Snow Blower advise

[sk farmer]

this^^^^^^^

the guys suggesting a single stage for 14.5 inched have snow more than likely never used a single stage to move it.


since this is a tool site.......

single stage is like a 1/4 socket set. small and easy to maneuver but only suited for light work

2 stage walk behind is like a 3/8 drive socket set. well suited for lots of things , maybe a little bigger and heavier but small enough to fit most spaces and big enough to do some larger stuff.

2 stage on a lawn tractor or compact tractor is like a 1/2 socket set. great on your driveway but not so great in tight spaces or sidewalks.

2 stage on a full size tractor is like 3/4 and larger sets. not so good in you driveway but a must for cleaning large yards and miles of roads.

 

[exmaxima1]

AFAIK, the OP has not defined the size or slope of his driveway yet. I'm in the Chicago suburbs, my driveway is 3 cars wide and 2 cars long, and a single stage Toro has always been adequate. No point in buying & storing a monster 2-stage machine. I bought my 20 year old Toro 3650 for $25 a few years ago and it started on first pull yesterday. No maintenance other than draining the old gas at the end of the season, and using fresh gas mixture for the new season. Oh, and lube the wheels and chute gears.

My neighbor bought a brand new 2-stage blower last April on sale. Would not start yesterday with fresh gas. Will need to find a way to get it to the dealer for repair (she doesn't own a truck). Probably the Chinese motor needs a new carb---at least that's what the dealer will try to sell her....they always do.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

My $150 Toro CCR 3650 will run faster than I can walk in powder. I have to take half swipes and go slow in the plow spoils or heavy wet stuff. I can easily walk thru the yard, draggin it behind me to get to the sidewalk. The fact that I can fold the handle down, pick it up and put it in the back of my 2 door Jeep is great. The rubber paddle cleans right down to the concrete and asphalt. I wish I had a 2 stage auger blower for about 5 mins every 5 years out near the mailbox.

My suggestion is to look around and see what your most sensible neighbor is doing.

 

[Jersey Drew]

Again. HONDA! an hs724 will get anything you need done. If you have an incline track model. If it snows more than 10-12 inches you just gout out and do a pass during storm every time you get to about 10 inches.

As stated this is your best bang for the buck! This is your best set up for your typical driveway. If your driveway is super large or very long you may consider a hs928. The extra 4 inches of width Will allow you to grt one less pass every 12 ish feet. But to be honest in the real world you are not going to take full width cuts every pass. So you really don’t save much time until you get to a 32 inch wide machine

Now if you own an ATV already then buying a plow for is a no-brainer. Or if you have larger than 60’x30’ drive then this may be a consideration to get an atv.

At my one property we had 100’ x 35’ wide driveway that I did with my HS 724 for years but it did take over an hour to do. To be fair it took me longer because I can only blow snow one way and Several times I would have to back up to make my next pass, so I was spending a lot of time walking backwards without blowing snow.

My current set up is an 8‘6“ western pro plow on my GMC 3500, and I still use my HS724 to do the edges and sidewalks

 

[TheMadMech]

this^^^^^^^

the guys suggesting a single stage for 14.5 inched have snow more than likely never used a single stage to move it.


since this is a tool site.......

single stage is like a 1/4 socket set. small and easy to maneuver but only suited for light work

2 stage walk behind is like a 3/8 drive socket set. well suited for lots of things , maybe a little bigger and heavier but small enough to fit most spaces and big enough to do some larger stuff.

2 stage on a lawn tractor or compact tractor is like a 1/2 socket set. great on your driveway but not so great in tight spaces or sidewalks.

2 stage on a full size tractor is like 3/4 and larger sets. not so good in you driveway but a must for cleaning large yards and miles of roads.

This answer adds such clarity for me, thank you so much!

Ok, I figure I'll add details.

First of all, 2 stage walk behind sounds like what I need.

I'm new to snow and misunderstood. We didn't get 14.5" we got 8", I didn't know where to look to find good info and a google search lied.

We do get lake effect snow off Lake Michigan but I'm at the south east of the state so after talking to the guys at work that snowfall was heavy for one night but not too rare.

