If dogs could speak...

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Thar she blows
This is really for my northern readers in Alaska and Canada, but I am so tempted to get two even though the last time I saw snow was on a wide screen television at Best Buy. The big news is that Honda has just released the HSM1590i which is the world's first mid-size hybrid snowblower with electronically controlled switchable operating modes. It features Honda's iGX440 engine, the world’s first single-cylinder general purpose engine to have a new electronic STR governor. The combination of electronic engine-speed control technology and Honda's hybrid technology, and the exchange of data between the snowblower ECU and the engine ECU allows for the regulation travel speed and throttle opening so that engine speed is maintained relative to load conditions. These new technologies have enabled Honda to provide this snowblower with a STi control function for switching between three selectable operating modes — auto mode, power mode, and manual mode — with the simple turn of a dial, allowing users at any level of experience to select the mode that best suits their needs.

Those are impressive specs, but there is more. The redesigned auger housing cover and auger side discs significantly improve performance in deep and crusted snow, enabling the HSM1590i to remove crusted snow in about 30% less time than earlier models in power mode, and achieve top-level snow removal performance among mid-sized snowblowers. Now that's some serious blowing, but if that's still not enough for you, it does come with that extra-cost accessory in the back that can, just possibly, assist.
- posted by Woofwoof @ 10:05 PM