While a few flakes of snow will often shut down cities causing those of us who know what real snow is all about to laugh uproariously and make memes, if you live in an area that barely batts an eye when an overnight dump of the white stuff sees your car completely covered when you want to drive to work in the morning, then you need to read on.
While we may choose to live in areas that provide some of the world’s most exciting pictures and the greatest winter sports, that doesn’t mean most of us want to be out walking in snow shoes to work or spend two hours every morning clearing our driveway by shovel. Not even a heavy duty snow shovel. This is where snow blowers are brilliant. They give you your time back, allowing you to get on with the job of building snowmen, throwing snowballs. Or maybe even getting yourself to your day job.
The Power Of A Blizzard
Unsurprisingly, snow blowers come in a really diverse range of power options. Ssome are perfect for a person with limited strength or mobility to safely clear a light dusting on their footpath. Others are designed to quickly and efficiently clear a 2ft deep path from your front door to the road. Knowing what model and manufacture to get can be overwhelming. But all you need to know is what sort of snow you’ll be moving to know what you’re going to need.
Having a look at the Husqvarna st224p review is a really good starting point if you are after something with more power. You’ll need to be getting a regular coating of at least 2” of snow and ice to warrant getting a snow blower. But the 4-stroke Husqvarna snow blowers engine is powerful enough to clear snow that is up to 2 feet high.
When you are looking at having to clear some serious snowpack regularly, then you really can’t go past a good petrol engine. You are also likely to be looking at a 2-stage engine. This is one that is going to suck the ice and snow in, crush it up, and blow it out and away from your path. Generally, this type of snow blower is going to be quite heavy. So look for one that has some automation. Although a full ride on option might be overkill, you can still get a self-propelled option or at the very least something with seriously good power steering.
Of course, if you are looking at having to regular deal with seriously compacted ice rather than heavy/wet snow then you should talk to your dealer about what they recommend in the range of 3-stage machines. Ideally you are looking for something that is designed more with ice in mind that just having to cope with snow.
Just A Light Dusting
If you’ve got this far and you’re starting to get disheartened because you really want a snow blower to call your own, but you just don’t get enough snow regularly, to warrant replacing your favorite snow shovel, then you need to start looking at different options.
While good 4 stroke 2-stage Husqvarna snow blowers might be perfect for blizzards, start looking at some of the electric 1-stage Husqvarna snow blowers which are lighter and easier to use. They´re also best suited if you have light fluffy flakes that are melting and causing a slip hazard. More so than preventing you from getting your car out. With the 1-stage electric machines you will generally be able to use them when you have less than 2 inches of snowpack on the ground.
These are pretty quiet and easy to look after. But they are really only suitable if you have a flat and smooth driveway or path. Because they run along the ground, which is why they are good for small snowfalls, they will pick up any lose gravel or stones, which can be a serious hazard if you have a stony driveway.
They’re also not particularly good at going up or down hills and have a tendency to try and go sideways. You may also need to budget to purchase a surge protector and a longer power cord.
Snow blowers are certainly increasing in popularity. Few people really enjoy having to shovel snow, however the most rapid growth is for the 2-stage engine, which leaves users with less dustings to deal with. Check out this link: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/23/1886548/0/en/The-Snow-Blower-Market-in-North-America-2019-to-2024-Ariens-Husqvarna-Group-MTD-Products-and-The-Toro-Company-are-the-Key-Players.html
Can You Trust Husqvarna?
Hsqvarna is a Swedish company that has been around since 1689! They have adapted their business to produce what is needed. They started with rifles, moved into sewing machines (which used similar technology and parts) before moving into small engines in 1903. They are perhaps most well known around the world for their excellent chainsaws. But in Canada and North America they are rapidly gaining a strong reputation for reliable snow blowers. This is precisely why their marketing campaign revolves around the catchphrase “we know snow”.
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