# Snowblower opinions



## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

Well it is my birthday and my mom bought us a snowblower. A YardWorks 5.5 Horsepower 4 stroke single stage. We have a 50' double driveway and a 110 foot sidewalk. That should do the trick eh?


----------



## Heart (Jan 16, 2001)

Grrrrrr! Mmmmmmr! Snort! Snort! Snort!
(Making sounds of primitive man with a new Power Machine)

Having just come in from the cold and using my Snow Blower.
I like blowing snow two doors down. Keeps the snowpiles low on either side of the driveway.  

The best way to break in a new blower is to help out the neighbour.


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Sunny, +7 and melting here today,


----------



## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

Q: why did the snowman have a smile on his face?
A: The snowblower just went by.

hehe I couldn't help myself congrats on the snowblower you couldn't have picked a better day to get it.

Laterz


----------



## Bosco (Apr 29, 2004)

da_jonesy said:


> Well it is my birthday and my mom bought us a snowblower. A YardWorks 5.5 Horsepower 4 stroke single stage. We have a 50' double driveway and a 110 foot sidewalk. That should do the trick eh?


Depends on where you live. In Muskoka I have a 10.5 HP 2 stage snowblower and it sometimes works hard. That would be overkill in TO. If you ever get 3 feet of snow go very slowly. And it sure beats shovelling!


----------



## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

da_jonesy said:


> Well it is my birthday and my mom bought us a snowblower. A YardWorks 5.5 Horsepower 4 stroke single stage. We have a 50' double driveway and a 110 foot sidewalk. That should do the trick eh?


Bosco's right.

go very slow with that puppy. I too have a Yard Works 10.5 HP, Dual stage, 30" wide blower and a small driveway (had a large driveway) so my machine is a bit of over kill for my current place, but it gets the testosterone going. In heavy snow it tends to work, but I have yet to see it struggle.

For your driveway, it should be fine, but because of the limited Horsepower, and being a single stage, I have a feeling that in heavy snow, it could get overwhelmed. So as stated before, take it easy with it.

Good luck.


----------



## Bosco (Apr 29, 2004)

Looks like we have the same machine MaxPower. 

I had problems with starting it until I started using gas line antifreeze. Now it starts with no hesitation.


----------



## mactrombone (Nov 3, 2004)

I know nothing of snowblowers, only shovels. We have a small sidewalk and only use half the driveway so it is a bit of a workout, enough to get the blood flowing. 

What I will say is that our neighbour has one and uses it almost the whole block. A friend on the next block does the same thing with his. I think it is a snowblower cultural thing. I will say that it is much appreciated and we do pay it back and "pay it forward". They are a real help after the plow has gone by!


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

I got myself a 9 HP 24" Craftsman with a Tecumseh engine. It has electric start although I haven't used the electric start - I use the pull cord. It works nice on my driveway which is 2 cars wide and about 3 cars long. I decided I wanted something smaller that could get through the curvy sidewalk paths (24" vs 29" or more), but have enough HP for the driveway. I still can't figure out why there is 5 or 6 forward gears - 6 is used for transporting and not snowblowing - I generally stay in gear 2 or 3. I think it's a 2 stage.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sadly, a 5.5 HP snowblower would never make it in St.John's. I once had an 8 HP blower that was not enough, and my neighbor's 10.5 HP bearly does the job. Luckily, my other neighbor has an industrial strength blower to keep our street open. Of course, a backhow always comes in handy for the heavy snow chuncks.

http://shw.fotopages.com/2861771.html
http://shw.fotopages.com/3201459.html
http://shw.fotopages.com/3201458.html


----------



## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

What's a snowblower?


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Carex, a snowblower in action............................

http://shw.fotopages.com/2861771.html
http://shw.fotopages.com/3201459.html
http://shw.fotopages.com/3201458.html


----------



## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

Carex said:


> What's a snowblower?


Oh be quiet. Mr. "It Never Snows in Vancouver".


----------



## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Sorry I couldn't resist. Having grown up outside of Edmonton, I know whereof y'all speak. Although my dad didn't buy a snowblower until I left home. Same thing with the automatic car starter.


----------



## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

Carex said:


> Sorry I couldn't resist. Having grown up outside of Edmonton, I know whereof y'all speak. Although my dad didn't buy a snowblower until I left home. Same thing with the automatic car starter.


And why should he? He had a live in snowblower, car starter, lawnmower.....


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Ah, the truth surfaces at long last!


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Dr.G. said:


> Carex, a snowblower in action............................
> 
> http://shw.fotopages.com/2861771.html
> http://shw.fotopages.com/3201459.html
> http://shw.fotopages.com/3201458.html



I think you should qualify that Dr. G. That's a Newfie, maritimes, or what we central people call an industrial snowblower. Of course to you maritimes people that's probably an ordinary snowblower.

Of course, to those spoiled Torontonians, a snowblower is the army reserves!!!