My sidewalks are 24" wide, my driveway is one carwidth wide.. it's uncomfortably narrow. It's about two car lengths long.

I appreciate all the info here though, it's been extremely helpful and fun to read.

I'll update you with what we decide on.


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[Jersey Drew]

This answer adds such clarity for me, thank you so much!

Ok, I figure I'll add details.

First of all, 2 stage walk behind sounds like what I need.

I'm new to snow and misunderstood. We didn't get 14.5" we got 8", I didn't know where to look to find good info and a google search lied.

We do get lake effect snow off Lake Michigan but I'm at the south east of the state so after talking to the guys at work that snowfall was heavy for one night but not too rare.

My sidewalks are 24" wide, my driveway is one carwidth wide.. it's uncomfortably narrow. It's about two car lengths long.

I appreciate all the info here though, it's been extremely helpful and fun to read.

I'll update you with what we decide on.


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A good 24 inch 2 stage is what you need. I am a huge fanboy for honda as you have read twice from me in this thread. While Ariens is good I think they have a flaw in their design which allows the machine to ride up on top of the snow and you will find that all over YouTube. I have friends with Toro and Troy built who are also very happy with their machines. I have no personal experience but every year there is a craftsman that makes the best snowblower list and it is really not that expensive. Your call on budget.

 

[MoonRise]

My sidewalks are 24" wide, my driveway is one carwidth wide.. it's uncomfortably narrow. It's about two car lengths long.

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Hmm, one car wide and two cars long.

Needs an articulating front-end loader, for sure.

Toro snow blower page:

https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/snow-blowers

Toro snow blower selector page (from the above page link, why Toro has it going to a non Toro domain I have no idea):

https://mockspa.easy2.com/?pageid=36706971#/selector/36706971/

Toro snow blower overview page:

https://www.toro.com/en/winwinter

btw, Toro now lists two tracked hydrostatic-drive 'pro' models, a 1428 and a 1432 (14 HP and 28" or 32" wide auger housing)

https://cdn2.toro.com/en/-/media/Fi...-pages/winwinter/sn_20_490-0547_trx_links.pdf

Sidewalks are really only 24" wide? Then get a 24" wide snow blower so you can do them in one pass.

As to the comment

But to be honest in the real world you are not going to take full width cuts every pass. So you really don’t save much time until you get to a 32 inch wide machine

With my old (now broken and worn out) snowblower, I couldn't really take full width passes (power and impeller feed limits, even on the slowest forward speed). With my current Toro, I can take full width passes in the deepest snow I've encountered with it. I might have to pause every 40 feet or so if the snow is deep (12"+) to allow the impeller to clear the snow out of the auger housing, or pause for a second or 5 at the street snow-plow snow berm. That is usually at speed 1 or 2 (slowest and one setting faster) on the forward speed. If the snow is only a few single-digit number of inches deep and I don't have to watch out for 'clearance' issues (next to something, like a car or the house or the masonry front steps), then I might use a faster forward speed. But for me, just comfortably walking along behind the machine and letting the machine do the work works for me.

I like being able to now wait until the snow storm passes before having to go out and clear the snow. My current machine is now not really a limiting factor in clearing the snow (depth or density/weight of the snow fall).

YMMV and all that.

 

[TheMadMech]

Just chatted with the neighbor who made me jealous. Their snowblower is a Murray 824 ES with a Briggs and Stratton. It worked a treat.

Google isn't turning that up as purchasable though. Looking for a solid equivalent.

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[greg13]

If you can find an old Toro powershift you can not beat them for heavy snow. Mine is 25 yrs old and I would put it up against any new blower out there. The wheels shift back about 10" to shift the weight to the front of the machine to chew through snow banks (about 4 min. in on the video).

 

[Super Mech]

If the OP’s area to be cleaned is not overly large and is flat I recommend a single stage Honda HS720. I have two dual stage blowers and a single stage Honda. I rarely use my two stages anymore. I just blew 12” of heart attack snow two weeks ago with my Honda and it worked flawlessly.

