# Sixty Five Ford goes electric!



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

He reviews and trys out the sno joe electric two stage. 
I have to admit that I'm impressed. Curious how long the machine will last though.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

i just watched this vid the other day joe. I think I would need six batteries minimum for this to be an option, I would need more batteries than that to keep doing snow for my neighbors


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

detdrbuzzard said:


> i just watched this vid the other day joe. I think I would need six batteries minimum for this to be an option, I would need more batteries than that to keep doing snow for my neighbors


But ya know, William, I think this could possibly be a viable option for some people who aren't too mechanically savvy with gasoline engines and who don't need a big machine. I have my doubts about the sno joe part but envn a broken clock is correct twice a day.:wink:


----------



## mrfixit (Dec 3, 2016)

No way. 
Batteries are for cell phones and vibrators.


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

mrfixit said:


> No way.
> Batteries are for cell phones and vibrators.


Li is rapidly moving forward. My my nephew has a Tesla that is crazy fast and travels a *l o n g* way on a charge. Musk is buildng the power wall too, that may soon keep a house fully operational off the grid.


----------



## HogdogJoe (Oct 20, 2016)

While these might be the future, I feel like this is a "first attempt" that needs some refinement. They proved the basic concept works, but there's a few dangling questions: 

- Reliability/lifetime. This costs MORE than a two stage from Toro/Ariens. So it needs to have a comparable lifespan. 
- Batteries are too expensive. $240 for a second set of 5 Amp. You'd likely need a second set, maybe a third set. Either way you're now talking closer to $1000 for this. 
- Battery lifespan? 
- Three hour recharge time! A bad storm could literally get ahead of you. 
- Battery level cannot be checked without getting snow into the battery compartment. Why isn't it on the dash? 
- Fully discharging the batteries can ruin them. 
- Performance drops in the last 15% of the battery's lifespan. 
- "When operating, come to a COMPLETE STOP before switching directions" what? See Amazon reviews/photos. Seriously worrying. 
- Bad handle design. 
- Seemingly little difference between the three forward speeds (looks like they wanted to tick a box to make it look more like a "real" two stage than actually offer a benefit). 
- Lower torque, higher speed, auger like all electrics making it better at light fluffy and worse at wet heavy slush. 
- The last Snow Joe I owned had a big warning in the manual about "not getting it wet." It is a f*****g snow blower... 

Overall my biggest issue with this isn't with the concept, it is with unanswered questions around longevity and frankly that I don't trust Snow Joe as a brand very much. 

I'd love to see Toro, Ariens, or Honda's take on a two stage electric snowblower. It would cost more but I suspect they would put more thought and care into the overall design. 

Just my 2c. I'll be watching this space evolve. Maybe ten years from now I'll buy an electric two stage.


----------



## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

he said in the vid he got about 30 minutes out of the batteries not 40 minutes, can't remember if he finished blowing his snow. even with a smaller property he would need at least two sets ( four batteries ) to be able to stay out in deeper snow, not a blizzard but just a couple more inches or heavier snow on the ground. someone will think it's a good idea and buy one but it's not a good enough machine and I'm just talking run time not quality


----------

