Snow Blowers
6I think I am going to give in and buy a snow blower this year. I usually pay neighborhood kids to shovel, but every year there are less and less knocking on neighborhood doors looking to make a few bucks.
I know I want an electric one but really know nothing about them.
Hoping someone on the forum has used them and has some words of wisdom/recommendations they can share. Basically in STL we could get anywhere from a dusting to a foot of snow, so unpredictable. And as far as sqft I have a driveway that is three cars wide and three cars long. Might use it for the 10 or 12 ft in the back yard to make a path for Charlie. Thats it
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I have an electric “Greenworks” 13A model I got on sale from Amazon. Probably found out about it on slickdeals. I did need to get a 50’ heavy gage (outdoor use) extension cord. Should have gotten a 75’ one. Joining extension cords in snow is not cool. Plus, under load, the plugs heat up more than if it was a single length.
It’s done okay with 6-9" of snow. It got enough off the top to let the snow melt do the rest of the job.
Check out Arco Lawn Equipment on Manchester fir their Black Friday sale. They had snow blower deals for BF last year.
@tinamarie1974 Here’s the Amazon link:
Greenworks 13 Amp 20-Inch Corded Snow Thrower, Model# 2600502 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00YYPR9F6
@mike808 thanks Mike!!
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 I bought the GreenWorks 26032 12-Amp 20-Inch Corded Snow Thrower from Woot! in 2014. Like you, we get anywhere from a dusting (the entire winter after I bought it) to over a foot of snow (photo). It works great!
@mike808 decided to get this one. Actually parents are getting it and a 100’ extension cord I found in the Amazon Warehouse for Christmas
@tinamarie1974
Hope you won’t need it. ha ha.
@mike808 agree
I do not have one but for your use case I would suggest a similar plug in unless you are already invested in a cordless tool line and you really want it… Even then for your drive I’d say plugin.
Something to be aware of it you know a foot of snow is coming the lighter stuff you would want to go out every four inches when it’s light and fluffy. Not weight till you have 12 inches and it’s compacted and to heavy for a light electic
And if you are looking for anything beyond those cheap electric snow throwers. You know anything expensive. You want to be looking towards the end of winter if you can wait for clearance. Although with supply chain issues might throw things off from “normal”
I don’t shovel till I can’t drive out. Just roll over that shit
@unksol lol, I tried that in my awd mid sized SUV last winter when we had a big snow. Got stuck in the driveway
Lucky for me one of the neighbor kids (teenager) came and helped me out.
@tinamarie1974 yes the ground clearance will bite you a few times a year in st Louis. I did the same thing in northern Indiana with no ground clearance on a Saturn up a hill with no traction. But any of those ~13-15 amp plugins should do what you need. With the caveat you need to have a cord and haul it around and if you get a really heavy snow go out and do it in the midst not huddle up a whole day/let it build
Mike’s greenworks is one of those. But since winter is coming might not be the best time to price one
@unksol any idea which one is more powerful? The greenworks or this?
https://www.samsclub.com/p/sj-snow-blower-electric-snow-blower/prod24750356?pid=ps_acq_Google_PLA_14131497083&wl0=&wl1=u&wl2=m&wl3=537132236135&wl4=pla-1041774737943&wl5=9022834&wl6=&wl7=&wl9=&wl10=1247713&wl11=online&wl12={productid}&wl13=&wl15=129025216721&wl16=&wl17=&wl18=&wl19=&wl20=CjwKCAjwz5iMBhAEEiwAMEAwGBU8RI4TEzwm3WWh5dwxWU-bYTMklZVPKjPhyiVDwDzpoefHkU3e-xoCs8wQAvD_BwE&wl23=1041774737943&gclid=CjwKCAjwz5iMBhAEEiwAMEAwGBU8RI4TEzwm3WWh5dwxWU-bYTMklZVPKjPhyiVDwDzpoefHkU3e-xoCs8wQAvD_BwE
@tinamarie1974 @unksol
That one is cordless, or battery-powered. The Greenworks is AC. Not sure how or if they can be compared in terms of motor torque and gearing, which are what matters.
