I am a single overweight year old woman who needs a snow blower. What should I be looking for that I can handle? I just need to blow enough to get my car in and out of the driveway, which is about ‘. Do I want single stage? Do I want self propelled? Do I want electric start? Please tell me what I need and what brands to stay away from. Thanks!!! SNOWBLOWIN SINGLE IN MN.
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I’d stay away from the store brands – the ones where the stores just slap their sticker on whatever brand is cheapest for them to buy this season. Go with the big brands, like Toro, John Deere, Jacobson, etc. Most decent models will have a name brand motor on them – Briggs and Stratton, Tecumseh, etc. The better models would usually be sold by lawn and garden shops that specialize in equipment like this, or a good hardware store. The cheap ones would be what you’d find at K-mart, Walmart, Lowe’s, Menard’s, Home Depot, etc.
A snow blower works by turning an auger that chews up the snow and pushes it into a chute to throw it away from where it is now – typically, to the side of the driveway or sidewalk. A single stage uses just that auger to do this. A dual stage has a second mechanism to help push the snow through the chute. This is useful if you get a lot of snow, or heavy, wet snow.
What you get will depend on your conditions. If you’re in northern MN, you’re more likely to want a dual stage machine. I’m in central Michigan, and a single stage works well for me. We seldom get more than – inches overnight, and it’s usually not that heavy. If you commonly get a foot of snow overnight or in each storm, go bigger.
Self-propelled is good again if you get a lot of snow, or if your driveway is sloped a fair amount, or if you’re out of shape. The main auger on any kind of snowblower will help move it along. My driveway drops about feet over a ‘ run, and the auger tends to help pull mine uphill by the action of the auger against the ground. It won’t move it completely, but I usually don’t have to shove hard. You can also make it easier to go uphill or through heavy snow by taking a pass only half as wide as the machine’s front opening. It has to only chew up half as much snow each time. The downside is that you’re out there twice as long, but with a short driveway, it wouldn’t be too bad.
Electric start is a nice to have, but not a necessity. If you can start a push lawn mower, you can start a snowblower. That assumes that it’s at least stored in the garage, of course, not out in a snowbank somewhere.
I got mine when we had a really heavy storm, and my old one died. It cost me about $ a year or two back. I think it has about a horsepower motor, and it does a really nice job. If it had not been for the storm, I might have got it for $ or $ on sale. But I got one that I think will last at least years, and could go . The old one made it at least – years with decent care, but that was a bit of luck. A cheap one might make years before you’re cursing it or repairing it.
It will depend on the conditions of the areas where you are living. If you are residing in Northern MN, dual stage machine works better for you. If you are living in an area where snow is not more than – inches overnight, you can utilize single stage snow blower. When we talk about the brands there are several brands available in the market, you can choose as per your wish.
Source(s): http://www.tecumsehcarburetorguide.com/
Honeywell makes a good one
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