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Where do you live, and how much area do you have to keep clear?
Tom
“This place smells like that odd combination of flop sweat, hopelessness, aaaand feet"
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01-06-2018, 12:22 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-06-2018, 12:23 PM by fredhargis.)
The "where" part can be especially important. If I was in somewhere like east of Lake Ontario, or Erie PA, something like that it would be a Honda (hands down). But outside of the heavy snow places, any of the others should do OK. Most of them are made by 2 other companies (I think) and of those 2 companies, most are made by MTD...which has a dizzying array of names that market.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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Yep, location is important. I live about 1 hour from Erie, PA, and a 10HP snowblower is a minimum, in my book. I just cut through another foot or more of heavy snow that the snowplow piled at the end of my driveway. I have cut though as much as 3 feet, but I need to take that in short bursts. I bought a Toro, which I will not buy again. I hear good things about the Husqvarna. I believe I will go that way next time.
I tried not believing. That did not work, so now I just believe
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Location: Front seat on the Struggle Bus
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I live in Philadelphia
I need to clear 3 single car driveways and about 100’ off sidewalks
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Location: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
You have a number of options to choose from. Given the amount of space you need to clear I would go with a 2-stage blower. Those are the ones that have an auger in front which breaks up snow then feeds it to an impeller which throws it through a directional chute and out of your driveway. I would buy at least an 8-horse blower (snow can be heavy) with an electric start. Some accessories you might want are wheel chains to provide more traction. You may also want a hood which helps keep blowing snow off the operator. Check Consumer Reports for their opinions. As for brands, there's numerous choices. My last blower was a Craftsman that I bought on clearance when we moved from the East Coast to the Midwest. It got a heck of a workout while we were in Des Moines.
Let us know what you decide.
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Location: Litchfield County, Ct
I'm in Ct, we get plenty of snow, and I also have a number of neighbors who are either elderly or not particularly healthy.
I bought a 26" Ariens from a local power supply store ( not a Borg). I cleaned 5 driveways yesterday, 10" snow, in about 1 1/2 hours. It's 8 years old and continues to operate flawlessly. I change the oil every fall, make sure it has Stabil in it in the off season, and grease it also.
Piece of cake.
