Really OT and hopefully a waste of money: Snowblowers (because winter is coming...) [Archive]

makoti

09-10-2015, 09:37 PM

My back can't take another tough winter with a shovel. I live in a townhouse. I have maybe 25 feet of walks and two parking spots. Three steps to deal with. Maybe do my elderly neighbors walks if someone doesn't beat me to it (rarely do they beat me to it).
I need something small, that I can direct the snow, and doesn't weigh a ton b/c it's gotta go in the basement when I'm not using it. Is there something good like a power shovel that would fit the bill? Any of you NE/MW folks who get real snow know of anything you can recommend?

dustyrider

09-10-2015, 09:59 PM

I was born and raised in New Hampshire, and I don't believe my parents ever lifted a shovel once I was physically capable of lifting one. When I left home, a snowblower found its way into the shed. My experience with it was limited, but shear bolts on the auger/s are a must if your moving plowed snow, and you really want one with an electric start. No matter how cold it is, pull starting works up a good sweat. And don't forget to schedule fall maintenance, or else once winter hits forget about it.

In the end, I can shovel just as fast and typically choose to use a shovel. However, I was steadfastly conditioned from an early age.

For your particular situation I wonder if hiring someone would be feasible?
I can't imagine bringing a gas powered unit inside, and I wouldn't waste my time with an electric one. Though feet and inches make a sizable difference and if you're dilligent you can get away with using a broom(retail experience).

Can't believe there's already talk of winter; they just hung out the Halloween stuff in the stores...

JMacII

09-10-2015, 10:10 PM

Agree re not brining gas unit into the house. It will be a mess and potential safety issue.

makoti

09-10-2015, 10:15 PM

Yeah, I don't want to lug a gas one in the house & no where to stash it outside. No kids in the neighborhood I could count on to do anything. I try to stay on top of it when we get snow, and we don't get THAT much, but the last two winters has torched my back. Gotta be a better way. I hate even thinking about it, but I figure this its the time to look for deals.

xjoex

09-10-2015, 10:22 PM

makoti

09-10-2015, 10:35 PM

Lewis Moon

09-10-2015, 10:39 PM

Heh...

11.4

09-10-2015, 10:43 PM

If the snow gets compacted or damp at all, it becomes almost impossible to move it with anything short of a shovel or a big honkin' gas-powered blower with tractor treads. Electrical units won't cut it. So a lot depends on just where you're located. Cold dry snow is much easier to move and snow brooms can do an ok job and then be stowed away, as long as you're prompt about getting to the snow. Once neighbors have driven over it or people have walked in it, or there's any rain, it's too late.

I'd also think that you can find someone locally who can shovel or blow it for you. You may not get it done by 645 am when you want to be headed out to work, but it'll get done and not by you. I hated being dependent on some guy in a pickup with a plow blade or with a traction-driven snowblower, because the snow all would get heaped on my car or my roses or right in front of my garage doors so I ended up having to move it myself after all. There's really no good answer to a snowstorm. Snow sucks. There's a reason I'm living in the south now.

unterhausen

09-10-2015, 10:48 PM

I had one of the flapper snowblowers for a time. I forget how I got it, but I liked having it. Then it got really hard to start, and I went back to shovelling. I guess we are due for another bad winter in the northeast, but it really wasn't that bad last year. I never got the kids to shovel regularly, bad parent I guess

paredown

09-11-2015, 01:16 AM

I get a ton of snow and have a 32" honda snowblower.
http://www.snowblowersatjacks.com/Images/Honda/HS1332TAS/honda-HS1332TAS-main-lg.jpg

It is the greatest thing ever. Probably overkill for your application.

However I have seen folks use these electric toros on their porches: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Power-Curve-18-in-Electric-Snow-Blower-38381/202218973

-Joe

We've got the 24" version of your Honda. You reminded me that I need to service the drive belts before the snow starts in earnest.

I really felt the snow shoveling last year--mostly bad hip. It's the pivot and toss motion--the rest is fine, even with my trashed shoulder. Got to get the blower working for this winter.

alancw3

09-11-2015, 04:20 AM

i was in your situation last fall and ended up buying a 24 inch troybilt snowblower on sale at lowes for $500 less 5% additional for opening a lowes credit card. two stage electric start(which i have never used starts on first pull) but i wish i had bought one of the smaller single stage blowers or an electric one. it's kind of hard to maneuver in my application (relatively short like yours). also could not see taking into the basement. as mentioned above, one of my neighbors has a toro power curve 18 inch and it seems to work fine on about 6 inches of snow. so when we get the occasional 12 to 15 inch storm (northern virginia) he goes out several different times to plow. of course you do have to tolerate the cord behind you. i would also checkout the single stage 22 inch blowers. possibly the best of both worlds. and don't get me wrong the two stage probably works fine if you have a long drive and are not constantly turning around.

