To get a snow blower... or not a snow blower...

[Bob2]

Says the guy that never missed 3 months of work because of his back.

Or had a massive heart attack and died. Always hear about that when a big storm hits, but had a coworker actually lose a spouse that way after he was shoveling snow on Tuesday after that Sunday - Monday storm we just had.... very sad

 

[karl77]

toro for the win.
honda is nice, but $$$$$

 

[Brandon]

Mine at work early this afternoon, decided to get what I could off the driveway before it gets to danged cold.

 

[Caleb]

MTD makes most of the small snow blowers.
Have a look at their web page.

I don't have a lot to clear, but I'm getting old enough that I wanted a blower to reduce my labor.
The small single stage electric start works fine, and it's small enough that I can wrestle it around without breaking my back.

Shop around after looking at the MTD web page.
You'll find quite a difference in price for the same machine.

My aunt bought a MTD single stage last year or year prior...it does ok on 3" or less AND DRY SNOW. It clogs on anything more then 3" and/or wet snow. It's better then nothing, but I'd rather have a same size dual stage blower vs the cheaper single stage.

 

[hoosierdoc]

I have a MTD or whatever, love it. Churns through deep heavy stuff just fine. I've clogged it twice in two winters. Not including the extension cord or garden hose

 

[mrjarrell]

Mine's a Huskee, made by MTD, too. It eats whatever is thrown its way and does a good job. Best $500 I ever spent and Tractor Supply carries the beasts all the time.

 

[Skywired]

Or had a massive heart attack and died. Always hear about that when a big storm hits, but had a coworker actually lose a spouse that way after he was shoveling snow on Tuesday after that Sunday - Monday storm we just had.... very sad

I started out with single stage blowers. First a Toro; then a John Deere. OK in light snow. But in knee high drifts... all I had was a power shovel. And one that weighed 80 lbs. or so. I'd still come in from outside completely soaked in sweat, and barely able to breath.

After I finally got smart (and could afford it) I mounted a 2 stage John Deere Blower on the front of my JD X304 Lawn Tractor. It's roughly 4' wide x 2' high. Yep, it's overkill for an inch or two. But will that rascal chew through high drifts and the 2' tall crap that the street dept. gurus leave at the end of our driveways.

Guess who's the most popular guy in the 'hood? (At least in the winter) I know, I know.... Hey, I'm old... but I'm having fun....

 

[OIIIIIO]

We have a drive that is approx 24 wide and 40 - 50 feet long. Started with a single stage, but depending on which way the wind blows, you might have to start on one side and by the time you reach the other, the blown snow is piled on the existing snow and it would be to deep and heavy to blow with the single stage.. Picked up a used two stage and no problems. The drive wheels are also bigger and propel better thru the deep stuff.

 

[pgfrmr]

Can't rule out having a gravel driveway in the future and don't want to buy twice [if I can help it].

That said - I went the extreme route and just got a 4x4 Truck to drive in the winter and will just keep the car in the garage in the winter... LOL

Will likely still be picking up a snow blower but it's less of a priority and more of a 'want' at this point.

Now that's a thinkin mans solution right there. Congrats and your right, single stage on gravel not good.

 

[ultra...good]

After having a single and two stage, I would never go back to a single if I had a choice. Of course now I have a 4 wheeler and a truck both with plows and I would never go back to a snow thrower, period.

 

[John317]

I got a Craftsman 208 CC 2 Stage 24" and it works well. Just got it this winter and have already used it a lot. Didn't have any issues during our "Blizzard" or the subsequent cold that followed. Pretty much clears it to the pavement as long as it hasn't been driven over. I prefer the gas over an electric- there a a couple electric ones people use on my block and always see them struggling with them to the point where it looks like it'd be less work them just to shovel.

 

[steveh_131]

Be sure to check out craigslist, guys. There are good deals to be had. I picked mine up on craigslist a few weeks back.

Paid $50 for a Craftsman "Eager-1" 2-stage with a 24" cut and 7hp tecumseh motor.

I put a good 4 hours into disassembly and small repairs and maintenance and now it's running strong. Starts on the first pull, hasn't clogged on anything.

 

[teddy12b]

Like many here, I've got an old trusty steel snow shovel that I enjoy using for the exercise. About five years ago we had a wet heavy snow, the kind that just sucks to shovel and I started into our new drive for the first time and realized what was ahead of me and it wasn't going to be pretty. I had a buddy about 5 minutes down the road who swore by his snowblower and kept telling me to try it out some time. I picked it up and brought it home. It was a bad enough snow out that I was one of the few 4x4 trucks on the road. When I saw how quickly, cleanly, and easily it blowed right through the snow I knew I was never going back to a snow shovel for the heavy stuff.

