A snow blower is a huge purchase. Here is a breakdown of different snow blower models and the aspects to consider before making your purchase.
Electric Snow Blowers
Electric units would be very popular if you don’t have a place to properly store gas. It’s also a great option for those with small driveways and sidewalks.
Gas Snow Blowers
Many of the smaller gas units are available with either 2-cycle or 4-cycle engines. Snow blowers with 4-cycle engines are becoming much more popular because they eliminate the need to mix oil and gas like you would with a 2-cycle engine.
Smaller snow blowers typically start in the 18 inch size. These smaller machines are able to handle the smaller areas. If you have a lot of tight maneuvering, these are an excellent option. Smaller snow blowers are lighter in weight and easier to maneuver and handle.
The next step up is a 20 or 21 inch snow blower. These blowers have a much larger opening to handle your deeper snows are drifting conditions. These have a larger scoop to handle the snow and also have larger engines.
Many 20 and 21 inch snow blowers will be the same size chassis but have a larger engine. The larger engines are useful if you are prone to drifting, and when you need to tackle heavy, wet snow. Wet snow does take more power to move so the larger horsepower engines will be more efficient in moving your wet snow.
Most snow blower models are offered in both pull start and electric start. The big advantage with electric start is there’s no battery so you don’t have to worry about a battery going dead over the summer months. They are 110 volt electric start which means you just plug it into a standard wall outlet and push the button to start. If you should have a power outage, the electric start snow blowers can be started manually.
Single Stage Snow Blowers
Gas snow blowers come in single stage and two stage models. Single stage means you just have one scoop that is taking the snow and pushing it out through the chute. Some single stage snow blowers are semi self-propelled, which means the spinning motion of the paddle will pull the machine along so it takes very little effort to push the machine.
Other features include directional control so you can control where you want the snow to go when it comes out the chute. If you’re working in windy conditions you can deflect the top chutes down so the snow is not blowing back at you. If you do need extra distance you can raise the deflector up to give you more distance. Typically your single stage snow blowers, depending on the model on the horsepower, will blow 25 to 35 foot distance range.
Two Stage Snow Blowers
Two stage snow blowers are larger, heavy duty machines. They offer higher horsepower and the two stage design will handle the deeper, heavier snows. What two stage refers to is there is a single stage that is breaking the snow down and feeding into the second stage. The single stage typically is geared 10:1 so this is from the lower rpm to break the heavier snow. The back-end propeller spins at a faster speed so the blower takes in the snow faster and throws it further than a single stage snow blower.
Two stage snow blowers are ideal for clearing larger areas with deeper snow. Two stage machines typically start in the 22 inch range and can go all the way up to 45 inch for larger commercial applications. These all have 4-cycle engines and electric start is standard on most models.
Since two stage units are larger, heavier machines, another nice feature is the turning clutch. With the turning clutch, you squeeze the lever and it locks the wheel for quick turning. This makes large snow blowers easy to maneuver.
Why Weingartz?
Weingartz, family owned and operated, began in 1945 as a farm supply store for local Michigan families. In the 1970s, we began to focus exclusively on outdoor power equipment. Over time, we morphed into the “power equipment superstore” that now defines all of our locations. The staff and experts at Weingartz work diligently to provide the best service possible and give honest and helpful advice to each and every customer.
Weingartz
39050 Grand River Ave.
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
(248) 471-3050
info@weingartz.com
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