YARDMAX YP7065 Power Sweeper 27.5", 208cc, Briggs, 6.5HP

I don't normally leave reviews, but felt compelled with this. I live in Minnesota and bought this machine instead of a snowblower to clear snow from my driveway and sidewalk.Expectations. Generally, reviews said this is best for 6 inches of snow and under. This is pretty accurate. However, if snow is deeper, you just have to be willing to go over the areas a couple of different times. I usually do this anyway because I prefer not to have a layer of snow on my driveway (like you might find with a snowblower).Pros:Clears snow down to the pavement. It make take some time and you may need to run over spots a couple of different times depending on how deep the snow is, but it will clear snow down to the pavement so you don't have to worry about a layer of snow on your driveways and sidewalks all winter.Generally easy set-up. I'm not what you would call a handyman, and even though it comes disassembled to a point, directions were pretty easy to follow. Shipped with it are two extra bristles one for each side as well as the corresponding covers for the sweeper. It makes it a bit wider. I'm not sure why they just haven't manufactured it at this width. Unless the space you are clearing is very slim, I'm not sure why you wouldn't always add these on.Caveat, I am in the middle of my first season with it, but it generally starts on the first try every time.Cons:I am midway through my first season with it and a clip securing the support wheels came off and the two bolts securing the handle to the base of the sweeper came off. I was able to replace each for under 10 bucks at Home Depot, so it isn't a big deal from a performance perspective, but more of an inconvenience.The nozzle where you put the air into the tire ripped off one of the tires. I have emailed YardMax and will wait to hear back. In the near term, it is still usable, because the tire is new and stiff enough to support (to a point), but I will update once I hear back from the company.Both of the above items, I would consider regular maintenance of any machine, but given that I haven't even used this one full winter, it's been disappointing.Handle design is a little uncomfortable and takes time to get used to. In order to engage the broom function, you have to pull the black lever on the left side of the handle flush with the handle. In order to engage the drive function and move forward, you have to pull down the top right black lever. In order to reverse, you have to pull up on the bottom right black lever. Pretty easy to understand and use, but the set-up is not like any lawnmower or snow blower I've used before (in terms of how your hands and wrists sit on the actual handle). I am listing it as a con, because it is something you have to get used to and may be more difficult to use if you have wrist issues.Other things:So a couple of things that I didn't think about when purchasing. I wouldn't classify them as cons, because they aren't advertised, but just things to think about if you are getting something like this for the first time.There really isn't a good way to adjust speed. It's really just one speed. So if you were expecting a personal pace style machine, or something with variable speeds that you can set, that really isn't an option here.It's not a snow blower, so it's obvious it doesn't have a chute that you can adjust to throw snow from side-to-side. You can change directions of the sweeper though from side to side, like you would the chute on a snowblower. I found it's best to use when the wind has died down. While this does sweep the snow off to the side, if there's a lot of wind, you may end up covered in snow or you may end up with snow still on strips that you just swept off. Think about which way the wind is blowing and sweep with the wind :)Small note on pricing: I looked at this along with several products for a few months before purchasing. The final price that I purchased it was 650-ish bucks in the fall. However, for whatever through most of the summer, the price it was listed at was almost double (1200-1300 bucks). It's 800 if you buy direct from the YardMax website. I'm not sure why all the odd price changes, but just be aware for when you are purchasing yours.Final Thoughts: Overall, I like the concept of this machine. I like that it cleans all the way down to the surface of my driveway which was the reason I was attracted to this over a snow blower. If you get a LOT of big snow falls it might be worthwhile to pair this with a snowblower. We usually don't get a ton of large snow falls, so it works for me.When it works, I really like it. It does everything I need it to do. But I haven't been through a full season with it and have already had to fix some little things as well as figure out how to address the tire situation. Not sure if it's a little cheaply made so us regular folk can afford something like this, or if these are just random accidents with the unit I was shipped. Overall, I like it and it works as I expected it to. There just may be things you need to fix on it from time-to-time, that you probably can chalk up to regular maintenance. It just feels like there has been a bit too much regular maintenance for something that I've only used for two months.I will try to post an update on the tire situation as it gets resolved.

This Yardman sweeper was a bargain when I spotted it. had been looking for a tractor mount or a walk behind for a while and this was too good not to try. Arrived on a small pallet, assembly was as easy as a lawnmower (handle, assemble a couple of brush segments - about half an hour). Started right up after putting in oil and gas. Overall a decent unit for the cost, especially for someone looking to sweep sidewalks or a driveway. However, this had been touted as a unit that could also sweep leaves in the yard - not a great idea, and here's why... the drive on the machine is geared, and (I assume) connected via belts underneath. So there is no finesse in driving - it's either going or not, which with the full torque, tends to spin the small wheels and leave you wrestling to keep control. The two handle controls (brush and drive) are awkward in their configuration/placement. The brush can swing left or right, but it would be better if it were able to swing a little further in either direction in order to clear to the side better (this may be a design issue that keeps from having the machine walk sideways... ) . The cables from all the controls (there are 4) are all over the place and routed in odd ways - two stick out on the left and also block the pull start handle. The throttle on the handle connects via cable to the throttle on the engine - not a big deal except it's not very useful and actually really cheap. The plastic lever broke inside after about 10 minutes. I would have tossed it and just used the lever on the engine, but it uses the cable tension to stay put - so it's fixed but will be a modification later.There are two small casters behind the brush roll to keep the brush at a certain height - These may be ok for hard surfaces, but they are reeaaallly small, won't likely last long, and will not be of much use on anything else. I plan on looking for some larger diameter casters - possibly even mower deck wheels (the anti-scalp ones) to see if they smooth things out.I'm not one to bash a product especially if I know I'm probably asking a little too much of it - I'm sure some whill find this machine useful for sweeping hard surfaces, but grass, leaves etc. will leave you frustrated if you're not handy enough to make some changes.

I have an asphalt driveway about 600 feet long and this makes cleaning it a breeze. I get mud, gravel, pine needles and leaves on it and when it rains and gets driven over, it's a pain to clean with a broom and shovel. Now I just run over it with the sweeper which breaks everything loose and sweeps most of it to the side and I finish up with a quick pass with the leaf blower. I haven't had a chance to use it on snow but, I expect it will work just fine.I did buy the dustpan for mine as it allows me to just run over dirt that is stuck to the pavemant and can't be blown off with a leaf blower. Works great.Now whats bad. I did have to clean up the threads (run a tap down it) on the right side of the sweeper brush axle. When I installed the extra brush, you have to insert a longer bolt and it was binding. I could probably have forced it but, I have the tap so I just used it. Incidentally, installing the brushes is a real pain. I don't understand why they all weren't installed at the factory and if they made the fender a little longer you wouldn't have to bolt on the extensions. They'd probably save quite a bit of money too.After I put in the oil and gas, it started on the second pull of the rope. Not bad. I use 100% gasoline in it, as I do for all my small engines, and shut it off when I'm finished by shutting off the gas and waiting until it stalls. If I'm going to store it for any length of time, I remove the plug from the carburetor bowl, the one to the side, and drain out all the fuel. I then put some Seafoam in the tank and pull the cord until it 'pops'. Just drain out the Seafoam and fill with gas when you're ready to use it again. Don't leave any gas with ethanol in it sit in the engine for more than a month. I spent a lot of time replacing carburetors until I discovered this solution. The ethanol mixes with water and will corrode the insides.