowers Direct, when all stores in our area were out of stock already, you guys still have some even in the middle of winter. More power to you and I have recommended one friend already to visit your site and he's using only 1 stage snow blower.

So far the ordering, shipping and receiving went very well. Had the unit at my home within a week of my order, even with a blizzard that hit the area where the snow blower was being shipped from. However, since receiving the snow thrower, I have not had to use it. My last snow blower was purchased 12 yrs ago, and it was 3 seasons that went by, before I had to use that one. Therefore, I call the purchase of my new snow thrower as a great insurance policy against having to handle snow.

Of course, when it does snow again, I have the best equipment to handle any snow that comes my way!!!

This is my first snow blower. Because of where we live the driver could not deliver it for the last few miles. He delivered it in the middle of a U-haul parking lot. In ten minutes, with people waiting, I tore the crate apart, put the handles together, poured in gas and put the choke on, pulled it twice and it started. I did not have my glasses on and did not see the primer button. I then drove it up the ramp and took it home.

The electric starter is a waste of money. This thing starts when temp is -5F with one pull. It would take longer to plug in the cord to start it than pushing the primer button once flip the choke and pull the cord. What would be nice is heated handles now that would not be a waste.

I live on a very steep hill and without chains it could not make it all the way up. If you live on a hill order the chains.

I would buy this blower again.

I had a great experience with SnowBlowersDirect.com and would buy from them again.

I ordered this snow blower on Monday and received it on Wednesday afternoon WOW! I was told by other dealers that the Murray brand was cheap and not well built. Well, I am here to tell you that it is solid, detailed and designed with performance in mind. Briggs & Stratton builds this brand and I am sure that they would not put their engine and name on something that is flimsy or cheap.

This unit was easy to get ready for operation, about 45 minutes from opening the box, to having an assembled unit ready to run. The knobby tires are big and grip real well. In looking at the drive system when compared to other leading brands, there was really no difference as almost all of the dual stage snow blowers have a similar friction drive design.

So in light of all this being said and all the looking & comparing I did, you can buy this unit with confidence. Read the manual and follow the directions. As with any machine, drain the gas and service the machine after the season so it works next year.

Super fast shipping to Connecticut in 4 days. All local stores were sold out. Runs great out of the box. Had a lot of ice mixed in with the snow that had been standing and it threw it with no trouble. Runs for a long time on a single tank of gas.

Worth the investment. No trouble at all and would highly recommend SnowBlowersDirect.com - a better transaction than with the big box stores.

So, in 1996 I bought a snowblower from a big box store. It ran like a champ through many snowstorms for 13 years, then a cable broke. It was the cable that activates the auger. In the middle of a blizzard last year, when the cable broke, I rigged another cable to run the auger.

This year, I asked a friend to repair the cable. When I took it too him, he was impressed at how good the machine looked and how well it ran for being 14 years-old. I told him that I might sell it and buy a new one. He fixed it and a friend of his wanted to buy it. So I said yes, and sold it for $600, $400 less than I paid for it in 1996. By the way, it got fixed right after a major snowstorm and I had to pay big bucks for someone to plow my 250 foot driveway. When I sold it, the next thing that happened was a prediction for a major snowstorm coming the following weekend.

I had been looking at snowblowers....everywhere!!! Generally, they were there online but not in reality. Sears had many on sale, but when you tried to order one, they we're "not available in your area". After running into this scenario all over the place, I found Snow Blowers Direct.

After reviewing the snowblowers available on this great site, I chose the Murray because that company was the manufacturer of the snowblower I had for 14 years. Tuesday morning, early, I ordered and paid a very fair price for it online. Although they had free shipping, I paid extra for expedited delivery and lift-gate delivery. I received continual updates on the purchase and the delivery process.

The snowblower arrived on Friday (that's Illinois to New Jersey) as promised. It snowed like the dickens on Friday night. On Saturday, while it continued to snow, I went out to the garage to uncrate the snowblower. I told my wife that it would probably take more time to get it out of the crate than to assemble the snowblower. Getting it out of the crate...45 minutes, assembling it, 20 minutes, starting on the first try....priceless!

I proceeded to take care of my 7000 sq ft driveway in the next few hours with ease. The next day, I got up to take care of the snow that continued from the previous day. I went to refill the gas tank and to my surprise, it only needed a third of a tank to refill it after running it for 2.5 hours the day before. I'm sorry, but this was just unbelievable.

Great job Snow Blowers Direct...Great Equipment Murray!!! Thanks!