Shopping for a snow blower, maybe.....

We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a reliable, manageable machine?

Reply to
Norminn
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I've had a Craftaman for 20 years and am happy with it. It's 5hp, about 24", two stage, I think. Cost about $800 back then. The only problem I've had with it is that when I've forgotten to drain the gas at the end of the season, sometimes the carb gets fouled in just a few months. But even that was a quick fix with a $10 rebuild kit on Ebay. Of course what Sears and others sell today may be very different.

One thing I would definitely get is electric start. It's worth it to not have to pull start. And you want two stage. Another possible feature is some of the more expensive ones have tread type drives instead of tires. I never used one of those, but it might be a good thing if you have a grade to deal with. You can also put chains on the tire ones. I've been fine here with just the tires. I have a little grade at the end of the driveway and no problem getting the blower to go up it.

Reply to
trader_4

Lived in the Chicago suburbs until I was 60. Don't know where the OP is located. I used a Craftsman electric (made by the old Sunbeam on the west side of Chicago) for many years and it was ok. A little getting used to the cord thing. When it finally bit the dust, I gave it to a cousin that had worked for Sunbeam and had one himself ... he now had lots of parts). I bought a single stage, 2 cycle, with an electric (120VAC) start. You had to push it as it wasn't self propelled. This unit was a whole lot better. Out of the cold garage it always started (AC) and if it would die along the sidewalk because I hit a hard chunk of ice from the street snow plow, the pull starter was there to get it going pretty easily, because it was nicely warmed up. When we moved to western NC 6 years ago, I gave it to my son. He had a similar unit, but no electric start. In a way, I wish I would have brought it with. We do have some snow here and it might be nice. That all said, I have seen commercials for the new Lithium Ion battery units (36 volts or something like that) ... looks pretty slick, especially for smaller areas ... probably pricey.

Reply to
Art Todesco

Mine's a two stage 24 inch Troy Bilt with electric start. It will handle a couple of feet or more of snow. Only trouble I had with it was time I did not run it dry and ethanol containing stabilized gas clogged it.

Neighbor has one exactly like it and no problems, except, maybe last year when he accidentally ran into his newspaper buried in the snow.

I'm 75 and have no trouble handling it.

Reply to
Frank

No snow thrower can clear ice. Ice requires: -- for individuals, studded boots to inhibit falling; -- ice can be cleared only by a vehicle (1) heavy enough to break ice into pieces, (2) capable of lifting and throwing the pieces. The cheapest alternative is to distribute a sand/salt mix atop the ice, renewed daily as needed.

Reply to
Don Phillipson

Ariens, Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt. CC and TB are made by MTD so I would ask a dealer if TB was just a re-labelled Yard Machine or a Cub Cadet? (Maybe you could look at them side-by-side). John Deere's larger blowers were made by Ariens.

Reply to
bob_villa

On Fri, 09 Jan 2015 07:20:21 -0500, Norminn wrote in

I would try something like this

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Reply to
CRNG

Some reviews:

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Reply to
bob_villa

bob_villa:

+111111 - Ariens!
Reply to
thekmanrocks

Based on personal experience, I offer the following comments:

- Snowblowers are just that. They do not throw slush or ice. That means if you do not get outside to use them as soon as the snow falls, you are not going to see good results. Attempting to throw slush or snow that has melted near the ground results in the blower packing up. That means you have to turn it off and clean it out. Rinse, repeat. The only thing that will break up ice on the ground is a blade on a pickup.

- The little electric brushes are toys and shouldn't be considered.

- I have a self propelled Sears (really MTD) with a 9HP gas motor. Use it to do a 250ft driveway up the side of a mountain. Electric start is an absolute must. Trying to use a pull starter on a gas motor in the winter is nuts. It's two stage, which means it has an auger and a blower. The blower is adjustable, so there is some control on where and how far the snow gets thrown.

- It is self propelled, but that doesn't mean you sit in a rocker chair behind it. There is some physical effort in managing it.

Reply to
Arthur Conan Doyle

Per Norminn:

No recommendation, but I would concur with the idea of getting a snow blower instead of shoveling. Shoveling is pretty strenuous activity and if somebody only does it a few times per year I would think they are placing themselves at risk - more risk the older they get.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

First you have to determine your real needs. If snow is a twice a year thing with 4", you can get away with a little single stage machine.

