Snow blower owners - what should I know?!

[Disney Addicted]

My husband gets more vocal about these each winter and I decided to purchase one as a surprise for Christmas. I never wanted to previously as I'm home; can usually do it myself and actually enjoy shovelling for the most part; and figure our kids should take over shovelling.

However... with both of us having back issues, his wrists getting worse, and the 2 or 3 snowfalls that are just too much or at inconvient times - I'm wavering...

So I want to research these before I hit the stores. For those who own snow blowers, can you give me some hints? What features should I look for? What are useless money extra features? How powerful are the motors? Does size matter?

Our driveway is large enough to hold 2 vans side-by-side above the sidewalk, and a 3rd van parked sideways in the driveway below the sidwalk - still leaving enough room for 1 van above to back in & out. So I don't want to get a cheap or too small or not powerful enough motor that dies.

I was actually going to measure our driveway before posting this, but my husband moved the tape measure again. I swear I'm going to get a bright florescent pink one that he'll never touch!

 

[mrodgers]

The size of the driveway doesn't matter, the type of snow you get and how much does.

The little single stage 3.5 hp (probably not rated in hp any more...) are only good for light dry snow. Anything wet and they just clog up.

You want a 2 stage snow blower if you deal with real snow. There is a 2nd auger in the shoot that throws the snow that the big auger pulls to the shoot.

I have a 6.5 hp 2 stage. When I got it, I pushed through my neighbor's driveway, which was 8 inches above the snowblower, so, maybe 2.5 feet deep. That was fun since there is no house beside her driveway and I was launching snow quite a distance, LOL.

 

[MinnieForMe]

To us, you get what you pay for with a snowblower. However, we live in the frozen North and get a lot of use out of ours. I believe we purchased ours at a Honda dealership but I would be wrong. It was just under $1000, 12 years ago. It still works great and we have a very demanding, hilly, long driveway. If you have any opportunity to purchase one from a dealer, you will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that if you need it repaired you will be able to have someone service it.

 

[DISdreamin']

We are really happy with the Airens we purchased last year. I do sort of wish I had gotten one with a bigger motor, but it works well unless the snow is really deep and wet - just deep or just wet alone, it is fine. Two stage, as pp mentioned, is a must unless you only get small dustings of light snow. Bigger cut is nice if you have a lot of driveway, but I bought 24" and have been fine with that (driveway is 50' long and about 25' wide).

I'd expect to pay $1k minimum for something decent - more if you want big motor or wide cut.

 

[artesian]

My Ariens is 5 years old now. 2 stage 24". if you live in an area with real snow falls 2 stage self proppelled is key. my heated hand grips come into play in the frigid type storms but not critical. also have a head lamp on mine but I almost never blow snow in the dark. Having a snow would be nice on those very windy light fluffy type snow storms. Got mine on clearance and it was the best 700 I could have spent. good luck

 

[mikehn]

Whichever one you get, be sure to always use fuel stabilizer in the offseason to keep the gas fresh. Otherwise the gas will go stale and could cause engine problems.

 

[bettymae1121]

Ditto on the 2 stage. Also if you have bad backs, spring for a model with electric start (rather than pulling on a cord). A new thrower will start on the 1st or 2nd pull, but a few years down the road it may take more pulls, and that could cause problems for your back.

Also, I guarantee that the 1st winter you own a thrower...it will not snow more than an inch or two at a time the whole season, so you won't have a chance to use it!

 

[mrodgers]

Whichever one you get, be sure to always use fuel stabilizer in the offseason to keep the gas fresh. Otherwise the gas will go stale and could cause engine problems.

I have a lawn mower, lawn tractor, and weed wacker that sits from around November through May, a snow blower that sits from April through November or December, and a tiller that gets used twice in 1 week in the spring and once in the fall. I don't do anything with the gas and never have problems.

My motorcycle, the only thing I would do with it was make sure it was completely full of gas for winter since it was a metal tank, so it didn't rust.

The stabilizer is cheap though, so why not. I just don't get around to getting it in the tanks and running them to get the stabilizer into the carbs.

Also, I guarantee that the 1st winter you own a thrower...it will not snow more than an inch or two at a time the whole season, so you won't have a chance to use it!

Ain't that the truth, LOL.

 

[DISdreamin']

Also, I guarantee that the 1st winter you own a thrower...it will not snow more than an inch or two at a time the whole season, so you won't have a chance to use it!

I would have agreed with this, but ironically I bought my snowblower last year we had one of our snowiest winters ever! I really feared finally springing for it and only getting 6 or 7 feet all winter! I was SO glad I got my toy when I did!

