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

Hello..I think i have read all the other snow blower posts.I could not find the information i was looking for.

Looking for a relatively lightweight, relatively compact snow blower.Not electric..but single stage gas seems like it may be fine for our needs.
please advise, as i have a couple specific questions.

specs and details.( our personal specs)
older operator..needs something easy to use and self propelled and not too heavy or difficult to store.

do not want electric ( tried it..)

am looking at the new Toro Power clear series.
Either the 210R38587or 89..
OR
 421 Q 38588

i cannot find reviews for the power clear which tell me the following information.:
(this is where i need your help)

we have snow falls of about 8-10 inches pretty regularly throughout the winter. I think these above machines will handle that.
*****If anyone has experience with them, advice gratefully will be received.***

MY MAIN QUESTION: can THESE MACHINES also handle snow which the city snow blowers have made into "mountains" at the end of the driveway?
The chutes appear to be about 8 inches tall in these blowers.. at least in the 210R.

We would have to 'run the snow blower straight into the mountain," and let it munch up and chew and blow the snow away from there.

hopefully someone here can help.
many thanks
alice

I doubt that there is a consumer grade snow thrower that will process solid chunks of thick ice. Particularly anything over 4" thick. That would be enough to bend the augers, possibly jamb the impeller and block the ejection hole. Two inch thick probably. Three in maybe. Anything over... well.....I have my doubts.

Some of the newer two stage snowblowers have serrated auger that is designed to chip away at the ice.  However, ramming this auger into solid ice is puts a lot of stress on the snowblower, which is not designed for this kind of duty on for extended periods.  A snowblower is designed to blow snow, not as a ice grinder. 

However, there are ways to reduce the stress and shock transmitted such as salting and chipping away as much of the ice as you can.  Also, try to clear the EOD pile as soon as you can and not wait for to compact and harden.  From a safety standpoint, I would not want the snowblower to be throwing solid objects such as ice any distance.

If, as I do, you live in an area that remains snowcovered from late Nov thru late April, you may want to consider giving up some ground to the EOD. I know that's heresy, but hear me out.

EOD sucks, but is it really necessary to remove it with every pass of the snowplow? For me, the answer is no. You don't want a mountain built up, but a small hump is not likely to trap anyone in their driveway. We get a lot of snow here, often for days on end - and it would be a full-time job eliminating EOD. My wife and I both have full-time jobs, and mother nature doesn't always respect our schedules - know what I mean?

Prompt action will help keep EOD under control. But unless you're available 24/7 to do battle, it's impossible to keep a clean apron between you and the street under these conditions. I'm not saying just give up, but consider MANAGING, as opposed to eliminating the problem.

For Example:
If your driveway has little or no slope, a small or moderate EOD hump is unlikely to prevent egress. Likewise, if your drive slopes down toward the street, the same holds true. If your drive slopes UP to the street, that can be a bit trickier - but still managable. The lay of the land is a key factor here, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Once a mini glacier establishes itself beneath the snow, I tend to co-exist with it. Not once have I become hung up in EOD while backing out - and that's without using 4WD. The secret is to keep the powder cleaned off so the sun can harden and flatten it over time (like an ice road). That's not too difficult, even if you can't get to it after every snowfall (which can be every day for two weeks). I've been through it all, folks - the shingle scrapers, the splitting mauls, everything short of a jackhammer. Soon as you're finished, that SOB in the plow truck comes around and starts the whole cycle over again. Rather than raise my blood pressure, I've chosen to accept EOD as a fact of life. All about shades of grey, my friends.

If you get to the plow pilings promply after each heavy snowfall, that's usually enough to keep the hump under control. For this purpose, either of the Toro models you mentioned should work just fine. I use the 421Q, and it hasn't let me down yet. I wouldn't buy a two-stage model, unless you anticipate non-EOD depths of 20+ inches on a regular basis. Even the big boys have trouble with solid EOD.