Murray 1695537 Review

(Rated: 4 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
Check Price
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Single stage gas powered snow blowers have a lot to offer the suburban homeowner with a big driveway and long sidewalks to keep clear. These work horses have the kind of power and performance you need to keep your property clear of deep snow all winter long. Everyone knows that clearing the driveway can be a real hassle, but there is no particular reason why it has to be. With the right tool, any job can be much easier. And for paved suburban driveways, the best tool for the job is a gas powered single stage snow blower. The extra wide clearances these machines offer will allow you to finish clearing your driveway in fewer passes and less time, and they are not limited in terms of range – which means you can clear your whole sidewalk as well as both of your neighbors’ with ease. The Murray 1695537 is a great single stage snow blower with a lot to offer.

Review Summary

The Murray 1695537 is a single stage gas powered snow blower with a top of the line Briggs & Stratton manufactured engine. The engine is a four stroke, overhead valve engine with 190 cubic centimeters displacement. These specs mean two things: efficiency and power. The Murray 1695537 can clear up to 900 pounds of snow per minute and has a wide, 21 inch clearance on its auger. That means you will be getting one of the highest clearance widths available on the market today with this machine. It also has thoughtful design points like a fold down handle and a clog resistant discharge chute.

There are some areas in which the Murray 1695537 is a bit lacking. Its snow cut depth is only ten inches, which will not quite be sufficient in regions that experience very heavy snow fall. Its engine is not fuel efficient and is not compliant with California Air Resource Board emissions standards. Certain parts of the snow blower are not very durable, and the auger is known to occasionally stall, which can present obvious issues. The Murray 1695537 stacks up favorably to similar models for the most part. It has a very reasonable price tag, and is well below the pricing average for single stage snow blowers in its size class.

Specifications

The Murray 1695537 is a single stage gas snow blower with dimensions of 31.7 x 22.8 x 29.5 inches. It has a push button starter and a Briggs & Stratton engine. The engine is 190 cubic centimeters, overhead valve, and four cycle. The Murray 1695537 has a 21 inch clearing width.

The Murray 1695537 has a ten inch snow cut depth. It has a clearance capacity of 900 pounds per minute and it can throw snow up to 30 feet away. It has a manual push drive and an ergonomically designed handle. Its manual snow chute rotates 200 degrees. The snow blower has compact wheels and weighs 97 pounds. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

The Murray 1695537 is a single stage, gas powered snow blower designed for residential use on suburban driveways in regions of the United States that do not get very heavy snow fall. It has an engine manufactured by Briggs & Stratton, which is a leader in the small engine manufacturing industry. The engine has a displacement of 190 cubic centimeters, has an overhead valve design, and is a four stroke. The displacement and overhead valve design ensure you are getting as much power as possible in the smallest space. The fact that it is a four stroke engine means you will not have to mix oil with gas before you fill the tank, and overall maintenance of the engine should be easier than with a two stroke engine. At the same time, it will not be as fuel efficient, will be a bit noisier than a two stroke, and is not compliant with CARB standards.

The clearance width on the Murray 1695537 is a full 21 inches, which is above average for a single stage snow blower. The higher the clearance width on a snow blower, the fewer passes you will have to make to clear a big driveway, and the fewer passes, the less time spent out in the cold. The 21 inch clearance width means you can clear an entire sidewalk in just two passes. The ten inch snow cut depth, while not as high as on many models, is more than sufficient for most regions of the country, where average snow storms typically do not drop more than five or six inches at a time.

The Murray 1695537 has a number of convenient design notes that help make the overall snow clearing experience much better. Its handle folds down for easier storage. It has a snow chute that is specifically designed to resist clogging. And the price tag on the Murray 1695537 is extremely competitive.

Pros

There are a number of features that make the Murray 1695537 an excellent snow blower for the right conditions. Its engine is absolutely one of the best available. It has one of the widest clearances of any single stage snow blower. It has an ergonomic handle, and its discharge chute is conveniently clog resistant. Finally, the snow blower has one of the best prices for its class.

