For those of you who enjoy the outdoors and want to remove snow from your yard, there are two excellent options. First, there is the standard walk behind snow blower which is great for light areas like sidewalks or driveways, but will not cut the snow very well. The other option is an electric portable snow blower. These blowers are ideal for getting rid of snow anywhere in your yard where a shovel may not be accessible, such as around trees or deep in the underbelly of a tree.
Almost all walk behind type portable snow blowers now come with a single, or two, cylinder OHV engine which runs on electric oil. Larger electric commercial grade snow clearing machines use multiple cylinder diesel engines. Your average walk behind snow-clearing machine will have a cylinder displacement size of between 150cc and 300cc and often has a direct overhead camshaft with a variable delay to increase snow removal efficiency and minimize time spent gathering and clearing snow. For light areas like sidewalks, you will probably only need a lower end model that has less power and can clear moderate sidewalks and parking lots in a matter of minutes. For larger areas, you may need a more powerful, higher capacity model to handle the snow.
Two popular names for these types of engines are the McCoy and Lopez obrador engines. McCoy is a Canadian company that has been making snow plows and snow removal equipment for over forty years. They were one of the original manufacturers of the Remstar 500 series plows and snow throwers. The McCoy Company started out by manufacturing garden tools, but their desire was to create a better way of getting the snow off the sidewalks of cities. Their first product, the Remstar 500 series, was an outstanding achievement for them and their engineering skills were the main reason for their success.
The Mccoy company still produces the Remstar line of electric-powered snow blowers today, but they also have a newer and much improved replacement for the original Mccoy Snowmobile. Their newer model is called the GrassMaster maxi and has a two-stage fuel system that burns gasoline for power, as well as a controller and accessory box that makes operating the GrassMaster maxi easy and fun. The new model also features a battery-powered electric motor that is charged by the vehicle’s battery and has an electronic choke that minimizes the noise from the engine while it is running. The electric motor is typically smaller than the gas-powered engine and has a quieter output than the gas-powered models.
The second style of engine for electric snow blowers is the cordless variety. These are usually smaller and less powerful than the models powered by the gas engine. This makes them much easier to handle when you are not using a lot of force or are clearing a very large area. However, they still need to be charged and plugged in at least a few times each month. Cordless also make them easier to use because they are so light and can be used more easily in difficult locations.
You can buy lightweight electric snow blowers in a wide variety of sizes based upon how much snow you need to clear. The largest models are often referred to as “heavy-duty steel augers”. You can use these blowers on virtually any sized area. The biggest advantage to these models is that they are quiet, efficient and able to clear larger areas more quickly. Even if you have to move a very large area, a light weight portable snow blower is faster than a heavy-duty steel auger. You can also get some of these snow machines for rental, which will save you money if you need to clear a larger area this winter.
There are two types of battery-operated portable snow blowers – the type that plugs into an outlet and the type that run off a cigarette lighter. Most models of the compact electric snow blower are powered by the cigarette lighter. If you want to clear a relatively large area, then you should consider purchasing a model that uses a standard cigarette lighter. However, if you only need to clear a small area, then you may be better off with one of the compact models that use the standard outlet. These models generally run just as effectively as models powered by the gasoline engine, although they tend to be smaller and are easier to store.
It is best to find a model that uses a standard cigarette lighter in order to reduce the amount of time that your battery will be dead. This is because the compact electric snow blower that run on batteries have the potential to run for many hours without needing to be recharged. Most models that are powered by the gasoline engine will need to be recharged after using them for about five to six hours. Using a standard cigarette lighter allows your battery-operated snow blower to last longer before needing to be recharged.