LM - snowblowers

Yeah, I know it's the middle of summer and we have a heatwave. Nevertheless I'm thinking about purchasing a (used) snowblower before the usual autumn panic sets in.

Our home has two driveways, one about 150' long and the other about 50'. Both are single car width and go uphill, too.

With the size of the driveways I'm assuming that an electric one is out, so I'm looking at either an electric start gas-powered snowblower, or a snowblower attachment to a garden tractor with a tractor.

I'm currently assuming that I'll get a much better quality snowblower if I purchase something used in the $300-$600 range than trying to find something new, but I have no idea what I need to look for in one. Other than "does it seem to start OK and run" and "has the PO looked after it", that is.

• Am I better off to get a garden tractor and a snowblower attachment instead of a standalone snowblower?
• If I do get a standalone snowblower, tracked or wheeled?
• Single stage or two stage?
• I'm assuming that wider is better, but also requires more power.
• Any manufacturers to avoid due to (non)availability of spares etc?

Please advise me, o GRMfolk.

How much snow do you get where you live?  And what sort of storm do you wish to be prepared for?  If you're considering electric, we can probably assume you're not in Buffalo :D

I have an older Ariens...  I paid $250 for it.. It has worked for the past few years.  solid machines.. tracked is better for hills, but are a pita to turn.  Wheeled works OK with chains.  I've also had good success with older toro's.

In reply to mikeatrpi :

I don’t have great data points yet (only lived there since January) but apparently we can get 8-10” in one storm. 4-6” was more normal last winter. If it dumps too much snow we can call someone to clear the driveway but I’d still rather have the option of DIYing it for normal storms. 

Sounds like a middle range two-stage will suit you fine.  Tires, no tracks.  I don't even use chains on mine.  Keep a couple extra shear pins on hand, change the oil (synthetic!) and drain the fuel in the spring when you store it, and once in a while check the belt.  Sometimes you have to adjust or replace the feet or scraper blade, and sometimes you have to adjust the pulleys for the tension when you pull the handles.  Mine has electric start, but I don't know if I've ever used it! 

Brand new they're $550 to $600.  You manually adjust the chute pitch and crank it around, but the simplicity is part of the reliability. 

Oh - if you get a big storm, plan to go out twice.  Same for really wet snows.  I usually spray the chute and impeller with Pam or silicone for the wet ones.

I would go Arins I  got one two years ago for about $1,100 or so. My criteria was it had to toss snow 50 feet or more. Yep it does that with ease.  Oh and heated hand grips. Best snow blower option ever. Trust me on this. 

We can get multiple feet of snow multiple times over a winter. Then other winters we get almost nothing. With your driveway length I would be looking at a large two stage unit.  Hp/torque is important more so than the width of the cut. I always want more hp than I need with a smaller cut usually means the unit will be under stressed and it will move even deep snow with ease. 

Gravel or paved?

If gravel a single stage will not work. You will need a 2 stage or 3 stage.

I like the ones that have treads for my hill but my driveway is really steep.

I really need to scrap that rusty gmt400. I'm tired of looking at it.

Bobcat brand if you can find one. I had a 2 stage pull start one that was superb, and no shear pins to break, it would slip the belt and stall if a chunk of gravel jammed it. Back up the second stage blade an inch to free it and start again. When I moved south 32 years ago I sold it, and the guy I sold it to was still using it a few years ago. 

In reply to The0retical :

Both driveways are paved - well, at least the part that I need to clear. One driveway has a gravel portion that extends past the house, but we normally don't remove the snow from that.

Our driveway is pretty steep in some areas, that's why I was thinking treads rather than wheels but that might be overkill.

In reply to BoxheadTim : trouble with snow blowers is you need a different one for each snowfall.  The light snow fall,  dusting  really needs a broom.  If you ignore it and just drive over it expecting it to melt off. Weather changes enough that it might freeze and turn the driveway into a skating rink  

a single stage works for normal snow falls but heavy and wet snow requires a two stage . 

A rider with a cab becomes important not the first time you use it but by the middle of the winter when you are up early to clear off the driveway the 5th time this week.  Only a snowmobile suit is good enough to keep snow from getting under the coat and down your neck  

and unless you like frostbite on your face you’ve got to get a mask and goggles.  

A cab makes things much more civilized.  Now they make cans for walk behinds but now you are so bulky you may as well use a rider. 