54ny77

09-11-2015, 05:04 AM

real snow requires a 2 stage gas-powered snowblower. anything less is futile.

if you just get a light dusting now & then, buy a backpack leaf blower. i have a stihl br600 and it moves enough air to push small people out of the way. :D

(i will use it to move snow off the cars, works great.)

alancw3, you're in naples, what're you doing with a snowblower?!?!?!? here's a photo i snapped of a place in neighboring marco island last winter.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z113/jpmz06/Miscellaneous/IMG_20150319_180652_000%202_zpscfk6qmbj.jpg (http://s191.photobucket.com/user/jpmz06/media/Miscellaneous/IMG_20150319_180652_000%202_zpscfk6qmbj.jpg.html)

alancw3

09-11-2015, 05:59 AM

love the mailbox photo! after 22 years living in marco island and then naples i am now in northern viriginia for my daughter and two grandsons. wish i were still in florida n a certain way.

ps. i tried to chance my location awhile ago and was not able to do so. perhaps i will try again with new server.

commonguy001

09-11-2015, 06:33 AM

Toro makes good stuff and has an electric power shovel for 130 bucks.
I've used their gas blowers and mowers for years and it's all been well designed and easy to use.
I'd do a Toro but that's me

William

09-11-2015, 06:57 AM

I can clear my driveway in 3.2 seconds flat!:D

William

Mikej

09-11-2015, 07:00 AM

I would go with a Honda or Toro single stage - I live in Wisconsin and know snow, I have a large 24" 10hp Ariens and it is handy but a pig to move and it takes up ALOT of garage space.

AngryScientist

09-11-2015, 07:17 AM

any snowblower worth a damn is going to be heavy. the weight provides traction to drive the thing in, well - the snow.

the need to move it into and out of a basement is really a limiting factor.

the idea of electric snowmovers always seemed shaky to me. i've seen neighbors trying to use them, towing 1/4 mile of beat up, daisy chained extension cord through wet snow and puddles, and that just seems like a recipe for trouble.

do any of the other owners in your complex use a snow removal service? if you pay "per event", and the service is reasonably prompt and professional, you'll probably come out ahead all around using a dedicated service.

thwart

09-11-2015, 07:37 AM

christian

09-11-2015, 08:13 AM

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z113/jpmz06/Miscellaneous/IMG_20150319_180652_000%202_zpscfk6qmbj.jpg (http://s191.photobucket.com/user/jpmz06/media/Miscellaneous/IMG_20150319_180652_000%202_zpscfk6qmbj.jpg.html)

1973-75 Ariens 726 with a Tecumseh side-valve, I think. Heck of a good snowblower. Shame to see it wasted like that. (I have a 1971 5hp 26" cut Ariens).

alancw3

09-11-2015, 09:36 AM

1973-75 Ariens 726 with a Tecumseh side-valve, I think. Heck of a good snowblower. Shame to see it wasted like that. (I have a 1971 5hp 26" cut Ariens).

yeah when i was dong my research on a snowblower an ariens 24 deluxe was to me the creme to la creme of small snowblowers (nothing can touch those big honda's). it was just a matter of price. ariens $1000 troybilt $500 on sale at lowes.

xjoex

09-11-2015, 09:39 AM

I bought a Cub Cadet from Home Depot originally. It couldn't deal with my snow. I was breaking sheer pins all the time. It would bog down. So I upgraded to the Honda. Now that said, I live at 8700' and get tons and tons of snow.

I used a plow service the first year, but it was inconvenient. He'd always come by at 8PM... not the most convenient time when you have to go to work. Very reliable, but not convenient.

