# What controls how far you're able throw snow?



## jtyul20 (Nov 24, 2015)

I'm about to buy my first snowblower (looking to get the snow joe SJ623E). I live in a townhouse so I'm worried about dumping snow in their driveway using this. 

I thought if I was able to adjust the chute height I'd be able to make sure the snow only gets thrown a short distance. However when I contacted Snow Joe, they said "We don't have any model that will control how far the snow goes, you can control how high it goes by directing the deflector up and down but not how far it goes.

What specifications should I look for in a snowblower if I want this control?


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## Normex (Feb 21, 2014)

jtyul20 said:


> I'm about to buy my first snowblower (looking to get the snow joe SJ623E). I live in a townhouse so I'm worried about dumping snow in their driveway using this.
> 
> I thought if I was able to adjust the chute height I'd be able to make sure the snow only gets thrown a short distance. However when I contacted Snow Joe, they said "We don't have any model that will control how far the snow goes, you can control how high it goes by directing the deflector up and down but not how far it goes.
> 
> What specifications should I look for in a snowblower if I want this control?


 You can only control distance thrown with the deflector adjusted to the lowest setting and this goes for any snow blowers. Good Luck


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## jtyul20 (Nov 24, 2015)

Normex said:


> jtyul20 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm about to buy my first snowblower (looking to get the snow joe SJ623E). I live in a townhouse so I'm worried about dumping snow in their driveway using this.
> ...


Thanks for your help! I got confused by their answer so I thought there were specific models I had to look for. I'll go ahead and purchase the Snow Joe then


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

jtyul20 said:


> when I contacted Snow Joe, they said "We don't have any model that will control how far the snow goes, you can control how high it goes by directing the deflector up and down but not how far it goes.


Wow... if there was a Nobel prize for useless answers, they should be nominated! :facepalm_zpsdj194qh

_Technically_ what they said is correct. The deflector setting controls how high the stream of snow coming from the chute goes. But... height equates to distance. So when set lower, the snow won't go as far before it hits the ground.

How far is your neighbor's driveway from yours? I don't have any experience with that model, but with my Ariens I could probably avoid hitting something 4' from the driveway if I wanted to.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

The height of the deflector is the big one, but also the angle of the chute. You can have the chute facing straight forward or just a hair to one side or the other. Then you are still throwing if far, but it is going mostly in front of you and landing right next to you.

Another big thing is wind. The windier it is the more the snow will blow. Keeping it low in the wind is a good idea regardless unless the wind is blowing straight into the direction you are throwing.

In theory you could look for a machine with an adjustable throttle since the slower things spin the less distance it will be thrown. In practice it isn't good to run an engine at less than full speed since the cooling fan and oil splashing work best at full speed.


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## kueh (Dec 29, 2013)

From what I can see, most electrics have the same style of chute. There tends to be a lots of side spray, worse if you try to blow snow to the sides. I have an SnowJoe 40V ion. It works well on fresh and lightly packed snow. Unfortunately, I have to re-blow a lot of snow because my driveway is directly beside my neighbour's driveway, so I have to blow to one side, usually upwind.

If you have a one car driveway, it should be okay.


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