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

Here is my Top 10 List on why 2-stroke, single stage machines are so right for small to medium storms.

1. Cleans to the pavement -- pulverizes any packed snow from tire tracks.
2. Miserly gas consumption -- a very efficient, yet capable 3hp on a CCR 1000 Powerlite used maybe a pint of fuel to do my 70 foot driveway twice.
3. Handles the EOD slop including puddles.
4. Takes less of a toll on my aging body.
5. Takes less effort to maneuver and less time as you can almost run with the machine at times.
6. Fits in the trunk of your car if you need to run down to your grandmother's to do her driveway.
   
7. Don't have to change the oil each season.
8. Occupies less space when not in use; can pose as modern art -- hang it from the wall if you like.
9. Can use on decks and porches.
   
10. Smokey exhaust helps keep the mosquitoes away.
    

manjestic wrote:
Your area still has mosquitoes alive in the winter?  Those are tough little buggers.

11.  Consumable items are easy to replace. 
12.  No skid shoes, scraper bar adjustment to worry about.

aa335 wrote:
That was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comment.  Neglected to add Mr. Winky. 

I was most impressed by the clearing down to the pavement (though I had not driven over the snow; will have to try it on the packed stuff), the forward speed (if the snow is light, or you have enough power), and the maneuverability. Mine is small, 60 lbs, and very well balanced, so it's trivial to swing around. I can see why borat says he does a lot of his clearing with the SS. I will see how much snow mine can handle (only 3hp), I'll be using it for the small storms, at least. It's quick and easy.

I did think it was kind of funny when I tried to clear my walk, which goes a bit across the slope of my yard. It did fine going straight up & down the slope, in the driveway. But when going across the slope, it doesn't go straight, it also wants to slide sideways down the slope. I had to kind of turn it uphill, to go where I wanted. Just very different from a big 2-stage.

Edit- If I had to pick 1 machine, for our New England winters, I'd keep my 2-stage. Even it was working really hard on the EOD, etc, with some of our storms last winter. I would not have wanted to tackle that with a SS. But I definitely see the benefit to having both.

I think you have throw in the WTF factor when the neighbors see you out there zipping along with your Single Stage wonder dog. I really loved clearing right down to the pavement and getting it all done fast and efficiently.

If you set your RPM to 5000-6000 RPM like Borat, the SS blower sounds like a nice motorcycle going at the full throttle.  They are loud and malodorous buggers.

One time on my honda hs 520 the governor must of froze up or something and it was running at least half again as fast as it normally would run and it sounded like a motorcycle also, ha!

In most situations, a good, powerful SS machine is all you need.   Any machine that can provide me with entertainment while doing essential work, relatively effortlessly is something to be desired.   Hence my recently acquired appreciation for humble SS machines.   I can work pretty much all day with an SS machine without breaking a sweat.  Pull out the big dual stage and I'll be changing my wet clothes in less than a hour.   Of course, if the situation warrants the use of a dual stage (10" or more of heavy dry snow or half that of wet snow), the work for both man and machine increases.  On the other hand, using a large dual stage machine on lesser amounts of snow still taxes the operator much more than a nice running SS machine.  

If people have the room for storage, there's really no reason not to have both a single stage and a larger dual stage when lower end SS machines can be had cheaply and have a simple modification made to turn them into a very capable snow mover.  Just take a look at the video I posted showing the old 1997 Craftsman in action.      

FrankMA wrote:
This was my exact scenario.  I was using my heavyweight 2 stage machine when I saw my neighbor across the street with his SS zipping up and down the driveway and sidwalks with ease.  Here I am wresting a 250lb machine that has two levers, a crank, foot pedal.  My hands and feet were busy like flying a helicopter.  That's when I say I have to get myself a SS.  I like it so much I ended up having 2 of these SS.   I might get a 3rd or 4th one once I figure how to get a lift platform in the garage to store the extra snowblowers.  :)

I'm sure this question will come up from anyone who chance to see my garage, "Why do you have 5 snowblowers and 1 lawn mower?"  Haven't got a good answer for that one yet.  Any suggestions?

Sure!

The visual effects of moving snow is far more entertaining than watching a trail of grass trimmings.   Don't care how fancy a mower you have, the results don't vary much.  You can always say different snow blowers for different snow plume patterns.   Work's much more enjoyable when the  entertainment is free.   Can't speak for everyone of course, but anyone reading this knows what we're talking about.

I was going to say that grass is pretty much always grass. But I suppose in the spring it grows really fast (heavy wet storm), and in the middle of summer it slows down (light fluffy snow).

However, you will never have a case where you can't get to work because the grass sprouted up overnight. Or because your mower won't start today. A mower failure is never an emergency. But a blower failure, when you've got 12" of heavy stuff, that could be termed an emergency, at least in my book. I don't want to shovel it, at least Hey, once you discover the magic of just walking behind a noisy machine, a shovel becomes less appealing.

Multiple blowers will ensure that you've at least got *something* better than a shovel, even if one breaks a belt, snaps a shear pin, etc. And you have the proper tool for the job, whether it's a deep heavy job with significant EOD, or a job that's 2" of fluff.

I do have 2 mowers, I suppose, my lawn tractor and my walk-behind. I do need something to get into the little areas that the tractor can't reach. Plus the weed whacker.

And you'll never cut your grass with scissors. So mower =/= snowblower. Mower = shovel, if you want to make the comparison as the simplest tool for the job.