 

[3boymthr]

Don't feel you have to buy from a dealer to get good service or a good snowblower. Definitely shop around find a model and size you like and price compare. Major retailers often sell the same brands (at least online) as many of the local dealers . We bought ours from Sears and saved a bundle on it because they have sales and coupons, and because of being able to buy thru online rebate program and choosing ship to store and because Sears has a rewards program that allowed me to earn a LOT of points on the purchase. We saved over $350 doing it this way. You can do the same if buying from Lowes or Walmart or Home Depot or... When it needed service we looked up the nearest dealer that sold and serviced our brand of snowblower and got great service no problem (they're happy to take the money to work on it even if you didn't buy it from them. )

As PP mentioned, if you live in the north and get heavy wet snow and a medium to large driveway, do plan to invest upwards of $1,000 - ours started out at the $1,000 mark.

Besides single or two stage, size of engine, width of path there are other this to consider. One other thing to look at is the length of the throwing chute for the snow. If it isn't long enough the snow isn't going to go that far. You have a fairly wide driveway so you're going to want one that will throw the snow a good ways when you get to the middle or you're just going to be snow blowing it twice. Another thing to look at is the starter mechanism. You mentioned that you both have back issues and your hubby has wrist issues so you want to look for one that has a relatively easy start. I'd also check into whether it's self propelled or not and how many gears it has. Self propelled is a LOT easier to maneuver. I have a friend who has one that isn't, lives on a slight hill and she can't get it back up the driveway on her own - her kids have to help. The more gears it has the faster and/or slower you can make it go and a reverse if self propelled is a great feature.

Things that you can probably skip - unless you're afraid of getting wet - a cover for the area you stand hold on to the handles - and a light - DH bought one and it barely illuminates anything. Total waste of money.

 

[DISdreamin']

Besides single or two stage, size of engine, width of path there are other this to consider. One other thing to look at is the length of the throwing chute for the snow. If it isn't long enough the snow isn't going to go that far. You have a fairly wide driveway so you're going to want one that will throw the snow a good ways when you get to the middle or you're just going to be snow blowing it twice.

Now that you mention it, this is a BIG deal. You want something powerful enough to toss snow (whatever kind you get) at least the width of your driveway. Our drive is pretty wide, and if the show is really, really heavy and wet, our snowblower has trouble chucking it all the way across the drive (it's probably 25' across) which means going down the middle and blowing snow to either side. This works fine UNLESS the wind is blowing, in which case you end up wearing a lot of snow. I've come back in looking like the abominable snowman some days last winter! So whatever size motor you think you need, get the next one up if you live somewhere with lots of heavy, wet snow.

FWIW, I bought an Ariens Deluxe 24 that is described as follows onGoogle product search:
"Large commercial or residential walkways and driveways are quickly cleared of snow with this Ariens Deluxe 2-Stage 24 in. This rust-resistant snow blower features an electric ignition button for quick starts, a 200-degree chute with up to a 50 ft. discharge for clearance control and hungry 14 in. augers to power through thick snow. With a durable Briggs & Stratton 250 cc Ariens Polar Force 1150 engine, 8 speed options and an engulfing 24 in. wide housing, this snow blower is a powerful versatile option for most snow conditions."

I know the description says 50' discharge chute, but I absol-freakin'-lutely guarantee you that on a windy day with heavy, wet snow, this thing has trouble tossing snow 20 feet into the wind. You really have to crank the angle down to keep it all from blowing right back where you removed it from, and you're lucky to launch it far. Also, although it says electric start, we always pull start it - it's nice to know the electric is there, but you don't have to use it. Oh, and the 8-speed is very nice - you can find something comfortable for both the snow depth/load and your walking pace. Some days are 1 days where you can't go any faster without stalling, some days are 3- or 4- days where you're cruising right along. It's funny how much I enjoy that thing, now that I think about it.

 

[Gigi22]

Do not go cheap on a snowblower. You should expect to have it serviced on a regular basis so that it keeps running. The spark plugs and the engine oil have to be regularly checked. You **must** drain the gas out of the tank at the end of every season--you can just add it to the gas tank on your car and use it up.
We have a Yamaha YS624TR with an electric as well as a pull start (DH hates pull starts). An electric start is pricy, most people don't bother with one. We think it is a 6 hp., but the manual doesn't specify. We purchased an optional headlight for it that is particularly useful in the evening/early a.m., or driving snow.
DH does not use the snowblower to deal with really heavy, water-logged snow, the chute clogs up too often.

 

[clh2]

I am also going to suggest researching the difference between a stage 1 or stage 2 snowblower.

The electric starts is a must!

 

[seashoreCM]

1-Stage -- There is a single rotating part, a corkscrew auger in front that grinds the snow towards the middle and the middle part of the auger has a flat spot that acts as a paddle to fling the snow up the chute and away. The entire auger rotates quite fast so the paddle part can push the snow up the chute fast enough that the snow is flung some distance.

