Snowblower-How big?

[pisces]

Never owned a snowblower before, but need one (two stage) for new house. Driveway is about 50ft x twocar wide. How big should I get? Is a 521 (5hp,21 inch cut) enough or am I going to wish I'd gone bigger. And then, is there too big (like 827)? Thanks

[jigeye]

For the most part the 521 will work fine but one thing to keep in consideration if it's like my street is how big of a ridge the snowplow makes when it goes by. I sold my 524 toro and bought a John Deere 924DE because I needed more horsepower and the added weight to take on the big ridge. No problems now and it works better throwing the wet stuff too.

Jigeye

[BoxMN]

I have craftsman, 9hp and 29" wide. I have 50' drive x 36' at garage, tapering to 24' at street. I personally like the big size for the reason jigeye mentions. No prob in tearing down that crust that the plow leaves. Also with wider it just takes less time

One thing that would be nice - mine is about 11 years old, so traditional crank chute gears - would be the one handed chute aim, for left and right and higher and lower.

Only real prob I ever had was when I didn't see a sunday newspaper under some snow - ha! Broke the bolts of holding the "lifter" (whatever that second stage rotating thing is called) and thought it was going to be a mess - but actually it was pretty easy to fix.

[Chef]

My driveway is 70ft. long from the street and widens to 3 full doors. I have an 8Hp, 2-stage, 4 speed. When we get more than 1-ft. of snow, I put the 60" plow on the Wheeler and push the majority into the ditch across the road first, then clean-up with the blower what the plow leaves behind.

Wet snow will challenge a 5Hp Motor and shorten your lifetime of the blower motor.

[solbes]

I have a 7hp Toro 2 stroke; maybe 4 years old. Love the one handed stick control of the chute, look into that! Seems to do a pretty good job for all but the heaviest [PoorWordUsage] that's left by the snowplows. If it ices in and it's thick, I have to attack in layers slowly. Otherwise it's plenty of power.

[Wildabeast]

That size will work well for a typical city/suburban house and handle 80% of the situations you will face. You will need to slow down or repeat a few places on some occasions, then again you'll spend $300-$400 less. I would love a much larger snow blower but can't justify the cost for the very few times I would need it. A good 2 stage 5-6HP motor 21-24" swath is just fine.

[icehousebob]

I have an 8 hp MTD that I bought slightly used from a friend when he inherited a larger one. I've used a 5 hp and there is a world of difference between them. Bite the bullet and go for the higher horsepower. The one thing you might want to check is how slow the lowest gear is. My friend found out he had sold me the better machine because the low gear on mine just creeps along and is great for chewing through the windrow at the end of the drive that the snowplow throws there.

ps: plug-in electric start,,,get it.

[Sandmannd]

I have an 8 hp MTD that I bought slightly used from a friend when he inherited a larger one. I've used a 5 hp and there is a world of difference between them. Bite the bullet and go for the higher horsepower. The one thing you might want to check is how slow the lowest gear is. My friend found out he had sold me the better machine because the low gear on mine just creeps along and is great for chewing through the windrow at the end of the drive that the snowplow throws there.

ps: plug-in electric start,,,get it.

I agree with everything Bob said here. Get the 8 horse, you will be much happier with it. Mines an 8hp, 24", 5 sp forward/2 reverse. Get the electric start, saves on the arm.

[Caleb S]

The 521 sure beats the old shovel but if you have the extra $ get somethig bigger. Doubt you will ever find yourself saying "wish I would have bought a smaller snow blower"

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Go As sbig as you can afford, and maybe just a little bit more even then.

You will not be disappointed in the long run.

[HawgMan]

A little bigger is always better, it's always better to be over powered than under powered!For the few extra bucks to get a more powerfull blower is well worth it. As we (I) age, I like the equiptment to do most of the work in less the time.My back is telling me something here. Removing snow is the pits, I want to get it over w/ in a short time & not have to go back & hit the spots that aren't quite done yet. You'll have the power to get the job done the first pass & not take twice the time!!!

[upnorth]

I have an 8 hp 27" and I wish I would have got a 24 inch, narrower side walks a pain.

[MnIceman]

For that size of a drive way I'd go nothing less than a 7 or 8 HP. I've had 5 and 8 , The 8 was way better especially at the bottom when it was slushy . I now have a 13HP 33" for the cabin along with a $200 plow truck that works good. Also a 2048 Sabre tractor with a blower at home for 1200ft of driveway at home.

[Sandmannd]

Dang MnIceman, you are hooked up!!. 13HP/33", that thing is huge!!

[mnguy152]

get what u can afford butstay away from the green ones the paint is spendy on them hehehe

[gspman]

Get an 8hp with about 26" width. A 5hp will work but the engine will wear out sooner because it'll have to work too hard with heavy, wet snow or that wet cement that snow turns into when the snowplow goes through. I have about the same driveway as you as does my neighbor. I have an 8hp and he has a 5hp. There is no question that the 8hp is much better for the job.

[Fredd]

8-10 hp 26-30 inch width. I'ver had an 8hp MTD for 12 years and have been satisfied. I blow a 100' by 36' driveway

[Whoaru99]

I've got a Toro 824. Good blower, but I use a 5hp MTD snowthrower about 90% of the time.

Big blowers are nice when you need them, but in my experience and location (West Central MN), that's not very often.

[Bigslugger]

Never owned a snowblower before, but need one (two stage) for new house. Driveway is about 50ft x twocar wide. How big should I get? Is a 521 (5hp,21 inch cut) enough or am I going to wish I'd gone bigger. And then, is there too big (like 827)? Thanks

if your looking to buy a blower my dad has one he wanting to sell. im not sure on the specs. its a simplicity with a brand new tecumseh engine put in it 3 years ago. it blows like a champ let me know

[hitthebricks]

Big Slugger, Is that a single stage Simplicty? Those are great, had one for many years! I think it was over 35 when it finally broke for good. The great thing about snowblowers is that they last 25+ years or more with minor repairs and maintaince so buy quality and don't scrimp on size.

HTB

[IFallsRon]

Depends on how much snow and how much space. I use a single stage for most snows but I'll dig out the two-stage if there's a lot that I need to move a bigger distance or if the plow has sent a huge, heavy wake up the driveway.

[Heartman]

As big as you can afford. Bigger is always better than smaller.

[Bigslugger]

Big Slugger, Is that a single stage Simplicty? Those are great, had one for many years! I think it was over 35 when it finally broke for good. The great thing about snowblowers is that they last 25+ years or more with minor repairs and maintaince so buy quality and don't scrimp on size.

HTB

I believe it is but not sure

The thing plows through the snow..unlike the one now we have on our JD mower

[MuleShack]

I have a couple craftsman 5hp 21" blowers that we use for sidewalks after we plow and they get the job done for sidewalks. However for driveways i would recommend the 7 hp Toro it will throw the wet snow (we all know we get plenty of that) and it will throw the regular snow farther so you dont have to keep re-throwing the stuff that your blower couldn't push off the driveway the first time.

for a smaller residential, i wouldn't bother with a 2 stage, but get a larger (more HP) single stage for ease of use and mobility.

[pisces]

Thanks to all who offered info/experience. I found a used 726 that is in nice condition, so basically I traded some hours on the machine for some more horsepower and size. I figured "how much use do these get in an average year; maybe 20 hours?" and there hasn't been much snow for the past 5-10 years anyway so probably less than that.

[Sandmannd]

Yep, that's the way to go if you can find a used one. Good that you got the bigger one, you will be happy with it.