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

I currently have an old Toro CCR 2000E.  It is still in great condition for a 19 year-old machine.  That said, I'm thinking it may be time to get a new blower.  The main issue I have right now is trying to decide between a single or two stage.  The driveway is about 50 feet long by 22 feet wide and I have about 120 feet of sidewalk to clear.  One side of the driveway has some trees/plants and the neighbors' house in fairly close proximity.  The other has a 3 to 4' tall retaining wall.  Standard procedure is to blow all of the snow over the retaining wall.  This becomes an issue if you a couple of significant events in a row as it gets very difficult for the CCR 2000 to get the snow A) over the wall and B) over the existing snow blown up there. 

We don't get the massive snowfalls some of you see back East here in Nebraska, but 8 to 12" events happen almost once a season.  If it is under 3” of snow I typically will just shovel it.  I only have space in the garage for one blower so it is either a single or two stage, keeping the old blower isn’t an option due to space.  So the question is do I want a single or two stage?  Will a two stage knock out moderate 4 to 6” events?   FWIW I've been looking at the Ariens Platinum 24 or the Toro 826 OXE and comparable Husky's as well as Honda and Toro single stages.  Thanks in advance for the advice. 

I ended up getting an 826 got a good deal from the dealer and it was too good to pass up. 

mobiledynamics wrote:
When I was shopping for a snowblower, I did noticed that the HS724 tracked version had a lower bucket height.  I would guess that the HS724 engine is underpowered with the hydro transmission and tracks, hence the bucket was sized smaller.  Overall, the HS724 was extremely compact in size and very maneuverable. 

mobiledynamics wrote:
I read that even though the track version is smaller, it spins the auger/impellers faster so the volume of snow it can process is actually higher.  Of course, that probably doesn't help when the snow is higher than the bucket.  Also, one could assume if it is spinning faster it would throw further?