Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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DougDeLashmutt
Joined: Nov 8, 2010
Points: 1
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Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Original Message Nov 8, 2010 8:22 pm |
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Hi All. I am going to buy a snow blower soon and need some advice. My driveway is between 20% to 30% grade for about 150 feet.. I am concerded that a wheel drive snow blower will not be able to get up a drive that steep with snow on the drive. At what angle of incline does a trak drive blower need to be considered? What is the primary puopose of trak drive?. Thanks! Doug D Thanks everybody for the input. Doug D
This message was modified Nov 9, 2010 by DougDeLashmutt
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Steve_Cebu
 
Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Points: 888
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Re: Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Reply #20 Nov 18, 2010 7:13 pm |
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I used to run dedicated snow tire on a Honda Accord. Very good traction on snow and ice at cold temperatures. Warm and dry handling, on the other hand, was unbearable. Mushy and slow steering response, feels like the tires only have 10 psi and the threads are rolling over at every corner. Definitely not a compromise I want.
My current car is far from a dedicated snow car (RWD, 300+ HP, 5 inch ground clearance), so dedicated snow tires don't work for me, for the snow fall around here. Major roads are cleared often and heavily salted. I rather buy a second skinny tire car like a Corolla with mushy handling and numb steering to begin with. Suspension so soft that it doesn't even feel a pot hole. The Corolla is actually good in snow, even deep now, so stable and numb, but that's all it's good for. I have a Honda Fit and it has very skinny tires, handling is ok, it gets about 34mpg combined which drops to about 31mpg combined in the winter. My wife can easily get 36-37mpg combined out of hers. It's not a car you'd write home about but it's ok for what we use it for. The WRG2's are great on it and go through snow like a 4x4. It sounds like you are driving a BMW 335i. Your nick kinda alludes to that. Nice car, I almost bought one. I'm saving up for when I move back overseas. I'd like to buy a nice condo in cash, so no mortgage. No snow ever again either. 
"If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in New England." "If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in New England."
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JGtravelor
Joined: Jan 14, 2011
Points: 13
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Re: Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Reply #21 Jan 15, 2011 11:28 am |
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Definitely go with a any snowblower with the tank tread design. My honda HS928TA (TA) being the special track, will go up any hill, snow banking into a pick-up truck or up the ramp of my trailor. The other benefit is the foot pedal to select the snow blower height. No side skids to adjust with a wrench or that pick up rocks and break shear pins. The other great thing is no shifting with the hydrostatic drive, joystick like lever for either forward or reverse at any variable speed, no clutch nor pressure disc to clean. |
rubinew
Joined: Dec 30, 2010
Points: 147
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Re: Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Reply #22 Jan 15, 2011 11:39 am |
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My thinking is that you want tracks on an inclined driveway; primarily due to the possibility of ice patches under the snow. I've been in a couple of "hairy" situations after falling on my fairly steep driveway while shoveling. Not only did I fall (yeeeeouch), but I actually slid towards the end of the driveway. Only the snowbank at the end of my driveway, prevented me from sliding out into oncoming traffic. My eyes were as big as saucers on that one.  I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to have a running snowblower following me down that slope.  I'm going to invest in a pair of spiked overshoes this season. http://yahoo.shoptoit.ca/shop/product--productId_6880209.html When I first moved into this place, my car once slid completely sideways on the icy slope, even though I was crawling down the driveway, feathering the brakes all the way. After that experience, I bought bags of sand, which I store in a heated area, otherwise it'll turn into a solid frozen mass. As for tracked snowblowers being hard to turn, well, I guess that depends on the machine, and technique. On my Honda HS1132TC, I can squeeze the bucket-raising lever on the right-side handle, which raises the bucket a few inches off the ground. Then, I can apply a bit of lift under the handles, which puts all of the machines' weight on the front of the tracks. The middle and back of the tracks are completely off the ground in that instance, allowing me to easily turn the machine. I can literally lift and tilt the machine with one finger. Thanks for the tip on turning! I am going to try your method. I just purchased a new track drive yamaha, and I have been tilting it up, but I didn't try lifting it forward before turning! I will try this next time out.
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NHSnowbeast
Joined: May 26, 2009
Points: 17
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Re: Use of snow blowers on steep incline.
Reply #23 Jan 20, 2011 2:24 pm |
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Hi All. I am going to buy a snow blower soon and need some advice. My driveway is between 20% to 30% grade for about 150 feet.. I am concerded that a wheel drive snow blower will not be able to get up a drive that steep with snow on the drive. At what angle of incline does a trak drive blower need to be considered? What is the primary puopose of trak drive?. Thanks! Doug D Thanks everybody for the input. Doug D 20-30% incline is the most I have ever heard!
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