Murray 1696030 Review

(Rated: 3.9 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
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Heavy snow fall calls for heavy duty snow blowers – you do not want to have a flimsy single stage snow blower in your garage when a serious snow storm drops a lot of snow in your area. You want to have the kind of powerful two stage snow blower that is going to be equipped to take care of more than twelve inches of snow. And you want to be able to finish the job as quickly as possible and get back inside – especially when temperatures are dropping well below zero. That means an extra wide clearance that will be able to get your driveway clear in as few passes as possible. The Murray 1696030 is just that kind of snow blower: it has a powerful engine supporting a wider clearance and higher snow cut depth than you can find on most other snow blowers today. It’s prepared for just about anything.

Review Summary

The Murray 1696030 is the kind of serious snow blower that is not afraid to take on anything that Old Man Winter might bring your way this winter. With a powerful engine manufactured by one of the bets companies in the business, durable frame and heavy-duty auger, this snow blower is equipped to tackle heavy snow fall under the toughest conditions. And because it has an extra wide clearance, you will be able to finish clearing your driveway in as few passes as possible. Plus, its snow cut depth is high enough that there is almost no snow drift too deep for it.

The Murray 1696030 has a four cycle engine that powers not only its auger but also an efficient transmission that provides six forward and two reverse speeds. That means you will always be able to be clearing snow at whatever pace is best suited to your own needs as well as conditions on the ground. It does not matter whether you are clearing dense, icy snow; light, powdery snow; or heavy, slushy snow. The Murray 1696030 is ready for all of it. It can throw snow farther and finish jobs faster than just about any other snow blower on the market today.

Specifications

The Murray 1696030 is a gas powered two stage snow blower with a Briggs & Stratton engine that has a displacement of 305 cubic centimeters. It has overall dimensions of 37 x 50.9 x 32 inches and weighs 294 pounds. The Murray 1696030 has a self-propelled rear wheel drive that has six forward speeds and two reverse.

The clearance width on the Murray 1696030 is over two feet wide, and the snow blower has a snow cut depth of 21 inches, making it well equipped to handle large amounts of snow quickly. It can throw snow a full 35 feet away through its manual snow chute, which rotates 180 degrees. It has big wheels designed for better traction. The Murray 1696030 comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

As soon as you lay eyes on the Murray 1696030, one thing will be very obvious: this is a snow blower that definitely means business. The Murray 1696030 has one of the most powerful engines you can find on any snow blower on the market today, and the engine is made by one of the most trusted manufacturers in the world. Because it has such a solid engine, the Murray 1696030 is able to support not only an extra wide auger that can move huge amounts of snow very quickly, but also a drive train that provides extra forward and reverse speeds.

The Murray 1696030 is solidly built, too: its auger is made of durable welded steel that allows it to cut through densely packed, icy snow without getting bogged down or suffering any damage, even if you use it regularly over the long term. The body of the Murray 1696030 is likewise made from durable stamped steep that is impact resistant and will hold up to lots of wear and tear over the long term. And with big, solid wheels that are designed to resist slipping and provide more traction, there is no surface you can’t clear with the Murray 1696030, whether paved or unpaved.

When it comes to clearing large amounts of snow from big areas, the Murray 1696030 is the kind of serious snow blower that you need to have in your garage. Other snow blowers are simply not going to provide the kind of high level performance that the Murray 1696030 can. This is one of the few two stage snow blower that has the kind of serious engine power you need for big jobs. It is well built and well designed, so you will always be ready to get big jobs done fast. The Murray 1696030 is a solid snow blower that will last you for many years of use.

Pros

The Murray 1696030 is such a great snow blower because it is packed with excellent features that are designed to provide high performance in the face of the toughest conditions out there. This is a snow blower that is built to take care of big jobs fast, and that is apparent as soon as you hear its powerful Briggs & Stratton engine roar to life and watch its auger cut through dense snow with no trouble. Let’s take a look at some of its more impressive features.