A more comparable model from Sam’s is this one:
https://www.samsclub.com/p/Snow Joe SJ624E Electric Single Stage Snow Thrower%2C 21-Inch%2C 14 Amp Motor/prod16100251
The SJ from Sam’s is 14A, the GW from Amazon is 13A. I would not be surprised to find out that Snow Joe and Greenworks are the same company. Just slightly different models/lines to sell to different retailers/channels.
Might come down to warranty and/or repair/parts/accessories (batteries for the cordless). Might be worth asking at a standalone lawn equipment store (like Arco) about the brands and their service records for the brands at their store. They may be biased if they’re a reseller of one or the other, though.
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 @unksol Given that the Snow Joe cordless is a 15", I’d say the Greenworks plug-in is more powerful. No cord, though, which does make it more convenient to use.
@mike808 @narfcake @tinamarie1974 yes cordeded will be usually more powerful… Cordless is more convient. If you can reach your whole yard with an extension cord. Slinging the cord back and forth is is own thing. I usually care about batteries when it comes to compatibilitybut there cause I have tools …
As far as a brand of who has the best product line or warranty support I got nothing there on snowblowers. So I would b keep asking the metizens
I might have an opinion on batteries but we don’t need to go there especially if it’s you only battery thing you are considering
But if you want to use those batteries in other yard tools. And can you get replacements. A corded tool just runs.
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 well and if you just want something that should work and don’t care about sales or warranty.
If you don’t mind a refurb, this Snow Joe is currently $90. 18 inch path, 12-amp motor.
https://smile.amazon.com/Snow-Joe-SJ617E-RM-Electric-Thrower/dp/B07YBFPH2W/
Optional 2 year protection plan is $11.
@narfcake (“Temporarily out of stock.”)
I might give more weight to the cordless models after seeing this:
I think there is a “pro” model line for greenworks sold at places like Arco. From the video (five years old, btw), I would have probably switched to cordless now that I know I need a 75’ cord and my driveway is only 2 car lengths to the curb (the outlet is on the back wall of the garage).
I will add that I’ve had that Greenworks 13A 20" model for about 3 years now and I’ve only used it once here in STL.
Is there a neighbor you can arrange beforehand that has one of these to be able to rent or borrow theirs?
We have ride sharing, why not yard equipment? When you think about it, it is expensive for a 2-5 time use unitasker.
I would let my neighbor borrow mine or rent it for $20. I live near an equipment rental place, but the delivery/pickup effort/costs kill the deal for me since I don’t have a truck.
@mike808 honestly that is a great idea. My neighbors who would do it don’t have one and I will likely end up lending to them or doing their drive (ie the 84 yr old neighbor), the one that does have one, is odd.
He always offers to help, lend equipment or give advice. The one time I asked for advice to install a single stage water filtration system (same one he has) he was very bothered. Mind you I didn’t ask him to do anything, just talk to me about the install. Asked another neighbor if I did something to offend and was told that is just his way. Loves to offer to look like a good guy then avoids you like the plague. So I say hi and chat about whatever and that is it.
I also looked at a plow attachment for my lawn tractor, but I think the snow blower will be cheaper
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 Tractor would be faster to get rid of the snow. My brother-in-law has one. And last longer I’d bet.
One problem with a snow blower is if it doesn’t blow far enough - you will either have to go other a section a second time to get it all off the driveway OR the pile of snow you are putting it on (if it doesn’t reach the yard) will get deeper and deeper…I speak from experience here doing a one car wide driveway with a smaller electric corded snow blower. I had to start in the middle and work towards one edge then switch directions and work towards the other and by the time I got to the edge that snow was deeper due to what landed on it from earlier passes.
When you buy one see how many feet it blows and make sure they are not measuring feet by the arc it blows, just the linear distance.
I got this little guy a couple of years ago, but mostly so there was something SWMBO was comfortable using, if the need arose.
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396012944
But it might be ok for areas with occasional snowfall. It’s only a foot wide, but it throws snow surprisingly far.
I’ve got a big gas monster for the usual snowfall, but I caused a winter drought by buying it.
@blaineg
Kind of like getting married…
/giphy rimshot