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

I've read a lot about the different features and what to look for in snowblowers, and this site I've found is a great source of information.

One variable that I haven't found much info on is tire size.  I've seen different models with 4.8 inch wheels that look narrow and high, and I've seen other models with 6+ inch wheels that look a little shorter and wider obviously.  Is the narrow designed to do or perform differently than the wider wheel? Is this really a worthwhile consideration, or should this be the least of my concerns? Thanks.

What type of situation are you in. I do a variety of driveways, most are asphalt and my old style, relatively flat tires work fine. One driveway is long, gravel and steep in places, the tires with chains slip at times. I think the newer X-Track tires work better than the ones I have but they aren't as good as tracks. So what is "good" for you depends on what type of terrain you are clearing.

I think the wider tires will give you a bit more traction but the difference is probably small, tread is more important. Changing the tire diameter will effect not only the balance of the machine ( a little bit) but the speed at which the blower travels.

A wider tire will provide more flotation.  A good thing when you want to stay on top of snow or mud.  A narrow tire will allow deeper penetration of snow/mud and provide better grip once contact is made with the actual surface of the driveway, be it paved or otherwise.  I personally don't think wide tires on a snow thrower are an advantage.  In fact, they probably cause more resistance when moving the machine around with no power or trying to make a turn with the machine in two wheel drive.   I'll take the narrow tire over wider for normal snow throwing work.

Borat - Don't your more moving resistance examples mean that the wide tires have more traction?

The problem I was thinking of with wider tires is that friction between two surfaces is a function of surface characteristics and average pressure, up to a point. That means that for the same two surfaces:

1. If you double the weight you double the friction;
2. If you double the surface area nothing happens because the average pressure has halved.

So at first blush neither tires are better since the weight hasn't changed. The problem is that this only applies up to the point that the two surfaces start sliding. With more surface area the total friction before the sliding occurs is higher since the stress is less per square inch. That is one reason four wheel drive gives more traction for moving ( not stopping) than two wheel.

Back to snow blowers. If the blower is clearing down to the pavement then penetration to the surface isn't as important. If you are clearing to just above the surface then penetration might be important. I have seen many posts praising tracked blowers as the ultimate in traction so I would infer that tires with chains are about as good as you can get when you have to leave a little snow on the ground. My long driveway example is in that category, when the wheels start spinning they are literally chewing up the packed snow base but not getting down to the frozen gravel. It is sort of like watching a four wheel drive vehicle stuck in a mud wallow, plenty of power, no traction. Personally I think a winch is the only way to go.

In this neck of the woods, tall, narrow tires on vehicles is prefered for use on snow covered roads.  Can't see much of a difference in physics between an automobile and a snow thrower when it comes to traction issues on hard surfaces.  A narrow wheel will penetrate the snow better and provide better grip.  

My neighbor and I have similar snow throwers.  I have 15" x 5" snow hog tires and he has 16" x 6.5" snow hog tires.  I have to say that his machine powers through plowed end of driveway snow better than mine.   We both have driveways with significant slopes and I don't see any difference there.

The best traction that I've experienced however was with an older SnoBird that had small tires with chains.