The rider you use to mow your lawn will work if you chain and weight your rear tires. ( and it is set up to plow snow)  

• Am I better off to get a garden tractor and a snowblower attachment instead of a standalone snowblower?

In my experience the garden tractor blowers do not work well in heavy snow or on hills.  Even with weights, chains, and my Thanksgiving meal filled belly sitting on the seat I always had traction problems.  I have much better luck with a regular self propelled push one.

• If I do get a standalone snowblower, tracked or wheeled?

I LOVE our tracked one.  The traction is great.  Especially when you want to get down in and out of a ditch a bit.  Tracks are not overkill on hills.

• Single stage or two stage?

Two stage.  I assume they only make single stages to hit a price point for people who dont know better.

• I'm assuming that wider is better, but also requires more power.

Wider means less passes to clear the snow.  Thats the big thing. Even 1 less pass means you get to get back inside a little quicker to start eating Cheetos and surfing GRM.   I think they do a pretty good job of sizing the motors to the blower so I never gave much thought to the power levels.

• Any manufacturers to avoid due to (non)availability of spares etc?

I think most of the lower priced models use a lot of the same parts.  It seems you can find things like shear pins and belts by taking your busted stuff in and matching it up.  Bearings and whatnot might be a little tougher.  I would find a brand that has a good dealer in your area.

When we sold the farm in Michigan and I no longer had a big utility tractor to plow with, I did the same thing you are doing and bought a used blower in the summer.  I followed the "go big or go home" school of thought and picked up a Honda HS928.  Its a beast but was about 2500 used.  The Deere dealer in town sells Honda blowers and has had pretty much anything we have needed in stock.  There haven't been any issues other than an occasional shear pin but I did replace the belts as maintenance last year just because I had it all apart cleaning and lubing it.  It has that weird Honda black magic and starts on the first or second pull no matter how long it sat or how old the fuel is.

One day I hope to get away from the snow.......

Honestly I'd go for a tracked one. Arins and Honda's tend to be pretty easy to get parts for. My parents have a treaded John Deere that's been around for 25 years. I don't know anything about their newer stuff but parts are still typically easy to get a hold of.

Garden tractor mounted ones are okay on pavement, I have one at my office on  JD425 tractor which is awesome for our driveway, but they'll struggle a bit on steep hills and they tend to be finicky unless you have a hydraulic system on the tractor to control the height. They also almost always require chains at a minimum.

Logdog summed it up pretty well otherwise.

In reply to logdog :

Funnily enough a Honda HS928 just popped up on my Facebook Marketplace feed.

My little toro single stage is great for a few inches of any kind of snow but I have to make many small passed when it gets deep.  It will throw slush. 

The only way to make a two stage not plug up with wet snow is to add rubber paddles to the ends of the second stage paddles.  Youtube how to do that and what the results are.  Basically twice the throw distance and will throw the wet stuff like a single stage.

Nothing beats a two stage for the thick stuff that the plow leaves.   Lately Michigan has been getting mostly wet snow, nothing like the snow in the commercials, that is the ideal once every three years snow for us.   The cold side of the lake gets the nice dry snow.

The type of snow you get is very important to your decision.   When I say wet snow, it's the kind that you can make a ball out of and when you roll it down a hill it just gets bigger like in a Scooby Doo cartoon.  That is until the weight of it caused it to implode. 

I have a Lawn Boy 1032 and its the bees knees.

10HP Techumseh Snow King motor

32" wide cut

Gearbox/chain drive instead of friction disk

Heavy like a maaaaafffff.

Weight is your friend, keeps the front end down.  Thick steel will be more resistant to corrosion and damage from expansion joints.  I would wager the same snowblower today would weigh 50 lbs less than my 1990s model just due "value engineering" ie plastic and thinner gauge steel.

All the consumable parts are standard items, there are really only 2 or 3 manufacturers of these rigs and then a bunch of rebadging.  Only way I would consider a lawn tractor version is if I had the tractor already and a big area to turn it around.  For in-town use a walkbehind is the way to go.  

BoxheadTim said:

In reply to logdog :

Funnily enough a Honda HS928 just popped up on my Facebook Marketplace feed.

Do it!  All the cool kids are!

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

We're outside of town, and I should be able to find a spot on our 3.something acres to turn around a garden tractor . That said, we don't have a garden tractor right now and don't really need one as we have someone who's taking care of the lawn already. Plus I'm definitely getting the impression that standalone snow blower is the way to go.

Get a two or three stage, no question there.

