# Time For my first Snowblower.. Need some help



## Nathan Moore (Oct 5, 2018)

So I am a single parent of 2 awesome kiddos and well I work multiple jobs and just dont have alot of time to do alot of researching so I thought I would ask the experts here on recommendations on what I should buy for a snowblower. 

Here is some info

I live in South Central Nebraska
We get 1 or 2 major snow storms a year, where the snow is wet/heavy etc and can get amounts of 12-18 inches.. Usually they are in the 8-12 range though for the big events. rest are your typical 2-6 inch dry snow events. 
Area here is pretty flat.. 
I live on a corner of street so there is alot of sidewalk to keep clear
I have a double drive way that is about 70 feet to the garage but then also arcs to another entrance that is pretty large, Id say around 140 feet. So I have a pretty large area to keep clean..

Hence the reason the shovel needs to go.. Shoveling this would be a nightmare to say the least. 

As far as budget I like to say that 1200 is the absolute max i am willing to go but would prefer to keep it in the 400-800 range. I would definitely like a headlight to be on the unit for multiple reason, kids, busy intersection etc.. 

Most importantly I just need this to work and make life easy when schedules are limited..

Thanks for any help you all can provide.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

ariens 28 sho $1249 best blower on the market for the money by a wide margin

and it blows snow really well go watch a vid on you tube


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

i agree with 1132, but thats a bit over budget . ( was a single dad for years , raising two boys on my own, so i know money can be tight ) . the ariens sno-tek line is something worth looking at for a budget driven purchase. no frills, no light......but a battery powered led light can easily be mounted on the cheap. do avoid the mtd line....which covers many many otherwise branded machines.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

49 dollars over budet
thats .45 cents a yr for 20 yrs


the snotek is not even worth buying imo its a poor quality machine the best part of that machine is where it says ariens on it


here is a very cheap machine that would be alot better then the snotek its $749
https://www.costco.com/Jonsered-24"-305cc-2-Stage-Snow-Thrower.product.100427210.html thats500 more then the 28 sho over 20 yrs thats 25 bucks a yr
being a single dad its just as important to spend your money wisely as to value as well the 28 sho will be worth more in value then the increase in price 20 yrs from now


truth is you cant really get a good new blower for less the 1249
even the cheap blowers are 750 and up
400 no chance


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

1132le said:


> ariens 28 sho $1249 best blower on the market for the money by a wide margin
> 
> and it blows snow really well go watch a vid on you tube
> 
> ...


That video scared the &^%$ out of me! I have not even hauled my boat still hoping summer will come back and then along comes reality :sad2:


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

Ariens

Costco is selling the Husky 724 for 700 bucks with a 3 year warranty on engine and 5 year warranty on machine.

not sure how you can go wrong with that.

I may buy one for my own research. compare to the Honda .


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Nathan Moore said:


> As far as budget I like to say that 1200 is the absolute max i am willing to go but would prefer to keep it in the 400-800 range. I would definitely like a headlight to be on the unit for multiple reason, kids, busy intersection etc..
> 
> Most importantly I just need this to work and make life easy when schedules are limited..



If you consider used, you'll get a lot more for your money. Admittedly, it somewhat goes against "just needs to work". But if you kept it to machines only a few years old, they should still be pretty "self-sufficient", while still saving you money. 



I'd vote for Ariens or Toro over Troy-Bilt, MTD, Cub Cadet, Craftsman, etc.


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## Zavie (Sep 23, 2014)

orangputeh said:


> Ariens
> 
> Costco is selling the Husky 724 for 700 bucks with a 3 year warranty on engine and 5 year warranty on machine.
> 
> ...


Put an impeller kit on the Costco blower and it will throw like crazy! I'm standing by awaiting your video's, lol.:wink2:


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

Snotek is a fantastic choice! Check out the 90%+ ratings given to it by over a thousand people. It's made by Ariens. It will allow you to have a nice single stage blower also if you want which is the correct move.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

gibbs296 said:


> Snotek is a fantastic choice! Check out the 90%+ ratings given to it by over a thousand people. It's made by Ariens. It will allow you to have a nice single stage blower also if you want which is the correct move.


With some wet storms of 12-18", that sounds to me like it would be too much for a single stage. Or did I misinterpret your post? 

It kind of sounded like you were recommending a single stage. Maybe you were suggesting a 2-stage Snotek, along with a single stage? 

Personally, my preference would be to start with a beefy 2-stage, since that can clear anything. Then add a single stage if budget and needs allow. But getting a smaller 2-stage, in order to also buy a single stage, wouldn't be my first choice. That's only my opinion, of course. 

A single stage can be a very nice tool for smaller storms. Quick, they clear down to pavement, and they're easy to handle. But the ones I had struggled once it got deeper than maybe 5-6" or so.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

RedOctobyr said:


> With some wet storms of 12-18", that sounds to me like it would be too much for a single stage. Or did I misinterpret your post?
> 
> It kind of sounded like you were recommending a single stage. Maybe you were suggesting a 2-stage Snotek, along with a single stage?
> 
> ...