1. Powerful Briggs & Stratton 190 cc OHV engine : Briggs & Stratton has long been one of the best names in the small engine manufacturing business, and it’s because the consistently produce high quality, high performance engines. The engine on the Murray 1695537 is designed to pack more power into a smaller space, and the fact that it’s OHV and four stroke means it will perform well over the long term with minimal maintenance on the part of the owner.
2. 21 inch clearing width : The clearing width on the Murray 1695537 is about as wide as it gets for a single stage snow blower. This is one of the most important things to consider when you are shopping for a new snow blower, because the clearing width will have a huge impact on how much work you have to do to clear your driveway. Simply put, a wider clearing width means fewer passes to clear a space – and fewer passes means less work.
3. Ergonomic, fold-down handle : There are a couple of convenient features to the handle on the Murray 1695537. First of all, it is designed to be as ergonomic as possible, so you will be less prone to back and shoulder strain when using this machine. It is angled to reduce back strain and padded to lessen the shock on your hands and wrists from the snow blower’s vibration. Second, it folds down, which helps make the Murray 1695537 easier than ever to store.
4. Clog resistant discharge chute : This is simply a great feature. Clogged snow chutes are the bane of any homeowner who has had to deal with them. They are inconvenient and at times they are downright dangerous. The Murray 1695537 has a specially designed snow chute that will resist clogging, even if you are clearing especially dense, heavy slush. And the chute rotates a full 200 degrees, which means you have a much wider range in which to throw snow.
5. Reasonably priced : Finally, the price tag. The Murray 1695537 is one of the most reasonably priced single stage snow blowers in its class, which my more frugal readers will definitely appreciate. It is well below the industry average for single stage snow blowers of its size and clearance width. This is all the more attractive when you consider the fact that it has a state of the art Briggs & Stratton engine and all of the other excellent design notes discussed above.

Each of these Pros is great by itself, but when you combine them and then realize how inexpensive this snow blower is, you really get a sense of what the Murray 1695537 has to offer. Taken together, these features make the Murray 1695537 a really solid snow blower for the right conditions at an excellent price.

Cons

Of course, there are limitations to what any single stage snow blower can do, and the Murray 1695537 is no exception. It’s a rather big machine, and its engine, while powerful, is also not very fuel efficient and produces a lot of emissions. Its snow cut depth is limited, and parts of it are not particularly durable. Finally, there are occasional issues with the auger.

1. It has a big overall footprint : The dimensions of the Murray 1695537 are 31.7 x 22.8 x 29.5 inches. That is fairly big, especially when you compare it to other models with similar clearance widths. This may make this snow blower a bit difficult to find storage space for, in spite of its fold down handle. It also means that it will be a bit harder to maneuver the Murray 1695537 in tighter spaces in your property.
2. Engine is non-CARB compliant : The Briggs & Stratton engine on the Murray 1695537, while powerful and impressive, is not particularly fuel efficient and produces a lot of emissions. This is fairly typical for four stroke engines. At the same time, it also makes the Murray 1695537 non-compliant with California Air Resources Board emissions standards. That means this model is not available for purchase in any of the fourteen states (including CA) that enforce these standards.
3. Snow cut depth is only 10 inches : The snow cut depth on the Murray 1695537 is a bit smaller than I would like to see. It limits the number of regions where this snow blower can effectively clear average snow fall, which is unfortunate. But at the same time, in most areas of the United States, in which the typical snow storm does not drop more than five or six inches, the ten inch snow cut depth should be more than sufficient for most of the winter.
4. The body is not very durable : A number of components on the Murray 1695537, including the body, are made of plastic, rather than welded or even stamped steel. This could present problems down the line, since plastic parts – even composite plastic parts – are not particularly durable. If you do not subject the Murray 1695537 to a lot of wear and tear, you probably will not run into this problem, but if you intend to use it often on big jobs, it may wear out faster than you like.
5. The auger may get stalled occasionally : The auger is a bit larger than it really should be, and it is frankly too large for the housing it is contained in. As a result, it may occasionally get caught on the housing and stalled. To fix this problem, you will have to use a Dremel to file down the auger slightly, which is a major inconvenience. This is the biggest problem presented by this machine. I hope Murray become aware of it and fixes it soon.

