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Choosing A SnowblowerDec 17 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line My final recommendation, do your research, shop around and remember to buy what fits your needs, and your budget.
Buying Guide: This was the year I was going to break down and buy my first snow blower; I had my credit card and the approval from my wife to go for it. The only problem I had was I did not know the first thing about snow blowers, and did not have a clue what I needed or wanted. This was a problem, where to begin? The first thing I had to do was obtain an education as to what I was looking for. I stopped at several dealers and asked lots of questions, and comparison shopped until the salesmen began to ignore my presence knowing I was not buying that day. From looking around I learned the following facts which I will post here in the hopes of helping those people just starting to look for a machine. The first step in deciding what snow blower to buy is deciding what type of snow blower you need. The criteria for this decision based upon how many snow storms you get each year, how much snow you get during each storm and how large an area you are looking to clear. How much your willing to spend and how much room you have for storage are also worth some consideration. For making this decision I would suggest going to the Toro, John Deere, or Ariens home page. All three of these sites have nifty little computer programs that allow you to fill in the answers to those three main questions (along with a few others) hit a button, and they tell you what is best suited for your home. You can also get an idea on what is out there for your buying pleasure, and start to learn the language of snow blowers. Snow blowers come in two main configurations having either One or Two Stages. One Stage models are the smaller and therefor less expensive of the two. The basic’s of a One Stage unit is that the housing includes a single auger (made of hard rubber or composite material) that spins, grabs the snow from off the ground and throws it out of the top chute, all in one motion. One Stage machines do not have a transmission system instead relying on the auger to “pull” the machine forward, minimal user assistance is needed. One benefit of One-Stage units is there ease of use; you start the motor and go. There is only one safety hold down lever (much like a lawn mower) which when depressed engages the auger and begins the snow blowing process. This system works well and is very adept at clearing snowfalls up to about a foot, on smooth surfaces. One Stage units are generally lighter, and less powerful than Two Stage units, and some advertise that they can be used on decks as well as patios and driveways. If your so inclined you can also look for all electric one stage units, while they are not recommended for larger areas (due to having to drag an electric cord around) they are quite effective, price efficient and quiet. One area that One-Stage units excel is in that of snow clean up. Since the auger actually scrapes the ground and removes the snow, the One Stage units “final” product is very good, leaving only small amounts of snow behind. It should be noted that One-Stage units can not be used on gravel driveways. Because the auger hits the ground and throws the snow out of the chute, by trying to use it on a gravel surface you would throw stone projectiles at your home, car and passers by, and do real damage to the unit in the process. This is generally not a good thing. Should you have a gravel drive you can use a Two-stage unit however. Two Stage units are the larger more powerful models. If you have a larger area to clear or receive heavy wet snowfalls this is the way you want to go. The basics of a Two-Stage unit are that there are two augers involved in the snow removal process. The first auger is a slower moving steel serrated auger that chops and breaks up the snow. The snow is then pushed back into a second high-speed auger, which throws the snow out the chute and out of your way. Unlike a One Stage unit no part of the augers ever come in contact with the ground, snow on the ground is pushed along via a scraper bar on the bottom of the unit. This is why One-Stage units generally clean a surface better and also why you can use a Two-Stage unit on an uneven or gravel surfaces. For gravel you just adjust the unit to leave a small layer of snow behind avoiding the gravel all together. Since there are two moving augers Two Stage machines generally have larger motors to power the additional equipment, (small motors being 5hp and go up to the high teens for industrial units.) These large motors make the two stage units large and definitely heavy. Two Stage units generally have full transmissions with multiple speeds forward and even reverse (a comparison of drive systems is below). Note that unlike One stage machines on which the auger spins and pulls the machine forward, you can disengage the auger on a Two Stage machine, using the motor to move the machine while not blowing snow. A nice option if your inclined to drive across the street and help out your neighbor, and don’t want to blow snow in his face on the way there. While the above descriptions discuss the basics of One and Two-Stage snow blowers the majority of features are common between the two types. Following are some general buying notes, made while buying my unit. Price: First and foremost, these things are expensive. While you can get into the One Stage snow thrower market for as little as a few hundred dollars, be forewarned that top of the line Single Stage units sell for $1000. Don’t even think about getting into the two-stage snow thrower market for less than $550.00. This seems to be the starting price for a 5hp unit sold through a discount retailer (such as Home Depot or BJ’s Wholesale Club). Motors: Most snow blowers mass marketed at this time (Ariens, Murray, Craftsman & Yard Machines) use the Techumsa Snow King