 

[vssjim]

I've had a Snapper two stage with a Tecumseh snow king and electric start for 20 years and only have had to do maintenance. I'm sure it's a lot like an Airens or other two stage units. It is not huge to store and really the electric start makes it nice when it's cold and snowy already. I don't use it every year but when you need a bigger unit it's nice to have. On snow blowers to me I would rather have one a little big and not struggle than a little too small.

 

[sk farmer]

This answer adds such clarity for me, thank you so much!

Ok, I figure I'll add details.

First of all, 2 stage walk behind sounds like what I need.

I'm new to snow and misunderstood. We didn't get 14.5" we got 8", I didn't know where to look to find good info and a google search lied.

We do get lake effect snow off Lake Michigan but I'm at the south east of the state so after talking to the guys at work that snowfall was heavy for one night but not too rare.

My sidewalks are 24" wide, my driveway is one carwidth wide.. it's uncomfortably narrow. It's about two car lengths long.

I appreciate all the info here though, it's been extremely helpful and fun to read.

I'll update you with what we decide on.


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i think you are on the right track.

i want to address a few things. first, several people have accused others of telling the op to buy a huge snowblower. a 24 inch 2 stage is not a huge machine. it takes up very little room over a single stage

what do you get with a 2 stage over a single stage. a 2 stage will have an actual chute and spout. the will chute will allow you about 300 degrees of rotation. that means you can blow snow in any direction from left to right and any place in between. an invaluable feature when trying to blow against the wind. the spout will allow you to blow snow high into the air so the wind can carry it low to move it just a few feet to avoid windows or bank around your home. you also get skids that allow you to adjust your depth of cut. low to clear close to the ground or high to go over rough concrete, grasses or gravel drives.

those 3 features you will not get with a single stage.

the key to any any gas powered machine is proper care and off season prep. if nothing was done to the machine for off season storage it is not the fault of the machine for not starting. one of the previous posters commented on how his neighbors 2 stage blower didn't start and his single stage did. it didn't start because it probably was not cared for or not set up correctly, not because it was a 2 stage.

 

[RKA]

So much debate could have been shortened significantly had you mentioned how small that area was. If you have the luxury of clearing multiple times during a storm, get a single stage Honda. It will give you some trouble at the end of the driveway, but it’s only one car wide, which isn’t too bad with a shovel. If it was 20-30 feet wide, I could understand the hesitation. I’ve been using a single stage Honda for 15 years and love it. I would limit each pass to 6-10” of snow depending on whether it was the heavy stuff or light stuff. Our last snow was 8” of heavy stuff and it moved it without issue, but that was near its limit for a single clearing session. Eventually I grew tired of multiple sessions during heavier snows and got a 2 stage. The first one was a smaller Honda and was not up to the task in the heavier accumulations where a single stage is no longer useful. The second 2 stage is an Ariens pro model, which has chewed through 20” like its nothing. The joke is on me though. Since I bought it, we have barely seen those big nor’easters. The single stage Honda is used 95% of the time. They are seriously impressive machines and the newer ones have slightly bigger engines than my 15 year old machine.

 

[Y00PER]

Honda, Husqvarna, Ariens, or Simplicity. Single stage blowers don't really throw snow very far (at least the ones as I've seen, including the one on my Wheelhorse lawn mower). I just upgraded from a 24" Simpliicity that is 20+ years old to an Ariens Platinum 30 SHO

 

[nbpt100]

