Gas vs Electric ...snowblowers

[Whip]

I spent two hours shoveling yesterday and it looks like this is gonna be the new norm in my Colorado hood.

 

So tell me.....

 

I can buy an electric blower for as little as $150 and gas ones can go for north of $1000?

 

Anyone out there with some good driveway clearing experience?

 

 

[TEWKS]

Gas!  

 

Got this (with plow) two seasons ago and now look forward to doing the driveway! Snowblowers suck, I mean blow. 

Don't forget the summer fun you could have on it also! 

[Rougarou]

Little John Deere 318 with a scrape blade,.....worked for me and our 18" last year, but I know you'll get heavier snow and more of it.

[realshelby]

Electric can work well for stationary work. Like a logsplitter. While battery powered tools have really stepped up and become wonderful....they lack the endurance required for constant duty work. AC powered...requires a cord. Quite the hassle. Gas is the way to go if you have a decent area to keep up. 

 

One thing you must be careful of with snowblowers....great on pavement or concrete. Missile launchers on gravel driveways! Make the adjustments to them before going onto gravel to keep them off the gravel!

[Hosstage]

Doing a ten foot sidewalk? Electric will probably work.

Any more than that, gas.

Not sure how the batteries like cold weather.

[Whip]

20 x 50 driveway and 4 x 30 sidewalk no gravel 

 

 

[TEWKS]

47 minutes ago, Whip said:

20 x 50 driveway and 4 x 30 sidewalk no gravel 

 

 

Ok maybe an 850 would be a little overkill, go for the 650.  

[RandyShields]

Two hours shoveling, even for an in-shape "older" guy like you is crazy.  What is your health worth?  Don't become a statistic.  Spend what it takes to get the tool(s) to do it right so you don't have to do it manually.  

[RandyShields]

I mean, really, . . . . , we need a place to stay when we come out there . . . .

 

 

[John Ranalletta]

Bought one of these, Toro 2-cycle, 12 years ago.  Starts on 1st/2nd pull right out of summer storage.  My drive & parking area is pretty big.  Drive is 8+' wide and 200' long.  Also did neighbor's drive. I'd buy another.

 

 

 

[TEWKS]

Those single stage throwers are pretty good. Light & quick to use, heavy wet snow will kick your butt though.

[roadscholar]

2 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Those single stage throwers are pretty good. Light & quick to use, heavy wet snow will kick your butt though.

 

Spoken like a man that knows snow.  

[MikeRC]

5 hours ago, Whip said:

20 x 50 driveway and 4 x 30 sidewalk no gravel 

 

 

 

I bought a snow blower 10 years ago to save my back during those 2-4 storms a year when we get a foot or more of snow.  It's the 24 inch version of this 2-stage model: Craftsman 26" 208cc electric start snow blower  I've always used the pull start (can't be bothered to do the electric start) and it has never failed.  I can have up to 18 inch drifts of wind-driven, hard-packed snow in front of my garage and it cuts through them like butter.  I have even had to clear the street in front of my house  and throw the snow on the median to ease getting in/out of the garage (clearing 50x40 feet).  BUT, 2-stage blowers leave about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of snow behind, which can be the hard-packed stuff.  You can adjust the 2-stage to get down to the surface but then it catches on small cracks and leaves scratches on your pavement/concrete.  Paddle-type 1 stage blowers clean down to the surface better.  Electric blowers are for people who think 2" of snow is a big deal.  I use a shovel or leaf blower for that stuff.  Battery powered ones are for clearing the deck so you don't scuff the finish.  

 

I'm sure I bought mine as a previous year model at a steep discount.  Did I mention I have to get that sucker out at minus 10º F with about a billion degrees wind chill?  In the perpetual dark?  The headlight and heated grips are a bonus. 

 

The cream of the crop are Ariens and Troy-Bilt, which I would get if I was clearing snow for a living.  For the rest of us hobby-types Craftsman, Toro and Club Cadet work just fine 

 

Mike C

[Paul De]

The size of your drive and walk suggests gasoline powered, particularly if you have big snow events. Single or Two Stage sort of depends on a few factors. 

 

If you have any gravel you will need a two stage which has independent power to the wheels and as Realshelby pointed out you can adjust the skids of a two stage to allow for the right clearance on gravel.  The typical single stage units use a rubber paddle drum that works best on paved surface where it grabs the concrete to propel the unit into the snow.

 

If you have a high vertical lift or need a long throw distance a big single stage unit might get you there but a two stage is best for that.  My case I need to throw the snow over a 9 foot tall retaining wall, or at least 50 feet out and a single stage will not cut it

 

If you get giant city plow piles at the end of your drive,  a bigger 2 stage will muscle through that where a light single stage will have you flailing at it for a while and if the snow fell wet and then froze hard the two stage does better breaking up the frozen mass of snow.

 

My advise is buy as big as your budget will allow as it is a god send when 8 or more inches fall and these units last for decades because they really only run for maybe 10- 15 hours a year

 

My Ariens 30" two stage bought in 2008 has been a beast.  Other than oil changes it has been bullet proof

 

 

[Paul De]

Oh and one more tip that might PO the wife when she finds it MIA but works great to keep the catcher, impeller and shoot clean even int the wettest snow.

