# I hate those 4 inch snowfalls



## barney (Nov 21, 2017)

I hate getting those border line snowfalls. Slightly too little to go up to the garage and get the 2 stage 826 out for my 120 ft. driveway, but enough that I'm done in for the rest of the day after shovelling.* I'm an old geezer.* 

I love getting at least 12 - 15 inches of snow.

If I didn't have a gravel driveway I'd definitely have one of those lightweight single stages.

*What's your trigger snowfall amount to get the 2 stage out? 4 inches and up?*


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## aldfam4 (Dec 25, 2016)

barney said:


> I hate getting those border line snowfalls. Slightly too little to go up to the garage and get the 2 stage 826 out for my 120 ft. driveway, but enough that I'm done in for the rest of the day after shovelling.* I'm an old geezer.*
> 
> I love getting at least 12 - 15 inches of snow.
> 
> ...


I have a single stage Toro that I use for up to 6 - 8 inches of wet stuff. It will take on a foot of the light fluffy stuff. (I have a level concrete driveway)

I pull the Big Boy out Ariens 924 beast to handle all wet stuff over 8 inches. Of course the EOD dumps from the plows will include the Ariens!


Happy New Year!


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Usually 8" or less and single stage is my first choice.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

I guess 8 inches or so sounds about right. I know I need a 2 stage just in case, but she ends up just kinda tucked away most of the time. I think I end up with more hours running it prepping for storms/winter than actual snow use time.


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## tlshawks (Feb 9, 2018)

All depends on the forecast for me. 3" is my decision line. I also get a lot less snow than you guys no doubt, a little over 2 feet yearly on average - and don't have much to plow - therefore normally I like using any gas actually in my blowers' tanks so it doesn't get old.

If it's gonna be below freezing post-snow, and considering I hate leaving snow on the ground to go through sunlight melt and freeze cycles, I then blow it out with the small blower. If it's gonna be above freezing enough to melt it all out in a day or two, I don't blow it out.

I simply detest walking on ice, and with any snow and temps/sunlight capable of producing a layer of ice underneath...I blow it out. Sunlight then has less melting work to do after. If I got 50" a year I'd probably think this differently of course. But I'm too old and too klutzy a walker to allow ice to build when I can prevent it.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

For those of us with just a 2-stage, mine comes out for pretty much every storm  Though we got maybe 1" a few weeks ago, I let the sun melt the exposed areas, and pushed it off the shaded areas. But shoveling is no fun, so I'll blow pretty much everything over an inch or so. 

I'd like to get a decent single-stage again, for an easy & quick way to handle the storms that are under maybe 6-8" or so. But if I have to pick one or the other, I'll have to stick with just a 2-stage, since it can handle pretty much everything, even if it's not ideal for little storms.


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## Toro-8-2-4 (Dec 28, 2013)

I usually shovel up to about 6 inches. It is not worth getting the beast out for less. My drive way is pretty small.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I take the 924 out for anything worth moving...no single stages for me. Heavy storms I like to try out my new blowers and compare them


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

looking like a possibility of one of those 4" events tomorrow.........if we get that much, the new mods done to orange crush will get tested .


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

RedOctobyr said:


> For those of us with just a 2-stage, mine comes out for pretty much every storm  Though we got maybe 1" a few weeks ago, I let the sun melt the exposed areas, and pushed it off the shaded areas. But shoveling is no fun, so I'll blow pretty much everything over an inch or so.
> 
> I'd like to get a decent single-stage again, for an easy & quick way to handle the storms that are under maybe 6-8" or so. But if I have to pick one or the other, I'll have to stick with just a 2-stage, since it can handle pretty much everything, even if it's not ideal for little storms.


Don't have a single stage so my 2 stage does everything. It can handle less than an inch (2.5 cms) and quicker than shovelling for 8 driveways. Then the sidewalk and street plows come by and I am glad I didn't shovel. Lots of practice this year on very small snow falls.


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

RedOctobyr said:


> For those of us with just a 2-stage, mine comes out for pretty much every storm


Same here usually. Although this year I did buy an electric 18" Snow Joe because my wife wants to clear any snowfall before I do. I wait until it stops, she starts shoveling beforehand. We haven't had any snow since I got that so we'll see how that works.