I am biased to a 2 stage as we get a lot of wet heavy snow in New England and sometimes well over a foot in one storm. If you are not sure, get a used single stage and see what you think. You can always sell it next fall and upgrade to a 2 stage. Toro and Honda get good reviews on the single stages as attested by earlier posts. You may not like how it handles the end of the drive way. If you want more snow moving ability you can upgrade next year to a 2 stage. In the 2 stage category you have many more options. Ariens now has what they call a hybrid. It is a 2 stage that uses wipers like a single stage so it clears down to the pavement. Go on their website and take a look. It has its limitations but fits a niche. This is the garage journal so people are gong to be be hyper critical of equipment. Which is good because you hear so many points of view. In my opinion for a small area one of the least expensive models can suit you well. Something made by MTD who makes a plethora of brands such as Cub Cadet, Yard Machine, Troy Bilt, Husky and more. I know people will dump on them here but if you are some what handy and do the maintenance they can serve you well with a small snow removal need for many years. I have used an MTD for the past 8 years. Sure they are not as heavy duty or refined as the tops tier brands. But you can save $500 or $1000 and meet your needs. And by the way. Most of the engines are made in China (including Ariens and Toro) so just accept that. They are not all that bad (Please no Hate mail). I have worked on a lot of them and they do fine. If anything go over sized on the engine. Get at least a 208cc or larger engine on a 24" wide bucket. Actually a 22" bucket may be good for you since you said you do not have a lot of room with the car parked. You don't want to scratch the car. They are also better if you want to get through a smaller gate to clear a walkway or path. Just some thoughts. Good luck.

 

[engineer2]

Finally got a bit of snow. The Toro with the HF Predator engine started on the first pull after a long summer nap. Stabil is a godsend. A few mods on the Predator for winter snowblower use. The Predator rocks and I can throw powder 20 ft, but 4000 rpm shortens the life of the engine. I usually stay around 3000-3500 rpm. With the impeller mod, it will pump a solid stream of slush 8 ft.

 

[ex-x-fire]

My $150 Toro CCR 3650 will run faster than I can walk in powder. I have to take half swipes and go slow in the plow spoils or heavy wet stuff. I can easily walk thru the yard, draggin it behind me to get to the sidewalk. The fact that I can fold the handle down, pick it up and put it in the back of my 2 door Jeep is great. The rubber paddle cleans right down to the concrete and asphalt. I wish I had a 2 stage auger blower for about 5 mins every 5 years out near the mailbox.

My suggestion is to look around and see what your most sensible neighbor is doing.

Here"s a story from a guy who works on all of them. Go to 26:12 on the video.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

Here"s a story from a guy who works on all of them. Go to 26:12 on the video.

Yeah, you don't have to sell me on them! I wish they still made the 2 smoke CCR 3650 with the crank shute rotation, I'd buy a fresh one and give mine to dad, who is still running his CCR 2000 from the 90's. They are lightweight beasts. Outlasted dozens of box store 2 stages in the neighborhood. They'll even blow slush if it's not too sticky! If the OP lived just a little further south, I'd say he's nuts for not getting one, but I understand where he's at.

 

[rallenc]

Personal opinion....
I have had a Honda track drive 1132 for the past 15 years here in South Jersey. 100 ft long driveway with a parking pad. When I got it the first few years we had a lot of snow and I was younger. Haven't really had a whole lot lately and quite frankly, it has been easier to shovel the 4 or 5 inches of snow than to muscle the beast.

My suggestion is that if you choose to go with a track drive, and you do not want a workout each time you use it, get one that has assisted turning; ie, you can power each track individually if you want to turn it. A year or 2 ago I saw it on a new Honda and wished it was available 15 years ago. Pricey, but if you are trending on the older side, may be worthwhile.

 

[Jazz1]

5hp Ariens would be minimum, 8 hp would be more sufficient.
Whatever you buy make sure it starts and runs before you bring it home, go over the manual and check for any maintenance you can do. I have 11 hp Craftsman for 20 years now,,only changed belts and auger gear and auger bushings 5 years ago otherwise trouble free.
If you need another hobby old GTs ,, I bought this one for mowing and it came with blower unit, $250 didn’t seem out of line

 

[Tduby]

Now granted I have a 96” snowblower behind a 70 horsepower tractor and 90% of the time I hate single stage but knowing your area and my guess small storage area a single stage will do a good job most of the time but I have to agree the 2 stage 24” models aren’t much bigger and so much more nice options. I had a single stage and after 2 years of busting the frozen **** a plow leaves with a shovel I bought a 30” ariens because it was what they had in stock at the time. But definitely wanted a 24”

 

[WisJim]

Don't forget to check out the battery powered machines like Ego brand. No gasoline no starting problems. I'd also recommend the same brand, what ever brand you might get, for other yard maintenance equipment so they all share the same batteries. For your small driveway almost any machine is going to work.

