Snow Blowers

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Have shoveled the space between the parking lot and steps to building for years. It sucks. Especially because the plow company pushes most snow toward our corner entrance. Snowing today and thinking I should finally get a snow blower.

It's a pretty small area, maybe 300 sqft but want something that will power through the snow mounds the plow makes.

Any suggestions on good and bad brands? Ones that have lasted for years?

[Crowbob]

Honda Trackdrive.

$$$$$ and worth every Benjamin.

[1990C4S]

You need to decide if you want a single stage for 90% of the snowfalls, or a heavier 2-stage for everything.

I've switched to a single stage, it's light, easy to use, and cleans right down to the asphalt. Once or twice a year I wish I had a 2-stage.

For Boston I would go 2-stage. If you know how to service a single cylinder engine and maintain basic machinery, you can make anything work.

[cabmandone]

I have a Troybilt self propelled and a Toro that I use for my concrete driveway. The Toro is faster if you're handling light snow (3-4") The self propelled is better for moving heavy snow and going through a drift and it's a 2 stage meaning there's an auger that feeds snow into a chute where there's an impeller that ejects the snow through the chute. The toro only has an auger that rotates fast and throws the snow through the chute.

I've had the TORO for around 15 years. It's a 2 cycle, loud as hell, but starts and moves snow every winter. The Troybilt is an older machine with a Tecumseh engine and electric start. Only issue I've had is the carb gumming up because I forgot to drain the fuel and didn't use Stabil.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

will power through the snow mounds the plow makes.

Already plowed snow can be a tough /impossible to snowblow through. Especially if slushy/ refrozen. I'd go 2 stage.

or call pete3799.

[flipper35]

If it is very deep from the plow, go two stage since the plowed snow is usually denser. Especially if it has salt and is melty.

[cabmandone]

I'll try to post pics of the two that I use. Most of my snow is moved using a skid loader. I only use the snow blower when I clean the concrete and that's only because I don't want to put scratches in the concrete with the bucket I use.

[Bill Verburg]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Have shoveled the space between the parking lot and steps to building for years. It sucks. Especially because the plow company pushes most snow toward our corner entrance. Snowing today and thinking I should finally get a snow blower.

It's a pretty small area, maybe 300 sqft but want something that will power through the snow mounds the plow makes.

Any suggestions on good and bad brands? Ones that have lasted for years?

I've had 2 Toro' s for the past 50 or so years
525 lasted for ~38 of them, it dies when I blew the transmission on a particularly heavy/dense driveway end
722 since

The 522 had a~6hp and was fine for all but the 3-4 foot piles the plows throw up at the end of the driveway, It was little slow in 3-4 fit dumps, especially so as it all needed to be thrown in one direction so the later passes were moving snow that had already been moved from where it fell
722 w 9hp is much better, even in 4+ dumps, you still will need to do the heavy dense end of driveway stuff in slices. and if it need to go more than 20+/- ft plan on double passes

What ypou need depends more on what's' needed for the big piles and how far it has to be thrown

[wdfifteen]

I have a Troybilt (shame what they did to that company name) two-stage that I got at Lowes a few years ago. I had to do some re-engineering of the control cables and it since then it has worked OK for $700.

[JJ 911SC]

I got a Club Cadet HD 420cc 13HP. It goes through the 2' of compact $hit that the snowplough leave at the end of the driveway.

In your case a 2 stages Club Cadet HD 420cc 13HP would be perfect (lookalike the HD 420cc its only available in Canada).

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Good info, thank you all. I am fortunate that I'll be coming at the snow mounds from the soft side which I think will help a lot in getting them gone.

I like the Honda tank track model, found a few on CL for half price that look, and are advertised, as barely used.

Lot of models to google now and get one.

[OldSpool87]

I have a Cub Cadet 3 stage. I bought it about 4 years ago primarily because of the heavy wet snow the plows leave at the driveway apron after plowing streets. Works great.

[flipper35]

My worst problem is we are out in the country and the plows dig up the sod and deposit it on the driveway at 2:00am. By the time I get out there the sod is frozen and a snow blower doesn't work on frozen sod.

[rwest]

I work for a city and for many of my years there, I was on a bus stop clearing crew. We had what we call snow pups- Toro single stage with the rubber paddles; many of them were over ten years old and they got beat on as the “plow chowder” from clearing the streets ended up in front of the stops- secret is to chop them up some with a metal shovel and then go in with the blower.

They are small fast, maneuverable and get down to the pavement. The 2 cycle ones were awesome; we still have a couple.

Drawback is mostly that their throw distance isn’t anywhere near as far as a two stage machine.

[RWebb]

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-snow-blowers/

[pavulon]

If long term reliability and efficiency of moving snow are the issues, Honda is a really good answer.

[blucille]

Track model is the way to go.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by OldSpool87

I have a Cub Cadet 3 stage. I bought it about 4 years ago primarily because of the heavy wet snow the plows leave at the driveway apron after plowing streets. Works great.

3 stage? I'm not familiar with those.
Two feeding into one? Pics?

[cabmandone]

I said I have a Toro. Not quite right. It's a Snapper LE19 single state 2 cycle. The Troybilt is a Storm 7524. The Troybilt and Snapper aren't very good at moving really wet snow. The Snapper works well with light flaky snow and I can push it forward about as fast as I want to walk. The Troybilt in high speed doesn't move fast enough for me in a light snow but does better than the Snapper in deeper snow and packed snow. Hope this helps. Bought both on CL.

[OldSpool87]

Originally Posted by stevej37

3 stage? I'm not familiar with those.
Two feeding into one? Pics?

Here you go:
https://www.snowblowersdirect.com/Cub-Cadet-3528SWE-Snow-Thrower/p11995.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIs-jEw8nd7AIVjrbICh3RGwyoEAQYAiABEgIWdfD_BwE


I took a truck mud flap and cut extensions which I affixed to two of the final impellers. This creates a zero clearance wiper effect to move more snow through the chute.

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