Thanks loads! Your advice is greatly appreciated.

HI Brains, Above 30 inches the Craftsman Pro Series 34″ 420cc Dual Stage Snowblower w/ Power Steering is another good choice. It’s the same snow blower with a better front light and a mechanical chute control instead of the Troy-Bilts electric chute (I like both types)

There is no advantage to buy the 3-stage Cub Cadet 34 for the type and amount of snow you get.

Stay away from the 33 or 45 inch snow blower from Cub Cadet, Yard Machines,Troy-bilt and Craftsman. They are old models and not as good as the 34.

Ariens has a nice Pro 32 and Pro 36 but they are expensive because they are commercial snow blowers. The Troy-Bilt will last you years.

Stay away from the Honda 32 inch at this time. It’s way over-priced.

That sounds doable. Thanks! Any other recommendations for a large capacity blower that I should consider?

Hi Brian, Let’s use the following assumptions. 2 mph is a good walking speed behind a snow blower. The Arctic Storm 34 can easily handle 12 inches of snow at that speed. That’s 176 feet per minute. (The Arctic Storm will go faster for the light snows if you want to walk that fast)

The Arctic Storm 34 can handle 12 inches easily without the snow building up in front and falling out the sides so the effective clearing width is 30 inches. That means you can easily clean the long part of your driveway in two passes. (60 inches each round trip) (Some snow blowers can’t take in 12 inches as fast and snow builds up and falls out the sides. Other snow blowers throw snow out one side or the other if it’s more than 6-8 inches deep so you can only take half-passes)

In theory you can clear the long part of your driveway in 15 minutes. In reality you will need more time to clear around the mailbox and the turn-in part from the road. You’ll need extra time to clear any extra parking areas, sidewalks, etc. Snow blowers only back up in reverse about 1 mph so ny area where you have a lot of backing up to do will take twice as long.

Without looking at the actual property – I’d guess 45 minutes to an hour on the 12 inch days – less on the days when you only get 3-4.

Great site! After many years of paying a neighbor to plow my driveway, I’m thinking of investing in a heavy duty snow blower, something like the Troy Bilt Arctic Storm 34. I have a long driveway, 350 feet or so that’s 8 feet wide and paved. I live in western NY, so snowfalls are in the 3-12″ range most of the time. Realistically, how long would it take me to clear my driveway with a snow blower? I don’t have anyplace to store a real tractor, otherwise I would consider that. Thanks!

Brian

Hi Bob, Yes, that’s been a very popular topic over on the snow blower forums this year. Personally I would not do it because I’d be afraid of installing the flaps wrong and it set up a vibration or harmonic in the snow blower. The extra vibration would quickly destroy the impeller bearings and possibly even the front gear box. The MTD built machines like yours have full length front auger shafts so they don’t use a front gearbox support. That support would be critical in my opinion to maintain the life of the snow blower with the extra weight of the flaps installed.

I have a strong feeling that the impeller paddles are not wearing out. It’s something else that is causing the loss of throwing ability.

I’d check: Is the impeller drive belt new? An old worn or glazed belt will cause it to throw less snow.
Is the tension spring on the impeller belt idler arm good? A ten year old machine can easily have a worn out spring.
Is the impeller handle to idler arm cable adjusted correctly? The MTD cables are know to stretch over time.
Does it make any strange noises? A bad bearing by the impeller or a worn out front gearbox can cause it to slow down.
Does the engine seem to run slower at top speed. Tweeking the throttle cable or governor control spring can get your engine speed back up.

Dino, White glove delivery means a local dealer sets up the snow blower, adjusts it, delivers it and goes through the operation. It’s well worth the money because you get to meet your local dealer so if you ever have a problem you know where to go and you know the machine is set up properly.

the last time I heard, the Home Depot machines are brought into the store in crates and assembled by in-store personnel. Assembly will be correct but any adjustments like the skid shoes won’t be done.

Thank you again for your help, its a large purchase and you have been a huge help. One last question. Do you have any thoughts on purchasing from the sales stock at a local home depot or purchasing using a supposed “white glove delivery” from Home Depot as well? Thank you again.

Hi Dino, it’s the same machine – just one is 4 inches wider.