topic Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me? in Community Chat

Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

ECBG — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 20:49:52 GMT

I think where we live this would be a perfect Christmas gift for my hubby.

We don't get city scraping and we have a long driveway. Since the short street we're on angles straight down at our driveway it's a perfect choice.

Do you have any experience with them?

Many Thanks!

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

Mary Bailey — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 20:57:11 GMT

@ECBG Get electric start, with gasoline engine. Then you don't have to mix gas & oil. A paddle is lighter than auger type. Auger is for heavy snows. 21" paddle is a good size.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

IamMrsG — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 20:57:56 GMT

@ECBG We have purchased two of them. It is neither a luxury nor frivolous purchase. The first one was for my elderly father, who had a 100' uphill driveway. This last one, a Troy Bilt, was for DH who has a long driveway and wide frontage to clear. In each case I saw the purchase as a means toward heart attack prevention. DH lost a friend who, as an act of kindness, was shovelling his neighbor's driveway.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

Helen852 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 20:59:15 GMT

If you have a long drive, a rider may be better than an actual snow blower. Make sure it has enough HP for the type of snow that you'll be having. We live in Buffalo, NY and we get a lot of snow and it's heavy. They aren't the easiest machines to handle. I'd do some research and find the best one for your area. A few years ago we had all that snow and had to call someone with a bucket to remove all the snow that had accumulated at the end of the driveway and we hadn't even had any snow plows down the street. There was just that much snow. In fact, the plows couldn't get down our street and 2 of the bucket machines on skidsters got stuck. And last year was so mild, we barely used the snow blower.

Good luck.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

GCR18 — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:24:42 GMT

Snow blowers come in two stages. A stage 1 is a smaller, light weight machine. If you get less than say 6 inches of snow, that's what you want. It may struggle a little if the snow plow leaves a pile at the end of the driveway. I had one and loved it. It was light enough that I could put it in my SUV and take to my parents house.

When I moved to the Midwest, I needed a bigger snow blower. I got a stage 2. It has enough power to get through 2 feet of snow. The one thing I dislike about it is that to change which side the snow blows is a manual crank. I don't know if they have another option, but if I ever buy another one I'll be looking for it. It is a lot heavier than the stage 1, but it's self propelled and rolls along with a little effort.

After having snow blowers, I'd never go back to the good old days when I shoveled. It's a great gift.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

sabatini — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 21:25:54 GMT

You've received some great tips, but I'd give a shout-out to @gardenman.

I swear, that man is a fountain of knowledge!

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

rrpell — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:08:06 GMT

@ECBG

I thought my husband, who has used snowblowers all his life, would be an excellent resource. Instead, his response surprised me. I know you were looking for help in selecting one but his response was so heartfelt, I thought I'd share.

My husband questioned me when I told him it was going to be a "Christmas" gift for your husband.

Then, I thought about it. He is the one who goes out into the cold, at all hours, and uses the snow blower to clear the driveway...for all of us.

His take was it is more a "tool" for the house or maybe a Christmas present for both of us. In that case, he would like to pick it out. He said it was like him giving me a washer and dryer for Christmas.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

athenian — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:24:30 GMT

We have one that rarely gets out of the garage. It's a pull start and special gas type and has to be drained in the spring. It is more trouble than its worth for our not too deep snows. I actually like shoveling, but for the occasional blizzard our lawn service takes care of it. I don't like the light, slippery coating left by the blower. I like a dry sidewalk. So I think it depends on your snow situation.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

ECBG — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:58:48 GMT

@rrpell wrote:

@ECBG

I thought my husband, who has used snowblowers all his life, would be an excellent resource. Instead, his response surprised me. I know you were looking for help in selecting one but his response was so heartfelt, I thought I'd share.

My husband questioned me when I told him it was going to be a "Christmas" gift for your husband.

Then, I thought about it. He is the one who goes out into the cold, at all hours, and uses the snow blower to clear the driveway...for all of us.

His take was it is more a "tool" for the house or maybe a Christmas present for both of us. In that case, he would like to pick it out. He said it was like him giving me a washer and dryer for Christmas.

@rrpellThank you so very much. I would prefer he exchange it because if I take him, he won't pick what he wants because of the cost.

I've read a lot about them but thought that Q is such a valuable resource I'd be better to ask. There is never anything like experience!

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

Mary Bailey — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:59:53 GMT

@ECBG one year I bought DH a lawnmower.

It was his pride and joy. He waxed that thing!

I bought it to make his life easier.

It is the thought that counts!

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

AuntG — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 23:03:31 GMT

Living in Wisconsin, we have a medium sized one. It is a Toro and is quite dependable, but we do have to mix gas and oil to fuel it.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

rrpell — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 23:42:25 GMT

@ECBG

I understand completely!

Here is our snowblower review😀

My husband has purchased Ariens snowblowers for the past 40 years...3 machines. We live in NH and get a fair amount of snow.

His last one was purchased 2 years ago. He got a Deluxe 28" model because they were out of the one he wanted, a 24". He thinks the 28" puts too much weight in the front making it harder to maneuver.

