# Minimum HP you would go for size of blower



## GoBlowSnow

Ladies and Gentlemen- 

Let me first start off by saying that in the short time I have been here, your responses to my questions and also the topics in the forums have provided me a wealth of information and I look forward to coming here every day to read the latest and greatest. As I indicated in another post, I know more about the older machines from the 80s and early 90s vs the modern machines so thus my questions tend to revolve around the newer stuff. 

So with that being said- my question today is- What would be the minimum HP ratings you'd accept when purchasing a snowblower? Back in the day we really did not have to worry so much about the HP ratings, we got what the machine came with! But with more engine choices available for 1 model now it does become a bit confusing as to what HP is needed. Then again I read in one of the articles that HP is not so important anymore and many of the manufactures no longer list HP but instead lbs of torque, CC, or something like that. 

Let's say for example- 
Ariens 24, 27, 28, 30, & 32 inch machines I see things listed like 208 CC, and what not. In my situation, if I were to buy a new or slightly used Ariens, which is what I am favoring at this point, and I want to be able to handle a good sized storm that dumps 1-2 feet of snow, sometimes even 3, what engine choices would be the minimum rating you'd accept?

I hope this makes sense. 

Thank you for your time.


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## UNDERTAKER

unless you custom build 1. your choices have all ready been made in engine and bucket sizes. but sure as the sun will rise and come out here in the paradise city. some day and time. I don't think a 5-6 HP with a 22inch bucket is what you want when the snow bomb drops. and you are standing armpit high in the big ******. so what I am saying is get the size machine your checkbook can write a check for.k:k:k:k:k:


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## Shryp

212cc works well on a 24" blower.

My free tiny 3.5hp single stage Craftsman surprised me last year. Worked great for up to 6" of snow. (Well, until large chunks of ice started forming under the cover and froze the governor on low idle.)


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## Kiss4aFrog

I understand and agree with PS93 on not really wanting a 5-6 hp when nature dumps on you but big engine blowers are a more recent thing. My old Ariens have a 6 and 7 horse Tecumseh turning 32 inches of auger. They get the job done. My Craftsman with it's 10 horse Tec engine never gave me a problem either.
The thing with a bigger engine is you can likely go faster because the added torque will maintain your auger and impeller speed when under load. The way that Ariens 32" keeps up is by going slow but with a 32" cut you're still tossing a lot of snow.

Like PS93 pointed out, you don't really have an option unless you're pulling the engine and replacing it yourself or having it done. Not like a car where there are options.

If I was doing the engine on a regular 20"-26" machine I'd be happy with the Predator 6.5 since everyone who has done it has only good to say. If not, personally I'd like to have a 8hp Tec or B&S. Little more noise, uses a little more gas but I like to have the extra torque in reserve if it really dumps and it's bucket height or more. Doesn't happen often but I'm far enough north and out in the country I want some insurance.

I do have to re-power one of the Ariens 32's as it came with a ventilated block and that's just waiting for Craigslist to offer up a cheap 10hp+ horizontal shaft.
If I win the lottery it will get a new 10hp single cyl diesel simply because I'd love the thumping sound of it and the looks on the neighbors faces "What is that"??.
Could also go crazy and put on a turbo but that's even a bit crazy for me.


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## detdrbuzzard

the first snowblower I ever bought was a toro powerlite-E, got it right after a blizzard. I wanted something with 5hp but the powerlite was the only machine available in the area. it was slow going but I got myself and six neighbors dug out then went to my mom's and got her and five of her neighbors dug out. headed to my niece's house and got her and three neighbors dug out, got my brother and ten or twelve of his neighbors dug out. that winter not only did the powerlite-E pay for itself but it payed for the ccr2450E that I purchased the following year. for the majority of the snow we get a 5hp machine would do fine


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## GustoGuy

> If not, personally I'd like to have a 8hp Tec or B&S. Little more noise, uses a little more gas but I like to have the extra torque in reserve if it really dumps and it's bucket height or more. Doesn't happen often but I'm far enough north and out in the country I want some insurance.