motor. The main difference between many of these models is how many hp the engine produces. Most machines in the lower end use either the 5hp or the 8hp Techumsa Snow King. As you look at higher end machines you will find that premium companies sell machines utilizing motors of there own design. Toro, Honda, Snapper and John Deere are some examples that come to mind. These units have great reputations but sell at premium prices. Larger motors are available and overall they range from 5hp up to around 20hp. Obviously the larger sizes are for industrial use while 5-10hp machines are made for homeowners. Auger Size: The auger size / cleaning width for most models is 24 inches. Many makers offer larger cleaning areas; I noted one that was 29in and a few at 22 in. But the bulk of the machines are 24 in. Be aware of the cleaning area &. hp. If you buy the biggest machine out there with the smallest motor you will be sorry. Also, I was surprised at the size of these machines. A 24 in cleaning area takes up lots of room in the garage. If your thinking of buying a snow thrower make sure you have plenty of room to store it, and get it our around the car. After all what could be worse then having to shovel your driveway out so that your can move your car out so that you can snow blow the driveway. Electric Start: Electric start is a must. You can call me crazy but for my money I don’t want to have to worry about pull starting a gas engine in 12-degree weather. With Electric start you just plug it in, push a button and your off and running. Don’t confuse this with an electric motor, this is just an electric START option available on many models, this feature is one of those that you may not be sure you need but once you have it you will be glad you do. Drive Systems: The two basic drive systems utilized by snow blowers are the Auger Drive System and the Multi Speed Transmission System. In general terms One-Stage units use the auger to pull the machine forward as it clears the snow. Machines utilizing this system have only move at one speed, and require the operator to “assist” the machine along. Additionally any time you want to go backwards the operator must manually pull the machine in that direction. Almost all Two Stage units, and all of the machines I looked at having 8hp motors or larger, utilize a transmission drive system. Transmission Drive Systems use a system containing several forward and 1 or 2 reverse gears to propel the snow blower as the operator walks behind. As the operator you are able to regulate the speed of the machine to match the depth and weight of the snowfall your clearing. The heavier / deeper the snow the slower you go. Most machines have 4 gears designed for clearing snow and two “Transit” gears used for moving the machine from location to location on cleared paths / roads, and two reverse speeds. Which is better? I assume that having a transmission is preferred since all of the better machines include one. However smaller units don’t have it even as an option and that does not make them any less useful. Remember the larger units “Need” to have an independent drive system due to their increased weight. The smaller, lighter more maneuverable One Stage units would not benefit from having it. The main thing is that as a buyer you should be aware that there is a difference, and that this explains the price differences between styles. One quick example of what to watch out for, as I shopped I found one machine I thought was a steal (it was an Ariens model 624, Two Stage 6hp machine). I thought the price was fantastic until I really compared and found out that it was auger driven. After taking that into account it did not seem like quite the steal it originally looked like. Your Final Decision: hopefully you have read this and identified several things that you need to take into consideration before making your final buying decision. I have just a few more decision making notes, 1). I found that several manufacturers were not really available enough to be considered. They were just too far away to consider, especially if you may need service at some point (this removed several brands from my list). 2). If your looking for a less expensive unit you will be confined by what units are sold by your local discount retailer. I looked in Home Depot and found that ever store sold different machines. After going to three different stores I found that the chain was selling (2 Murray, 2Yard Machines and two models of Ariens machines out of a line of 8-10). So your choices may be restricted by availability. 3). If your looking for a machine with a transmission drive you might be wondering how many gears are important? I noticed machines ranging from 3 to 6 forward gears, how necessary are they? My feeling is that the more closely you can tie the speed of the machine to the snow conditions the better off you are, so the more the better. But don’t sweat it too much, after all one speed one stage machines do the job without any real problems right? 4). How big a motor do I need? Of course this depends on the size of the area your clearing and the amounts of snow, but generally get as big a motor as you can comfortably afford, no need to be under powered if you can help it. 5). Get the electric start, its almost standard on all two stage units, and you know it will save you a lot of effort. And isn’t that the point of buying a snow thrower? 6). Don’t underestimate the storage space needed, it cannot be understated, these things are big and bulky. 7). Remember that this is a tool you will hopefully only use a few times a year, so consider carefully weather or not a premium brand is in order. 8). Contrary to point #7, this is also an item that you will buy 1 of in any ten year period, so you will have it a long time. Just make sure it suites your needs and even consider your future needs if a change may be on the horizon. Well that’s it from me, good luck with your purchase.  |
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