Cleaning up after a hefty snowfall is no easy feat. Having the right tools to assist you will make it a much easier endeavor, such as a snow blower.
You might be wondering which is better; a gas or electric snow blower. Knowing the benefits and drawbacks of each type of snow blower will help you figure out which will be the best for you based on where you live and how much snow you get.
What Are Gas Snow Blowers?
A gas snow blower is one that needs to be loaded with gas, similar to a car, in order to run the motor. Since they use gas, they emit gas into the air when they are powered up. Gas snow blowers have been used for quite some time.
What Are Electric Snow Blowers?
An electric snow blower comes with a battery that needs to be charged. Electric snow blowers have existed for a while but until recently, they weren’t as powerful as they are now. Some electric snow blowers have cords that can be plugged into an outlet, while others don’t need one. Instead, the battery can be removed and placed into a charger.
What Are The Benefits Of A Gas Snow Blower?
A gas snow blower is designed to effectively clear a large amount of snow off of a greater area. If you have a very large driveway, a long sidewalk, or a large backyard you would like to clear, a gas snow blower would be ideal.
If you live in an area that gets heavy downfalls of snow often, a gas snow blower will be able to blow through it easily. Gas snow blowers come in models for different capacities of snow, so you can get one that suits your needs.
What Are The Drawbacks Of A Gas Snow Blower?
One of the main drawbacks of a gas snow blower is that they have to be filled up with gas. Not only is gas expensive, but the production and use of gas is harmful for the environment.
A gas snow blower also needs more maintenance than its electric counterparts, and it can be costly to upkeep over time. Not only do you have to buy gas, but you will have to get the oil changed, replace the spark plug when it goes, and give it a thorough clean between uses and before storage.
What Are The Benefits Of An Electric Snow Blower?
If you don’t have an expansive area of land to clear off snow, you would enjoy having an electric snow blower. They can clear small or medium sized driveways, patios, decks, and sidewalks easily and efficiently.
An electric snow blower also doesn’t make a lot of noise, so you can rest assured you won’t wake up the neighbors when you have to clear a path to get your car out of the driveway early in the morning.
An electric snow blower is also easy to move around as they tend to be smaller than your typical gas model, so those who may have trouble pushing heavy machinery will be able to clear snow with an electric model more easily.
One of the most incentivizing benefits of an electric snow blower is that it does not push any harmful emissions into the air in order to operate it. Since you can easily charge it, it also doesn’t require you to keep purchasing gas to make it work.
What Are The Drawbacks Of An Electric Snow Blower?
With an electric snow blower running on electricity, the power will go out faster than a gas snow blower will run out of gas. Thus, if you have a very large area to clear out, you might have to run back and charge the blower before you can finish plowing all the snow.
Electric snow blowers are also a bit compact so they aren’t able to clear a large heap of snow. If you get inches and inches of snow very often, an electric snow blower might not be able to clear it up.
Finally, electric snow blowers aren’t the easiest to push along driveways with gravel or stones, as they have smaller wheels with less capacity to breeze over the uneven terrain.
What Are The Differences Between Each Stage Of Snow Blower?
Snow blowers come in single stage, stage two, and stage three mechanisms. This will affect how powerful the snow blower is. A single stage snow blower will gather the snow as you push it, and will direct it into a pile in a certain direction.
A stage two snow blower has a bigger system that takes in the snow, and there is also a directional ejector that will blow the snow out of the way and into a pile. Finally, a three stage snow blower will grab up the snow and push it out of the way at a much faster speed than its counterparts.
Electric snow blowers tend to mainly be single stage, while gas snow blowers might come in any of the three.
Which Type Of Snow Blower Is Less Expensive?
Both types of snow blowers can be affordable or expensive, but a snow blower can be a worthy investment for many reasons. Electric snow blowers tend to be less expensive, but you can find gas snow blowers that are similarly priced. Some state-of-the-art gas snow blowers can cost you thousands of dollars.
What Are Some Features I Should Look For In Any Kind Of Snow Blower?
A snow blower that gives you the ability to change its speed and add accessories to customize its usefulness to the current weather conditions is ideal. For example, these features can help you get through hard snow or push the blower over ice easily.
Having a light on your snow blower is also a nice addition, as it can help guide you through hazy conditions and dark mornings. While these features aren’t necessary, you can even find some snow blower models that have heated handles and snow chutes that can move around to direct the snow into a specific area.
Hi, I’m John Stephens, chief editor and writer for Totalgardener.com. I’ve been gardening and raising animals for over 15 years starting with a small backyard plot in Northern Virginia where I grew corn, potatoes, squash, and using a high mulch technique called the Ruth Stout Method. I also raised ducks and small mammals for meat and eggs in a movable pen similar to the ones used by Joel Salatin. I later moved to Colorado where I experimented with growing greens using aquaponics inside. I eventually added a microgreens setup and home sprouting operation. I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned plus more from the other local gardening and animal raising experts I know.