I used a Predator 212cc to power a minibike and I had to put some weight on the front end because that thing was a wheelie machine. I never biffed on it because I know how to ride a dirt bike since my brother owned a CR 250 and I used to ride that quite a bit so I know how to use body english to keep the bike under control. Well to make a long story short I got tired of watching people having an un intended wheelie because they forgot to lean foward so I added 2 steel plates right over the front tire and 1 down low on the frame and now it goes forward and not over. The OHV engines tend to have lots of torque and if your not careful the bike could crawl out from under you. On OMB you can get tons of parts for it as well as NR Racing stage 4 kit with the Hemi Predator 212cc will put out 15Hp with a redline of 8000rpms. I may want to add a billit flywheel with timing advance as well as a low restriction exhaust to crank out an easy 10hp. Here is my Hotrod minibike!:icon_smile_big:

http://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=54099&d=1368758496


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## PixMan

Highly subjective issue. Minimum sizes are probably what you see offered for the various new ones you see offed on Ariens, Toro and Honda websites.

Myself, I'll never go for "minimum motor". EVER.


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## ELaw

One thing you haven't told us is where you're located and what your winters are like! Okay, that's two things. :laugh:

If the worst storm you get is 3 inches of wet snow or 6" of fluffy snow, you're not going to need a ton of power on your snowblower. If you regularly get more severe storms, you're going to want more ponies. Or torque or CC or parsecs or whatever they're measuring engine size in these days. :facepalm_zpsdj194qh


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## caddydaddy

ELaw said:


> If the worst storm you get is 3 inches of wet snow or 6" of fluffy snow, you're not going to need a ton of power on your snowblower. If you regularly get more severe storms, you're going to want more ponies. Or torque or CC or parsecs or whatever they're measuring engine size in these days. :facepalm_zpsdj194qh


The only time I wished that my Cub Cadet had more power was during the snowmageddon last Winter when there was 24"+ of snow fall. It still got the job done and never stalled, but there were times where I could hear the engine bogging down a bit.
Every other time it had more than enough power. Pretty impressive for only 208ccs actually!


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## UNDERTAKER

Kiss4aFrog said:


> I understand and agree with PS93 on not really wanting a 5-6 hp when nature dumps on you but big engine blowers are a more recent thing. My old Ariens have a 6 and 7 horse Tecumseh turning 32 inches of auger. They get the job done. My Craftsman with it's 10 horse Tec engine never gave me a problem either.
> The thing with a bigger engine is you can likely go faster because the added torque will maintain your auger and impeller speed when under load. The way that Ariens 32" keeps up is by going slow but with a 32" cut you're still tossing a lot of snow.
> 
> Like PS93 pointed out, you don't really have an option unless you're pulling the engine and replacing it yourself or having it done. Not like a car where there are options.
> 
> If I was doing the engine on a regular 20"-26" machine I'd be happy with the Predator 6.5 since everyone who has done it has only good to say. If not, personally I'd like to have a 8hp Tec or B&S. Little more noise, uses a little more gas but I like to have the extra torque in reserve if it really dumps and it's bucket height or more. Doesn't happen often but I'm far enough north and out in the country I want some insurance.
> 
> I do have to re-power one of the Ariens 32's as it came with a ventilated block and that's just waiting for Craigslist to offer up a cheap 10hp+ horizontal shaft.
> If I win the lottery it will get a new 10hp single cyl diesel simply because I'd love the thumping sound of it and the looks on the neighbors faces "What is that"??.
> Could also go crazy and put on a turbo but that's even a bit crazy for me.
> 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-hRflBBPdM


 still dreaming of that Diesel. THERE BROTHER FROG. just don't go thinking of sticking 1 on THE POWERSHIFT. the engine is to heavy for the pivot action.k:k:k:k:k:


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## caddydaddy

A diesel is the perfect snowblower engine! They are meant to run at constant speed and have lots of torque for heavy loads. Both are conditions a snowblower constantly sees.
Standby, I may have to build one myself!


