Text size:

Let it blow

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

December 15, 2005

When it's icy cold outside and white flakes are falling, the best investment I've ever made in power equipment is rarin' to go. Its summer blanket discarded, my 16-year-old Toro single-stage snow thrower, a Model CCR 2000, drinks a fresh gas-and-oil cocktail and, with a couple of gentle pumps from its priming bulb and a few pulls of its starting cord, roars into full-power mode.

While many of you dread the assault of snow, I laugh in the face of inches upon inches - even several feet - of the white, fluffy flakes. Bring it on. Snow is no match for me and my trusty snow thrower.

Over the past decade, more and more Americans have adopted my view for snow removal. Annual snow-thrower sales have ranged between a half-million and a million for each of the past 10 years, according to industry statistics. Last winter marked an industry high, with about 1.025 million snow throwers being sold. That increased demand includes Long Island. "Prior to three years ago, if we sold a dozen or so snow throwers in a season, it was a good year," said Tom Rubing, general manager of Lacorte Equipment in Calverton. "In the last two or three years, we've probably sold 300 total."

Pricetag: $400 to $1,700

House Doctor Recent columns

So what's the appeal of gas-powered, snow-gobbling machines that typically cost $400 to $1,700? Durability, reliability and convenience. Especially convenience, said Matt Medden, a manager in the snow-throwing equipment division of the Minnesota-based Toro Co. "When snow is falling, and homeowners have to clear the driveway to get to work on time, they want a machine that is going to work and that will start when it's needed," Medden said.

The newest snow throwers feature two- or three-year warranties and life spans of 15 years or longer. They need little maintenance and start virtually in a snap; Toro's single-stage models are guaranteed to start on two pulls for five years. Plus, with more women and senior citizens joining the do-it-yourself ranks of snow clearers, the new blowers are lighter and more compact.

"More customers tell us they think it's a great investment because once they have one, they never have to worry about snow," Lacorte's Rubing said.

In today's world, homeowners can't easily hire neighborhood teenagers or residential landscape companies to clear snow. Because annual snowfall on Long Island generally is 30 inches or less - not enough white stuff to employ winter crews - many residential service companies draw the line at lawn mowing and leaf collecting.

So, more homeowners turn to buying their own throwers. Like me, they probably keep them covered securely in blankets and stored in garage corners during warm months. Finely tuned and maintained, these throwers are ready, willing and able when snow starts falling, often at the push of a button - a $100 option called an electric starter.

Even machines without electric starters boast fast-starting engines, armed with technical upgrades such as priming bulbs, overhead cams and easy-pull cords. Relax if you don't understand the last two terms. They're just industry improvements that have created a line of machines that start, winter after winter, with little or no maintenance.

Upkeep a snap

Maintenance is almost as simple as, well, starting the thing. My snow thrower, which cost about $500 in 1989, runs smoothly because I feed the engine clean gas, drain it when winter weather passes and take it in for a tuneup (about $60) every two or three years.

Most machines sold nationwide are gas-powered; only a few small models, like Toro's 13-pound Power Shovel Plus - remember, we said they were light and compact - use electric motors. Gas-powered throwers come in two styles: single-stage and dual-stage. Both collect snow in bins that house fast-spinning drum rotors or augers.

In a single-stage unit, an auger funnels snow directly into a discharge chute, where it can be directed distances of 25 to 40 feet. In a dual-stage thrower, a fast-spinning auger - usually made of steel - redirects snow to a turning impeller, from where it is sent to a discharge chute. Two-stage models are better for grinding up icy snow and churning through large berms - left at the end of the driveway by municipal plows - and snowdrifts.

Single-stage unit usually enough

"With our snowfall, a single-stage unit usually will do the job for most homeowners," said Don Preuss, co-owner of Carl's Equipment & Supply in Riverhead. Single-stage units have two-cycle engines and rubber-like augers that sweep snow cleanly from paved surfaces.

"A single-stage thrower could not really be used on a gravel or dirt surface," Preuss said, "because, along with the snow, it would send stones and dirt out the discharge chute. On those surfaces, you'd have to use a two-stage machine."

There are a few other differences in the machines. The two-cycle engines on single-stage throwers range from 4 to 6 horsepower and run on a mixture of oil and gas. They are lighter and can be pushed and lifted to clear large snowdrifts and berms. Heavy-duty, dual-stage machines tend to be designed more for commercial use; they are powered by larger, four-cycle engines (where oil and gas have separate tanks), between 6 and 8 horsepower and are self-propelled.

"People should know the dimensions of their driveway and, of course, the surface, when they go shopping for the right size thrower," Rubing said. Engines with more horsepower usually can discharge snow longer distances, he said.

From there, customers can choose several options, including electric start, in which a cord from a regular household outlet is plugged into an ice-cold engine. One or two pushes of a button, and the engine roars to a start. Other options are headlights, electronically heated handles and free-wheel steering that allows throwers to turn on one or both wheels.