Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hello!

This is my first post and I would appreciate any thoughts you might have based on your experience with two-stage blowers.

We built a house two years ago that has a concrete driveway (about 120' long) with an exposed aggregate border. The aggregate also forms the walkways for all three front entry doors and the garage apron. I have been using a Toro single stage for the last two years and have struggled at times with the amount of snow we receive here. We had over 100" last year and I felt every bit of that. We live in a lake effect snow belt so get blasted quite regularly. Given the direction of the prevailing winds the snow accumulates around our three car garage and entry areas and can be as high as 18" or more. I find with the single stage Toro that I am reblowing the snow repeatedly (as the turnaround area is longer than the snow can be blown) just to get it cleared.

After two years of this I've decided that a two-stage would be a better answer to this problem. However, my initial forays into local dealers have turned up several issues. First of all, we have an exceptionally nice (expensive) concrete driveway and several dealers have warned me that the skid shoes on a two-stage blower can scratch the driveway with repeated use. They've also indicated that the scraper blade could be a problem with the exposed aggregate. I've been abble to find a polycarbonate alternative for Ariens but have had no success with the scraper blade. As yet, I have been unable to locate non-scratch skid shoes or scraper for the Simplicity I'm interested in.

I am now also concerned with about a two-stage from a clearance perspective. If I set the blade too high (to avoid scraping) I could be leaving a significant residue on the blown surfaces. This was not an issue with the single stage Toro. This would not normally be a problem but I sold my SUV this year in favor of a rear wheel drive car. While I've ordered winter tires and rims, I'm concerned that leaving too much snow on the driveway will result in a slippery surface or ice buildup that could become problematic. My driveway has a 15 degree slope that adds to the problem. One dealer suggested that I use salt to eliminate the remainder but I believe the landscaping around the driveway would be adversely affected by this solution.

I guess I'm interested in two things. First, does a two-stage blower leave scratch marks on a concrete driveway? (from the skid shoes and/or scraper) And second, how does a two-stage handle a significant amount of exposed aggregate? Is the only solution raising the blade to a level where a significant amount of snow is left behind?

I was really looking forward to a two-stage blower but now am not so sure. The problems they impose may be larger that the challenges I currently experience with the single stage Toro.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and assistance.

PS I skimmed all threads in the forum back to 2005 and could not find an answer.

aa335 wrote:

Sorry for the slow reply...

The plastic skids held up surprisingly well.  Not sure if I'll keep using them or try going back to the thin metal stock units.  One variable that fogs the picture a bit is that I installed a cab at the same time that I installed the skids, so the cab may have taken some weight off the bucket; however, even lifting up on the handlebars didn't seem to help keep the plastic skids from climbing up on the snow.  Maybe for the next snowfall or two, I'll try a plastic one on one side and a stock metal one on the other side to better evaluate - will post if I find any definite conclusions.

An example of the handlebar design issue.

It's not the handlebars, but the larger footprint of the polyethylene skids riding up on the snow. He did say that lifting up on the handle bars to negate the weight of the snow cab did not help.

....deleted double post...

"however, even lifting up on the handlebars didn't seem to help keep the plastic skids from climbing up on the snow."

Its the handlebars. The correct design for moving snow--in contrast to moving the snow blower when not plowing--lets you press down on the grips and the scoops stays planted. It is a matter of geometry. On the Husqvarna Crown (I didn't try the base model) I could press with my weight on the grips and the nose stayed down. It was a 24", less than 50# on the nose.

longboat wrote:

No problem. Better late than never. Like I said before, I've changed the shape of my poly skids because I suspect my skid design may ride up on snow more readily because of the larger footprint, and potentially wander more. I suppose it's a tradeoff to lessen the pounds per square inch loading on concrete/pavers to prevent damage to the surfaces. Your information is helpful for me to have somewhat of a basis to dial in the shape. Thanks. Looking forward to hearing from you with new findings.

DavidNJ wrote:

I think you're over analyzing this a bit. Two things were changed, the poly skids and the snow cab was added. The handles stayed the same.

His observation on the behavior the snowblower was from actual snowblowing session, and I would take his word for it since I don't see any compelling reason to dispute it. It seemed very plausible and reasonable.

I don't have any information on his handlebars to discuss the hypothetical potential impact to lead me to that tangent.   If I were a betting man, I put my money on center of gravity.

Nice looking Husqvarna by the way. Good set of large modern grippy snow tires.  Bucket oh so shiny and clean. The color is on the warm side, a bit much of Ariens' orange. :) That's a tall bucket with equally long drift cutters. I am partial to the classic and timeless symmetrical teardrop bucket shape of the Ariens and Honda though.

A cab shifts the center of gravity, as you indicated, and in practice, acts as a sail when the environment is windy. Some cab kits come with nose weights, others recommend or require them.

However, the comment was "lift up on the handlebars". Key word was "Up".  That is because the Ariens grips are 4" further rearward, and pointed slightly down. Force on them overwhelmingly goes to rotating the nose over the rear wheels. Lifting up is unloading the rear wheels more than it is loading the nose.

On the Husqvarna the grips are pointed about 18° up to the front. the rear of the grip is also 1.75" higher. The Simplicity/Deere is similar, but not higher. Pressing down on them loads the rear wheels and minimally unloads or doesn't unload the nose.

Deere and Ariens pictured below:

I'm not sure why a solution is looking for problem, but I'm not going to hijack this thread. 

Feel free to add to relevant discussion to the original topic.

aa335 wrote:

I think you could make the skids longer, but try to keep them as narrow as possible. 

If the stock metal ones cut through the snow better, I'll look at cutting down the poly skids to make them narrower and still get some good use out of them.

The blower in question is an '06 Craftsman (MTD) 928 w/ Clarence kit (which did help quite a bit).  It didn't matter which way I pushed on the handlebars (up, down, sideways, caddywumpus, etc.) the poly skids seemed to ride up on snow much more than the stock skids.  The cab is an Ariens and works wonders for keeping the snow off my neck, but it did quickly develop a crack in the plastic windshield where it goes from vertical to horizontal (must be the -20 temps I usually blow in).  I actually like being able to push down on the handlebars to lift the bucket so I can easily make 180-degree turns (got the dual finger triggers that unlock either wheel).

I had posted here a year or two ago about how my driveway had brick inlays that played havoc on the skids and scraper bar (needed to remove as much snow as possible since it has a good long slope - dangerous with ice).  I got the bricks torn out this last summer and 5" concrete put in place for a nice smooth driveway (~3000sf) - looking forward to blowing snow this year!