1. 305 cc Briggs & Stratton engine : The engine is really what makes all of the other great features on the Murray 1696030 possible. At 305 cubic centimeters, it has one of the highest displacements you can find on a snow blower engine today. And it is made by Briggs & Stratton, which is one of the best and most trusted manufacturers of engines for yard machines on the planet. This engine will provide reliable power for a very long time.
2. Extra wide clearance : The clearance width is the feature the makes or breaks a snow blower: without a wide enough clearance, a snow blower will not be able to help you finish clearing your driveway fast enough for it to be worth the purchase price. But the Murray 1696030 has the kind of extra wide clearance that will allow you to clear a sidewalk in a single pass, and finish clearing even wider driveways in just a few more.
3. Very durable parts : A snow blower would not be worth much if it were not built to last. These machines have to be able to stand up to the elements and deal with tough conditions on the ground, so you want to be sure they are made of the kind of materials that will last. The Murray 1696030 has a welded steel auger that will not have any problems with even densely packed, icy snow; and the rest of the machine is similarly made of durable parts.
4. High traction wheels : It can be pretty slippery out there when you are clearing snow: you never know when you might hit an icy patch all of a sudden, and when that happens, you want to be sure you do not lose traction – or worse, lose control of the snow blower. With extra large wheels that are designed to provide more traction even under the worst conditions, this will never be a problem with the Murray 1696030.
5. Great clearance capacity : Best of all, the Murray 1696030 is ready to clear a high volume of snow in a very short amount of time. It has an extra high snow cut depth so that you can deal with even the deepest drifts with no trouble at all. And it can throw snow up to 35 feet away, which is more than enough distance to clear even the widest driveways easily. This snow blower has a great capacity – which is what you need.

As you can see, the Murray 1696030 has everything you need to tackle big jobs without any trouble at all. It is designed to clear deep snow fall from big areas in less time than other snow blowers can. And the Murray 1696030 has the kind of powerful engine backing that clearance up that will ensure you never run out of power or have any trouble moving snow – even dense or slushy snow. This is one outstanding snow blower.

Cons

Even with all of its great features, there are a few areas in which the Murray 1696030 is not quite as perfect as it could be. While there are areas that could stand to see a little bit of improvement, though, most of them are very minor issues that really do not take away from the overall performance or ability of the Murray 1696030 in any meaningful way. Still, I think we should cover them to be thorough.

1. Rather big and heavy : When you are dealing with a powerful two stage snow blower like the Murray 1696030, it is naturally going to have a big overall footprint and weigh a lot. While this may require some creative rearrangement to find enough space for it in your garage, the weight is not a serious problem, since the rear wheel drive does most of the work of propelling it for you. Still, this is something to be aware of.
2. Not CARB compliant : The Briggs & Stratton engine on the Murray 1696030 is big and powerful, which is what you want on a two stage snow blower. But it also means that it will be producing a high volume of exhaust. While that is not really a problem, it does mean that the Murray 1696030 is not going to be compliant with California Air Resources Board emissions standards. Because of that it won’t be available for purchase in a number of states.
3. Very noisy engine : The engine on the Murray 1696030 is also naturally quite loud: 305 cubic centimeters of displacement is not going to run very quietly. While this won’t cause any problems for you, it does mean that if you are using the Murray 1696030 to clear your driveway early in the morning before you can go to work you run the risk of waking up your neighbors. But when they see your clear driveway and walks, they will likely understand.
4. Doesn’t turn easily : There is no power steering on the Murray 1696030, which is a bit of a drawback. The machine is so heavy that the rear wheel drive alone is not enough to easily turn it. While you certainly can turn it, this will definitely require a bit of effort on your part. Because of that, this snow blower is not necessarily going to be perfect for everyone – if you think you will have trouble with this you may want to keep looking.
5. Few accessories : In addition to a lack of power steering, the Murray 1696030 does not have much in the way of other accessories, either. There is no headlight, for example; and the snow chute must be operated manually. Of course, this does not affect its performance or snow removal ability in the least. And frankly, most snow blowers that have lots of bells and whistles on them tend to be needlessly expensive as well, so I don’t think this is a big issue.