At the time I wasn't about to pay a premium for the leftover snow blowers that'd already been picked over, so I made a note on my calendar for the upcoming June to start looking on ebay, craiglist, whatever to look for a used snowblower. I found one on ebay for $76 and I picked it up on a weekend. It was a couple years old and a small craftsman that ran fine. A guy needed a bigger one and was tired of looking at this little snow blower all summer long so he sold it. Waiting till summer to look for a snow blower was one of the smartest things I did in my life. I've had that craftsman now for 5 years, and all I've done with it is put gas in it and blow snow. If it ever needs maintenance, I'll sell it.

 

[steveh_131]

I've had that craftsman now for 5 years, and all I've done with it is put gas in it and blow snow. If it ever needs maintenance, I'll sell it.

At least make sure you change the oil in the engine and in the gearbox, and any other oil holes you've got on that model. Could last you a long time with probably less than 20 minutes of maintenance annually.

My craftsman is at least 35 years old and running strong!

 

[yeahbaby]

Looks like I may be needing my neighbor and his BASB (big ass snow blower) again. They are talking possibly 1 to 2 feet of snow starting early Tuesday morning for Porter county. I sure hope they are wrong. I have a doctor appointment Wednesday morning that I REALLY need to get to.

 

[teddy12b]

Looks like I may be needing my neighbor and his BASB (big ass snow blower) again. They are talking possibly 1 to 2 feet of snow starting early Tuesday morning for Porter county. I sure hope they are wrong. I have a doctor appointment Wednesday morning that I REALLY need to get to.

I don't buy into the hype of needing one of those monster sized snow blowers, unless you're going to be gone and away from home for days. If you're going to be home, just use a smaller snow blower and take smaller passes at the snow. This last round of bad snow we had in Ft Wayne was pretty nasty. I had knee high drifts on the lane we live off of, but it took me two quick swipes on the driveway Saturday and one Sunday morning and my drive was just fine. If you're going to be around, it's just one of those stitch in time kinds of things. If you're going to be away and traveling because of work or some reason why it's going to get built up then sure by all means get the big boy, but otherwise most guys just get those to feed their egos.

 

[Rookie]

Mine at work early this afternoon, decided to get what I could off the driveway before it gets to danged cold.

Where do you get the cool tent?

 

[danmdevries]

Just can't bring myself to buy one yet. Had/have a single stage that doesn't work too well (clutch is roasted) but can't bring myself to spend the money on another or even to fix that one.

90% of the time, I can shovel the driveway in about 30 minutes.

It will take a couple winters like this one to get me to buy one. If I decide I need one this year, I'm still going to wait for springtime clearance prices.

I have chains and a plow for my old lawn tractor, just haven't bothered to fabricate a mount for the blade.

I have a front end loader tractor, but it has no brakes, so once one wheel starts to spin, I've got nothing to help me out. It also has a hydro 3 point, and a rear blade but last year it got stuck every time i tried to use it for the driveway. She's from 1953 and has never been rebuilt, so she's quite tired.

Still, there hasn't been significant snowfall regularly for the past several years, so I've done without. If this year is what it's going to be like for years to come, maybe I should buy one.

 

[yeahbaby]

I don't buy into the hype of needing one of those monster sized snow blowers, unless you're going to be gone and away from home for days. If you're going to be home, just use a smaller snow blower and take smaller passes at the snow. This last round of bad snow we had in Ft Wayne was pretty nasty. I had knee high drifts on the lane we live off of, but it took me two quick swipes on the driveway Saturday and one Sunday morning and my drive was just fine. If you're going to be around, it's just one of those stitch in time kinds of things. If you're going to be away and traveling because of work or some reason why it's going to get built up then sure by all means get the big boy, but otherwise most guys just get those to feed their egos.

I agree, but it's nice to have a good neighbor that has one. It came in handy this last storm, especially at the end of the driveway after the plows had come by. If the snow is not heavy I enjoy shoveling. Gives me time to smoke a cigar. If it's heavy/wet I ask our 19 year old to take care of it.

 

[Brandon]

We bought the snow cab "tent" when we bought the blower at the Ariens dealer.
I forget how much it was, but it was worth every penny.