I’m looking at snow blowers for next year and have shortlisted the Ariens Platinum 24 SHO.
We just had around 15-16 inches of heavy snow. Earlier this month we had 9-10 inches of heavy snow. Before that, we had 6 inches.
This was more snow than we’ve had in years. In recent years, we’ve had no more than 5-6″ of snow at a time.
I donated a remaining 2-stage snow blower test sample and set out to only test one model this year, a battery-powered single stage snow blower with rubber paddle.
Needless to say, I did a lot of manual shoveling yesterday.
Even when I manually removed half the snow, the single stage snow blower couldn’t handle the remainder.
I loved EGO’s 2-stage snow blower, and it worked out because I had multiple sets of batteries to feed it. I had mostly positive experiences with EGO, but I don’t think even their best models could have handled the deeper parts of yesterday’s snow.
Some of my neighbors were struggling with their gas engine snow blowers. One neighbor across the street didn’t seem to be moving any faster than I was with my shovel. Another had a gas engine snow blower but it apparently wasn’t working well either.
Towards the end, my neighbor brought out his high powered gas engine snow blower and took over clearing the compacted plowed-over snow at the end of my driveway. He cleared the remaining 100 square feet or so with speed and ease I have never seen with any battery-powered snow blower.
He then took his snow blower across the street to clear the sidewalk. I’m not sure what was going on with their snow blower.
Upon seeing my neighbor clear the most stubborn plowed-over snow mounds, and what many readers said in response to my posts about the Milwaukee M18 Fuel snow blower, I am pretty convinced that a gas engine snow blower will be the way to go.
I shoveled around the cars. Then later we cleaned the cars. The Milwaukee couldn’t handle that snow either, it was just too dense. The paddle made things a little worse and harder to lift from the driveway.
I prefer battery-powered, but when I shopped around in November, none of the modern systems appealed to me. That’s part of why I convinced myself to endure this season just testing the M18. I was set on replacing the donated EGO with a new battery-powered 2-stage snow blower, but all of the available options seemed like pricy compromises.
I was sold on EGO, but apprehensive about the cost of batteries. I also looked at Ryobi 40V, Snow Joe, and Toro.
I’ve come to believe that battery-powered snow blowers have a lot of benefits, but also many compromises.
Hopefully this is the year we get a shed, which will minimize storage concerns.
For the past few years, I’d estimate that I used battery-powered snow blowers between 0 and 5 times per season. Most years 5″ is the most snow we might expect to see in a single storm.
16 inches was a bear to dig out. We might not see snow like this again for 5 years, maybe 10. Or maybe we’ll get that twice next year.
I prefer battery-powered so that I don’t have to deal with fuel storage or stabilizing concerns, or engine maintenance. But, I suppose that’s where engineered packaged fuel might come in to reduce the hassle.
I’m not sure what led me to settled on the Ariens, but it seems like a good pick.
The Platinum series has more power than Deluxe. I might or might not need the extra power, but it’s always the end-of-driveway plowed-over mess that gives me the most trouble.
Our road was repaved a little over a year ago, and in doing so they messed up the level of my gutter and sump drains. I still need to get that fixed.
Last year, I had to chip out one of the drains that had frozen shut. This year I dug out a trench to help it. It’d be nice if I had a snow blower powerful enough to chew up that deep snow and spit it out a few feet away.
There’s no way even the EGO would be able to handle that wall of plowed-over snow – not with the snow fall we had earlier this month and definitely not after this week’s snow.
The neighbor’s snow blower chewed it all up without the least bit of struggle, and that’s what I’m after.
So, the Ariens Platinum 24 SHO, with 389cc engine is on my shortlist. The Deluxe 24″ is rated at 254cc. The Deluxe 28″ SHO (Super High Output) seems a bit too large.
I guessed (incorrectly) that it was too late to buy a snow blower for this season. At the risk of jinxing myself and calling forth even more snow, I still think that’s true, even with a month of winter ahead of us.
Meaning, I won’t be ordering anything until maybe October but at that time I’m usually completely consumed by holiday season content demands. With that in mind, I’ve been doing casual research now, so that all I need to do at that time is pull out a credit card.
It seems cost is the only reason to go with the Deluxe over the Platinum. The Platinum has a few perks, but I mainly want enough power to deal with the 3-5 inches of snow we might get once or twice a year, the rare 12″+ storm, and the deep and dense mess the street plows leave in front of my driveway and drain outlets.
Do you have any alternate recommendations for me to consider?
24″ seems to be the sweet spot. Should I consider other brands instead of Ariens? Which brands have a broader dealer or retail network? Parts availability?
I’m still open to battery-power, but it might not make sense unless I buy into an ecosystem. For cordless outdoor power tools, I strongly prefer smaller power tool battery systems, like Dewalt 20V Max, Milwaukee M18, and Makita XGT, in no particular order.
I have a tapered inclined driveway – it’s wider and flatter at the top, and much narrower and steeper on the bottom. That adds to the challenge of tackling the mound the street plow always leaves.
From my notes and recollection, clearing around 8″ of snow from my driveway would have taken 2 sets of 7.5Ah batteries with the EGO 2-stage. I’ve had batteries go bad in storage in between seasons.
The cost of batteries over 10 years, let alone the lifespan of a well-maintained gas engine snow blower is what gives me pause. That, and I’d never seen a battery-powered snow blower do what my neighbor’s larger gas engine model can do – I’m still in awe.
He upgraded from a smaller engine model and it seemed well worth it.
It took a lot of testing, back-aching labor, readers’ comments, and my neighbor’s high-powered gas engine blower to convince me that gas is going to be the way to go.
Thoughts on my choice thus far?
I briefly looked at 3-stage machines a few weeks ago, but they seem excessive for the range of snow I can reasonably expect to see most years.