----------



## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

> Ah, the truth surfaces at long last!


And what truth would ye be referring to there laddie?


----------



## Chris (Feb 8, 2001)

I had a 10 Hp MTD, 28" wide two stage when we lived in Wawa, and it was JUST adequate. A neighbour bought an 8 hp unit and returned it after one day.

When I moved south, what happened? I won a Home Hardware draw, and now have a Yard Works 10.5 hp, 30" wide, two stage unit, with steering and hand warmers! Definite overkill in Napanee, but, oh, so decadent.....


----------



## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

Chris said:


> now have a Yard Works 1.5 hp, 30" wide, two stage unit,


Something is wrong with those stats! 1.5 hp?


----------



## kps (May 4, 2003)

I got 25' of sidewalk to clear...as per Toronto by-law....and a 4x4 pick-up truck.
Why the #$%& would I need a snowblower.


----------



## da_jonesy (Jun 26, 2003)

da_jonesy said:


> Well it is my birthday and my mom bought us a snowblower. A YardWorks 5.5 Horsepower 4 stroke single stage. We have a 50' double driveway and a 110 foot sidewalk. That should do the trick eh?


OK I should mention I'm in Grimsby ON and we rarely get over 6 inches at any one sitting. The Blower we have has a 22 inch cut and 16 inches high.


----------



## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

OK da_jonsey.

Take a look at my location......neighbour.


----------



## Barebare (Nov 18, 2004)

Happy Birthday! 
I got a back saver shovel (its purple) for my birthday. 
enjoy the POWER!!!!!!!!


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

I too was going to get a new back saver snow shovel for my birthday three weeks ago, but they are not going on sale until this weekend. However, snow blowers are going on sale NOW. Environment Canada is warning the hardy folks of St.John's to expect a "far worse" winter than the winter of 2000-01, in which we received just over 21 feet of snow. Thus, with even the Canadian Farmers Almanac predicting what could be 25+ feet of snow, I fear that I have to bite the bullet and buy a snow blower. I help out my two neighbors who are both single moms, and my knees, shoulder, back and heart just can't take doing three driveways for six months by hand.

My choices are a Toro or a Honda. Any suggestions or comments???

Keep in mind, this is what we got back in the winter of 00-01

Marc's FotoPage - Fotopages.com
Marc's FotoPage - Fotopages.com
Marc's FotoPage - Fotopages.com


----------



## BigDL (Apr 16, 2003)

The marketing of snowblowers is very interesting. It’s all about the Binford 3000 model of marketing. Bigger Whoh! Whoh! Whoh! the Better. Bigger HP Bigger cuts.

I bought a 8HP Sears 28 inch cut Snowblower 24 years ago. The (bottom end of the) blower died a few years ago. When I went to the repair shop the owner married up my 8 HP Briggs and Statton with an older 24 inch cut bottom end Sears blower.

When the unit had the larger 28 inch unit it maybe blew snow 15 to 20 feet.

With the smaller cut unit on it can blow snow clear across the yard 70 feet and higher in the air as well.

It clears snow faster and more efficiently than the larger cut machine. I was pleasantly surprised.

Wish me luck taking this old puppy into its 25 years of service.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

BigDL, that is the kind of snowblower I once had. Lasted 12 years in the St.John's snow. Average life for a Sears blower now with a St.John's winter is 7-10 years.


----------



## Bolor (Sep 14, 2003)

Dr. G, The Honda is a better machine altho more expensive. With the snow you get I would suggest 30" wide cut with a 11.5 or higher horsepower. You need to shoot it high and far:lmao:


----------



## BigDL (Apr 16, 2003)

The snow from our Nor-Easters ends up cooling over the frozen Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The snow is usually a dryer lighter snow. We do get the heavy Atlantic Ocean snow by times, which I should imagine is typically of the St. John’s Snowfall similar to the lower volume but “heavy” “wet” Halifax and Saint John NB Snow. 

Even with the “heavy wet” snow which we have had more of in the last few winters being lower in volume of snow for Moncton the “FrankenBlower” does a better job moving it.

The original version of this Sears blower must have been "Special." I managed to put a solid paver brick through it and not even break a shear pin. With the luck I used up with that little trick I stopped buying lottery tickets for the rest of that winter.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Bolor, I have heard the same thing about the Honda blowers. I am willing to pay the extra to get something that will last and save my body.


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

BigDL, you are so true about the heavy, wet snow we get in St.John's. Then there is the wind. Oftentimes, we get about 30cm of somewhat dry snow, that is then blown about by 100+kp/h winds, causing this 30cm to drift upwards of two meters. Then, what usually happens is that the wind dies down and then shifts directions and we get an additional 15cm of wet snow on top of all of this. Last winter, at the conclusion of the 81cm snowstorm that we got over a 30 hour period, it actually started to rain for an hour or so. Closed St.John's down tight for nearly two days.


----------

