Winter in many parts of the world means snow and more snow.  The days and hours of backbreaking shoveling snow are rapidly disappearing with the large variety of snow blowers that are on the market today.  Snow blowers, sometimes referred to as snow throwers, are great time-savers, easy to operate and affordable.  Selecting which type of snow blower to buy requires some thought and preparation before winter arrives.

Whether you have a single or double driveway, or remove snow for a living, snow blowers will do the job quickly and efficiently.  Which type of snow blower you need depends largely upon the amount and density of snowfall that is usual for the area you live in.  Weather reports and almanacs provide good predictions of snowfall for the year by inches and number of days.  It’s also advisable to consider whether the snow stays on the ground for a while or rapidly turns into ice.   

There are a number of one and two stage snow blowers, some run by electricity and others by gas.  If the snow is heavy and plentiful in your area, a gas snow blower is more practical.  Even though the gas snow blower is louder and not as good for the quality of the air, it will do a better job.  The electric snow blower, running cleaner and quieter, is great for lighter snowfalls and smaller areas.  However, these only come in single drives, so they exert much less power.

Single drive snow blowers are generally used for areas including sidewalks, short driveways, patios, or steps, which collect only very small amounts of snow.  They draw the snow in and blow it out at the same time.  Snow blowers with dual drives involve two separate processes, one for bringing the snow in and the second for blowing out the snow.  The engines in these machines are slow moving, but powerful enough to handle the most difficult snow removal job, such as wet and heavy snow covering large areas.  This type of snow blower lifts the snow from the ground and moves it onto fast-moving blades that effectively blow out the snow.

Another important consideration in deciding which type of snow blower to purchase is cost.  It is not necessary to buy the biggest and most expensive machine if your yard or driveway is small.  Of course, sometimes it is more practical to pay a little more for a snow blower that will last for more than one season.

Decide on which type of snow blower to buy and don’t get caught stranded this winter!