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## Bob E

I like how they break it down into a ratio on the last page of this old popular science article.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/256438445/79-Snow-Throwers


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## guilateen02

Truthfully I think an 8hp machine is enough to power just about any homeowner walk behind. Maybe even less with a properly tuned engine and well designed machine. I have two 8/32 machines and neither have ever stalled out on me due to needing more power. I had no trouble all last year in the New England record storms. I think its more beneficial for some manufacturers to throw on a bigger engine and tack on 200 bucks. Rather than design a more efficient machine. But like Tim Allen (More Power grunt grunt) is always more appealing.


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## Geno

I agree with above.. most any storm (at least here in packer land) can be handled with a good running 8hp- I had 8/24 and 8/32's which also did fine.. but what fun is that? seriously I think it's not so much 7hp or 12 hp.. but rather the quality of all components involved and experience. the latter just gives a little edge.


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## PixMan

guilateen02 said:


> >>But like Tim Allen (More Power grunt grunt) is always more appealing.


That's my way too. 

Luv me more power! It's one thing to be able to put the snow where it needs to be, quite a bit more fun to be able throw it into the next county.

:icon-hgtg:


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## skutflut

ELaw said:


> One thing you haven't told us is where you're located and what your winters are like! Okay, that's two things. :laugh:
> 
> If the worst storm you get is 3 inches of wet snow or 6" of fluffy snow, you're not going to need a ton of power on your snowblower. If you regularly get more severe storms, you're going to want more ponies. Or torque or CC or parsecs or whatever they're measuring engine size in these days. :facepalm_zpsdj194qh


The output on mine is expressed in furlongs per fortnite :blush:


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## sscotsman

Im using a 45 year old Ariens with its original 45 year old 7-hp Tecumseh engine.
(24" bucket)

Works perfectly fine here in the heavy-snow region of Western NY.

Scot


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## ewhenn

Depends on the snow you get but my rule is 0.3 HP per inch Minimum.

IE. 24" blower would be 24x0.3= 7.2 HP minimum.


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## 1894

Guess it's what you are trying to blow. Single undisturbed snow fall or packed or wet for the same depth ?
Not sure how to calculate FP / torque to HP so maybe someone can fill in the blanks .
Last fall I bought my first snowblower. Like Scott we can get a bit of lake effect at a time here. Also knew that I needed to be able to not only clear any amount ma nature graced us with but, a couple hundred feet of our narrow road where the pick up truck plowers leave the banks on the side. I wanted an ariens and looked at power ( fp torque ) to width of the blower. The plat sho pushed my budget a bit but decided on that one.
Mine is a 306 cc motor rated at 15 fp / torque . 
Just about unstoppable for most everything I wanted it to do. But there were several times where the plowed banks really pushed the limits of the machine and motor. 
Would this years version of the same machine with the bigger motor ( 369 cc 17 / fp be better for me ? Probably , I do look longingly at them and for the 100$ more wish they put that motor on it last year.


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## PixMan

1894 said:


> >>Just about unstoppable for most everything I wanted it to do. But there were several times where the plowed banks really pushed the limits of the machine and motor.
> Would this years version of the same machine with the bigger motor ( 369 cc 17 / fp be better for me ? Probably , I do look longingly at them and for the 100$ more wish they put that motor on it last year.


That bit about the plowed snowbanks is EXACTLY why I'm glad I have the big motor I do. My situation is unlike most of you. I have a home that is virtually "on the street" in that there's about a 6 foot wide paved "sidewalk" of sorts between my house and the curb, then two cars parked at the curb in front of the house. 

Because I'm close to the center of my town, my street gets plowed early and often. The plows keep pushing snow up against the cars and I have to dig them out, so this means my snowblower is running longways through the tough snowbanks at the drivers' side of the cars and I have to toss it clear across the street.

My machine does this without any protest!

When I get done with that I have to throw snow clear cross the front of my house into the neighbors yard, and my driveway also has to be cleared front-to-back with no place on either side to deposit snow.


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## Bob E

1894 said:


> Not sure how to calculate FP / torque to HP so maybe someone can fill in the blanks .


15 ft/lb is probably about 10 hp
17 ft/lb would probably get rounded up to 12hp
How do you convert engine torque to horsepower? - HowStuffWorks


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