This has been discussed before, but I could not fine that thread. What do we like for walk behind push snow blowers. Plastic or metal blades? Best engine size? Assisted pull like on some lawnmowers? What say you?

Ariens.

How much are you doing with it? Basically Ariens brand 8 horse electric start is a capable medium duty machine.

36 sq feet of snow removal or 3600 sq feet of snow removal area?

and under $2000.00 or over $2,000.00

For my needs, I will probably purchase an Ariens 24" Compact model prior to this winter.

My driveway is not huge (about 4 cars worth of surface area) and it is level.

I live in eastern PA, so snowfall is typically light to moderate, with occasional heavy snow fall amounts.

I have limited storage space, so the 'compact' model helps with that.

I'll buy it from a privately owned and reputable shop, as support and service will be better than from a big box store. Some say that the quality of the models sold from private shops are better than from other channels.

Happy shopping!!

Rob
__________

Yep, cookster has it right. Same unit I have. Have had if for several years now. I have a lot os snow removal eq. That little unit does well for med. duty snow falls. Think it was around $600 and USA made. I have been more than satisfied with it.

My arms and good quality shovel. Curse/blessing, I've got single wide 60' driveway, even in the big ones no problem for me. Cliff we only get big ones every 5-10 years. I'd say you'd be better off saving the money and paying neighbors kids $50 to do it.

When I lived in the Upper Midwest (more snow than DC area), I had a single stage MTD with the electric start (no battery, you plugged it into 120V). Worked great for 90+% of the storms. The nice thing about single stage is they clean all the way to the driveway with the replacement tips on the aiger (provides some self-propelked). Only time it routinely struggled was the nasty shit the snowplow puts in the end of the driveway. Gave it to my Dad when I moved to SoCal and 16 years later still works great.

When I lived in Alaska, I bought a Craftsman 28” two stage. 28” comes in 5 motor sizes (<200, 208, 250, 277, and >300 cc). I had the 277 and it was excellent. The winter we set a record with 11’-2” of total snowfall it never missed a beat but my neighbors 208 cc 28” 2 stage left him shoveling several times as it was underpowered. The best thing about it was the joystick control where with a flick of the wrist you could turn the chute 180 degrees and change throw angle (way better than the infernal crank to change chute direction).

Arien’s 28” Deluxe works fine up here in Michigan. It caused me to Park my Ford tractor with plow for the winter.

Arien's or Toro two stage

I've had my Toro for 24 Minnesota winters and it has never let me down. Still starts on the first or second pull.

Two stage, Toro. Match horsepower to the work you expect.

Heavy wet snow is much, much harder to move. 14" of dry powder is about like 3" of heavy wet stuff. I own the second smallest Toro, and blow out about 125' of single car drive. I've never had to use 1st gear, but 2nd is very slow and I use it once a year I guess.

A machine that allows you to unlock one drive wheel to turn is a feature I now envy. Not so much in the early winter but later when you are trying to turn in a 30 inch tunnel of old snow you've been cutting through for 3 months. If you are in a situation where you must operate in tight quarters get it. By the way, this is why people just keep on going when doing sidewalks, it's easier than turning around generally speaking.

IMHO, single stage is for areas that aren't really that hard to shovel. But your just tired of that shit, getting to old, don't have the time, etc,. You have to be able to keep up with the weather too. By that I mean, no waiting a couple days maybe even not overnight. They aren't designed to break up snow, think broom vs. shovel. They are easier to store though. No gravel for single stage.

I see now you are in VA. you're more likely to get by with a single stage than I am here in MN. I'd say if you can hit the snow every 3" in a big killer storm you'll get by just fine.

Any Ariens two stage snow blower will do the job. If space is a consideration, as others have said, consider the Compact 24. I have this model and it has never failed me, even in snows way beyond what you'd think it should handle. There are bigger models, but this little guy gets it done and doesn't take up a huge amount of space.

https://www.ariens.com/en-us/s...s/compact/compact-24

quote:

Originally posted by Cliff:
This has been discussed before, but I could not fine that thread. What do we like for walk behind push snow blowers. Plastic or metal blades? Best engine size? Assisted pull like on some lawnmowers? What say you?

Insufficient information. Depends upon how much snow you get (depth), how heavy it tends to be (wet/dry), how often you get snow, the size of the area to be cleared, and your physical condition.

(Not even gonna ask why this is coming up in the middle of summer .)

quote:

(Not even gonna ask why this is coming up in the middle of summer .)

Probably because in the middle of winter is a worse time...

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:

quote:

(Not even gonna ask why this is coming up in the middle of summer .)

Probably because in the middle of winter is a worse time...

Absolutely the best time to buy a snowblower.

For example, when I moved from Can-eh-duh to Houston it was late June. I didn't need an Alaska sized snowblower in Houston (don't even need a snow shovel) so I put it on Kijiji (Can-eh-duh's version of Craigslist). The buyer got a fantastic buy on a well maintained snowblower, and I guarantee I would've gotten more money for it had my employer moved me in November.

quote:

When I lived in Alaska, I bought a Craftsman 28” two stage. 28” comes in 5 motor sizes (<200, 208, 250, 277, and >300 cc). I had the 277 and it was excellent. The winter we set a record with 11’-2” of total snowfall it never missed a beat but my neighbors 208 cc 28” 2 stage left him shoveling several times as it was underpowered. The best thing about it was the joystick control where with a flick of the wrist you could turn the chute 180 degrees and change throw angle (way better than the infernal crank to change chute direction).

This the one that I have. A neighbor was moving and sold it to me for $75 just to get rid of it. I put around $100 into it to get it in tip top shape. The thing is a tank in heavy snow. I don't know what engine it has, but it is 8hp so it must be one of the bigger ones.

Jim

When I lived in real snow country, we all used Honda snowblowers. East start znd worked great even on Sierra Cement (heavy, wet) snow.

Toro CCR-2000 (single-stage) replaced a handful of parts over 31 years. Starts easy. Clears snow down to the pavement.

Toro or Ariens 2 stage.

If you have $4,000 - get a Honda hydro-stat.