Snow Blowers

[Tom]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?

[davew]

I have a small one -> gutless
and pulling cord around kept getting unhooked

shovel works better

[Clocker]

Anything to beware of?


Don't run over the cord! :eek:

[_______]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?

Living anywhere that requires you to own a snow blower.

[Bettowin]

Tom is pitching in to help stop climate change.

[Tom]

No, I'm pitching in to sweep up climate! :D

[davew]

No, I'm pitching in to sweep up climate! :D


Are you going to get one solar powered?

For less than an inch, a push broom works easiest for me.

[thaskalos]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?

Beware of doing the work yourself.

[Dave Schwartz]

I have had a Toro for years. Bought it the morning that we had our first snowfall when I realized that the last of my pack animals... I mean children... had moved out.

It has been a great insurance policy against snow.

We need it about every 3rd year and then we fill it with gas+oil mix and it won't start. Then we spend $125 to be ready for the next snowfall which comes about 3 years later.

Other than that, it has worked fine.

:bang:

[Clocker]

the gas is such crap nowadays.



Are you talking about the gasoline itself? I have seen no problem with that.

The problem with electric is power. For occasional light use, they might work, but I doubt that they have the throwing power for a big snow. Even a decent single stage gas blower lacks the power for a big snow, especially when the local Berm Builder plows in the end of your drive.

I finally bought a two stage. I only really need that power maybe 3-4 times a year, but well worth the money. Never had any problem with the gas on any of them. You just need to dump the gas in the can and in the blower every spring.

[Tom]

Are you going to get one solar powered?

For less than an inch, a push broom works easiest for me.

Less than an inch????
Around, here, we call that July.:rolleyes:

[Tom]

Clocker, yes, the fuel itself.
Stupid 10% ethanol to satisfy the dimwitted tree huggers.
Kills the engine every year.

[LottaKash]

We need it about every 3rd year and then we fill it with gas+oil mix and it won't start. Then we spend $125 to be ready for the next snowfall which comes about 3 years later.

Other than that, it has worked fine.

:bang:

Mostly Dave, because when gasoline is left in the tank too long it gums up, both in the tank as well as the innards of the motor....And the vapor pressures diminish over time as well..

A good way to prevent that is to use an "additivie" called "STABIL"...It prevents the gumming and if used regularly, when you put away your blower for the seasaon(s) it should be ready to go next out....With a little priming first that is...

[LottaKash]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?

Tom, when I used to live in the Pocono's, I used an electric for a time, a very short time at that...

They tend to be very underpowered, and at times, trying to keep track of the cord can be a logistical nightmare....

I recommend against an electric for any serious snow-blowin'.... :cool:

[JustRalph]

Mother in law bought a small electric one when they first came out

She gave it away half way through the season.........that'll tell you what she thought of it

[Clocker]

Clocker, yes, the fuel itself.
Stupid 10% ethanol to satisfy the dimwitted tree huggers.
Kills the engine every year.

I have never had any trouble. Might be a local problem due to state fuel requirements. I'd recommend talking to a small engine mechanic at a repair shop to see if there are additives available to correct the problem.

[FantasticDan]

Clocker, yes, the fuel itself. Stupid 10% ethanol to satisfy the dimwitted tree huggers. Kills the engine every year.Speaking of dimwitted, open your eyes :eek: to the magic of ethanol-free gas, readily available at stations around the Finger Lakes, since boaters prefer it. It's more expensive than regular gas, but it's not like you're filling up your 26 gallon truck tank.

[LottaKash]

I have never had any trouble. Might be a local problem due to state fuel requirements. I'd recommend talking to a small engine mechanic at a repair shop to see if there are additives available to correct the problem.

There are additives to combat that phenom....In the Northeast, they have historically used that 10% ethanol blend for many years now....It is known as a winter blend....

As I said, there are additives, but unfortunately, I don't recall the name of any of them...

[TJDave]

All this talk of snow is making me shiver. Our daily temperature has been dropping and now averages around 72°. Winter is coming.

[JustRalph]

All this talk of snow is making me shiver. Our daily temperature has been dropping and now averages around 72°. Winter is coming.

