Snow Removal Reviews

Haven't used product yet but I'm glad to have it for next year.

This worked very well in the record setting East Coast snow we just had. The long handle reaches all the way across my mini-van. Didn't mark up my car the way our old snow brush would. Great item! If snow is making your day sad, Sno-brum will make you glad.

I finally got a Snow Brum after living in the northeast my whole life. I can't believe I've wasted so much time with a regualr snow brush. And this is a required tool if you have an SUV and hate having 50 pounds of snow slide down your wind shield when ever you hit the brakes. You can clean off your entire car in about 1/10th of the time. And this is great for the deep snows too. In short, if you have snow - YOU NEED THIS.

For years I've been trying to locate brass-edged ice scrapers.
After 16 years in Maine winters, I had learned thay they are the
perfect thing to clear frost and ice off car windows.
When I moved west, I could not find such a worthwhile tool and
have been doing Google searches, periodically, to find these.
Finally, there they are, so I bought 10 to keep and give as
gifts.

I live in southwestern Colorado--ie, we have lots of snow. I already own one Suncast Big Scoop--it's about 11 eleven years old. It works so well at moving LARGE quantities of snow that I'm buying a spare. In terms of manually removing and moving snow, there are two superb products available--the Super Scoop and the Snow Pusher Plus ([...]). I use both and swear by both. If you're not into vehicle plows and snowthrowers, then you can't go wrong with the Super Scoop.

Outstanding, clever, simple tool to remove heavy deep snow from your vehicle or any other surface you want to protect. Worth the price !

I bought my yardman thru Amazon 2 years ago and it still runs just as well with or without the electric start. It still look brand new also. I live in the northeast so I do get enough use out of it. I even do my neighbors driveway with it. The reason I got the tracks instead of wheels is because I live on a hill and I wanted to make sure I could go up and down with ease, although I probably could have saved some money by getting chains put on a wheeled model. As another reviewer said, the steering is a bonus, especially for the snow thrower with tracks. My brother-in-law owns the Honda with tracks and it cost him about $1000.00 more with no steering. Also this come with a halogen light built in, with the Honda, you have to purchase a light kit, another $150.00 but the yardman does not throw the snow nearly as far as the Honda. The specs say it will throw snow up to 40 feet. I have tried it in all conditions,blizzard, wet, light snow and the most I have ever gotten was about 25 ft. I've seen the Honda throw it better than 50ft. If you need to do a huge area, distance is an important feature. Also, newer models have the joystick chute rotation which I think is a must have. I wish they sold a conversion kit for this model. I would save a lot of time. Overall, this is a very good snowthrower and it has not given me any problems in 2+ yrs of duty, but I would definitely recommend going with a chute rotation

I own an MTD manufactured Sears track drive snow thrower almost exactly like the Yard Man model shown here. My MTD made Sears machine is now 6 1/2 years old. I do my own service and buy MTD parts because they are the same and cheaper once you make the model number switch. You should Keep a spare friction wheel rubber and drive belt and auger belts ( U need 2 auger belts for one change ) along with a few extra shear bolts in your personal inventory. Changing all these items is really easy but you need to try this in warm weather not during a blizzard when you discover they need changing. All these items last 3-4 years of normal use. Use 100% synthetic oil in the engine it does not thicken when cold like ordinary oil. Also never fill the gas tank unless with gasoline that has fuel stabilizer added to it. I installed a Briggs & Stratton in line fuel shut-off valve, purchased for about 5 bucks, and I run the fuel out each time I shut off the machine. Mine is easy to start as a result, even without the electric start. CR has consistently rated these machines at the top of their charts for many years. They are an excellent buy, and can be maintained by any person who is handy with a set of ordinary tools. Read the owners manual, learn the adjustments ( they are moronically easy to do) and this simple machine will save you from the back breaking work of shoveling snow, and never let you down. MTD has refined the machine over the years and it works well, as CR learned when they compared ( the wheeled version) to other machines.

I have two of these for my two homes. I really love track drive snowthrowers, especially cause one of my homes has a very steep driveway, and these rigs will always go up the hill.

