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Old 10-07-2021, 11:50 AM
Slothead56 Slothead56 is offline
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Default To snowblower or not to snow blow. That is the question!

Ah, October in the Mid-Atlantic area. Beautiful time of year as the harvest is in, the trees are heavy with apples and the fields are adorned with pumpkins.

Also the time when I begin to think that maybe, just maybe, this is the year I pull the trigger on a snowblower.

I’ve put this off a long time as I’ve had kids at home to help but they’re grown and gone and my 65 year old self is tired of shoveling. Bad for my back and bad for my mood. Oh, and isn’t snow shoveling a great way to have a heart attack!?

So, the internal debate begins….

We don’t get a ton of snow. Some years we don’t get any at all and other times we’ll have a couple of doozies with intermittent 2-4 inchers. I have a two car driveway probably three car lengths long. Not a lot built when there’s 20” on the ground it’s enough.

Advise please:
  • What brands do you like?
  • What features are a must have? (Do I really need a headlight and heated grips? Is electric start mandatory?)
  • Do I purchase at a Home Improvement store or a specialty retailer (where I’m sure I’ll pay more)?
  • What should I spend? (For gigs, let’s say my budget is $1,000, give or take $200 either way.)
  • What should I be looking out for, i.e., trip ups?

There it is. I know I have to do this (been telling my neighbor with the Driftbuster 5000 he bought when he lived in Wisconsin that me buying one is a guarantee of no snow for several seasons.) I suppose the convenience payoff is high and re-sale, should I need to, is also high.

Appreciate your input…don’t blow me off!
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  #2  
Old 10-07-2021, 11:53 AM
imwjl imwjl is offline
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We're saying no and I'm right behind your age. I look at the 94 ft driveway in winter as another way to keep me from a gym membership.
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  #3  
Old 10-07-2021, 11:57 AM
JonWer JonWer is offline
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Toro’s Power Clear series is reliable, starts every time and throws snow wet or dry. Keep the gas clean and oiled clean, change the spark plug every other year, and the paddles when necessary and you will get years of use.
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Old 10-07-2021, 12:10 PM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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I just bought one of these. Electric start is nice. You don’t need to spend a grand unless you live in blizzard country and even then you don’t.
Good for anything from a dusting up to 8-10” and as stated very reliable, lightweight and compact. $499 on Toro’s website thru a dealer and shipped free to my house.
I had a 24” dual-stage and sold it. It was just too much machine unless we got a foot or more which is very rare. Besides, I figure when there’s six inches, I can go out and blow and if it snows some more, go out and do it again.
If you want one, don’t wait too long to pull the trigger. They come from China and when the first snow hits, they disappear quickly.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Pow...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Last edited by rokdog49; 10-07-2021 at 12:17 PM.
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  #5  
Old 10-07-2021, 12:15 PM
Merak Merak is offline
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Can you hire someone to plow it?
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  #6  
Old 10-07-2021, 12:45 PM
GCWaters GCWaters is offline
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I live in North Dakota, where a good snow blower is essential. Mine is a Toro Double Stage. Cost new starts at roughly $1000. Depending on how much snow you can get and how big your drive is, you shouldn't have to go over about $1500 (though you can).

Light may be essential, depending on how well lit your area is.

Electric start is, IMO, a necessity: I don't want to be pulling the starter at 6am when it's 30 below!!

I got mine at a hardware store. You want to make sure you buy it somewhere that will service it and stand behind it.

Good luck!
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Old 10-07-2021, 12:48 PM
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raysachs raysachs is offline
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Back when I had a driveway, I had one. I'd hurt my back shoveling snow enough times, so I finally bought a snowblower and never regretted it. But we sold it and the lawnmower with the house. Now we live in a condo where when it snows, we just make more coffee and watch the people we (collectively) pay to do it. They plow, shovel, and blow snow. And cut grass, maintain plants, and deal with leaves in the autumn. I grew up in the desert and never learned to love or even slightly like yard work. Happy to let someone else do that stuff.