 

Swipe the Pledge furniture polish out of the cleaning closet and spray down a heavy layer on the inside of the catcher, shoot, auger and impeller blades and let it dry.  Don't wipe it.  It is a silicone wax that holds up well and keeps things clean as a whistle. I have been doing it since 2008 and the paint on those parts now seems to have absorbed enough of it that I only need to apply is twice a season.   And the bonus is my snowblower smells lemony fresh!

[eddd]

I can't help since my parents didn't buy a snowblower until I (the designated shoveler) had moved out of the house.

[Oldironken]

I prefer diesel in the form of a 23 hp kubota and a 48” snowblower. The neighbors love it too.

[Paul De]

26 minutes ago, Oldironken said:

I prefer diesel in the form of a 23 hp kubota and a 48” snowblower. The neighbors love it too.

haha -  I think ill need sump'n like that for my 1/4 mile access road at our place up north when we move there in the next year or so!   In this case I won't believe my wife when she says size doesn't matter when I want to pony up the cash for a machine like that

[Rougarou]

I'm leaning toward a John Deere 1025r if'n I can find a price to my liking

[big-t]

I'm a bit lazy ,I'd go with this...one pass and your done..

[Oldironken]

On 10/30/2019 at 8:52 AM, Paul De said:

haha -  I think ill need sump'n like that for my 1/4 mile access road at our place up north when we move there in the next year or so!   In this case I won't believe my wife when she says size doesn't matter when I want to pony up the cash for a machine like that

 Don't worry the full kit of Tractor, Snowblower, Mower, and Front End Loader was a few grand less than a new RT.  :-) 

 

[John Ranalletta]

If price were no object and I had some acreage, I'd be seriously interested in a Ventrac.

 

 

 

[Paul De]

1 hour ago, Oldironken said:

 Don't worry the full kit of Tractor, Snowblower, Mower, and Front End Loader was a few grand less than a new RT.  :-) 

 

Well OK then!  Hmm, I already used the "honey I know its just a mid life crisis but it's the RT, or the drinking and gambling hobby" argument to get the RT.  So, I will have to do better for the Kubota because she would have no interest to ride along! Wonder if my doctor would write a note saying it was medically necessary?

[Oldironken]

My wife actually suggested it after I staged the perfect setup.  We had a storm that dumped 12” of heavy snow overnight.  I only had a 24” Simplicty snowblower at the time. I take care of our 200’ driveway with a big turn around, 3 elderly neighbors driveways, and about 500’ of sidewalk. I was out for over 8 hours. When I came in she looked at me and said “if we are going to live here when we retire you are going to need something bigger to remove snow”  It so just happened I had web pages for Mahindra, John Deere, and Kubota already bookmarked.  I went with the BX 23 series which is perfect for our situation, I use it all over the neighborhood. My neighbors repay me with good scotch and food.

[Charles Elms]

All the difference between dry and wet snow.  Get the most HP you can and dual stage so you can throw wet snow from the center of your drive completely into the grass.   Also get electric start.  Most plug into 12v wall socket with power cord to get started.  No need for battery.  Take a look at the gas walk behind at Home Depot or Lowes.  Spend about a grand and get a good one.  Better to go to big than too small.  I should have gotten bigger and more HP for the wet snows.

[Paul De]

11 hours ago, Charles Elms said:

I should have gotten bigger and more HP for the wet snows.

Yup go at least a little bigger than you think you need!

 

This should do it

 

[Mike]

Late to the discussion, but I’ve tried all the variations you mention. You want a big, dual stage gas-powered beast. 

[randy]

what is all this "snow" "white stuff" you are speaking of?

[elkroeger]

I didn't read this whole thread, but here's my two cents:

 

Electric is great - if - you can do your whole driveway with a reasonable length extension cord.  Beyond that, gas is the only feasible option.

 

However, everyone has a different length driveway and depth of snowpack to dig out (not to mention physical ability to deal with it):  Heavy wet/icy crap; light fluffy pow; or shoulder deep insanity.  Talk to your neighbors.  See what they're using.  See how they like it.  That's your best litmus.

 

Or cancel your gym membership and go old school.  :-)

[Charles Elms]

One other point to mention.  Here in Maryland we may go 2 months between snows that require a plow.  Or it might be 2 days.  I did not want to leave gas in the carb between snows, nor did I want to drain the tank after every use.  My model did not have a gas cut-off, so I installed one.  That way with the first snow of the year I gas it up. After each use, I turn off the gas and run the carb dry.  At the end of the season I either siphon the gas out and run it dry, or just run it dry so it's ready for long term storage. Starts instantly every year.   Probably a $10 mod for the cut-off and the gas line.  A gas cut-off should have been factory installed.

[Hosstage]

I also use non oxy fuel and treat it with Seafoam when I buy it. The fuel stays fresh much longer than ethynol fuel.