Which Snow Blower is Right For You?

If there's one thing people hate about winter, it's shoveling the driveway. Clearing snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks is hard work but doing it with a snow blower will make your job much easier than shoveling.

They rely on a rubber-tipped auger alone to gather snow, disperse it, and help propel the machine.The type of snow blower you choose will depend on whether your driveway is gravel or paved, large or small, flat or hilly, as well as the severity of your winters. Snow blowers come in three basic designs.The week before last, with the skies all clear, the DAA was out trying to buy EUR2.5million worth of snow sweeper vehicles.They are even smaller (11 to 18-inch clearing width) than single stage gas models.Siobhan Moore of the DAA said: "We have a snow and ice fleet, sweepers, snow-blowers and ramp-hogs."-Major League Baseball Commissioner BUD SELIG, after Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia between the Phillies and the Tampa Bay Kays was postponed due to rain-the first time in history a World Series game was suspended. Selig's assessment that the forecast was inaccurate was challenged by some, who pointed out that 0.10 inches of rain were forecast for the Philadelphia area between 8 p.m. and 12 a.m., and 0.13 inches had fallen when the game was called around 11 p.m. (SOURCE: MLB.com; NationalWeatherOnline.com)3. Single-Stage Electric Snow Blowers"You'd have to weather [and erode] all the volcanic rocks in the world to reduce the CO2 back to pre-industrial times."And by last Tuesday, when the country ground to a halt under a blanket of snow, the airport was boasting of how they were fully kitted out for Arctic conditions.They are smaller (21-inch clearing width for most) than two-stage models and take longer to clear a given area. Single stage gas snow blowers are lighter to push and turn, are less expensive, and store in less space that two-stage models.

For heavy annual snowfall (over 12"), you will need a larger engine to tackle the job and a larger intake area to clear more snow quickly. Two-stage models are recommended for medium (6'-12") to heavy snow conditions, while single stage model should be sufficient for light snowfall (under 6").

Author: Michael Lee