-Joe

OtayBW

09-11-2015, 10:19 AM

yeah when i was dong my research on a snowblower an ariens 24 deluxe was to me the creme to la creme of small snowblowers (nothing can touch those big honda's). it was just a matter of price. ariens $1000 troybilt $500 on sale at lowes.
I had an 11 hp, 26in Ariens years ago when I was in MA, but sold it toward the end of one season. Turned out I needed a snowblower a while longer, so I bought a $500 Troy Bilt at Lowes, and it has worked perfectly since - and just as good as the big honking Ariens. It ain't the Rapha of snowblowers, but it works and is a good value.

rugbysecondrow

09-11-2015, 10:39 AM

Very happy to have moved to North Carolina this year.

That is all. Cheers!

AJosiahK

09-11-2015, 10:41 AM

I can clear my driveway in 3.2 seconds flat!:D

William

whuuut

11.4

09-11-2015, 10:51 AM

I can clear my driveway in 3.2 seconds flat!:D

William

Yup. All it takes is a lot of hot air. Normally aspirated.

makoti

09-11-2015, 10:54 AM

teleguy57

09-11-2015, 02:29 PM

I would go with a Honda or Toro single stage - I live in Wisconsin and know snow, I have a large 24" 10hp Ariens and it is handy but a pig to move and it takes up ALOT of garage space.

This. We had a single stage Honda snowblower, lasted 25 years, sold it last winter only because of our city snowplows are really piling the (dense, packed) snow at the end of our sloped driveway. The guy I sold it to was able to pick it up and put it in the back of his pick up truck by himself.

Really miss it. Always started on the first pull, and was so much more maneuverable than the two-stage pig that I bought as replacement. However, the two stage does a much better job at the end of the driveway...

You can count on WI to know snowblowers. Timely thread. I have a 1988 (!) Gilson 6hp two-stage which now has 3 of 5 forward speeds and 1/2 of 2 reverse speed remaining -- of of course, they have been out of business since 1988 with no chance of repair, so I'm shopping now.

With a corner lot and L-shaped driveway I have enough square footage to clear that I won't mess around with a single stage blower. Overkill for some snowfalls? You bet, but with two plow piles to move, and a few deeper/wetter snows each year I'm willing to put up with the garage space issues.

And yes, electric start is a must.

VTCaraco

09-11-2015, 04:37 PM

Picked up a second-hand Honda single-stage a year ago.
http://powerequipment.honda.com/images/models/HS720AMA_PE_IMG150.jpg
Thought we'd only use it to clean the deck and sidewalk and we'd continue with the bigger thrower that I attach to my John Deere lawn tractor.
http://i.ushipcdn.com/resize.php?path=%2fstatic%2fa8fbbb41-64ba-4ae5-a.jpg&w=270&h=210

Procrastinated the mower/thrower swap for long enough that I decided I'd give the little guy a chance in the driveway. It wasn't as fast or easy as the tractor, but it sure did work well. Well enough that I didn't bother with the tractor at all last winter.
And VT snow may not measure up to what some folks get, but I'd characterize it as pretty representative of "real" snow.
The heaviest stuff at the end of the driveway and such required smaller passes, but the little machine earned big marks in maneuverability and lightness.

I would strongly recommend it to a pretty broad range of folks.

I'm not sure that the comparable Toro offers any advantages/disadvantages.

We bought one that seemed to be in great shape in the price-range I had in mind rather than having any sort of XXX-brand-or-bust mentality. My research suggested that both made very dependable/competent machines. And these come in a variety of sizes/power combinations.

IFRider

09-11-2015, 07:26 PM

I get a ton of snow and have a 32" honda snowblower.
http://www.snowblowersatjacks.com/Images/Honda/HS1332TAS/honda-HS1332TAS-main-lg.jpg

It is the greatest thing ever. Probably overkill for your application.

However I have seen folks use these electric toros on their porches: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Power-Curve-18-in-Electric-Snow-Blower-38381/202218973

-Joe

We have had two of them in the last 25 years. Probably overkill, but the smaller honda unit are well worth looking at. I would not buy anything other than a 2 stage unit so you can wait till the storm is over and eisly dig out of being plowed in. Get electric start if not standard and make sure use use a good fuel stabilizer.

Let's hope this winter is nothing like last.

Warren

19wisconsin64

09-12-2015, 05:44 AM

Just a suggestion....I have one that a few folks borrow, they all love it. Not traditional, but works very well and is highly rated. And you can store it in your house.

alancw3

09-12-2015, 06:32 AM

Just a suggestion....I have one that a few folks borrow, they all love it. Not traditional, but works very well and is highly rated. And you can store it in your house.

yeah when i was doing research one of the snow joe models got the highest rating for electric snow blowers. probably was a corded model. that was a several years ago. still like the like electric toro models. seem like quality products.

mcteague

09-12-2015, 06:57 AM

Picked up a second-hand Honda single-stage a year ago.