He does not like the handlebars as they are too close together. The motor (now made in China) runs strong and throws snow a long way.

He likes the electric start. He has chains for the wheels because our driveway is on a slight slope. A nice accessory (comes standard on some) is heated grips.

This Ariens has some sort of traction system that is supposed to move it forward (unlike the prior ones) but it causes the machine to go side to side, resulting in a struggle to keep it going straight.

If my husband were to pick another, he would also look at the Hondas. He says they are more expensive but he has heard good things about them.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

hckynut — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 00:28:46 GMT

@ECBG

First I want to clarify something 1 poster said about gas engine snow blowers. Only those with a 2 cycle engine/2 strokes, need oil mixed with gas. I am not even sure most who manufacture them even make them relics anymore. Most are 4 stroke internal combustion engines(the same as in almost all motor vehicles), and oil is driven my an oil pump and the 2 additional strokes. In this order:

1) Intake

2)Compression

3) Power

4) Exhaust

Now, what blower? Depends on how deep the snow/how heavy the snow(powder or moist and very heavy)/how long wide the area being plowed. For our snow and the length and width of our driveway? Electric is not even a consideration.

I would first need at least another 300' foot outdoor cord to our other 300' cord, and I would still be way short. Snow drifts in our drive and we had many drifts over waist high(3' at least) an electric could not handle it.

I did have a 2 stage 10hp/20" width snow blower, but after my 2nd heart attack, I didn'want to push mu luck. I now hire a friend of my sisters to do our drive way and walks.

Have to figure out the above before making a choice. A 1 Stage Blower only plows the snow and pushes the snow out a chute. They also our powered by the human, not the motor.

A Stage 2 Blower first collects the snow with the auger, than pushes it to an impeller that throws the snow a long way in any 360° direction. These wheels are driven via the motor, not the human.

Lots of options depending on each persons snow and housing situation.

hckynut(john)

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

JeanLouiseFinch — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 03:38:51 GMT

DH and I bought our first snowblower close to 30 yrs. ago. It was a Toro and one of their bigger models, not just a little pup. It served us well and a couple of years ago we thought we should replace it. We went to all the usual places and were really disheartened by the fact that there was so much plastic in the assembly. We ended up bringing ours to a place that works on snowblowers. They gave it a thorough going over and replaced everything that was needed. We spent a couple hundred bucks but we're much happier doing that than buying plastic. Granted, it won't be brand new in the box, but if you could find a shop that refurbishes and resells older models I think you'll actually get a better machine. If you don't like that recommendation, at least go with a good name, like Toro. Make sure it has an electric start (gasoline engine) and a chute that you can turn to direct where you want the snow to blow. Also get a little bigger than you think you'll need. If you live in the midwest, you know how our storms can be. Smaller machines are short and won't do as good of a job in deep snow.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

MoJoV — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 02:45:48 GMT

We bought a medium sized Toro and love it. It is a pull start but it starts easily. We bought an electric start lawn mower this summer....WHY didn't we do this years ago. I would go with the electric start blower now,too,if I had it to do over.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

ECBG — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 03:58:22 GMT

@hckynutThanks so much John. Our driveway is normal width and about 10-12 cars long. With where we live we both drive 4 Runners or we wouldn't get in or out.

I know I do not want a push one and I was thinking about a two or three cycle. No way is an extension cord ever going to work here.

This one seems to be quite popular in our area and is called a good value. This brand seems to be well thought of as well as this store very well respected in our area.

Your thoughts? Thanks!

Troy-Bilt Storm 2410 179-cc 24-in Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower

Item # 189194 Model # 31AS62N2711

(570 Reviews)

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

JeanLouiseFinch — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 05:33:17 GMT

@ECBG I don't have any experience with the brand, but I think it's well respected. The blower gets some nice high marks and it looks to have a good amount of metal. Good choice for that long driveway of yours.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

hckynut — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 07:58:35 GMT

@ECBG

The blower I bought was also a Troy-Bilt with electric start.

I used it for 4 winters before my heart attacks and then sold it to a fellow I worked with for many years. No problems with it when I owned it.

I also still own a Troy-Bilt gasoline motor pressure washer? Have owned and used this for close to 8 years now, no problems.

The pictured blower looks like a good one. If you and/or your husband have never used a wheel motor driven blower, it might take you awhile to get accustomed to all the functions.

Glad I could help a bit with this.

hckynut(john)

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

qualitygal — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 10:06:58 GMT

I don't see this as something you'll slide under the tree for him, I'd let him choose which one he'd like. Since he shovels it, I'd let him decide. He will know what he can handle (age and fitness) and he can ask the dealer any questions he might have. It's a large important purchase, so see what he says and how he feels about it. He'll probably love you for that gift.

Re: Can Anyone Discuss A Snow Blower With Me?

qualitygal — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 10:12:26 GMT

@hckynut wrote:

1) Intake
2)Compression
3) Power
4) Exhaust

hckynut(john)

@hckynut, I have to laugh! From my driver's ed. class in high school, this one set of info I memorized and still retain to this day. No idea why, but I had to do a laugh!