Do you love the look of a snowy winter? Do you also have to shovel snow out of the way after every winter storm? No matter the exact reason, many people hate to have to shovel snow. Unfortunately, snow does need to be moved out of the way in order for you to be able to get your car out of the driveway or to be able to use the sidewalk in front of your house. If you dislike shoveling or you can no longer shovel snow, it may be time to look into purchasing a snow blower. But since not all snow blowers are created equal, here are some things to keep in mind when you're shopping:
Slope of ground: Most snow blowers are intended to be used on a flat, or nearly flat, surface. This includes concrete driveways and sidewalks. If your driveway is sloped so that you're at the top of a short hill, most snow blowers won't be able to actually work. Instead of throwing snow out of the way, they'll dig into the ground and get stuck. Fortunately, there are snow blowers that have been made to be used on sloped ground, so make sure that you purchase one of these if you have to deal with surfaces that aren't level.
Composition of surface: If you go to the store and grab one of the snow blowers there at random, you're likely to get one that can only be used on asphalt or concrete surfaces. This is fine for most people, but if you have a gravel driveway or you want to clear snow away from part of your yard as well, using a regular snow blower could be hazardous. Instead of just flinging snow, it may dig into and pick up gravel, dirt, and slightly larger rocks to be flung away. If you intend to use your snow blower on an unprepared surface, look for one that has this use as a listed feature.
Strength of snow blower: Snow blowers come in 3 basic strengths. The first one is for light duty, able to clear a few inches of snowfall with relative ease. If you have storms that dump a foot or more of snow at a time, however, you may want to look into purchasing a type-2 snow blower. These have stronger engines and are able to chew through larger amounts of snow and light amounts of ice. For exceptional amounts of snow or digging through the icy clumps left behind by the city snow plows, you should consider a type-3 snow blower. These have very strong engines that are capable of chewing through several feet of ice and snow.
For more information on snow blowers, contact a company like ProCore Power Equipment LLC.
