A Review of Popular Snow Blower Products

!±8± A Review of Popular Snow Blower Products

No job is too small or too big for a snow blower. From the humblest light powdering to the heaviest blizzards, there's a machine designed to clear the way. Here is a look at several brands of snow blowers and what you should know before making that first purchase.

Toro Snow Blowers

Toro's 12 single-stage, dual-stage, and electric snow blowers offer a 5-year warranty on their exclusive 2-cycle R*Tech Engine. Most warranties only last 2 years. Other goodies Toro offers: A special trigger for releasing power to the wheels for tight turning action; an omni-directional joystick for mechanically aiming the discharge chute; and a heavy-duty gear case, eliminating the need for shear pins.

Honda Snow Blowers

Honda's line of ten snow blowers feature logical control layouts and "infinitely variable" drive speeds, allowing you to choose your exact speed in forward and reverse without stopping. Most other snow blowers have 6 forward speeds and 2 reverse speeds. Honda snow blowers all use Honda engines, which focus on fuel economy.

Ariens Snow Blowers

Ariens offers 14 high-quality single- and dual-stage gas snow blowers, plus the unique Power Brush, which is perfect for clearing away light snow and leaves. All Ariens snow blowers have tires that don't require chains, preventing wear and tear on your driveway. Ariens warranties last 3 years.

MTD Snow Blowers

MTD is a family of outdoor equipment brands, including Troy-Bilt, White Outdoor, Yard Machines, and Yard Man. Yard Machines boasts 14 different gas and electric snow blowers to fit your needs. Troy-Bilt and Yard Man sport the biggest, most powerful machines for the heaviest jobs. White Outdoor offers the most affordable models, ranging from 0 for their single-stage unit to ,100 for their largest dual-stage thrower.

John Deere Snow Blowers

John Deere contracts Frontier Equipment for their snow blowers. All Frontier Equipment single-stage snow blowers, as well as their smallest dual-stage units, use standard Tecumseh Snow King engines. Their 9 to 13 horsepower units use Briggs and Stratton Intek Snow engines, which are designed for performance in sub-zero temperatures, quick starts, and quiet running. All Frontier Equipment dual-stage snow blowers are optimized for constant carburetor and engine temperatures, with an optional engine block heater.

Murray Snow Blowers

Snapper makes Murray's snow blowers. They come in all sizes and stages. They only offer 5 forward speeds rather than the standard 6, but their exclusive "Creeper Speed" makes up for it by getting you steadily through some of the tougher portions of the job.

Craftsman Snow Blowers

Craftsman has an exclusive agreement with Sears whereby Sears both sells and services Craftsman snow blowers. This is desirable because Sears's technicians where you bought your machine know the machine inside and out. Craftsman snow blowers use Briggs & Stratton for their smaller engines and Tecumseh for their larger engines. Newer Craftsman snow blowers are made by AYP or Murray.

Simplicity Snow Blowers

By design, Simplicity snow blowers are anything but. Their 11 models boast such extras as a special handle for releasing power to the right wheel, allowing for turning on a dime; a snow depth and density sensor that automatically adjusts power to the auger and impeller; and a Briggs & Stratton Intek Snow engine, which is built for subzero temperatures, quick starts, and quiet running.

A Review of Popular Snow Blower Products

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How to Maintain Your Snow Blower

!±8± How to Maintain Your Snow Blower

Generally, the larger the blower, the more involved the maintenance will be. Electric models will require very little maintenance, if any, while gas models will require specific annual maintenance. A perfect time for maintenance is at the end of the winter season. Think about it - if you should winterize your lawn mower, doesn't it make sense to "summerize" your snow blower? Maintaining the snow blower before you put it away in the Spring will help it last longer and perform better in the fall when you get that early snow storm you didn't expect. As always, specific models will have unique requirements, so please refer to the owner's manual for details.

Maintenance of the snow blower will be focused on control elements, operation of the turning parts (the bail system), and the gas engine. Depending on the model, maintenance may include:

Controls - different snow blowers will have different control mechanisms. Any involving cables may require periodic tightening or replacement. Turning elements (cranks) may require a little lubrication. Belts - usually, the engine will use a drive belt to turn the auger and impeller assemblies. Some people may refer to this as the drive system, others the bail system. Either way, it probably involves a belt and pulleys. The belt is susceptible to wear and probably needs annual adjustment and even replacement every few years. Blades - this is probably the area where maintenance may vary the most across different brands and models. Some snow blowers use metal blades, others rubber, and some may even use plastic. Rubber blades (may also be called rotors or scrapers) will be designed to be replaced, and may even include some mechanism to show wear. Plastic impeller blades may be chipped, worn, or cracked. Metal auger blades can be bent or otherwise damaged. Inspect and replace as it seems prudent or recommended by the manual. Stabilizing the fuel - before putting the blower away for the summer, you may consider adding fuel stabilizer into the fuel tank, fill it, and run for a few minutes. Changing the oil -- oil needs to be checked regularly and changed probably annually. Refer to the owner's manual for the proper kind and weight of oil. Dispose of the used oil properly for your city or county. Replacing your spark plug - the spark plug should be changed annually. Insure to gap it properly as specified in the owner's manual. Before putting it back in, put a couple squirts of oil (use an oil can) into the spark plug hole and then put the hand crank or turn the motor with the starter a couple of times to coat the cylinder heads and valves with oil. Replace the plug to the owner's manual torque suggestion (usually hand tight and then half a turn). Lubrication - a snow blower may contain several bearing assemblies, and these may require periodic lubrication. The owner's manual will specify if lubrication is necessary, and will advise where the grease fittings are. You'll probably need a grease gun and Number 2 grease.

You can probably take the blower to a specialist for this kind of maintenance. I've seen rates run from -160. But, honestly, given the effort and time to transport it to the shop, you're probably better off trying to learn how to do it yourself.

If you use your snow blower a lot, then you may want to keep a log showing hours of use. The maintenance schedules for these machines will be in hours and you may need to do some maintenance activities more than once during the winter season.

A new gas snow blower will need to be broken in. After so many hours of use, you will probably need to change the oil, make certain adjustments, and do some lubrication.

Electric snow blowers may need very little maintenance or none. Again, refer to the owner's manual. Some lubrication may be necessary, and you may need to replace auger blades. They usually have some type of method to show wear - Toro, for example, has a wear indicator hole. Some more complicated electrical models may have adjustable control cables. You should inspect the electrical cord and ensure it is well secured to the snow blower and not cracked or worn; you should also check your extension cord. By following the manufacturers' maintenance recommendations, and doing a little bit extra to "summerize" a gas snow blower, you'll get many years of safe, productive use out of your snow blower.

How to Maintain Your Snow Blower

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