No Habla English

[fast4522]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?

Your personality goes along way when working with a Toro snow shovel, a good cord taped with black electrical tape for the thick part and build up to the thinner part that meets the cord works. So if your personality does not care about pretty the Toro snow shovel is a nice tool when combined with good foot and hand insulation.

[Tom]

Speaking of dimwitted, open your eyes :eek: to the magic of ethanol-free gas, readily available at stations around the Finger Lakes, since boaters prefer it. It's more expensive than regular gas, but it's not like you're filling up your 26 gallon truck tank.

I can get real gas on West Avenue.
But that mean I would have to drive 2 miles out of my way.
Like electricity, I take the path of least resistance.

[fast4522]

Give them a look.

I beef up the cord with tape, no matter how good a cord it will give out at its weak point in extreme cold.

[Actor]

Clocker, yes, the fuel itself.
Stupid 10% ethanol to satisfy the dimwitted tree huggers.
Kills the engine every year.85% is on the way. Enjoy the 10% while you can. You may not be able to get it much longer.

[Actor]

My procedure.

Buy snow shovel.
The morning after the snow bundle up and begin shoveling. But take it easy. You don't want a heart attack.
Wife gets on phone and phones each of our adult children. "Your father's shoveling snow again."
In about an hour, maybe less, teen age grandson shows up, takes the shovel from me and says "Go inside, Grandpa. I'll take care of this."
Go inside. Log onto PA. :cool:

[Tom]

Now THAT is a plan!:ThmbUp:

[don]

I lived around Dunkirk, NY in the 70's and 80's and you really need one of these.

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608013098567139741&pid=15.1&w=136&h=102&p=0

[Tom]

Yes, for sure!~:D

[HUSKER55]

it is like when you are flying and the pilot tells you the outside temperature.

Who is going out?...

My joints are suing for seperate maintenance the way it is right now.... :D :D

[Tom]

Who is going out?... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[acorn54]

i bought one of these
see how it works with first snow




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn3ohy-4yS8

[Tor Ekman]

I live in northern Westchester County, NY, where we occasionally get dumped on pretty good. I have a decent length sloping driveway as do most of my neighbors. Snow shovel has suited me fine for going on 25 years and I'm done and back in house while many of my neighbors are still wrestling with their fancy snow blowers.

[acorn54]

I live in northern Westchester County, NY, where we occasionally get dumped on pretty good. I have a decent length sloping driveway as do most of my neighbors. Snow shovel has suited me fine for going on 25 years and I'm done and back in house while many of my neighbors are still wrestling with their fancy snow blowers.

well i have a hernia condition and because this battery operated blower only weighs 30 pounds was a big selling point for me. i agree that the 100+ pound snow blowers seem like an ordeal to clean away snow with, that is why i never bought one.

[MJC922]

Tom and I have the same storms to deal with so I feel the pain from the other day when we got hit with our first significant accumulation this winter. Several years ago I went out and bought a high quality single stage Simplicity from O'neill sales. Anything under a foot and it's a godsend vs. shoveling plus it's faster than a dual stage as you push it along but when it's a foot and a half or more at the end of the driveway it takes one hell of an effort to get through it, stalls quite a few times etc.

So I don't totally regret buying the single stage because I was shoveling a six-car driveway before, however as Clocker mentioned I would buy a dual stage the next time around because several times per year we really need it. And frankly when I get up in years a bit more I'll consider paying to have it plowed.

I love the idea of the electric (acorn54 posted the lithium one) vs the gas only because I hate breathing in the exhaust fumes but I doubt the electric would have enough power for the storms we get in upstate NY. Once the plow comes by we're often looking at two or more feet deep at the end of the driveway with slabs of ice chunks mixed in.

[Tom]

I am seriously surprised more snow plow drivers have not been shot at!
I swear, mine sits around the corner just waiting for me to finish and go get in my car.......dirty rotten son of a........ :D

[DJofSD]

Anyone have an electric?
Thinking of switching from gas - the gas is such crap nowadays.

How good are the electrics?
Anything to beware of?
Flash video from ToH, fast forward to about 4:55:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/video/0,,20624889,00.html