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## HCBPH (Mar 8, 2011)

Haven't had enough snow this year to even get a blower out of the shed. I would rather dispense with it but about as soon as you do, I'd expect we'd get dumped on.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Nice thing about smaller snows, I get to try out blowers I've fixed and have for sale without being to concerned about deep snow. Easier to get them out of the yard, started. I can tell people I've used it myself and it did fine.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Or, you can blow a bunch of that snow into one area, and try them with a deeper amount, as a test. I mean, not that I've ever done that, of course. That would be weird....


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## chargin (Mar 29, 2015)

What is this "Snow" you are discussing ?

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/12/28/what-does-a-snow-less-december-mean-for-the-rest-of-winter/


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## LtJake (Dec 7, 2018)

With 4 to 5 inches on the ground I usually just take out the wheel horse with the plow on it. It’s up in the garage anyway. Any more than that...either the other wheel horse with the big blower on it or the 29” walk behind comes out.


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Town said:


> Don't have a single stage so my 2 stage does everything. It can handle less than an inch (2.5 cms) and quicker than shovelling for 8 driveways. Then the sidewalk and street plows come by and I am glad I didn't shovel. Lots of practice this year on very small snow falls.


On the little 1 inch snow falls I like to run my 2 stage in high in 5 gear as fast as it will go and it loads up the impeller better when you go quickly anyway.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

barney said:


> I hate getting those border line snowfalls. Slightly too little to go up to the garage and get the 2 stage 826 out for my 120 ft. driveway, but enough that I'm done in for the rest of the day after shovelling.* I'm an old geezer.*
> 
> I love getting at least 12 - 15 inches of snow.
> 
> ...


maybe something like my toro 521 would work better for you on snowfalls you think are too small for your 826 and you would have a backup


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## m.breen (Dec 30, 2018)

Am I the only one that pushes the small amounts into a 2 row pass so that I can blow it. I do this for my back...not just so that I can fire up a machine...well, maybe both.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

I'm on gravel and will do a 4 inch storm. Last night we got a few inches and then rain. It left some slop that may not go away on it's own but aside from the walkways's I'm not moving it.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

3-4 inches i push the snow to the end of driveway. wait for plow and then bring my 80 out to clean it up.

what about the fanatics ( and we have a couple in neighborhood ) who will bring out their 8=9 horsepower blower to do an inch of snow.???

not kidding.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Every situation is different. Some people will wait for a 4" storm to melt. That's not an option for me, as we won't be able to get up the driveway's incline with the snow, and we have to get to work. So I need to clear it. 

Even 2" (especially if we assume it's somewhat heavy) I can probably clear faster with my 2-stage, vs shoveling. 6th-gear keeps me moving quickly, and I never have to stop to fling the shovel-ful. And with the differential, swinging it around at the end of a run is easy. Make a quick pass, swing around, make another. 

I bought the machine for a reason, as I don't like to shovel  A single-stage would certainly be better for the little storms, but I use what I've got.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

nwcove said:


> looking like a possibility of one of those 4" events tomorrow.........if we get that much, the new mods done to orange crush will get tested .


Orange crush? no links in the signature? No pictures? 

ostpics:


Now I'm thirsty!


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Similar here . . . it's about time and effort. The blower is parked at the side ofnthe garage door opening, so it takes maybe 2 minutes to get it out, so if the blower is either faster or easier than the scraper/shovel, the blower comes out. As a guess, I think my cutoff is about 2 inches, depending on snow conditions . . . . if heavy, then less . . . (I do have to say, though, that I enjoy using the blower and pretty much hate shovelling . . . ) Considering where we are in MI, I can't honestly say I have ever seen anyone with a single stage . . . 90+% of the time it would just be a ballast weight in the garage . . .


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## malisha1 (Nov 16, 2018)

I won't mind a 4" storm in NYC. It's 60 today. The only snow we had was in mid November and my single stage was waiting on a new belt. I fear this winter will be on the warm side.


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

I would be happy with 2 in just so I feel like the shovel is getting used. Last year this time over a ft on the ground.


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## Honda1132 (Sep 2, 2016)

orangputeh said:


> 3-4 inches i push the snow to the end of driveway. wait for plow and then bring my 80 out to clean it up.


Good way to do it. I do this too for the smaller snowfalls.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

classiccat said:


> Orange crush? no links in the signature? No pictures?
> 
> ostpics:
> 
> ...


there should be a pic of orange crush in my garage.


