Snow blowers in Midatlantic

[Crushin It]

Ok so I've put off the purchase Of a snowblower for a long time but after this last snow storm I'm now on board. Not that I can find one now anyways but thought I'd ask the group what snow blower brand you have? I don't live in a large country road driveway. Regular house with regular driveway in a neighborhood. Also if nearby Frederick and you have one for sale pm me. I might be interested.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[alnav]

Toro 21" single-stage. While it's only rated for 6-9" or so, mine has handled everything we've gotten over the last 10 years or so including this most recent. Mine always starts within a few pulls. Price just about doubles when you go to multi-stage.

 

[Air O'Nautical]

I have an older single stage two stroke 6.5HP model that is amazing!
Eats through snow much taller than the intake with no problem.
It clears snow fast, light enough to store in the garage attic and simple to operate.
I missed this storm because of work but, my wife used it to clear our driveway and paths including chomping through what the city plows left at the entrance...that had to be four feet high!

A two stage is better suited for serious snow removal but, a high power single works GREAT for my needs in CT.

You'll never miss shoveling.....

 

[Strecker25]

I've had great luck with Craftsman in upstate NY. We put it through plenty of punishment with no issue, has an 8.5HP B&S engine that I just do normal maintenance on and it fires up every time.

 

[boatman37]

i have a toro. not sure exactly what it is but its a single stage 2 stroke. has solid rubber tires but does the job

 

[blaster]

Wait until summer and get one. If you plan to stick around, these storms seem to happen around every 5-7 years. I just got back from WV where it snowed 40" and I used a 16.5 HP two stage ariens 30" snowblower. Chucks snow like a champ but it was $1800

 

[Henry Boyd]

24" Ariens, 8 hp engine two stage thrower. It is now 25 years old. We wouldn't have survived last winters snowmageddon without it.

Things to consider, electric start is a must. I don't have it but a good addition is a light. They don't do squat as headlights, but it will make you more visible after dark.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Ididntdoit]

24" Ariens, 8 hp engine two stage thrower. It is now 25 years old. We wouldn't have survived last winters snowmageddon without it.

Things to consider, electric start is a must. I don't have it but a good addition is a light. They don't do squat as headlights, but it will make you more visible after dark.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I have the same machine - its a beast

 

[hottoddie]

Single stage is a waste of money. If it can be cleared with a single stage you can shovel it. 7-8hp two stage will get you by almost anything.

 

[wish2fish]

I have a craftsman 5p 2 stroke that is 17 years old. minor issues like rubber blades wore out but other than than that it has been very good. picked up an older 4 stroke craftsman on CL for $80 in Oct 2014 and it does very well too.

The problems I see mostly from others result from improper storage. Fuel/carburator issues. Since we are boaters I hope we would take care of the properly. I acutally run all my snowblowers dry of fuel for summer storage after adding the EZStart/EZstore to the fuel. It is supposed to fog the engine. I use my EZStart/EZstore in my lawn equipment as well as my boat.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

+1 TORO for home owners with flat driveways this little machine has handled every storm for 5-6 yrs 30" of snow this week!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Havana Shamrock]

The problem with a large machine is you can't bring it to moms to do her house without a truck and or trailer granted they are awesome I've used plenty over the years but a smaller machine folds down , and fits in the back of a decent suv. Just something to keep in mind if you plan on helping family

 

[LTD.330]

+1 on the single stage Toro. I have a very similar snow blower, it's a 208cc single stage Troy-Built from Lowes.

A heavy snowfall for me is in the 8 inch range so the single stage blower works well for my purposes. The engine in my single stage is often used as the engine in two-stage snow blowers, so there is plenty of power to throw the snow. It's quick and easy to maneuver and a lot faster to use than a two-stage with a transmission to engage for my relatively flat driveway. Stopping and turning a two-stage snow blower is rather time consuming when compared with my single stage.

As far as the comment about not bothering with a single stage, ignore it.

 

[Crushin It]

Good feedback from everyone. Thanks. I have looked at a few of the models you all have and suggest.. Sounds like they all do the job....

 

[Mike Blake]

When I lived in Mass I had a jeep with a 7' plow on it. I never got out of the jeep. Even did the walkway with it. Now in FL I don't miss any of that.

 

[PlayDate]

Frankly, the real problem is that it will take up prime real estate in your garage. I have a Craftsman 24" single stage which is 40 years old. In the past 10 years, it has only seen duty 3 times. But when it happens unless you have a plow....you are really can't go anywhere. All of our vehicles are 4wd or AWD so we just let small accumulations melt.

Kudos on the comment regarding care. I run it out of gas and change the oil before it goes to the back garage. That said, I still end up taking the carb apart and cleaning it before I put it to work. The impeller is steel so there isn't a whole lot that can go wrong with it unless the engine breaks.

That said, the next one would be two stage since I want the snow to be thrown further than six-eight feet.

JD

 

[garmett]

I have the single stage MTD same as Toro, 2 stroke which is 5 years old, My neighbor has the newer model 4 stroke.
Get the 4 stroke, for what ever reason his throws the snow better than mine.
We also use the canned Tru Fuel containers, that way you never have any bad gas issues.
Along with proper maintenance.

 

[Big Island Lifer]

I had a Honda single stage for years. Now that my job has me traveling weekly I got a plow service as the admiral doesn't want to clear the driveway while watching a toddler. The Honda was unbeatable. Always started on 2 pills and seem to throw the snow further then my neighbors similar toro.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[boatman37]

just ran out and checked mine. its a toro powerlite 98cc 16". i have cleared snow up to about 1' deep without a problem but much more than that and i have to tip the front up and make a couple of passes

 

[Alegria]

Just did the research late last year. It came down to a cub cadet 3 stage or cub cadet 2 stage or ariens 2 stage. I ruled out the 3 stage while it looked cool and appealed to my engineering side, common sense and 17 years of success I had with our old Murray 2 stage made me skeptical. I wondered do I really need two augers with shear pins to worry about shearing. So I stuck with 2 stage models.

I ended up with the 24" ariens 2 stage deluxe model (12.5 HP). I wanted to go with a 28 or 30" model but realized that I would need 4-6" of more storage and since during the snow season I store it in the garage along with 2 vehicles I could not find the space for the larger model. The cub cadets have some plastic parts in key areas that made me question durability. Specifically in the speed shift the detentes were plastic, ariens is steel. I can see the plastic detentes wearing down over time and failing.

It is great and since we have now had the most snow ever in PA I can safely say I made the right choice. The ariens moved the snow with ease and threw it well over 30' enough to throw it the full width of my driveway which is important to consider since you don't want to throw it into the wind, it just blows back on you and everything else, no matter how much HP the snow thrower has the wind after a nice Nor'easter wins all the time. The ariens has a steel shoot and steel control panel.

The only negative I found was the arc of the shoot was a bit shallow around 205 degrees. My old murray was around 215 degrees and that little bit of extra angle allowed me to throw the snow at the mouth of the driveway back enough to keep it out of the street. Also 12.5 hp uses more gas quicker then my old 5hp model... Oh well the price you pay for performance I suppose.

Good luck, you know as soon as you buy one you won't get any more snow.