^^^If autonomous cars are such a great idea, why can't we have something useful like autonomous snow blowers? We have autonomous mowers and vacuums.

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If autonomous cars are such a great idea, why can't we have something useful like autonomous snow blowers? We have autonomous mowers and vacuums.

I love snowblowing. It's therapeutic for me. Helping out my neighbors in need is a bonus.

While I use a tractor mounted blower, my neighbor just bought a fuel injected Ariens EFI snowblower. That is definitely the way to go now.

No issue with a fouled up carb, no worries about ethanol fuel... hit the button and go.

A bit more expensive now (700 over the non EFI model) but I suspect that it'll make up for that in upkeep and ease of operation over a few years.

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Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:
I love snowblowing.

My wife used to love doing it, too. Then her back got messed up and she cannot do it anymore

Her loving to throw snow was a bonus, because the last thing I wanted to deal with after a long day's work and miserable drive home in rush hour traffic--made a hundred times worse by idiots that don't know how to drive in snow, was clearing the snow. I'd get home and it'd all be done

I have had an MTD for over 30 years. Six speeds forward, chains, etc. Yesterday, I gave it to my neighbor. I am 73 and it was time to give the thing up.

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Originally posted by bigeinkcmo: Get spare shear pins, they're cheap!

Thanks for the reminder - I need to pick up a few more to have on hand.


Assuming PASig ends up with a snow blower - getting extra shear pins would be prudent. Nothing worse than blowing out a driveway after work and finding out you sheared one off...

I picked up a preowned Honda single-stage HS621 last year in vgc at a price too good to pass up.

This past snowstorm was the first time that I had a chance to use it and I was pretty impressed.

My first pass was at about 10 PM on Wed. night with about 8” of moderately heavy snow and it handled it just fine. The next pass was early the next morning through another 5” or so.

I think it would have struggled a bit to handle the entirety of the accumulation all at once.

After we got home from skiing we had to clear the sidewalk that the plows filled up with heavy and compacted snow about 10” deep maybe a little more, and that took a bit of work to push the snow thrower through (as the wheels are not powered. the auger blades pull the machine forward, but they need to be in contact with the pavement or concrete surface to be effective).

If you have the storage room and budget for a two-stage that is the way to go.

I have previously researched them and the Ariens 24” Compact would be my choice.

As I get a little older down the road I’ll probably upgrade to one.

Rob

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Originally posted by bendable:
What a nightmare.
No off street parking.
I am sure you are used to it but,
I can't wrap my head around the whole ordeal.
You spend an hour getting your car dug out,
Where does the plow take all the snow that's on the street?

Yes, but that's life and we just have to live with it. I do have room out back that has alley access that I could build a garage or carport someday I guess but we just don't have the money for that.

Unfortunately the plows tend to pile up the snow on our side of the (one-way) street we are on (right side), the plow blades seem to always be canted to the right so after a good snow and the plows have come through, we can plan on all the snow from the street bermed up against our cars or open spots if we moved our cars.

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Where do you put the snow ?
Then! THEN !
You gotta get rid of the snow that's on the side walk !
Where does THAT go?

Snow from the parking spots and sidewalk get deposited on the front lawn, the piles can get pretty high. You aren't allowed to shovel the or blow the snow back into the street but there are always some that still do that.

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If you do get your space dug out, what happens when you get home ?
Do you have to hope that some one is not in the space you cleared out?

People on my street are generally pretty good about not taking your space(s) that you spend time and energy digging out but every so often someone does, you just have to deal with it as you don't own the street. One year, this asshole (thankfully long gone now, he was a real scumbag) swooped in and parked his car in my spot literally the second I had my back turned. This asshole WAITED and WATCHED me break my ass then gunned his car out of his snowed in spot and parked it right in mine. I think he got the hint pretty fast after I started re-burying his car with all the snow I had just dug out.

We have it pretty good, go into Reading or Philadelphia and people are shooting each other over this kind of thing.

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Originally posted by bigeinkcmo:

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Originally posted by old rugged cross:

Come back in eight years and let us know how all the original pieces work then! Lol.

Tell me how your lungs and hearing are in another decade...

LOL, We have the Ego trimmer and blower, they are 6 and 5 1/2 years old each. So far both run just like new. We've done a battery replacement at $99 after 6 years. Additional benefit is no fuel to mix, prime, no pull start, no parts to maintain or replace.

Remember we run these things every week in FL, rarely does our lawn equipment get a break, where mowers, edgers etc sit for 4 or 5 months idle in Ohio, they are going full force here.

5 years in FL on mowers are like 8 to 10 years in the north as far as time running..

Neighbor bought the Ego Mower, fired his lawn service and he thinks it's the cats meow, considering it has lights, bag, its quiet (he's got those hearing aid thingys) and quick.

I still have a Toro snow blower - around 200cc that my wife bought me for Christmas in 2002. I had pictured myself with a big four stroke monster that would do the entire neighborhood in 20 minutes. To say the least I was disappointed in this little two stroke machine. It took me a week after Christmas to finally take it out of the box.
I must say I felt like an ass in the reaction I gave my wife when I opened it. That blower can throw snow like no ones business. It works better than I could hope for. In the 18 or so years I have owned it, I changed the blades twice, and put on a new belt once. I have changed the plug once or twice. Still runs great. I use the electric start the first time of the season and the rest I just use the pull start. It will do 18" with no problem, wet snow is tougher, but it still gets the job done.