2-Stage -- The corkscrew auger grinds the snow towards the middle and a second fan like rotating part just under the chute has a series of paddles to push the snow up the chute. The auger does not have to rotate very fast but the paddle wheel does.

A snow blower that is wide so as to do a good amount of the driveway on each pass is quite heavy and needs effort to go around curves even if has powered wheels. Often you may find it easier to maneuver if you do not turn it around at each end of the driveway but instead back it up all the way after each pass and then do the next pass.

If the snow is heavy and wet, select a slower forward speed if the snow blower has powered wheels. But don't go too slow with a 2 stage machine; that may cause the snow not to be thrown as far.

 

[trip]

Also, I guarantee that the 1st winter you own a thrower...it will not snow more than an inch or two at a time the whole season, so you won't have a chance to use it!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. If this is true, I may have to buy one each year.

 

[CTdiznymom]

I finally convinced DH to get one a few years ago. He was killing himself shoveling. He really put up a fight. We live is SW CT, and have been hit pretty hard the last few winters so he's glad he relented. We went to Lowes and bought a Snow King for around $450. My DH doesn't know which end of the hammer to use, so for him to be able to operate this machine without a problem is a miracle! Once he gets going there is no stopping him-he does our drive, and then hits all the neighbors and the sidewalks too.

 

[DISdreamin']

DH does not use the snowblower to deal with really heavy, water-logged snow, the chute clogs up too often.

See, that snow is TOTALLY why we bought the snowblower! I mean, why bother to have it if it won't do the wet, heavy stuff?! If we didn't use ours for that type of snow, we probably wouldn't get a lot of use out of it - that constitutes the majority of what we get here!

I've never had our snowblower clog up, or actually stall for that matter, but I've had it sound bogged down and have sometimes found I needed to either make smallers cuts or go in and out to give it a chance to do its thing and throw snow. Even on '1' speed (tortise mode!) the snow is sometimes heavy enough and deep enough that it seems like a real workout for the motor.

And seashoreCM, thanks for the info on going too slow with a 2-stage. I'll have to keep an eye on things this year (if we ever get any snow!) to see if going faster actually helps with tossing snow off the drive. There are times it seems like I need to go slow because of the type or depth of snow, but I wonder if I'm underestimating the ability of the machine/motor.

 

[Gigi22]

A typical winter (is there any such thing during periods of climate change?) in our area can involve snow, sleet, a thaw and even rain--repeatedly. We tend to view things like heavy, wet snow as merely a temporary condition. I am intrigued that folks are going to bigger machines to be able to deal with snow all the time--if our snowblower were much bigger, I don't think we could get it into our garage with our truck and rototiller.

 

[DISdreamin']

We tend to view things like heavy, wet snow as merely a temporary condition. I am intrigued that folks are going to bigger machines to be able to deal with snow all the time--if our snowblower were much bigger, I don't think we could get it into our garage with our truck and rototiller.

When I say bigger, I don't mean cut-wise, I mean motor size. I'm happy with the dimensions of our machine, I just sometimes wish the motor was more powerful.

As far as snowfall, it really depends on your area. Personally, when we get a lot of snow quickly it is almost always of the heavy, wet variety; we live in an area prone to lake-effect snow. When it comes, it can be 12, 18, 24, sometimes even 30 inches of really, really heavy wet snow in a relatively short period of time. I've gone to bed after doing the driveway at 10pm only to wake to 2' of snow that has fallen and/or blown and drifted into our driveway by 5am. True, maybe it's only the drifts that are really tall, but you still need to move them!

For perspective, let me share that last winter the city we live just outside of got 15 feet of snow (measured at the airport, we got MUCH more where we live because we're up on a hill - I can drive down the hill and go from feet of snow to inches!). Normal here would supposedly only be about 10 feet, but we've not seen a lot of normal the last few years! We had a snowfall early last December (the day I found out you CAN buy a snowblower by phone and have it delivered) that dropped about two feet of SUPER-heavy, wet snow overnight. You couldn't even lift a full shovel of it, and you couldn't push it because it was too deep. The bank at the end of the driveway was about three feet tall and heavy as cement. That was the straw that broke this snow-shoveling camel's back!

 

[Gigi22]

What can I say? I bought the snowblower for DH's 40th birthday. Medical folks around here have drawn a causal relationship between shovelling and heart attacks. We don't usually get as much snow as Disdreamin', but it can happen. Our total snow accumulation on the ground has reached the roof tops at least twice in my memory. Most years we don't have it all on the ground at once! For us the cost to have the snowblower serviced is about equal to the cost of hiring a snowplow service for the season.