-Ray
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Old 10-07-2021, 12:58 PM
rmp rmp is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slothead56 View Post

Advise please:
  • What brands do you like?
  • What features are a must have? (Do I really need a headlight and heated grips? Is electric start mandatory?)
  • Do I purchase at a Home Improvement store or a specialty retailer (where I’m sure I’ll pay more)?
  • What should I spend? (For gigs, let’s say my budget is $1,000, give or take $200 either way.)
  • What should I be looking out for, i.e., trip ups?
I'm in the greater boston area, (West of the SNOWBELT)

Brands:

I've had pretty good luck with husqvarna

Features:

headlight is helpful since around here, it's still dark in the am. when I'm trying to get the driveway cleared so people can get to work and all

hand heaters, yes, they are helpful. there's nothing quite as painful as your hands half frozen, thawing out when your done.

electronic starter


Where to buy:

I would go to a power equipment store. When you need it fixed, they're gonna look at you crossed eye'd when you are looking for repairs. you'll be last on their list. Trust me..

Budget:

north of 1K for one with enough horsepower to deal with the wet soggy stuff, (I have a 10.5 HP with a 36" cut)
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Old 10-07-2021, 01:07 PM
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srick srick is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by imwjl View Post
We're saying no and I'm right behind your age. I look at the 94 ft driveway in winter as another way to keep me from a gym membership.
The problem with shoveling as far as the load on your heart is concerned is the compounding of three factors:the exertion (and of course snow is often heavier than it looks), the constriction of blood vessels in the lungs because of the cold air, and the energy needed to keep your body warm.

So just be forewarned. It’s not the best exercise.

Rick
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Old 10-07-2021, 01:23 PM
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KenL KenL is offline
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My dad's Ariens ran great for 20 years. When he passed away, my mom gave it to the neighbors. It might still be running for all I know.

So that's what I bought. Heckuva machine. It has electric start, but I never use it because it always starts on the first or second pull.

One word of advice: don't buy anything bigger than what you really need, because they are work to horse around your driveway in the snow. Mine is 22", and is plenty big.
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Old 10-07-2021, 01:40 PM
Daniel Grenier Daniel Grenier is offline
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You’re 65 you say? Hire someone and go play guitar instead. I stopped doing my laneway about 3 years ago and now I just watch my contractor from my warm house and smile. Mind you, it’s over 400 ft long so I had enough of fighting a snowblower (they really are a pain to handle). If you must get one, a starter is mandatory - not heated grips and shields and lights and all that stuff. Cheers!
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Old 10-07-2021, 01:51 PM
reeve21 reeve21 is offline
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Around here folks my age are moving to Florida and literally giving away their stuff. I'm offered a lawn mower, ladder, propane tanks, etc. pretty frequently. Keep you eyes and ears open. Even Craigslist or Facebook might save you a bunch.

My current snowblower was bought at a neighbor's moving sale. It was less than a year old, I paid his asking price which was less than half of retail. It is a Sears Craftsman and does just fine. Before that I had an Ariens that had to be 40 years old when I gave it to my niece and her husband. My great aunt inherited it when she was 90! Still running last I heard, got to love those all metal machines.

No way I could ever go back to shoveling. Bad back and who knows what evil lurks in my arteries
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Old 10-07-2021, 01:53 PM
joe white joe white is offline
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What KenL said. I have had a few snowblower and the last one was a self propelled Craftsman. The thing was a monster to maneuver and often it would take me for a ride where I did not want to go. On a bit of a hill you had to really be on your game with it or end up sliding one way or the other. I had a Toro that pulled itself through the snow with the blower paddles. It was smaller, lighter and quite efficient.
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Old 10-07-2021, 02:05 PM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
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A friend of mine just bought a Greenworks Pro electric snowblower. He hasn't had a chance to actually use it yet, although apparently it gets good reviews. It probably can't handle deep, heavy snow unless you stay on top of things as it's falling, but it would have the advantage of being lightweight and low maintenance compared to gas. Just throwing that out as an option.
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  #15  
Old 10-07-2021, 02:11 PM
GCWaters GCWaters is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daniel Grenier View Post
You’re 65 you say? Hire someone and go play guitar instead. I stopped doing my laneway about 3 years ago and now I just watch my contractor from my warm house and smile. Mind you, it’s over 400 ft long so I had enough of fighting a snowblower (they really are a pain to handle). If you must get one, a starter is mandatory - not heated grips and shields and lights and all that stuff. Cheers!
There's a lot of wisdom in this view...I'm 62, and will be switching to a service probably next year...
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