Briggs & Stratton 1696506 Single Stage Snow Thrower (Review)

Briggs & Stratton 1696506 is a single stage snow blower with 4-cycle 205cc engine that develops 9 ft-lb. of torque. It has clearing width of 22 inches and intake height of 12.5.

Performance

Briggs & Stratton 1696506 chews through 8 inches of snow without much effort (including wet and heavy snow). It handles 8-12 inches reasonably well too but you have to go at it a bit slower. Although performance is not terrible for the pricing you would expect it to be more powerful.

Auger is made from two reinforced rubber edged paddles to move snow but also features snow shredder serrated auger with 14 serrated surfaces to chop ice and hard snow.

Briggs & Stratton 1696506 has both pull and electric start. It starts with 1-3 pulls so it’s not terrible to start manually. Electric starter works fine.

Quality

Unit feels rather well built – keyword here being “feels”. It has design flaw that makes auger belt prone to snapping which seems to be a common issue with this machine. Some consumers have even complained about the belt snapping only few minutes into use.

Maneuverability

It’s auger propelled so the unit pulls itself along a bit but in deeper or heavier snow you will have to put a bit of effort to push the unit forward yourself.

Features

Chute rotates in 200 degrees.

Conclusions

Although it performs rather well when it works for the pricing it might be more powerful. Even if that’s not a deal-breaker for you the common auger belt issues should be. Some consumers seem to love this unit, but due to reasons previously mentioned VBR doesn’t recommend this snow blower.

Briggs & Stratton 1696506 Single Stage Snow Thrower with Snow Shredder Technology and Electric Start, 22-Inch Details/Specs:

• Engine Displacement: 205cc
• Clearing Width: 22″
• Intake Height: 12.5″
• Chute Rotation: 200 degrees
• Tire Size: 8″ x 2”
• Auger diameter: 10 inches
• Fuel tank capacity: 3.2 quarts
• Weight: 108 pounds