Thought we'd only use it to clean the deck and sidewalk and we'd continue with the bigger thrower that I attach to my John Deere lawn tractor.

Procrastinated the mower/thrower swap for long enough that I decided I'd give the little guy a chance in the driveway. It wasn't as fast or easy as the tractor, but it sure did work well. Well enough that I didn't bother with the tractor at all last winter.
And VT snow may not measure up to what some folks get, but I'd characterize it as pretty representative of "real" snow.
The heaviest stuff at the end of the driveway and such required smaller passes, but the little machine earned big marks in maneuverability and lightness.

I would strongly recommend it to a pretty broad range of folks.

I'm not sure that the comparable Toro offers any advantages/disadvantages.

We bought one that seemed to be in great shape in the price-range I had in mind rather than having any sort of XXX-brand-or-bust mentality. My research suggested that both made very dependable/competent machines. And these come in a variety of sizes/power combinations.
After putting off buying a snow blower for years I am finally ready to cry "Uncle". After lots of research I decided the Honda, which you bought, was the best for my small lot. My only concern is the wall the plow often leaves in front of my driveway but, from my understanding, the little Honda can handle that, it just takes longer. The 2 stage blowers are just too big and overkill for the area I have to clear.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Honda-HS720AM-20-in-Single-Stage-Gas-Snow-Blower-HS720AM/205224243

Tim

rugbysecondrow

09-12-2015, 07:18 AM

Just a suggestion....I have one that a few folks borrow, they all love it. Not traditional, but works very well and is highly rated. And you can store it in your house.

My dad had one growing up that fit that description....me. :)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

carpediemracing

09-12-2015, 08:41 PM

I was a "shoveler" for a long time. Growing up in a house with a 100 yard driveway capped with a 100+ square yard flat parking/turning around oval (no island) will do that.

I stubbornly kept shoveling even though my back is bad enough that I collapsed annually for a few years.

Wife got tired of me wrecking my back. We bought two snow throwers.

One is a single stage, cheap. It was used, traded in at the store where I worked. Bought it, been good for 2 years. Best for our walkway (a bunch of steps here and there) and for cleaning up little stuff. Useless in wet/heavy stuff, even just an inch or two deep, it can't throw it more than about a foot or two.

Other is a cheap two stage, Yard Machine or similar, cheapest that has revers. Electric start but I haven't used it. Can get through pretty deep/heavy stuff. I use it more than the little one.

Maintenance I'm maybe a bit idiotic, I don't know, but I use fuel injection cleaner stuff (not dry ice, no alcohol/plant stuff in it), cutting the gas heavily to get rid of the ethanol/water. Leave the gas in there. I start the machines maybe once in the summer. This is how I treat my 4 generators (close to 10 years on some of them), 2 wheeled leaf blowers (more than 10 years?), the 2 snow throwers (2 and 4 years old). They start, after a few tugs, every time I need them.

Not sure who had what kind of winter but we had nothing until after Christmas and then there was a crap ton of snow. In March there was still snow, and it fell heavily at times.

My driveway, Feb 14
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1506774_10153136447648824_2246349131524473654_n.jp g?oh=ffc3a6b9e39e2cae3a9705777c37d53d&oe=56A85CE4

Race course, Feb 21 (didn't use the venue due to excessive snow, used another one)
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/11018897_10153152220518824_3437275378479647930_n.j pg?oh=1dadccb3afbf5a3124d00c32e22e4aea&oe=56A69869

makoti

09-12-2015, 08:54 PM

Are those snowblower "shovels" worth anything? I have so little to actually do (the parking spots are the worst of it, usually), I'm thinking something like that may be enough.

carpediemracing

09-13-2015, 12:34 PM

Are those snowblower "shovels" worth anything? I have so little to actually do (the parking spots are the worst of it, usually), I'm thinking something like that may be enough.

I don't think so. If you have that little snow then get a push shovel and just push it out of the way.

There's one where I used to work that looks like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31-1gWm3vvL._SS500_.jpg
If you can walk then you can clear about 3-4" of snow without lifting any snow. The snow curls up like a surf wave and gets dumped out the side. Excellent.

