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i was talking to a friend last night and he loves his single stage snow blower. i hadnt even considered single stage.
A single stage is fine if you have a small area to blow and you get very little snow. If you get deep snow dumps in your area you'll be sorry you ever got a single stage the first time you have to use it in deep snow.
A single stage won't get through the snow at the end of the driveway where it meets the road that the city street plows leave for you. Ask your neighbors what they use, probably a two stage.
it was a little surprising, i actually remember him mentioning it before. he likes that it is light and easy to do a deck with or store away when the season ends. he also says that you get a cleaner final product because it touches the pavement.
he does a lot of yard stuff himself and tends to pay more for more power than needed. so it is interesting that in this regard he is going for the less substantial product.
it was a little surprising, i actually remember him mentioning it before. he likes that it is light and easy to do a deck with or store away when the season ends. he also says that you get a cleaner final product because it touches the pavement.
he does a lot of yard stuff himself and tends to pay more for more power than needed. so it is interesting that in this regard he is going for the less substantial product.
Many of those single stage snow throwers have only rubber paddles or rubber on steel. They work great as long as you have a smooth paved driveway. They do not work for long on gravel or loose stone. The rough driveways eat the paddles in no time at all. But you do have a smooth driveway and no loose stones around.
i noticed that a higher end single stage can have just as powerful engine as the two stage. i also like the fact that it is light and portable. not just for storage but also for transporting to a place for repair if needed. i dont think i can get the larger two or three stage ones in my car to take somewhere and i am not going to do much of the work myself.
I had a single stage, then upgraded to a two stage. Then I moved and got a tractor mounted blower.
The two stage handled wet and slushy snow much better. The single stage would make slush bricks. I could drive the two stage through the end of driveway snow. I had to shovel through, then blow, the end of driveway snow with the single stage.
The only places the single stage blower excelled for me were weight, and performance in fluffy snow. And it did clean down to the concrete driveway better.
I never had enough snow to warrant a snow blower but I had a mower/tractor with a blade attachment that I used two or three times before I said "never again". I could shovel the drive faster and with much less hassle. Taking off the mower deck and installing the plow was a major effort and not worth it. I eventually gave up the tractor entirely for a self-propelled mower because walking behind the mower was easier on my back than riding the mower.
I got through several years in the Boston area with a Toro electric blower. Yes, you have to take it slowly, it's not a big Ariens. But if you take it in small bites you can clear 18" snowfalls. You'll have to the berm at the end from the snowplow by hand.
Bonus - no small gas engine to keep up.
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