Snowblowers

How often does it snow, what type (powder/wet/icy) and how deep?

EDIT: I guess part of the 'how deep' question is how often you want to be snowblowing your driveway.

woman-shoveling-snow.jpg

I got me one of these 25 years ago, still works great, highly recommend. Been through several shovels though.

A couple of things - first, if you can find an old one on something like craigslist or kijiji, it might save you a bunch of dollars. There are often several available.

Secondly, don't get a small one, spend the little bit extra to get one that is a two stage, and isn't a toy. Here's the minimum sort of thing you should get:

Shop Troy-Bilt Storm 2410 179cc 24-in Two-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower at Lowes.com

You can find those on sale new for a hundred bucks less than you see there. Whatever you do, don't get one that is shaped like this one:

Shop Troy-Bilt Squall 2100 208cc 21-in Single-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower at Lowes.com

They just don't work as well, they won't last as long, and they will piss you off.

Spend the money on a decent one. Take care of it, and it will last you the rest of your life. Totally worth it. I spent the money and got one last year, too. They're easy to maintain, cheap to fix, and will throw snow like crazy.

Barraco Bisi_sl said:

I'm in southwestern Ontario - comparable to Michigan winter. After the past couple years of mercurial winters (one winter I had to shovel 2 or 3 times the whole season, last winter I shovel 2 or 3 times a week) I can't remember what "normal winter" is.

We get it all: powder, wet, and icy. I'd say I'll be out there once a week at least.

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Then you definitely want a two stage, like lurking said. Here's the thing with auger size: it isn't so much an actual matter of 'only an inch or two' as it is the torque is greater on the larger models and the augers have more momentum. The 26" Troy-Bilt models are good, the 28" probably the best if you want something that is going to just work on anything whenever you get around to it. What will happen with smaller units with fast heavy snowfall is you will have to do one row on the driveway a few times by tipping the unit back just to skim enough off to get down to the pavement without stalling the unit, then you'll have to do half-rows or similar to get it to kick the snow far enough. That or you'll end up throwing it 3 feet away and have to redo the entire thing several times. This is especially true of the terrible single stage models.

If you see any sort of wet snow getting the biggest torque two stage you can comfortably afford will make sure you aren't getting aggravated. Make absolutely sure you stock up on shear pins before the season gets started or else you may run into a rude surprise one Sunday morning at 4AM.

The thing with snowblowers is that they should be replacing excessive manual labor and the need to pay for plow service. If you can save 400-600 a year not having to get snow service on your house, you are easily making up even a fairly pricy 900-1200 snowblower in 2 years and the fact that it murders snowed-in walkways is an added bonus.

^^This guy knows.

As far as brand, Troy-Bilts are not that bad. My biggest problem with them was always the plastic pieces and control cable clips and all that by the operator controls on the cheaper units. Some of the older models only have one bolt on each side of the handle assembly (plus a little pop in metal peg). Be extra careful of those, always had shear problems with them because basically the entire weight of the unit was on two little bolts and a twisting motion trying to wrench it around would just snap the bolts and cause the handle to collapse on you.

If you want a Cadillac:http://www.lowes.com/pd_139971-270-3...r|1&facetInfo=

Of course, keep in mind weight... those 30" ones are damned heavy - you will probably want ramps to pit it in a truck if you want to help someone else out, for instance...

If you want a good used unit, try and find a late model Husqvarna. I guess Lowe's doesn't carry them any more but I'm sure there's some on Craigslist.

One other thing about engines... Troy-Bilt got away from Honda/B&S a while back. I'd advise not buying anything those first two model years (I think we're talking '06-'08 era?). They were atrocious with cold temp engine start issues. The new ones are great even when you have no power for electric start. It looks like they are introducing three-stage blowers for the next model year too... I'm not sure on the mechanicals- I'd look into that. Seems gimmicky like the tracked ones - looks like one faster auger in the middle and the slow torque augers are on the side. To me this just sounds like more parts to break, but who knows.

I always liked our family's single stage Honda growing up. It did what it needed to do, and started like a dream. The Toro we had before it was a complete piece of shit. Then again, despite it being colder in Edmonton, we probably get half as much snow as you do down east, and it tends to be a lot dryer/lighter.

Eomer_sl said:

I always liked our family's single stage Honda growing up. It did what it needed to do, and started like a dream. The Toro we had before it was a complete piece of shit. Then again, despite it being colder in Edmonton, we probably get half as much snow as you do down east, and it tends to be a lot dryer/lighter.

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Honda - you want it to start every time and run quietly and efficiently.
Briggs & Stratton - you want it to stay running every time and need the power.

Briggs & Stratton - you want it to be hard to start every time because they don't put a bloody priming pump on the damned motors.

Douche canoes.

Your mother was a snow blower.

I don't know if it's the same for snowblowers as it is for lawn tractors but I'd assume the engines are similar. That said the John Deere 100 series lawn tractors (the shitty ones they sell at home depot) use a Briggs and Stratton engine and it has literally 1/3 or less the life span of the John Deere 300 series that use a Yamaha engine. You can't do anything with the 100 series without fucking up the transmission whereas the 300 series can be used for towing, snow removal, etc with the appropriate tractor attachments. The 100 series B&S engine is more HP too, but it's not as powerful or reliable as the Yamaha. I can't imagine the engines are much different for snowblowers.

Just try this:

Shit, you live in Canada and don't already have a snowblower? I just figured every Canadian citizen was issued a snowblower and a 6-pack of Molson at birth.

I live about 1000 miles South of you, and I'm considering buying a snowblower for the 2 or 3 times per year I have to shovel that 3 inches of snow.

Joe, just use your leaf blower for that light, fluffy crap. Doesn't take but a moment!

My dad has a very high end snow blower. It's a Honda, and cost him probably $2200, but this was upwards of 20 years ago. It has teeth on the propeller, to help break through ice. It's come in handy many times. One night we had a heavy snow fall, then it rained on top of it, giving you a 2" thick section of almost solid ice. It went right through it like it was butter. This thing is a monster. Anyway, he swears by it. He used to be helpful and do 5 neighbors driveways real quick, bang out each one in around 30 minutes, and these are good sized driveways. Just be good to it, and the thing will never let you down. It handles every type of snow, including 3' foot blizzards.

Regular oil changes and give it quality gasoline (93, not 89). Also, be sure to run it dry every time the winter is over.

This isn't exactly what he has, but it looks close enough. Especially the teeth.

I resisted for a long time, too. Most of the time, I still shovel, but I have out buildings, and shoveling a path over grass sucks.

Also, there are better ways to exercise.