The issue discussed in the Snow Commander thread raise an interesting concern.
Trading distance for torque is a tough decision, and I think a lot of people pay too much attention to throwing distance. It depends almost entirely on the type of snow you get in your location and the layout of your property.
For example: Where I am we usually get light powdery snow in the middle of winter, but starting now we see wet and heavy snow for Feb. and March. Half of my driveway is single width and runs through a wooded area. 15' is more than enough distance and almost any blower will do that. I don't mind if it's piled up near the driveway or on the lawn, as long as it's off the driveway. I'd rather have a strong blower there so I don't have to nibble at it by taking less-than-full-width cuts. Conversely, the top 45' of my driveway is extremely wide, because I have a paved parking area to the side of the garage and a turnaround below it. It's about 40' wide at that point so you need distance!
So big roostertails don't impress me. What impresses me is a machine going full width into deep snow at a good rate of speed; one that's capable of moving large volumes quickly. Power! But if you don't get a lot of deep snow, it can be fun. (as long as it's not being blown by the wind back onto already cleared areas!)
Someone here once posted a video and their driveway was between two houses, the was no way to blow to the side. In that case, distance is very important because you have to toss it far out to the front and once you're past the houses, then you can reblow it to the side. Reblowing is not fun, it hits and packs. The further it goes the less that hits in a given area. IN that case, distance is more important, so trading power for speed is worthwhile. I'd like to see someone market a machine with a two speed impeller. High speed for the light snowfalls, but able to be geared down when you get dumped on hard with the wet heavy stuff. I doubt that will happen because of the extra cost, but it would be nice.
Who the hell let all the morning people run things?