 

[ive]

How about a Yamaha?

 

[Showkey]

How about a Yamaha?

Good but parts and dealers are not common in the US. At least not as common as Airens, Toro , JD or Honda

 

[logical]

How about a Yamaha?

I posted mine earlier, used it today.

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[Bad Habit]

Happy with my 24" Ariens. It does ride up when you get into hard packed stuff, but have learned to deal with it. Would much rather use a plow but I only have a small ATV mounted one so usually make a few passes with the Ariens first to allow me to take small bites with the plow, 3rd year with the Ariens and no problems (once I learned to not get too close to things like BBQ covers-ugh)

 

[TheMadMech]

24" Ariens Deluxe! She's a beauty!

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[Yankeefarmer]

Nice! Congrats on the new machine. Should end your snow worries for a long time!

 

[1Garageman]

Nice buy, trust me, you will be so happy you got a nice big two stage!!!

 

[jonshonda]

^A guy on GJ who took sound advice from those with experience!! Mark the date! haha

I was just at the local Ariens dealer (who also is a Stihl dealer) picking up a new chain for my MS250 (26RS for you chainsaw freaks), and just for fun was looking at the new Ariens machines. I really like what they have done putting every control (choke, throttle, drive, etc) on the handlebars. That really is a smart move. Took them long enough!!

 

[cherrybomb]

Great advice to buy the two stage,it will do a great job.It will last a long time,if you do meticulously maintenance.Make sure of no ethanol,use synthetic oil,change yearly.The scraper blade and side sliders all need to be properly adjusted as a system.Stabil in the gas in the spring time.turn off gas,let it run till it shuts off.On the bottom of the carb,my Toro any way.There is two drain screws,if you tip the machine back,and take the one that is offset to the one in the center,out,this will drain all remaining gas out of that float bow .l Gas has a 30 day shelf life,don't let it go stale and varnish up.There are also lots of info on You Tube,also.Good luck,I live by Madison,4 months to Spring.lol.

 

[Skin]

^A guy on GJ who took sound advice from those with experience!! Mark the date! haha

I was just at the local Ariens dealer (who also is a Stihl dealer) picking up a new chain for my MS250 (26RS for you chainsaw freaks), and just for fun was looking at the new Ariens machines. I really like what they have done putting every control (choke, throttle, drive, etc) on the handlebars. That really is a smart move. Took them long enough!!

You were looking at an EFI model. The carbureted engines have the same basic layout as always. Some even lack throttle control I think. Ariens sources some of the junkiest engines out there. Really too bad they stuck with that supplier considering all the issues.

 

[1Garageman]

You need to post some pictures of it being used once you get some snow and need to plow!

 

[TheMadMech]

You need to post some pictures of it being used once you get some snow and need to plow!

Knowing my luck that'll be next year LMAO.

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[sk farmer]

24" Ariens Deluxe! She's a beauty!

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[jonshonda]

Knowing my luck that'll be next year LMAO.

Yeah.....you might not be aware, but buying a snow blower pretty much guarantees no snow for the rest of the season.

 

[wtn1271]

Yeah.....you might not be aware, but buying a snow blower pretty much guarantees no snow for the rest of the season.

If this works, I will buy a new machine every year. I would be content to just look at a shiny, new snowblower sitting quietly in the garage collecting dust rather than having to actually use it!

 

[TheMadMech]

If this works, I will buy a new machine every year. I would be content to just look at a shiny, new snowblower sitting quietly in the garage collecting dust rather than having to actually use it!

Fair!

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[jeepnut24]

Yeah.....you might not be aware, but buying a snow blower pretty much guarantees no snow for the rest of the season.

And this is why I have yet to buy one.. and still shovel

 

[nerd86]

Had a local Ariens dealer today tell me not to put my weight kit purchased from Ariens on the front of my Deluxe 24. Told me I would end up killing the plastic friction wheel and Ariens would refuse to cover cost.