I recently bought a Honda top of the line track drive model and hated it because it did not have skid-steer capabilities, like these YardMan models do. The only down-side to these YardMan units is the Tecumseh engines are fairly loud and you may wish to use ear protection with them.

The grip heaters are very useful when the temperatures are very cold.

Ive had this one for two years now. The good parts first: its powerfull, throws even heavy snow a long long way, lots of traction in the tires. The power steering is a VERY nice feature, as is the electric start. Decent gauge steel in the chassis. Auger drive is beefy (a real problem with low end achines). Plenty of torque, runs smoothly, starts well. If you run over chains and rocks and logs, the shear pins function perfectly saving damage to the rest of the unit (Ive seen other snowblowers ruined when the shear pins didnt shear). The price is even very reasonable. But...

The problems started just a few days off the sales lot. First the chute screws dropped out. Not bad - just a few new bolts from the hardware store. Later the power steering trigger screws fell out - those were special order parts. Over the next few months all the accessory screws fell out. Going into the third season anything that hasnt come loose by now is safely rusted. In fairness to Yard Man, all these were probably screwed in by some flunky at the store where I bought it. Still, each one leaves you stuck in the middle of a snowstorm with hours or days to get the proper replacement part. For some things thats not a problem; snowblowers, at least up here, have to be more reliable. Yard Man should be using less flimsy screws and more positive-locking hardware, and preferably rust-free. Its worth noting that NONE of the major components or bolts have rusted - only the teeny little screws you wouldnt look twice at.

Other annoyances: the headlamp is nice, but doesnt shine anywhere near where youre working. It just lights up the snow shooting out of the chute and casts a huge shadow of the snowblower 30 feet out in front of you. Its almost easier to see with it disconnected. The shift coupling has an annoying tendency to slide off while youre working. Shift to reverse, then forward, and the coupling drops off leaving you in some random gear. Sure it pops right back on, but for me it always happened in the worst place possible. In the second season the power chute control started working intermittently. This year it didnt work at all. Opening it up, the electric motor seal was never installed right at the factory, so water got in and rusted the motor out. If I had a choice next time Id get the hand crank.

Still, this has seen quite a few nor'easters. Every snowstorm is 3 passes over 200 feet of our driveway, 2 neighbors driveways, then the street where the plows dont bother, then finally a quarter acre skating pond. A good storm can be 6 hours straight of 18" snow, and this model took it easily. I was going to give it three stars for the defective motor seal, but had to give it more credit for the extreme abuse Ive handed it for the last two years, and the quality of its major components.

This snow blower is a great investment,if you want a snowblower. It was shipped fast the, handle and shifting rod was the only thing to assemble. It was simple to raise put 4 wing bolts on and connect shifting rod. I gased it up and read how to start and it started and ran perfectly. The first snow of the season was about 8 inches deep where I live.Took me about 20 minutes to do my drive way,I have about 60 foot driveway,I did my moms about the same time she has about same driveway length as me.I also had to cut thru the plowed up snow from the townships snow plow,NO problem,went thru it like a hot knife thru butter! It handled 8 inches deep snow with no problem what so ever. This was a better price then I could find anywhere. I am VERY pleased with this Snow King. Heres a tip if you have a leaf blower,it makes it easy to clean up and put back where you store it. Took me 15 minutes with a leaf blower to blow out all snow and ice,from the snow blower,blew it dry in about 10 minutes. No mess or dripping water from the snowblower. My neighbor has a 5 1/2horsepower, he had problems clearing 8 inches,This 8 1/2 horsepower blower has plenty of power,throws the snow farther,and doesnt hesitate in 8 inches.I think it could handles alot more! My neighbor is taking his 5 1/2 hp back and is going to get a 8 1/2 hp. More snow expected this weekend. I CANT WAIT!