As you can see, there is nothing in the Cons section that can really take away from all of the great Pros that the Murray 1696030 has to offer its operator. Nothing I saw really presented any problems in terms of overall performance. The Murray 1696030 still has everything it needs to take care of heavy snow fall on big driveways very quickly and efficiently. As a result, I will still be giving this snow blower a very high rating.

Product Comparison

Of course, the very best way to get to know whether a given snow blower is the best one for you is by doing a bit of comparison shopping. That way, you can get a good sense of how it stacks up to other snow blowers made by the competition, as well as a better feel for what is standard in a given class of snow blowers. The following list compares the Murray 1696030 to two similar models.

	Murray 1696030	Husqvarna 1830HV	Yard-Man 31AM63LF701
Type	Two-Stage	Two-Stage	Two-Stage
Dimensions	37 x 50.9 x 32 inches	52 x 30 x 42 inches	52 x 27.5 x 42 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Engine Manufacturer	Briggs & Stratton	Husqvarna	Yard-Man
Engine	305 cc – OHV	414cc – OHV	208 cc – OHV
2-cycle / 4-cycle	4-cycle	4-cycle	4-cycle
Drive	Self-propelled	Self-propelled	Self-propelled
Speed Control	6 forward / 2 reverse	4 forward / 2 reverse	6 forward / 2 reverse
Clearing Width	29 inches	30 inches	26 inches
Snow Cut Depth	21 inches	23 inches	21 inches
Throw Distance	Up to 35 feet	Up to 35 feet	Up to 35 feet
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Light	n/a	LED Headlight	n/a
Chute Control	Manual 180°	Manual 180°	Manual 200°
Wheels	16-Inch x 5-inch	16-Inch x 5-inch	15-Inch x 5-inch
Weight	294 pounds	261 pounds	214 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Murray 1696030 has one of the most powerful engines on a snow blower today, as well as one of the highest snow cut depths and widest clearances. Unlike the Husqvarna, the Murray 1696030 has two extra speed options. It is also somewhat less expensive than the Husqvarna in spite of the fact that it offers pretty much everything that model has. Overall, I think the Murray 1696030 is one of the best snow blowers you can find today.

Conclusion

By now you are probably just as enthusiastic about the Murray 1696030 as I am: with its outstanding features and great performance and capability, there is a lot to like here. But before you decide that this is the right snow blower for you, let’s take one more look at the Pros and Cons lists.

Conclusion Pros

1. 305 cc Briggs & Stratton engine.
2. Extra wide clearance.
3. Very durable parts.
4. High traction wheels.
5. Great clearance capacity.

There are a lot of great features on the Murray 1696030. With its high performance engine, it is able to support an extra wide clearance and has a higher capacity than most two stage snow blowers on the market today. With durable parts and great design, this is an outstanding snow blower.

Conclusion Cons

1. Rather big and heavy.
2. Not CARB compliant.
3. Very noisy engine.
4. Doesn’t turn easily.
5. Few accessories.

And there really is not much to complain about on this snow blower. The few issues I did have with it are not related to its durability, design, or ability to clear high amounts of snow quickly. And many of these are common to big two stage snow blowers. Overall, I think it is still an outstanding model.

Final Word

It is important to be prepared for whatever winter might bring your way. You never know if this is the year that is going to bring record snow fall and freezing temperatures, and when that happens, you do not want to be caught with a snow blower that is not ready to perform under pressure. You want to have one that is built from durable parts, has a powerful engine, and is ready for anything.

The Murray 1696030 is that kind of snow blower. With one of the best engines money can buy, an extremely wide clearance and the kind of high snow cut depth that can make huge snow drifts disappear quickly, it has everything you need to take care of big jobs fast. The Murray 1696030 is a high quality snow blower that will perform well over the long term.

Best Price

Best of all, the Murray 1696030 is surprisingly inexpensive. Given that it has one of the best engines you can find in a yard machine today, as well as durable parts, great design and outstanding snow removal capacity, one would expect it to be considerably higher priced. But it isn’t. The Murray 1696030 has one of the more reasonable prices you can find on a two stage snow blower today. And in today’s economy, that is very good news. It means you can get a high performance snow blower in your garage without spending your entire yard and garden budget for the year.