It looks like my father is done with shoveling show after the last go around and asked me (an apartment dweller) what snow blower should he buy? I have used/ fixed a few snow blowers over the years but I have no clue what to tell him to buy. He has a few different areas that will need to be cleared such as a side walk about 50' long, concert parking pad 25'x35', and a gravel (C&R) drive way about 12'x80' his only requirements are a battery start and be light enough to load into a pickup truck with ramps if needed. I have done some quick searching and reviews on most seem to range form great to a pile of E36 M3. Would you enlighten me on what to look at and what to run away from. Please.
So it sounds like a learn me thread 
Thanks, Paul
Ariens, toro, simplicity, or Honda. Buy one from a equipment dealer and not the box store.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
That about sums it up
2 stage is a must
Hal
SuperDork
1/25/16 9:03 p.m.
Your requirements are going to very hard to meet. The only battery start ones I know of are Honda's which are large, heavy and expensive. Many have electric start but it is plug into an outlet type.
Depending on where he lives the areas needing cleared suggest a gas powered two stage blower. They are heavy but could be run up into a pickup on ramps.
I am now on my second Simplicity. Bought the first one in 1994 after the Blizzard of 93. It was still running just fine but I decided I wanted a bigger one for this winter. With the snow we just had I am glad I did.
And as Fueled said, buy from an equipment dealer not some big box store.
asoduk
Reader
1/25/16 9:26 p.m.
I have a Honda HS520 and it is a great machine overall.
Good: The engine starts on the first pull every time. Service is pretty easy, despite the plastic covers. Parts are pretty cheap and easy to get locally or online.
Bad: This probably has more to do with my driveway than anything, but I go through a lot of scraper blades. No headlight. No electric start (although its not really needed)
My neighbor bought a single stage at Tractor Supply last year. It is yellow and white. Engine is noisy and his chute adjuster knob already broke due to some torn plastic. It does have a light and electric start though.
Brian
MegaDork
1/25/16 9:56 p.m.
+1 on equipment dealer. I'm personally a fan of husqavarna(sp?). No clue about battery start, but most will have a plug in electric start.
Skip battery starter, go plug in 110.
Tracks are powerful, but wheels turn better.
Two stage is the only way to go when it comes to really moving snow.
All minumum requirements in my book
I have a hybrid unit I cobbled together. I had an 8hp Craftsman 2 stage 24" that I have had as a backup. A couple years ago I got a 12 Hp motor that was a direct bolt on. Holly cow does it make a difference. It can move the heaviest wet slush/concrete snow with out blinking now. I have a much bigger 18HP 2 stage one as well but with the modifications I made to the little 24" one it is now my go to unit for all but the biggest storms.
On a side note keep an eye on tire pressures and make sure that they are even. If they are not even the blower will pull to one side or the other. Even if these pressures are just a little off it will cause you to have to constantly make corrections by pushing the blower to keep it strait. This will tire you out after an hour (and you will not really know why you are so tired). I found that be checking the tire pressures making sure they are equal is one of the biggest ways to improve ease of operation of a snow blower. I check this before every big storm.
Toro makes the best single stage units from my experience. I have had good luck with ariens, toro and big John Deere units two stage.
Single stage units are ok for small areas and places that do. However a 2 stage unit it needed for driveway clearing. 24" wide is the min I'd go and 8hp atleast. Older used units are ok if you buy quality.
Get an on board light as it helps with the night or morning cleaning. The 110v plug in start works best.
They tend to sit so keep stabil in the gas and run it dry at the end of this season.
Does he have a lawn tractor? I always thought the ones that mount to the front of a lawn tractor seemed ideal. I live in Atlanta though, so I have no first hand experience with real snow.
I bought one like this after 30+ years of maintaining junk and garage sale specials; imagine the fun of rebuilding a carb at the end of a driveway in a foot of windy snow.
Mine has heated hand grips and a headlight, seems like it's always dark here in the winter. They don't sell them by horsepower anymore, they're in CCs. Some do-gooder challenged the hp rating and dyno results so they changed. It can walk up ramps but doesn't have a battery start, I don't remember seeing one with a battery. Once it's warmed up, pull starting is very easy.
Don't waste your money on the small rubber paddled things that sound like a blender. The only benefit to those is they're easier to hurl into the woods when they suck so bad.