I've got one of these and in a word, it's "Awesome!". We had one of the biggest storms of the last 20 years here in the Philly suburbs and it saved the neighborhood. It threw the snow over 15 feet from the machine when needed, and ate not only the original snow, but really came in handy when it had to clear out over 15 neighbors driveways AFTER the snow plow came thru and blocked them up again. I ran it for over 2 hours out of every 8 hours throughout the 3 day storm. It never quit. Be advised, it's so powerfull, the daily paper that is buried below the snow, and unseen, zooms through it at the speed of light. ( If you like your paper delivered in pieces). The light really came in handy after 5:00 PM when I'd be out keeping up with the snowfall after dark. Highly Recommended. And the Electric Start is BEAUTIFUL. It seems powerfull enough to propel the USS New Jersey Battleship across the Pacific. Electric Start... the only way to go. A Full tank of gas ( about 1.5 gallons is my guess) lasts for about 2 hours out in the cold. The engineers really did a great job designing and building this one... and I'm originally from North Dakota, so I know snow.

Apart from the attachment for the now-out-of-print Gravely two wheeled tractor (deservedly so -- you paid ~$5K and the wheels were extra!!), I believe this is the only snowblower on the market with a 16 inch impeller. (Ariens' biggest unit has a 14 inch impeller). IMO a big impeller diameter is key because the outer edge travels faster and throws snow farther/better.

I have used a litany of machines to clear an 850 foot driveway in the snow belt for 24 years. This 13 HP 33 " jobber beats em all hands down. If you let it run dry of gas each spring, the next fall it starts on the very first pull. If you avoid the detrius (ice blocks, rubble, salt and rocks) down near trhe road from the municipal plows, your belt will last a very long time. Hand shoveling that junk is much quicker than changing a belt or a shear pin. I change the oil about 1x yearly and use Castrol Syntech 5w-50. Expensive, but it only takes about a quart.

Only three drawbacks. The chute adjustment is not up to the convenience standard of other more recent machines. And the machine lacks the zerk fittings for easy lubrication found on machines like the Ariens. Oilite bushings are used thruout, which so far (third year) have needed no maintenance. Finally If you buy online, the delivery method is likely to be motor freight to a depot. To get it home from there you will need a van or a pick up.

IMO the next step up from this is a SnoGo!

Living in Northern Ontario we are use to heavy snowfalls. This is the perfect machine for snow removal. It doesn't have all the fancy options you don't need but it is one brute of a snowblower. It will clear as much and how much snow you need to remove without taking a second pass and throw it 35+ feet horizontally not arc lenght as the other manufactures quote. I have owned various snowblowers some very well reconized brand names but they didn't have the brute power for heaving snow wet or fluffy as this machine. It is a big blower but it handles itself very well. No sore backs from this snowblower. Easy to assemble and no issues with the unit. After break-in I use synthetic oil in motor. I added drift cutters and tire chains for extra security, very worthwhile options. Bargains can be had on this model as it goes on sale. I paid $1199.95 for this blower and free delivery. You can't beat that.

Tired of the humiliatingly frequent defeats when snowball-fighting with my 3-year-old, I invested in one of these. Now, armed with 13 horses worth of snow projectile power, I can bask in ferocious glory as I relentlessly channel anything below my feet in his direction.

I just bought this machine and have been happy with it thus far. We just recieved 15 inches of snow, and this machine's motor handled the large drifts very well. I used the electric start once to try it out, but have had no problems using the coiled rope start. It always starts on the first or second pull. The only down side is it may be harder to handle for smaller women and/or elderly as it is a heavy machine.

I recently purchased the YardMachines Gold 8.5, 26" 2 stager to replace my snow plow that I am selling. I live in New Hampshire, so we are no stranger to 8"-12" storms, and in the past 4 years or so, a few 16" - 32" overnight storms per year.

I also own a small electric Toro PowerShovel. (works great on small storms.)

Amazon had a great deal on this YardMachines for $799, plus a coupon at checkout for $25 and free delivery! How could I beat that? A couple days after my order, New England had the Blizzard of 2005 and the price apparently jumped to $999 for this same blower. I guess that is supply and demand at work.

