Snow blowers

[Cottonoid]

@SailBoat @bill_e I saw you talk about this a little bit in a thread somewhere - this year is the first I haven't been able to shovel due to a minor surgery and I anticipate not being able to for a while yet - I don't know where to start in looking at blowers, everyone I know that owns one is in the suburbs with big driveways. I have a small city lot in the middle of the block with a paved patch in front of my alley garage. Do you or anyone reading have favorite brands in the US? And how powerful should I go? I'm most interested in longevity.

Thanks everyone in advance for your advice!

 

[SailBoat]

Which of the leading Brands are better! That can start a food fight as the leading brands tend to be; which feature are more important to the buyer.

It is much better to first define what type of snow you get and how deep it gets. That will help in defining whether a single stage or a two stage is a better choice and whether a self-propelled is better then a unit with drive wheels.

So, why is the type of snow and how much is so important?
- Type of snow is commonly defined as to whether you deal with heavy, wet snow or light, fluffy snow. Most people have more difficulty with shoveling heavy, wet snow as it is commonly much heavier. (moisture contain). This type of snow is more common when the temperature is near freezing. Light, fluffy snow tends to occur when temperature are much colder .
- How deep does the snow gets during a common snowfall? The deeper the snow is, the more that needs to be removed, i.e. the more work involved.
- How big is the area that needs to be cleared? You imply that the area is not very large, but life changes when one has had surgery and ever minor surgery can limit ones abilities for as much as three years after surgery, even soft tissue.
It sounds like your alley parking spot is like 10 to 12' or 22' wide and likely 24' long. commonly there is a sidewalk along the front of your home that is commonly 4' wide and the width of your property. Older City lots are 50 to 75' wide with a segment between the walkway and your home, likely 3 to 4' wide by length of 16 to 28' Does the alleyway get plowed by others? The only question remains is in regards to the alley access and you're garage access from the alleyway. I'm guessing there is a walkway between house and the garage. If yes, I would recommend that be added as you will likely need to keep the snowblower in the garage.

Now what type of snow is common and what is a common snow fall depth?
FYI: It is not uncommon to see both types of snow!

Regards, Good Friend!

 

[bill_e]

The reason I bought a new snowblower is because I'm 70 and my old Ariens was getting just too difficult to manhandle and a lot has changed for the better in the past 20 or so years. I don't know how old my old one is, somewhere between 20 and 25 years I think. Ariens blowers from the 70's are still being used.

By far the biggest struggle for me was navigating the snow Blower. With both wheels locked together for traction, every time I needed to change direction I had to drag almost the entire weight of the Blower around by the handlebars to point it in the direction I wanted to go. Wasn't an issue 20 years ago but is now.

In my opinion the best Blower on the market is an Arians. Arians is a family owned business and they have complete control over their Made In America product. There is no plastic used in an Ariens Blower save the knobs on some of the controls.

Many blowers on the market have "power steering" and all of the other brands use triggers and cables to accomplish that. Pull a trigger and the Blower turns in that direction until you let go.... sounds great right? Not so much.... it works and is certainly better than nothing but it takes a bit of getting used to and is not like steering a car.... plus you have all those cables to worry about freezing, corroding etc.

The Ariens has a very cool differential (Auto-Turn) which detects that you are trying to turn in One direction or another and unlocks the wheel on the side you're turning into and allows the opposite wheel to power around the turn. It requires nothing from the user except the user exerting a little force in the direction of the turn. it happens unconsciously and works great. You can effortusly turn 360 deg in place while holding one of the handles.

The Ariens is a little more expensive than the others by a hundred or two but is a much better built machine in my opinion than any other.

I purchased the 28" Deluxe Sho (Super high output) because that is basically what my old one was minus the SHO but a 24" Deluxe would work great, although the 28" SHO would give you a more powerful engine in addition to the added width. The Ariens SHO will throw slush 30' without clogging.

Ariens are sold at Lowes though I bought mine from a local small engine shop and was surprised that it was the same price as Lowes.
The 24" is $1499 and the 28" Deluxe SHO is $1699....I had heated hand grips installed and delivery which pushed the price to like $1803.

 

[SailBoat]

While you are addressing the above questions, a couple of points to consider:
- Who repairs snowblowers near you and have a reputation that you are hearing good things about!
- If the price difference between a big box store and your near by dealer /repair facility is like $100 USD, I would buy from the place that will repair it for you! A well cared for Snowblower will start and preform like new long into the future.