We've had good luck with our Toro. However it's the smallest one (besides a power shovel or whatever) I've ever seen. When the snow is heavy it can get a bit overwhelmed, but we've made it work for going on 27 years.
asoduk wrote:
My neighbor bought a single stage at Tractor Supply last year. It is yellow and white. Engine is noisy and his chute adjuster knob already broke due to some torn plastic. It does have a light and electric start though.
I was in TSC Sunday morning buying a new "snow shovel" at the same time a couple was returning one of said yellow and white snow blowers. I caught enough of the conversation between them and the manager to gather that they had bought the last unit on the floor, which had had parts pirated from it a day or two prior to fix two or more other recently sold units prior to the impending blizzard, thus rendering this unit inoperable as well. So yea, think I might avoid one of those...
Troy-Bilt 26" 2-stage here. Start w/ 110V, after warm up pull start is fine. 208 cc engine, 6 forward/ 2 reverse speeds, joystick, headlight. Advertised for 12" depth but just did 20"+ no sweat last weekend. Typically clear 100-150 feet X 10' wide of driveway, 2 parking places and 100+ feet sidewalks plus neighbors walks. Beat the snot outta this and never sheared a pin. YMMV. Reviews were mixed but glad I bought it. Still have an old 21" 2-stroke single stage for light stuff but the gas leaf blower does better than that.
Put away w/ Sta-Bil or run tank dry w/ a little two stroke oil in fuel. Spray augers and chute w/ WD-40 before and after use. WD is cheaper by the gallon.
Does everything I need but still want heated grips. 
YMMV
You can also use Pam to coat the chute and auger.
RedGT
Reader
1/26/16 12:26 p.m.
I bet he just meant electric start. I mean the guy has a ton of property and can handle a snowblower, I am sure he can run an extension cord to an outlet. But starting by hand is a PITA.
RedGT wrote:
I bet he just meant electric start. I mean the guy has a ton of property and can handle a snowblower, I am sure he can run an extension cord to an outlet. But starting by hand is a PITA.
Once started, they are easy to pull.
One of the things I've done to make mine pretty easy to start is to use my halogen lights to warm up the engine. Even if it's just up to 50F- the warmer fuel and engine start a WHOLE lot easier.
I suspect the same would still be true if it was an electric start.
slefain wrote:
Does he have a lawn tractor? I always thought the ones that mount to the front of a lawn tractor seemed ideal. I live in Atlanta though, so I have no first hand experience with real snow.
I've got a single stage 44+ish mounted on the front of my 20 hp lawn tractor, and it does a good job as long as the snow isn't approaching slush that just packs into ice in the chute. I use it on a large driveway and a portion of our private road if my neighbor with the snow plow hasn't been through first.
Generally, it takes longer to get suited up in insulated Carhartts, balaclava, ski goggles, boots, etc, than it takes to get the job done-- all that's required though, as otherwise your face will freeze off sitting out there without otherwise moving.
Price-wise though, you need to score the equipment used, which I did. If you're buying new attachments, once you pick up wheel weights, chains, the lift kit, etc, you're looking at multiple thousands of dollars. Used I think I was in around $600-$700 by the time I refreshed a lot of the hardware on the unit.
Taking the unit on and off is not a huge deal, and it comes with little wheels to roll it around, but it does take up a fair bit of room in storage-- probably no more than a dedicated snowblower though.
Of course, the total overkill answer is cabbed tractor with a loader mounted blower and a PTO driven hydraulic unit hung off the rear....
Of course, then there's the total go big or go home package...
Grtechguy wrote:
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
That about sums it up
2 stage is a must
explain the difference ... single stage v. 2 stage ... what's the advantage ... disadvantage ?
wbjones wrote:
Grtechguy wrote:
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
That about sums it up
2 stage is a must
explain the difference ... single stage v. 2 stage ... what's the advantage ... disadvantage ?
A single stage unit just has a thrower built into the auger on the front of the machine to push snow out the chute. A two stage unit has another set of paddles on a second shaft after the auger to move the snow out the chute.
92dxman
SuperDork
1/26/16 3:25 p.m.
What about buying an older one on Craigslist and throwing a Harbor Freight motor on it?
92dxman wrote:
What about buying an older one on Craigslist and throwing a Harbor Freight motor on it?
That works, but a lot of the older motors had special carbs, and carb placement to ensure they don't freeze. I don't know if the newer ones do that.
techumseh snow king, I am looking at you!.