The blower arrived and setup took all of 30 minutes to connect this to that, read the manuals, and what not. The unit is "mostly" assembled, only requiring you to click the handle together, the snow chute and a few other very minor things.

As I had significant snow left over on the driveway (400 foot long by 30 feet wide in some areas and 20 feet in others) I set right to work.

It cleaned up nicely on the 1-2 inches I had on the ground. It cuts pretty close to the cement which is good. I then went to work on the snow banks and tried to clear my turnaround. I had about 38 inches of snow stacked up there.

Within 35 minutes or so, I had cleared all of these areas with 2 passes. Very easy, very powerful unit. It throws snow 35 feet or more and the volume of snow flying out of the chute is impressive.

The 6 speeds are nice giving you options moving around. The 2 reverse speeds also help. I am 6 foot, 185lbs and in pretty good shape. I can manhandle this blower pretty well, but a lighter weight person will have a problem. I don't think however that this unit is any worse than any blower of similar size and weight so don't be discouraged by that.

The reason I scored the unit a 4 instead of a 5 is that it is loud. I have heard other blowers which seem much quieter. I would give this unit a 4.8 otherwise, if Amazon allowed for decimals.

Bottom line: I don't think I'll be worried about large snow storms any longer. This unit is easy to start with the electrical starter, is powerful and can handle deep deep snow, and has many nice features.

We purchased an MTD snowblower(13 HP Tecumseh Snow king engine with a 33" cut)via an Amazon affiliate: The ToolShed in North Dakota. This particular model was manufactured in Canada and shipped to us last year.Unfortunately in SE Idaho we were experiencing a drought and did not have a chance to test it. This year has been dramatically different.As I write this review,a blizzard is howling outside with gale force winds. My wife and myself spent $1500 dollars on machine with piss poor quality control. The headlight shorts out causing sparking between the shift handle and the notched stop.Remedy:disconnect it for the time being. The right hand axle coming off the differential was never drilled to accept a shear bolt, consequently the right hand auger never functioned. Remedy: Spend one and one half hours and three carbide bits later drilling through a hardened steel axle. Fortunately MTD supplied extra shear bolts with this model. The lever that adjusts the angle of the discharged snow at the chute does not work. A retaining bolt that connects this lever with a plastic cam is missing.Moving the lever up and down causes the tip of the discharge to do the same.Remedy: jury rig it for the time being. No where in the operators or the engine manual are there any instructions on identifying the oil drain plug and how much oil to add.We had to go the Ariens web site to access this piece of info.Once this machine is up and running, it is an absolute beast. With both augers functioning it will hurl wet snow 20-30 feet in the air without bogging down. With the Snow Hog tires and independant traction control this 250# machine is easy to wheel around. It steers like a bulldozer. The adage "you get what you pay for" certainly holds true. Other snow blowers with this size engine:Toro, Simplicity,Ariens and Honda will cost in excess of $2000. In hindsight, it might have been worth the extra $500.

I just baught this product. I have a very long sloping driveway. When I tried the snow thrower my first problem was to stop the thing from rolling down my drive way. Given that the snow thrower is about 400lbs some kind of braking machanism would really help. I guess most of the kind do not have brakes. So be careful, if you have to deal with slopes buy a lighter one.

I was reciently in the market for a new snowblower , I had just sold a 10hp mtd snowblower . I wanted something newer and more reliable . Living in eastern Canada we are acoustomed to large snowfalls of 50cm or more , three feet or more . I wanted a big rugged machine . After doing some research and looking at different models I chose the yardman 13hp 33"cut model . The store I purchased it at gave me the machine for $300.00 less by just asking the store manager .
I have used the machine now to clean my driveway about 6 times now , and snow removal is now fast, fun, and efficient . The yardman is a big brute of a machine with lots of power . No comparisan to my old machine . Also this unit has power steering which makes the big snowblower handle great . You also have locking controls on the auger , so you can adjust the shute without stopping . You could handle this unit with one hand .
Also starting is easy with electric start , but even on the coldest days one pull will bring this machine to life !
I think this is a great snowblower and one that will last me for years .