If you get 6" or more at a time and you get it a couple of times a month, you need a decent two stage machine. You want something that can trow the snow.

Look at features. I set out to buy a 24" as it would easily do my driveway. After looking at different models, the 28" had a better system to change the discharge, had a headlight and was slightly wider for a few bucks more.

I did not see any big differences in brands at a given price point. I bought mine early in the season at $100 off.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Hi, Or late in the season to use from next season. I don't even bother dragging out the unit, I can still shovel 30' long double wide drive way for a morning exercise. No pain, aches, huffing and puffing yet, LOL! Our snow is always light and powdery, easy to handle.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

In most cases where the weather is less severe than Ottawa, keeping the snow cleared prevents it from getting packed down and turning to ice.

My reccomendation if it's not in deep snow country is a Toro single stage - the rubber impeller/beaters scrub right down to bare concrte - they are light and easy to handle - no wheel drive but they propel themselves along nicely.110 volt start and now 4 stroke instead of 2.

That said, I bought a Yamaha Hydro a few years back. 12 volt start, track drive, hydrostatic trans, and throws snow over 40 feet. The choke is a joke - so I drilled a 1/8" hole in the air cleaner housing and I give it a light shot of ether as it is cranking (stick the lrt into the hole)

Reply to
clare

Just like Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC are all made by GM, the Troy Bilt, Cub Cadet, and Yard Machine are 3 totally distinct product lines. Less cross-polination than GM even.

Reply to
clare

The Ariens Pro is a real machine. The cheap-assed thing they put their name on for Home Despot, they should be ashamed of.

I used to work for an Ariens dealet back in the sixties.

Reply to
clare

I'm only 69. Maybe things will change, but my attitude now is that _not_ shoveling will put me at _more_ risk.

I'm only dealing with 80 feet of driveway in central NJ.

I'd much rather be found dead in a pile of snow than waste away in a bed. Even with a few years of difference.

Reply to
Dan Espen

150 feet of sidewalk and a double length double wide driveway in Central Ontario slop zone is a differnt situation!! Takes a blower with OOMPF. My Yamaha can throw snow from my driveway across the neighbour's driveway to the east into his front yard when blowing against a stiff west wind is like taking a whiz into the breeze.. The prevailing west winds make it difficult to throw the snow onto my own front yard. I usually blow his sidewalk too, which means I'm blowing over 200 feet of sidewalk. (and sometimes his driveway too, and often a few other elderly neighbours when I've got the "beast" fired up and running already anyway.. Put about 50 gallons of Shell Hitest through it last winter.
Reply to
clare

Per Dan Espen:

There's something to be said for that....

But last year we lost retired co-worker. There was heavy rain one night and he went out to dig a drainage trench to divert water that was getting in to his very old house.

AFIK, somebody found the body the next day.

Reply to
(PeteCresswell)

This whole collective snow shoveling/blowing/plowing frying pan we suburbanites repeatedly beat over our own heads every Dec-March(or May-Sept) should raise not a few flags and ring a few bells:

SHOULD HUMANS EVEN BE LIVING in cold/snowy regions of the planet - even where such weather occupies half to one quarter of one year??

Certainly, living where mother nature repaves your driveway with a white layer of anything from fluff to the frozen variety does create an 'economy' - by spurring the design and sale of snow blowers, plows, and drivers of pickup trucks and other hefty vehicles willing to make cash on the side by strapping one on.

But is that economy worth it? Is it worth the occasional stroke or heart attack from not using powered snow removal resources where the depth might warrant it? Worth being delayed to work or calling out for a day or two altogether? Worth risking a low pitched roof collapsing under the likes of the freak 60-90" snowfall that hit Buffalo NY last fall? And of course, worth an accident on our roads or being stranded on an over- whelmed highway?

I think not. In fact, I'd wager a bet that there's enough space on Earth for the entire current population to live BETWEEN the 40th degree north & south parallels, plus an additional half billion over the next 30 years.

This would move 95% of the population out of exposure to anymore than two inches of snow, period, and temperatures below freezing.

Reply to
thekmanrocks

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