Snow Blower Recommendation

[drudgep]

Hello all!

I live in upstate ny and I am looking to get our first snowblower and roof rake after buying our first place.

Our driveway is decent sized, a bit too big to shovel all winter since we get quite a bit of now. But I am thinking it is not so big that we need a gas snow blower, or do we?

I was looking at the Snow Joe electric snow blowers, and then just grabbing a 100 ft long outdoor extension cord? Less maintenance, less parts, no gas money. However, if the power goes out we are SOL, and obviously with heavy snow, like out by our road that the plows so graciously pack in, it might now be strong enough. Any recommendations on this?

Also, to preserve the life of our roof- I was looking at getting this roof rake- we have a 2 story- so I need one that can reach pretty high. https://www.minnsnowta.com/

Any ideas? Thanks!

[Debts_of_Despair]

Where in NY?  Snowfall rates are highly variable.

[drudgep]

Where in NY?  Snowfall rates are highly variable.

Parts that get plenty of snow :)

[Debts_of_Despair]

You definitely need one then.  Sorry, vague post gets vague information.

[snogirl]

I live in the Northeastern corner of Vermont. Specifically the town of Brighton. Nothing electric touches moving our snowfall. I use a gas powered, two stage snow thrower with electric start. I've never had a problems for the key being small batches of fresh, non ethonol gas running it dry for end of season. In big storms, I pay my neighbor to plow. Crust, ice chunks, heavy, densely packed snow gives my beast a workout. I can't imagine any single stage handling it. On light fluffy stuff, I do use my battery pack leaf blower on the decks & walkways.

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[Cranky]

I have never seen a corded snowblower, and I know that I, personally, would run over the cord immediately. YMMV. I'm guessing that they are aimed at clearing a sidewalk?

I think that if you get enough snow that you need a roof rake, you need a more serious snowblower. Not necessarily a huge, top of the line snowblower, but a gas powered 2 stage mid-price snowblower, at any rate. I bought dh a good snowblower for his birthday about 5 years ago, and it's pretty much his best friend after a couple of bad winters.

[drudgep]

Thank you @Cranky and @snogirl . This was more of the info I was looking for. How long has a 2 stage snowblower lasted you folks? How much does it cost in maintenance/repairs? Do you remember what you paid up front?

[Sibley]

Given the cost of snowblowers, look if you can get a good used one. And learn enough to troubleshoot/repair common issues. You don't want it to fail in the middle of a big storm and not have a clue how to fix it.

[snogirl]

Thank you @Cranky and @snogirl . This was more of the info I was looking for. How long has a 2 stage snowblower lasted you folks? How much does it cost in maintenance/repairs? Do you remember what you paid up front?

I bought mine used about 10 years ago. It's mid size like cranky mentionedand was hardly used. Now's a good time to look on CL or FB marketplace. I have not done anything to it except replace sheer pins a couple times. It's been used alot.  You can pick up a bag of those of Amazon or local hardware store. Also using non-ethonol gas not stored for months is key. I buy only a gallon or 2 depending on how much snow I'm getting/how much use it's getting. I did finally break the pull cord last year so I'm replacing that in the fall but just used my electric start. I also sprayed fluid filmed (that the name it comes  in a can like wd40) inside the augers to keep rust at bay.  That's it. Keeping stored inside and fresh gas makes a huge difference.  Good luck with your purchase.

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[Cranky]

I don't think dh has every repaired anything on it, and I'm pretty sure we've had it 5 winters. He does drain it at the end of winter, though. He uses the same gas that goes in the lawnmower, so he probably fills up that gas can at the beginning of summer and the end of winter - it's not a big expense!

I seem to remember it being around $650 on sale.

Dh snowplows the driveway and the sidewalk, and sometimes goes over and does the neighbor's driveway. Its not a ton of pavement, but it's a lot to shovel and we're not getting any younger. The way our driveway is laid out, there's really no place for the snow to go if we have it plowed out.

[CptCool]

Are you sure you'd need a roof rake? If your roof is properly pitched then it should be unneccessary.

As for a snowblower it depends on the type of snow you get. Light/fluffy? Electric is fine. I use that + a shovel in the twin cities area in MN. Wet/slushy? Get a two-stage gas powered beast. You'll want this after a plow comes by piling on 5ft of slush at the end of your driveway too.

If you go with gas powered, I'd recommend adding a fuel stabalizer (e.g. Seafoam) if you store it in a gas can for the entire winter. I'd also highly recommend getting electric start