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3K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  Smolenski7 
#1 ·
Hello everyone - I am about to enter the snowblower world and am not too savvy with these machines LOL. I am considering getting a snowblower and wanted some opinions on what my requirements may be and if I getting the right one:

Situation: I live in the DC area and we get our fair share of snow. Usually 2-4 inches, and the 100 year storm every 2-3 years :icon_smile_big: which can dump 2-3 feet of snow. And we have our fair share of 6-8 inch snow also.

My driveway is 400 ft long about 8 feet wide, with a portion of the driveway being a fairly large square where it meets the garage. Ideally one wouldnt need a blower, but considering the size, I am about to cave and buy one. It costs me anywhere from $100-$200 every time I get someone to plow me out depending on the inches of snow, and while its not too frequently every year (I shovel the small ones) its still the uncertainty that bothers me.

SO, I'm considering taking the plunge and looking at this machine:
Briggs and Stratton 1696619 Dual-Stage Snow Thrower with 250cc Engine
27-Inch wide clearing path with a 20-inch Intake height

Any thoughts on this machine and if it will serve my purpose? Anything i havent thought about?

Thank you for your assistance
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Hello everyone - I am about to enter the snowblower world and am not too savvy with these machines LOL. I am considering getting a snowblower and wanted some opinions on what my requirements may be and if I getting the right one:

Situation: I live in the DC area and we get our fair share of snow. Usually 2-4 inches, and the 100 year storm every 2-3 years :icon_smile_big: which can dump 2-3 feet of snow. And we have our fair share of 6-8 inch snow also.

My driveway is 400 ft long about 8 feet wide, with a portion of the driveway being a fairly large square where it meets the garage. Ideally one wouldnt need a blower, but considering the size, I am about to cave and buy one. costs me anywhere from $100-$200 every time I get someone to plow me out depending on the inches of snow, and while its not too frequently every year (I shovel the small ones) its still the uncertainty that bothers me.

SO, I'm considering taking the plunge and looking at this machine:
Briggs and Stratton 1696619 Dual-Stage Snow Thrower with 250cc Engine
27-Inch wide clearing path with a 20-inch Intake height

Any thoughts on this machine and if it will serve my purpose? Anything i havent thought about?

Thank you for your assistance

:welcome: aboard!

I have seen that machine on Amazon. It looks like a decent value for the money. However I think it is too small for your needs. Additionally the 250cc engine may prove underpowered for the EOD (end of driveway) plow pile. Though it certainly would beat shoveling. Ariens runs some good finance promos, you may want to look at the Deluxe 28 SHO (SHO models are only available at independent dealers only, not the big boxes) in my area about $1200. This is a heavy duty powerful machine that will last many years. Also their Deluxe 30 with heated grips may come in handy for your very long driveway about $1400. for this model. Best of luck let us know which one you ended up going with.
 
#8 ·
Thank you. That is good to know. Is it underpowered because of the amount of space I have to cover, or is it the EOD pileup you mention? Because the EOD pileup has never been bad...we live on a private street, homes are spaced apart, and our private contractor ensures not to screw anyone over. I do however, have an incline (not steep) in the last 100 feet of driveway which I forgot to mention. I initially looked at Ariens and will re-look. Do you feel the $500-600 difference is worth it?
 
#13 ·
Kutta, the general consensus here is to NOT purchase from Home Depot, etc. There's the existing concern about their skill level and paygrade when assembling and tuning these machines for delivery to the new owner.


I suppose you don't have many OPE shops selling used blowers in your area, but I suspect you could find a very new (1 - 2 yr old) machine for $1000 or less.
 
#17 ·
I really only have experience with Ariens and Craftsman. I currently own a 24" Deluxe that's 5 years old. It has a B&S 250CC engine. I used to own a 28" Craftsman that had the same 250CC engine. Although there were other differences, mainly the size of the impeller, so this is not an apples to apples comparison, I can say without a doubt in my mind that my smaller 24" Ariens (with the larger impeller) outperforms the 28" Craftsman.

So, if you are looking at a 250CC machine, anything that is 24" should be great. I know Ariens sells my current model, complete with auto-turn, for $999 I think. There are also other good manufacturers like Toro, or even Simplicity (who's parent company is Briggs and Stratton). I'm not sure what the differences would be between the Briggs model you are looking at and a comparable Simplicity, but I do know that Simplicity is their top-of-line brand name so there is a good chance that it's made with better components.
 
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