I have a larger non-angled one that I push down the driveway (straight on down the middle then angled to the sides until I get to the edges). I don't lift, just push. For quick touch up stuff it's great. I can't quickly find a picture of it but there's a worn out version in this picture (2nd from left):
http://ljkrakauer.com/LJK/essays/shovels5.jpg

I don't like metal or metal trimmed shovels because they catch on edges when I push. A poly trimmed one would be ideal I think.

Even with normal shovels I usually push snow to the edge, then lift (if it's deep) or push it parallel with the edge to make a big pile or two. You can see in the picture above the push pattern to the edges; on our driveway I push the edge snow to the bottom then lift onto the sides. It was snowing pretty hard and I'd just cleared the driveway a short time before, like 60 min? So I was clearing it again as the Missus was on her way home. Even a few minutes the pavement was covered, hence there's no pavement but there is the push pattern still visible.

Brand I like for shovels is Garant. Super durable/strong handles, shovel blades are coated with non-stick (eventually wears off but excellent for a winter; after that you can spray the blade with silicone spray).

11.4

09-13-2015, 03:41 PM

I always found that the wide push shovels worked best with light dry snowfall on flat surfaces like sidewalks and parking lots. They are a pain on steps and narrow spaces, and if the snow is wet, deep, frozen, or compacted, you need something heavier that will lift and toss it. That means taking it in smaller bites with a shovel that will lift it up and let you break pieces loose. I had a grain shovel (deep bowl and entirely made of aluminum) that worked really well with regular spraying of Pam (spray with WD40 or silicone and you get oil marks all over your property and people comment -- Pam simply disappears).

carpediemracing

09-13-2015, 05:34 PM

makoti

12-09-2015, 01:39 PM

As we get closer...
This - https://wovel.com/
I don't think so...

Am thinking of this, though. A snow sleigh.
http://www.amestruetemper.com/products/detail.aspx?ProductId=2552&FamilyId=653&LineId=3

carpediemracing

12-09-2015, 10:26 PM

I just re-read the OP - "getting into a basement".

Are there stairs? Hatch? How many steps?

If it's not too far and you can build a ramp out of wood, you can use a 2 stage snow thrower. Use its drive/transmission to get up/down the ramp. I use the (6 forward + 2 reverse) gears on my snow thrower to get it into and out of our SUV and up/down the stairs to our deck.

As I said earlier we bought a less expensive 2 stage, a Yard Machine. I use fuel injection cleaner (it has zero ethanol, the stuff that dissolves your fuel lines and such), typically Gumout or STP. No other storage maintenance. I moved our snow thrower into our garage the other day. Test started it. First pull even. It's only 2 years old, but still, no special maintenance. I do the same with all our small engine stuff (4 or 5 generators some of which are going on 10 years old, 2 leaf blowers which are about 10 years old also) and they all get going each season without any problems.

makoti

12-09-2015, 10:39 PM

I just re-read the OP - "getting into a basement".

Are there stairs? Hatch? How many steps?.

No, it's a townhouse with stairs into the basement. And a corner on them. A real snowblower isn't going to work. Liking those ones where you push more than lift better & better.

majorpat

12-10-2015, 04:15 AM

Syracuse, NY area here with all the snow you could ask for. Except this year, so far. I have a single stage Troybilt, works fine but bogs down in the end of driveway concrete slush. Sometimes have to hit the driveway before bed and in the morning if the snow gets too deep or heavy, but otherwise a great tool.

carpediemracing

12-10-2015, 09:04 AM

No, it's a townhouse with stairs into the basement. And a corner on them. A real snowblower isn't going to work. Liking those ones where you push more than lift better & better.

A lighter single stage then. We have one of those, I won't call it "light", but it's probably 40 or 50 lbs. Bogs down hard on slush (it moves the stuff over about a foot since the machine can't get velocity out of the chute), on lighter or snow-ball-type-snow it's great, throws over a 3-4' bank and a solid 15' away.

For deep snow I'd feed it by taking chunks down with a shovel then using the machine to move it over the driveway-side pile.

I did that for a year then got the 2 stage. Still use the single stage for the walkway with multiple steps spread out over 50-70 feet (2, 3, 2, 3, and finally 2 steps).

We live in a condo complex but fortunately we have garage bays, so we leave them there. The complex does plow but I reclaim large swaths of driveway after they plow, right to the very edges of the driveway. It must be my Dutch upbringing, reclaim what land I can.