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Originally posted by rtquig:
I still have a Toro snow blower - around 200cc that my wife bought me for Christmas in 2002. I had pictured myself with a big four stroke monster that would do the entire neighborhood in 20 minutes. To say the least I was disappointed in this little two stroke machine. It took me a week after Christmas to finally take it out of the box.
I must say I felt like an ass in the reaction I gave my wife when I opened it. That blower can throw snow like no ones business. It works better than I could hope for. In the 18 or so years I have owned it, I changed the blades twice, and put on a new belt once. I have changed the plug once or twice. Still runs great. I use the electric start the first time of the season and the rest I just use the pull start. It will do 18" with no problem, wet snow is tougher, but it still gets the job done.

My two stroke Craftsman worked great as long as I didn't wait too long during heavier storms. It handled several inches of lighter stuff easily and I could pick it up and easily carry it.

I had fifty foot of walkway in front of the house that only took several minutes to clear so I'd do the neighbor's walks. Every time I did more and more. Some I didn't even know.
After some decent storms I'd find bottles on my porch. One neighbor who owned a large fruit basket company sent over a huge one loaded with top quality fruit.

Brought it up here but my property is just too much for it.

Don't think are are offered for sale these days.

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Toro SnowMaster.

I figure you know snow and blowing, so based off your recommendation I am picking up a Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE on Thursday. Thanks

I have a two stage Craftsman with electric start that I paid about $750 for 17 years ago. Other than putting gas into it, changing the spark plug, and replacing shear pins, it's been a zero maintenance device. This year it developed a carburator issue, and both the pull and electric start devices broks. Parts alone are almost $300, so I'll be replacing it with another two stage $750 snow blower. I think 17 years on almost zero maintenance cost is pretty good.

I bought this Simplicity single stage five years ago when I moved back down into the metro Detroit area from up in northern MI. It had carburetor issues from the get go, but I found a factory authorized repair shop near me that took care of the problem under warranty. Works well for the slight amount of snow we have here.
https://www.snowblowersdirect....Thrower/p109576.html

I had a toro. with a joystick chute control. The best part was I could throw all my snow onto a neighbors driveway with it, since he would come out 3-5 days later to clear his driveway.

The recent snow dump in my location was 42 inches. Plow berms at the end of the driveway over seven feet tall.
I have done the driveway here with a big Cub Cadet heavy duty garden tractor with a front mounted snow blower. It worked, barely.
It would reliably break belts for the front blower drive when working it hard. You had to remove the blower to replace the belt. Three or more belts on the shop wall for spares.

The Cub Cadet factory setup for the blower drive, I considered flawed from the beginning. IF it had a shaft drive without a belt in the mix for driving the blower, it would have been great.

We got the Kubota BX 25 about a year and a half ago. It proved invaluable this last snow storm. I spent seven hours straight on the BX clearing the driveway and a bit for the dog so she had a place to do her outdoors business. We have a lot of driveway... The Edge Tamers clamp on the front edge of the bucket. The "skis" lift the bucket cutting edge just high enough so you don't ruin the blacktop driveway or lawn.

For you Southerners, THIS is SNOW!

9492 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

9494 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

9495 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

9499 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20191022_120820902 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Avoid any of the newer snowblowers that use the General plastic transmission. You've been warned.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWGICrxLZBM

By living here in south Louisiana we are considered lucky if we see any snow here once every 3 to 5 years or longer if we are lucky and then it is maybe 3 to 4 inches total at the most. Not trying to rub it in but in winter 1973 till 1977 was living in the Delta junction, Alaska / Ft. Greely, Alaska then 1977 thru 1979 in Fairbanks, Alaska where the snow had a low water content which would easily be blown around and drift up. Except early and late winter it as almost impossible to make a snowball because the snow was so dry. But still have some experience with the manual labor of operating the snow removal device. While driving to duty station (Ft. Greely/Delta Junction, Alaska) traveling from NW Washington state up the western side of Canada had my fill of snow especially while on the Alcan (Alaskan Hwy) in Canada chasing a speeding snow plow for 1 1/2 days before catching up with it when it stopped for lunch at a roadhouse cafe. The wife is from northern Wisconsin and is familar with the white ground covering so keep the white stuff up there please. ..................................... drill sgt.

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Originally posted by 2012BOSS302:

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Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Toro SnowMaster.

I figure you know snow and blowing, so based off your recommendation I am picking up a Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE on Thursday. Thanks

That is the model I have. Below is a link to an in-depth look at this model on moving snow.com. This review was what convinced me to buy mine.

 https://movingsnow.com/2015/20...-qxe-picture-review/ 

Craigslist find can be great. I've got an older Ariens blower. Bought it for $50. Seller said the transmission to the augers was broke and spinning backwards. In reality he replaced the augers but put them on backwards. Not a hard fix, but not short either. Regardless of works very well now. It's a good blower, if older. Electric start, and the power to width is higher than most.

Though I do miss my John Deere 332 with the fully hydraulic plow.