Things You'll Need:
- Money
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Step 1
Most of the more popular snow-blowers are equipped with gasoline engines. A very important snow blower functionality is height and width of the clearing path. Our 26 inch MTD Yard Machines snow blower clears a path which is 28 inches wide with an intake height of 21 inches. Intake height refers to the depth of the snow you can blow. The height and width of the machine you choose should be based on the weather in your area and the size of the area you have to clear. There are many options and accessories which can add to the price but there are only a few important ones. You might need a spotlight for nighttime snow blowing. Both electric and manual starting options are also pretty basic needs. The electric start requires that you have an electrical socket nearby—or a very long extension cord, an additional nuisance. The accessibility of controls for shifting gears and controlling the direction of the snow chute are also important. Forward and reverse gearing is another important consideration. Reverse gears will be much slower than the forward gears for reasons of safety but it helps to have at least two reverse gears. Most modern snow blowers have at least four forward speed settings. Why? In heavy, thick snow, you'll have to set the machine to a lower, slower gear speed. For a few inches of the light powdery stuff, you can move right along a long driveway at a fairly quick pace.
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Step 2
People in tight suburban or urban spaces who merely need to clear their porch or short sidewalks might consider one of the very light hand-held “electric shovels.” These are inexpensive, usually in the range of $99, but require a long cord. Some of the smaller or mid-size units can bought with gasoline motors, too, and these have greater functionality. The little electric “snow-blowers” with a 9 inch swathe are better for vacuuming the rug than for moving the kind of snow we get in the Northeast.
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Step 3
If you have a lawn tractor, you can buy a snow blower which is designed as an attachment to it. This can save you some effort but perhaps you’d be better with the exercise. Lawn tractor attachments require that you have wheel traction. Chains or special tires are important in this application. You won’t blow much snow if your tractor wheels are spinning.
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Step 4
Whether you purchase a tractor attachment or a dedicated snow blowing unit, you will have to consider the matter of drive wheels or tracks. If you're running a snow blowing tractor attachment, you won't get much work done unless you have wheel weights and tire chains or very aggressive tires. Manually operated two-stage gasoline operated snow blowers are usually pre-set at the factory to have one drive-wheel (or track) operating it. This gives it better manueverability in tight situations encountered close to the home. But when you need additional power to drive through deep snow, you can set the machine to drive both wheels at the expense of some manueverability. It's harder to make a sharp turn when both wheels of a two-wheeled machine are operating.