A couple years back, my hand-me-down 80's Bolens finally quit, so I ponied up and bought a new Ariens Deluxe 24. New ones run around $1000, but you might be able to get one in your price range used.

I cannot recommend their machines enough. Mine has tires, but has a split differential setup that will allow for one wheel to turn when you are trying to turn. Some people hate it, but I have some tight turns I need to negotiate and it works great for that. The thing cannot be stopped, and shoots snow about 50ft no matter what! The dashboard-adjustable chute angle RULES.

I have an Ariens 24" at home and a 28" at work.  The 28" is a beast but shrugs off everything.  The 24" works pretty well with the exception of a large, late spring storm that's super wet.  Then it bogs down and can't handle it.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I can swing a grand for a good snowblower - the Honda I mentioned above is advertised for more than that. In true GRM fashion i might not want to and build something out of used Amazon boxes and baling wire instead, but it might be a good idea to spend the extra money in this case.

In reply to BoxheadTim :

Full disclosure. I started out with a single stage little walk behind.  But back then I had a shorter driveway.  And if it was deep,  heavy, and / or wet. ID just shovel it and use the single stage to do final clean up.  

After a solid week of shoveling with a sore back I just bought 4x4 vehicles. Drove right over the snow and packed it down. That even worked on my new driveway, 120 feet long 35 feet wide 

open the garage door and let the 4x4 plow through whatever Mother Nature left. No more getting up early putting on a snowmobile suit goggles and scarfs.  No hoping I had enough gasoline to finish the job because I forgot to buy it last night.  No pumping the tire up that had been getting softer and softer.  

No cursing the city plow trucks for leaving a great big row of snow just as I was finishing the driveway. Or coming home to that same big pile if they got to my place after I left.  

Just shove the lever into 4x4 ( later just flip the switch).  And go.  Since I was now at the bottom of a steep hill and often beat the city snow plows if felt really smart as one by one my neighbors bought their own 4x4’s. 

For Decades  I was happy. 

Then I got remarried and she just didn’t like  the look of an unplowed driveway.  So for a few weeks I resurrected my old single stage but as winter dropped more and more snow I realized my back wouldn’t take it anymore. So the 2 stage, then the “cab”  and finally sold that whole thing and bought a bigger rider with hydraulics, a rotary  broom and 2 stage blower.  

I start driving the bus at 5:30 AM which means I leave at 5:00 so a heavy snow fall makes me start plowing at 4:30  ( wake up at 4:00)  

That lasted a whole year. Until the winter of pneumonia.  5 times that year I woke with it.  Just get over it and another round.   I was too exhausted too old and too exposed to 546 different kids every day. 

When the tractor broke I stopped a local plow guy and asked him what it would cost to have him do it.  

$20 each time it snowed.  For the rest of the year and all of the following it cost me $300 so I sold everything and now when it snows I shrug. 

No getting up early. No struggling into a old size too small snowmobile suit.  No fixing what broke or wore out.  No more pneumonia!  

Unfortunately the local plow guy charges considerably more than $20 due to the size and number of driveways, plus it can take him a while to make it out to us. So I do need a way to dig us out if necessary.

Fortunately temperatures here in winter aren't full frozen tundra spec, so it's something I can handle for now.

Yeah, nobody plows out here for $20 a time.  You're getting the steal of the century.  My office lot, which is basically a 5-6 parking spot lot cost $100 a time, my house $60 a time.  So I have snowblowers now.

In reply to docwyte :

My guy was already doing several neighbors.  My driveway is straight and exactly two passes wide with the boats stored on it. Maybe 5 minutes, tops? 

He pulls up  to the garage door, drops the blade  backs out. Repeats next to first pass and shoves the resulting pile to the end of the road before he starts their driveway.  ( he does them for free and installs and removes their dock free )  He thinks he’s getting the deal of the century  because he can park his boat there.  

Since dock in and out is a little over a grand each way he may be right.  (Slip rental is north of $5000 a season).  

My "old"  MTD 8 hp Tecumseh served me well but when the float in the cab fell off and I had to shovel, I went down to ACE an bought a 24" Toro 2 stage with a 212 cc engine, they don't list HP anymore for $800 delivered to my garage door. 

I have had it for two winters an love it.   Part of my side walk is on a hill, no problem.   It has the neat chute control on the dash. Saves a lot of cranking.

I hear tracks are hard to steer.

Oh , I have a brand new electric single stage that  I bought by  mistake.   Can be had dirt cheap.