The majority of these drawbacks are not so serious that they will considerably affect the overall performance of the Murray 1695537 – except for the last one. The fact that the housing is not quite big enough for the auger is a fairly major oversight. If you are handy enough that you think you can fix this, by all means, save some money and get this model, but this should not be a choice you have to make.

Product Comparison

In the majority of product spec areas that really matter, the Murray 1695537 easily stacks up to similar single stage gas powered snow blowers. It has a powerful, high quality engine, an extra wide auger and a decent snow cut depth. The following table compares the Murray 1695537 with the Poulan Pro PR521 and the Toro Power Clear 621QZE.

	Murray 1695537	Poulan Pro PR521	Toro Power Clear 621QZE
Type	Single-Stage	Single-Stage	Single-Stage
Dimensions	31.7 x 22.8 x 29.5 inches	26.5 x 31.2 x 24.5 inches	22 x 29 x 23 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Engine Manufacturer	Briggs & Stratton	Poulan Pro	Toro
Engine	190 cc – OHV	136 cc – OHV	163cc – OHV
2-cycle / 4-cycle	4-cycle	4-cycle	4-cycle
Clearing Width	21 inches	21 inches	21 inches
Snow Cut Depth	10 inches	13 inches	13 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 900 pounds	Up to 1100 pounds	Up to 1100 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 30 feet	Up to 25 feet	Up to 35 feet
Drive	Manual push	Manual push	Manual push
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Chute Control	Manual 200°	Manual 180°	Manual 180°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Weight	97 pounds	81 pounds	89 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

All three models have 21 inch clearing widths, while both of the other models have higher snow cut depths than the Murray 1695537, as well as capacity per minute clearances of about 20% more. The Murray 1695537 does have the most powerful engine of the three but all three have 4-cycle designs. The Murray 1695537 has the chute with the widest range. The other models are smaller and weigh a bit less than the Murray 1695537.

Conclusion

In a number of key areas, the Murray 1695537 comes through with flying colors. It has a top of the line Briggs & Stratton engine with 190 cc displacement and a 21 inch clearing width that allows you to finish jobs more quickly. At the same time, there are a few areas in which the Murray 1695537 falls short of ideal.

Conclusion Pros

1. Powerful Briggs & Stratton 190 cc OHV engine.
2. 21 inch clearing width.
3. Ergonomic, fold-down handle.
4. Clog resistant discharge chute.
5. Reasonably priced.

The engine on the Murray 1695537 cannot be argued with: it is simply one of the best. The clearing width is also one of the highest you can find on a single stage snow blower. Its excellent design notes like the fold-down handle and clog resistant snow chute are extremely convenient. And it offers all of this for a great price.

Conclusion Cons

1. It has a big overall footprint.
2. Engine is non-CARB compliant.
3. Snow cut depth is only 10 inches.
4. The body is not very durable.
5. The auger may get stalled occasionally.

Most of these Cons are more or less run of the mill for a gas powered single stage snow blower. Its big footprint and emissions problems are commonplace, and its snow cut depth will not be a big problem in most regions. The one that really concerns me is the design of the auger, which presents major problems.

Final Word

There are plenty of things to love about the Murray 1695537. It has a wide clearance that will allow you to finish clearing your driveway in fewer passes and much less time. It has an engine that is manufactured by one of the best companies in the industry and that will consistently provide lots of power over the long term without needing a lot of maintenance. And it has convenient features like a fold down handle and clog resistant snow chute. And it is very reasonably priced. But there is one problem that almost eclipses all of its positive aspects. The auger on the Murray 1695537 is slightly too big for its housing, which means it may either rub against the housing or get stalled by it altogether. While you can fix this issue with a Dremel if you have to, I do not think a new snow blower should come already needing adjustments to run correctly.

Best Price

The Murray 1695537 has a great price. In fact, it is one of the least expensive single stage gas powered snow blowers I have run across so far. And this low price is in spite of the fact that it has a high performance engine and a lot of great product specs. But the savings for this model do come with a cost: the auger on the machine is a bit too big for its housing, which could cause major problems if it is not dealt with. If you are frugal and a mechanical person, you may want to jump at the savings and fix this problem yourself. But if this is not the case, you may want to look for a different and possibly more expensive model.