Thinking of buying a small snow blower for next winter

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
I have been recently thinking about whether I want to buy a small snow blower for next winter. My neighbor who plows my driveway for me has said he and his wife may be moving out of state in next year or two. My driveway is not that long (not much longer than a car length) and two cars wide.

I would like a smaller, push blower. Easier to store off season. A local friend has said to consider a gas blower, with electric starter so I do not have to deal with pulling the rope starter. I remember my dad having a smaller one he called a "snow pup" not sure if that is the right name for it.

I would like to hear input from others who own them. I do have one question right now. As I have said before, I have a wooden ramp in front of the house. Right now, I can handle shoveling the ramp OK. But ask me again in a few years. I am wondering if a small, lightweight blower would do the ramp, without chewing up the wood of the ramp? Sorry if that is a stupid question, but I have no clue about that, and want to know.
 

I just finished shovelling the driveway the old fashioned way, with a shovel. Just had a small dusting of snow. Someone told me the smaller snowblowers are useless if you get a big dump of snow but fine for just an inch or so.

Fortunately the nice man next door has a big boy machine and he is nice enough to do several of the neighbors when we get more.
 
@Lee Yes, that would be the drawback of a small one I can manage. I have heard the same thing. Here in Western NY State, we do tend to get dumped on. As I said, I am just thinking now, but figured the great "group think" of this place, will help me muddle through all the questions and answers,
 

If you get a gas snow blower do not use fuel that contains ethanol as it leaves a gummy residue behind when it sits for a while.
 
We had a descent snow blower when we lived in Colorado before. It ran on an oil/gas mixture, with a pull cord. I had no problem starting it, but I did grab the wrong can of gas when I need gas in it. We had two gas cans, one for the lawn mower and one for the snow blower. Accidentally, I grabbed the lawn mower one, pure gas, and put that in. The snow blower ran for a few minutes than completely quit. Motor locked up. Couldn't use it anymore.
But, while we had it, it really worked on both a few inches and multiple inches. However, too wet of snow would clog up the blade area. I'd have to stop and clean out. One thing for sure, it beat the heck out of shoveling.
 
Marie5656 said:
I have been recently thinking about whether I want to buy a small snow blower for next winter. My neighbor who plows my driveway for me has said he and his wife may be moving out of state in next year or two. My driveway is not that long (not much longer than a car length) and two cars wide.

I would like a smaller, push blower. Easier to store off season. A local friend has said to consider a gas blower, with electric starter so I do not have to deal with pulling the rope starter. I remember my dad having a smaller one he called a "snow pup" not sure if that is the right name for it.

I would like to hear input from others who own them. I do have one question right now. As I have said before, I have a wooden ramp in front of the house. Right now, I can handle shoveling the ramp OK. But ask me again in a few years. I am wondering if a small, lightweight blower would do the ramp, without chewing up the wood of the ramp? Sorry if that is a stupid question, but I have no clue about that, and want to know.
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Considering your location, a snowblower would be a really good investment!!!
 
You might want to consider buying an electric snow blower. As previously mentioned quantity of snow will make a difference in what would work best. Try a google search for electric snow blowers. also try video youtube video electric snow blowers

an example
 
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I have both a small electric blower called a "Snow Joe" and a larger vintage Sears gas-powered blower. The electric handles my lighter snows well (up to 5" or so), and is quiet and relatively light, although accommodating the cord can be a nuisance. The gasoline blower is heavy and noisy, but can handle deeper snows. Both devices can choke on wet snows pretty quickly, becoming useless and driving me to the shovel. For cost, convenience, and general utility, an electric can be a good option. Some even run off rechargeable batteries, although these cost significantly more than corded and limit your running time. Electric blowers usually have plastic paddle blades with rubber-tipped metal edging, so they should be friendly to a wooden ramp. The smallest models can be called electric snow shovels, and would work in light applications.

Wiry teenagers seeking to make a buck during a snowfall are extinct in my area. I don't think that they do menial or manual labor anymore, so I have to remove snow myself or wait for it to melt! šŸ˜„
 
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I was my dads snow blower, leaf raker, grass cutter and it never cost him a dime, trust me on that.
 

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