Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Snow blowers. School me.

Electric start. If you have ANY gravel at all, get as many shear pins as you think you need....and buy some more.

I am getting to the point one you can ride and stay warm in is the best

If it doesn't come with tire chains better get some

Reverse is essential for the entertainment of the neighbors as they watch you back up, forget to return to a forward gear, and back the machine into yourself.

I think most of the big name machines are pretty good now. My last 2 were a Husqvarna 10 hsp 27” and, when we still had our place up north, a 17 hsp 32” Simplicity. That was a beast. Our driveway was 900’ from the road, gravel, thru the woods. I’d always plowed it. Got a new truck and didn’t want to put a plow on it so got the snowblower. It turned out to be faster than plowing and did a much better job in the woods. Both machines were great. Both were two stage.

I've had two. An MTD 5hp/24" on tracks . It was fine on regular snow. Less good on snow that was ranied on.

Next one was a 9/27 Honda on wheels . Huge performance difference! Faster on driveway and paths and threw snow farther.


That said, my reco is 5hp two-stage minimum. More power is never the wrong answer. If flat, tracks are better especially pushing Into wet heavy snow, but more expensive. Personal decision. I think the hydrostatic drive is a good upgrade of a friction wheel.

Honda is a very good brand, but the price reflects it.

They're all great new. I've never seen one without reverse. Do you have a dealer for a particular brand? I wouldnt buy from a box store unless you have a good small engine shop close.
Good luck.

Wouldn't go with less than an 8 HP myself. I need that and more would be good to get through the plow drift. The house is on a corner and the plow driver wants to swing wide so all the snow rolls off the blade at the end of my driveway. Also some years the extra hp are needed for wind drifts.

Friction wheels work fine, The trick is to not overtax the machine. Current machine is an 8 HP MTD I got new 24 years ago. Works fine but I should clean the carb before winter. Replaced friction wheel exactly once.

Decades ago an old small engine guy in upstate (lke effect) NY told me to never use chains. The wheel slip was part of not overstressing the machine and chains accounted for a lot of his repair jobs. Think he was right.

Adapted a surplus auto wiper motor to turn the chute. One of my more useful odd projects. A good option if you can get it.

If she could suck start it i can begin to see the humor!

I've had 1 stage, 2 stage, reverse, tracks, you name it. By the time they are perfect they cost so much you will be happier paying someone. When you are trying to replace a shear pin when its -14 and ice is forming on your face, you will be like oh fudge this and want to pay someone.

Get something you sit on and ride.

I'll say it again, 3 stage is your friend.
I've owned 7 different snowblowers of various sizes and configurations.
The only one that would dig into plow drifts at the street was a Toro Powershift that had the drive axle on a pivoting lever arrangement which would put the axle out behind the machine placing more weight on the auger housing. It would dig through those drifts but often required leaning on the handles to get traction.
Great machine.
Sold it when after I bought a John Deere lawn tractor with a single stage blower.
A buddy bought a 3 stage like I linked to in my other post. That one will chew through wet and compacted snow like a fat lady at the all you can buffet.

We used to live in a snow belt area in Northern Michigan. 30+ years of a nearly every day task.

I bought a snowblower for 50.00 this spring because we haven't had snowy winters for 2 years. it has reverse and tracks. seems to run great so if we get snow this winter I guess i'll be set. if not I will sell it.

Damn right....


Like this:


wells fargo near me address


Oh, and never blow snow UPwind!


But all joking aside - the ones suggested above are all good units.. Size/drive/stages will be determined by the size of the area you need cleaned and the amount of snows you can reasonably predict.. A good, close-by dealer can also make a yuge difference in your decision...

Good luck. Snow's only a few months away.. (grrrrrrrrr)..

You're missing a cab....

Mine is a 13-14 yo Ariens and it can still throw snow a long way. There were two factors for me, housing height and power. It wasn't available when I got mine but 3-stage is what I'd get now and it would have the highest intake available.

We occasionally get a really big dump and I always need to punch out my driveway after the county has plowed it in, and after the snow's piled up all winter I need to clear a path through the pasture to get the RV out to roll south in February.

I've only owned one, a 41 year old Ariens 8/24. Last year I had to actually put money in it, an auger gearcase.
I thought about getting a newer, more efficient one but it was easy to see that the quality isn't close to what it was 41 years ago so I fixed it.
It was a pleasure to work on something so stone-axe simple and logical. Even changing the occasional belt is easy, take two bolts out and it hinges in half, exposing everything.
I bought a drive wheel 10 years ago just....because. Haven't put it on yet. Doesn't need it. If you have an issue, you can call Ariens direct. They are very helpful.
Select your horsepower for the worst case, not the average.

On purpose...

Yeah, cuz digging snow out from behind your glasses because the wind swirled and you can't see is great fun!
It's better when you get your eyelids closed before the fill-up, ask me how I know.

Get something that works. This Toro will blow snow into the neighbors yard. It doesn't have tracks, you don't need tracks with a good snowblower. This isn't an occasional happening to move a lot of snow regularly throughout the winter. it has 6 speeds forward, 2 in reverse, single had chute control and electric start...