machXS1

The performance specs of the LB more closely match the 6.5hp Toro 3650.

If indeed you have a 45 deg slope, then a single stage may not be the best choice. The reason being that the single stage is not self propelled (except from the auger) via any drive mechanism.

Best Advice: Use the search function of this and other similar forums. You'll get loads of advice & opinion surely to keep you going round and round :). You may also want to ask your neighbors & even take a trip to that big box home store to browse their literature.

I bought a Toro CCR 3650 single stage last year for my driveway which is about the same dimensions as you state. I'm a little north of Chicago and last winter we got several 4"-6" snow falls with one 11 inch-er (this was a 3-4 year record snowfall for our area). The 3650 was able to handle it all, but in the 11" snowfall, I let the EOD pile ice overnight, so I had to do that by hand. Had I  gone out at night when it stopped falling, i would have been OK. You live & learn.

So, you'll need to know what your typical  snowfall is and to some extent the worst case snowfall you would want to deal with. A singe stage loses a lot of effectiveness above 12". One point to keep in mind is you get what you pay for. There are dual stage units that sell for less than what I paid for my Toro single stage, but those may require more maintenance then good Toro or Ariens, for example.

FWIW, I don't regret buying Toro, but I probably would seriously consider the 4 cycle Honda single stage, if nothing else then for the smoother engine.

To recap, the points I considered when making my decision for the Toro 3650:

- Most snowfall's do not exceed 6" in my area
- The 3650 is light & easy to maneuver
- Simpler design of single stage vs dual stage
- Small footprint in my 2 car garage
- Quality unit for the price point

Good Luck!

Thanks! Just scheduled it on my Tivo.

I'm in the NW Chicago burbs (Lake Co.) and my Toro 3650 worked like a champ on last night's 3" snowfall. The advice that folks tend to dish out is to buy the high end for what your budget allows. In other words, don't buy a 2nd tier dual stage in lieu of a high end single stage. Dual stage units are more complex, so you want a quality brand. Remember that the low end dual stage units do not have the steering capabilities of the high so you will be stuck trying to maneuver a 150+ lb unit.

For a graph of annual snowfall in Chicago check out this site: http://home.att.net/~chicago_climo/CHISOW.gif

Note that the last time we had more than 40" of snow was back in '99!