My dad bought a Craftsman Trac-26 (8 hp) in the mid-late 1980s and when he passed in 1993 I had it made part of my 1/3 inheritance - brothers in N.VA and SoCal not interested. Tracks were slow but just about unstoppable and though the chute-direction was hand crank it was more solid than my current joystick control. Early in the 2008-09 winter the drivetrain wore out to the point that the friction wheel would only hit the power disc in reverse gear. Engine had never missed a beat but a snowblower that only moves backwards wasn't very helpful. A friend and I took the drivetrain apart and found the badly worn parts, after which I spent fruitless hours on the internet looking for replacements - no one had them. So I had to junk the machine, gave the engine to that friend, and bought my current snowblower (another Craftsmen but according to Consumer Reports it's built by Ariens) the first week of 2011. Not as solid as the old Trac-26 but faster-moving and gets the job done.