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## Dag Johnsen (Dec 24, 2018)

I love any snowfall I can blow, and since I live in a Cold climate the wait to melt strategy does not work.


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## mfrs2000 (Dec 1, 2014)

Most times on the small snowfalls I will windrow it to one side of the yard. I use a 36" scraper than blow the windrow. I never lift the scraper off of the ground. No banks, the blower distributes it evenly. The wife says I am anal. LMAO:smile2:


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## Dragonsm (Nov 24, 2015)

I look at it from the perspective of Time, Value & Money......

If we get a light dusting or even a couple of inches that are nice and fluffy, I have a 36" "The Snowplow" pusher shovel that makes quick work of our 3 car wide driveway and the sidewalks.

If there is a "hint" of it being a total work out...most of the time our snow is a lot more wet and heavy...even a couple of inches, I have no shame in firing up the 2 stage snowblower and kicking into the 4th or 5th gear. My thoughts are work smarter....not harder.

Sometimes I get a look or two from my neighbors, all the while they are lugging shovel loads of wet/heavy crap. I'd much rather have my back be fine.

I've been known to also fire up the leafblower on the lighter stuff when the winds aren't whipping around....however that is far and few to be found here in South Dakota.

I figure I paid good money for a nice machine, I might as well use it. I don't get a special award from my wife or kids if I manually do the shoveling and have a workout.....plus, a cold beer after the job is done all tastes the same whether it was shoveled or blown. :goodjob:

Steve


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## topher5150 (Nov 5, 2014)

I don't really have much of a choice. We have a 150' driveway so anything that's over 3" is getting blown. Last year, before I got the blower on the John Deere working, my two stage sucked in a squirrel and was out of commission for about a week. In that time we got a 3"-4" snowfall, and it took me all afternoon to clear it out.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Hang on, you can't just casually mention that your machine inhaled a squirrel, and then move on  

How does that happen?? And how did it take the machine out of commission?


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## Miles (Sep 16, 2016)

We don't get a lot of snow here in Maryland so I try to use the two-stage whenever I can. If it is powdery light snow, I'll use the leaf blower. I started shoveling during the first 4 inch snow in November and it was heavy (after the first two rows ) so I fired up the snow machine and cleared it easily.


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## broo (Dec 23, 2017)

I have but one snowblower, so it has to tackle everything from two inches of slush to 18+ inches of snow.

It's a bit weird to use such a big machine for a little snow, but the driveway is too large to use a shovel.


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## topher5150 (Nov 5, 2014)

RedOctobyr said:


> Hang on, you can't just casually mention that your machine inhaled a squirrel, and then move on
> 
> How does that happen?? And how did it take the machine out of commission?


My wife was helping her friend move some of her stuff into our basement and the dog got outside and nabbed a squirrel. I told her to get rid of it ASAP, but got busy and forgot. A day or two later we had a good snowfall and as i was finishing up I noticed that I wasn't getting any snow coming out of the chute. I shut it off and went to the front and there was a frozen squirrel wrapped around the auger. Some how the sheer pins stayed intact but managed to sheer some of the teeth of the bronze gear in the gear box.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

Hmm . . . interesting, but I can beat that! A cleaning woman that my mom and a neighbor shared somehow managed to get a *live* chipmunk into the upright vacuum . . . . disgusting as it is, the vacuum apparently skinned it alive, and the pelt stopped the vacuum, and the severely injured chipmunk then bulleted around the house until it was caught. How stupid, exactly, does a chipmunk need to be to get hit by a 70+ year old woman with a Hoover? Thought this one was going the same way . . .


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

tadawson said:


> A cleaning woman that my mom and a neighbor shared somehow managed to get a *live* chipmunk into the upright vacuum . . . . disgusting as it is, the vacuum apparently skinned it alive, and the pelt stopped the vacuum, ...<snip>


Does Barbie now have a new fur coat?:wink2:


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

WVguy said:


> Does Barbie now have a new fur coat?:wink2:


Wasn't my vacuum, but the guy who owned it said the pelt wrapped up so bad he had fits getting it out. He had a gift for telling these konds of anecdotes, and it will stay with me forever . . . we lost him 2 years ago . . Barbie likely got little more that small tufts of flying fur and a barrage of swearing . . .:surprise::surprise:


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## celltech (Nov 8, 2013)

I get mine out for anything over 1". It's just so easy and I like the work smarter not harder approach.


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