I meant with a budget of $1200 he could buy a snotek 2 stage and a nice single stage also. 2 machines. For me my 2 stage gets used 1 or 2 times a year. The single gets more use and is quicker.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Welcome to THE forum
Watch this vid before buying your snowblower.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

Some snowblowers in Nebraska. Watch the vid and happy hunting!. Formore craigslist choices separate the words snow blower and there will be more choices. 

https://omaha.craigslist.org/search/sso?query=snowblower&sort=rel


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## vinnycom (Nov 6, 2017)

buy the costco sb for $700, buy a used single stage for $100ish, easier to buy used to transport back home, ur covered in almost all snow conditions for ur area.

more about the costco sb here https://www.snowblowerforum.com/forum/general-snowblower-discussion/143237-jonsered-husky.html


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

Here is a winner...https://omaha.craigslist.org/grd/d/snotek-snowblower/6695730398.html


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

And a review....


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

1132le said:


> 49 dollars over budet
> thats .45 cents a yr for 20 yrs
> 
> 
> ...


I bought a Sno Tek that had been used only one or two times. It's the 724. I picked it up for only $150. (Long story) Anyway, that was three years ago. Two years ago we got a 35" snow and instead of my usual course of action, blowing midway through, I left it all till it stopped. I have a Toro 521 but I knew it would really strain that little machine. I got out the Sno Tek and went to work. It performed flawlessly and did a great job. i would not hesitate to buy another one should something happen to the one I currently own. I bought my first snowblower back in '94. MTD 826 from Lowes for a just a bit north of $500. I used that machine for 17 years and believe.me.I worked the living daylights out of it, sometimes clearing out a lane that was at least 100 yds. Never failed to do what I asked it to do. i have owned probably a couple dozen blowers since then. Yep. Ariens makes a nice blower but they are just one of a few good quality machines. There are also a *lot* of poor quality blowers out there as well but if not asked to do too much even they will perform fairly well. Good, regular maintenance goes a long way to equipment longevity.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

1132le said:


> 49 dollars over budet
> thats .45 cents a yr for 20 yrs



Must be some form of the new math !


I figure it is way over 100 years.


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## carterlake (Sep 10, 2018)

As someone who lives near this guy, you guys are suggesting way too much power for the area. I've seen those big behemoth Aries and even some 3-stage blowers on sale and we just don't need all that around here for 95% of snows. And the other 5%, we just walk a little slower.

OP is going to get by just fine like I did with a single stage for the vast majority of storms.

I'd suggest a low end 2-stage -or- a high end single stage (that Snotek 24 is a good choice too). Personally I just bought last year's closeout of the Toro 724 QXE. It's a single stage built like a two stage. You might check that out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt_sDpQuo1Y


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## foggysail (Feb 21, 2015)

My 30+ years clearing snow using my Bolens 32” powered with a 12HP Tecumseh engine gave me many snow clearing experiences. The light fluffy stuff was a breeze, 6” of heavy wet snow still no problems. 12’’ + another story especially if it was heavy snow. Sure, it would clear my driveway but depending on the depth, it was push and wait, push and wait.

My purchase choice made last spring replaced my tired Bolens with a 28 Ariens Pro that is powered with a 420cc electric start engine

I am a firm believer that big heavy engines......properly matched to the auger widths is well worth any additional cost depending also on the amount of square feet of clearing. Personally I don’t want to spend an hour or more clearing a snow storm. So back to the smaller machine or for that matter any machine. Snow blowers are designed to move snow! So using that logic any size machine will or should be able to do most jobs. It all depends on how much exertion and time one wants to devote to his snow adventure. Whatever machine is used, it will sure in heck beat a shovel.


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

gibbs296 said:


> Here is a winner...https://omaha.craigslist.org/grd/d/snotek-snowblower/6695730398.html[/QUO
> He said he wants a light on the machine
> prolly has no time to tinker with a machine being a single dad


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

A battery-powered light could be added fairly easily to pretty much any machine. 

And a decent rechargeable headlamp might be able to suffice, while also being useful for other things. 

IMO a headlight should not be a deal breaker, as there are alternatives that don't require messing with an alternator and wiring the light in.


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## Rooskie (Feb 12, 2015)

Seeing there are no Ariens 10000-series models in Oklahoma on Craigslist, I'm sorry to say you will have to buy something newer, more expensive and less reliable. As far as the headlight goes, get a bright headband light (or two) that fits on your head and forget about a headlight altogether! The light will be at a higher elevation than the one mounted on the handlebars and will follow your gaze, which seems better than just having a fixed headlight.


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## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

1132le said:


> gibbs296 said:
> 
> 
> > Here is a winner...https://omaha.craigslist.org/grd/d/snotek-snowblower/6695730398.html[/QUO
> ...


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

micah68kj said:


> 1132le said:
> 
> 
> > 99% have the light lead on them. 15 minute job to install a light. Correct?
> ...


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