Lots of choices now a days, especially whether to buy Gas Powered, Electric cord (wire to house electrical power) or battery Powered. Personally, Battery Powered units are problematic as snowblowers are used only in the Winter when it is cold. Available battery power fall-off quicker when its cold. Batteries should be kept in your home in warmer areas when not in use. Long Story short, Great in Summer, Suck in the Winter. With those with electric cords, well, we have one for a small area in our backyard. I shovel more than use it! Nice idea, but... Not saying that gas powered is without issues. More on that when we begin targeting.

Dealers to look for (In no specific order).
Ariens
Club Cadet
Husvarna
Toro

Remember the goal is to find someone that has a good reputation and is near by!!

 

[SailBoat]

Sorry for jumping on your Post Bill as I see that we were Post very near the same time. Sorry!!
Great points, by the way!!

 

[bill_e]

Sorry for jumping on your Post Bill as I see that we were Post very near the same time. Sorry!!
Great points, by the way!!

No worries Steven

 

[Cottonoid]

Thank you both so much!

There is a small engine shop a quarter mile from me - I've walked a lawnmower there in summer and have had good experiences.

Typical snowfall from now to April leans to the heavy, wet side; 2-6 inches are probably average. I feel like the light fluffy snow accumulating serious depth is unusual based on the comments myself and my neighbors all make while shoveling If we do get fluffy snow in the super cold months, it tends to be smaller amounts spread over a few days.

SailBoat you nailed the area calculations. I do have a sidewalk-width walk up to the house and then a narrow walk from the side door to the garage, maybe 50 feet long. The city plows the alley and where my driveway meets the alley tends to be my most challenging shoveling when we hit the thaw/freeze cycles in late winter.

 

[SailBoat]

In selecting the type /style of snowblower, it would appear that you are on the boarder between a single stage and a two-stage blower with me leaning in the direction of a two-stage.

- So what is the difference and why: Two-stage commonly come 'self-propelled' where single stage is a push style with some help from the impeller to pull it forward. Also, two-stage units have two separate actions: the most visible is the cutting /feed unit across the front with a second that sits behind it, which lifts and throws the snow. A single stage combines the two actions. Heavy, wet snow tends to clog both types, but two-stage units tend to handle it easier.

- Regardless of type, I strongly recommend you look at snowblowers with a supplemental electric start. At some point, your snowblower will for whatever reason will choose to not start, by using the manual pull handle, which works well 95% of the time. With the market leaders this feature is standard, but you need to check!

- Gas powered units, which I strongly recommend for snowblowers need to use Marina /Recreation grade gas. Not regular Pump Gas that is currently used in cars and trucks. You will also want to use a Gas Stabelization Product to keep modern gas from degrading. You will find that using that type of gas will also help you lawn mower. Never leave gas in the tank between seasons!!! I always have my mower and snowblower service at the end of their season. That way it is ready when the season begins, just add fresh gas and go. After service, I run the gas out by allow it to run itself out of gas, then a couple of pulls and store.

- Cut width, is important for several reasons. The wider the cut width, the faster you get the job done!! But, as noted by my good friend above, the greater the cut width, the heavier they get and the more manhandling is required. Also, the bigger the more difficult they are in getting them in and out of the garage, turning in general and for a small city lot, just plain over-kill! You likely will want to look at a 24 to 28" cut width.

- Features are a personal thing and each user will have their must have items.

a. Handle Bar Warmer, common when outside of the city, rare for in City. It's an exposure to wind thing.
b. Electric Start, most machine come standard with this feature. I assure you that you will not likely use this feature, but with most things, it will be a lifesaver when you really need to use the snowblower.
c. Lights are one of those things that are truly specific to your area. A moonless, heavy clouded night and it can be really dark and snowblowers are not something that you want to run into something with. Not needed if you have reasonable outside lighting in the general area(s) you will be using it.
d. Enclosures are like handle bar heaters, rare in the City.
e. Reverse gear(s) are a deal breaker (must have) in my mind! Manhandling a two-stage snowblower is a pain! I see reverse as a Must Have and with your different areas, you will need it more than you will believe.

So, who is the best!!
As I stated above the repair guy is very important and is the main reason I have Toro snowblowers and lawn mower. If I had an Ariens shop closer I would have Ariens.

I have both, a single stage at our home (city) and a two-stage at the cabin. Next time, I replace the home snowblower, it will be a two-stage for the same reason as Bill upgraded his unit. I am getting older, although a bit older than Bill.

Hope that this has helps!

 

[Cottonoid]

Oh my gosh I can't thank you enough! You've both laid out in a few posts what multiple conversations with friends and neighbors haven't been able to achieve!

This is so helpful, thanks!!