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

I live in Calgary - we get a moderate amount of snow, rarely more than 8 to 10inches at a time, usually in the 2-4" range. The issue here is snow drifts.  I live in a north facing house at the south end of a cul de sac and get drifts all the time on the bottom half of driveway.  My driveway is for a 3car garage - not super long (probably 25ft, but easily 40 ft wide. I have been reading lots about single stage throwers - i like the fact they clean to the pavement, but am concerned if they can throw the snow far enough or can chew through a foot deep snow drifts a few times a year.  The other option of course is the 2 stage throwers - they seem a bit big and I've read they don't get down to the pavement. I am also not the  most mechanically inclined individual in the world...

Help?? Any thoughts on what my best bets would be?  I need something that my wife would be comfortalbe using as well. Any comments are appreciated...

>>>2 Stage vs Single Stage Snow Blowers

There's no mention of an offical "test" valid for all conditions all homes & etc.  It's just A vs B in specific conditions.  It seemed pretty accurate for what I experience in the same conditions.  I have a new Toro 2450 which I've used in the past two storms and what was in the video looked pretty much the same as what I experienced.  The guy is going down a length of paved area that could have been a sidewalk, driveway or massive parking lot.  What difference did that make?  He's clearing 20 inches of snow someplace and where makes no difference. 

I had to struggle with the thing quite a bit by hard pushing in unpacked driveway snow, over the bucket, level with the bucket and below the bucket down to about 5-6 inches and even then it had to be assisted.  The snow was not wet or dry and pretty decent stuff for tossing.  When I used mine it was well below freezing and just as the snowfall was ending.  OK stuff to toss.

I've seen UTube videos of guys going along in full bucket snow and slightly higher with very little effort.  The snow seemed to be very light in that video.

I've had Toro Powerlites and Toro CR2000Es and it's the same for them.  They are nice for 1-5 inches or much higher if lighter snow which we don't get all that often in eastern MA.  The can travel alone under their own power in light not so high snow but anything worse requires assistance which goes up proportionally.  In the last storm there were some low spots of 6" which the thing could not clear and travel by itself. 

They require a very flat surface to work well, pull themselves along and not bounce around.  They are ok and I'm never without one and use one every storm and like them.  But even when the conditions are good enough for them they don't toss well to the sides.  They fall of rapidly after about 45 degrees of forward.

Over the last two storms I was pretty dissapointed with the 2450.  It was about the same as the CR2000's which I like a lot.  I was probably expecting too much from the 2450.  For general cleanup, watery sluch and low in snowfalls it would be great but not a big improvement over a Powerlite.

It could do the job with lots of assistance and would be a huge improvement versus shoveling but you still get quite a workout from pushing. 

Maybe in the next storm it will do better but the past storm in reasonable height snow it did not do well, could not pull itself along and reqired quite a bit of pushing.

 

Sounds like you have a reason to visit the cemetery again. 

aa335 wrote:

You know he's just dying to go!

Steve_Cebu wrote:

I'm sure the locals are going to be floored.

aa335 wrote:

They're so excited they're rolling in their graves.

Steve_Cebu wrote:
It's not like they have anywhere to go or anything else to do. 

aa335 wrote:
MNrunner,

These video shows a HS621 in Hungaria.  Notice the additional guard for the chute and muffler.  Other than that, I don't think they changed anything else.  Is it worth the additional $ over the HS520?  Nope.  But what else is there like this?  Toro Snow Commander?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IllKHB8Cwls&NR=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_O6g_uHAA4&feature=related

Thanks AA335, I have seen these video clips and HS621 is a nice machine.  The video on Toro 421Q was also pretty good.

With regards to the 2 stage vs single stage video. Would anyone really consider a single stage machine for clearing out a parking lot of that size? Not likely. That was a lot of snow for a single stage machine but the video showed the machines taking full bites.  I bet once the first pass was made by the single stage machine it's performance would have improved with half bites to the point where it would be moving considerably faster than the 2 stage machine. Before you say that it would still take the single a lot longer even though it was moving faster, I would agree in that situation that would be accurate but not in the case of a normal suburban driveway and sidewalk situation. It all comes down to how much snow you expect to get each year. In my situation a single stage(Toro 221QE) is faster and more efficient, even with snowfalls up to 18 inches. I find this machine can handle snowfalls much deeper than most give it credit for, drifts and all. EOD is another story but I find that if I get to it before it freezes and I attack the snow parallel to the street and sidewalk it does an adequate job.

That was the whole reason why I bought a two-stage snowblower since I was only going to buy one.  A single stage is good when you get 2-6 inches of snow but sometimes that can be a bit of work at the EOD.