Our Best Gas Snow Blower Reviews Through March 2020
Our goal:To help you to pick the best gas snow blower for your home. Buying a gas blower is a big decision – we want you to make the best choice for your family. With the right snow-blower, clearing the driveway can be fun!
Review Roundup For The Top Gas Snow Blowers
Other Great Choices To Look At:
Your Situation: Clearing Heavy Snow on a limited budget
Your Situation: 2-Car Unpaved Driveway With 50-inch Annual Snowfall
Not What You Are Looking For?
If you are looking for a general guide on the best snow blower we have you covered. It includes all the battery-powered, corded electric AND gasoline poweredmodels we’ve looked at.
When you live in a snowbelt and have a more than a 20 foot driveway, you should look at a three stage snow blower. The Vortex Tracker 2890 is one of the best.
The Troy-Bilt Vortex Tracker 2890 three-stage gas snow blower will clear 23 inches of snow height. No more time wasted making mulitple trips over the same path in a snow storm; this blower can hold it’s own. The 357cc 4-cycle Troy-Bilt engine is powerful enough to move the snow at the end of your driveway. Push the electric start button, and you’re ready to clear a 28-inch path of snow with each pass.
The Touch ‘N Turn power steering and the Just One Hand operation turns the snow blower effortlessly to the left or right. No physical strength needed to maneuver a cumbersome machine when turning at the end of a pass; the Troy-Bilt snow blower pivots easily 180 degrees.
Twelve-inch steel augers pull in the snow, breaking it down as it moves through the three-stage process. The impeller forces the snow through the propylene polymer chute throwing the snow at a distance up to 40 feet. The polymer is not only sturdy but avoids clogging of snow.
This model can come with either X-Trac tires or tank-like tracks to keep you moving through the snow. The included skid shoes protect against damaging surfaces.
When you’re looking for a no-frills two-stage snow blower that will last,The Ariens Classic line is a good choice. The all-steel construction of the Ariens Classic 920025 gas snow blower is designed to endure for decades. It’s one of the smaller two-stage snow blowers which makes it easy to maneuver. The 208cc 4-cycle Ariens AX engine, however, moves 58 tons of snow per hour. It handles 20 inches of snow clearing a 24-inch wide path.
The serrated steel auger draws in the snow, moving it toward the high-speed impeller which in turn pushes the snow through the chute. The 205-degree rotatable chute turns quickly as the operator directs the throwing direction and pitch.
The snow blower doesn’t have power steering, but the interlocking levers allow for one-hand operation. Self-propelled, the multiple speeds settings maneuver the snow blower comfortably through various snow conditions.
The Ariens Classic 920025 snow blower has a 3-year limited warranty.
The Troy-Bilt Storm 2410 snow blower is an excellent value for the money. The 208cc 4-cycle engine is powerful enough to move 21 inches moderate snow with a clearing width of 24 inches. The chute crank handle controls the throwing direction of the snow 30 feet away from the operator.
An electric start with the alternative pull-start ensures a quick start with or without an electrical outlet. Two separate levers control the propulsion and the auger activation. The snow blower is self-propelled and light enough for men or women to handle.
X-Trac wheels improve tracking on uneven terrain and at 15-degree inclines. The snow blower clears snow on paved and gravel driveways. The adjustable skid shoes protect surfaces from skid marks. With the right skid shoe adjustment, it makes a path without damaging the lawn.
It may not have the luxury benefits of higher-priced models, but it is a sturdy and durable machine with reinforced steel housing. The snow blower has the industry-standard 2-year warranty
If you are staring at wet snow piled on your driveway, then it’s time to enlist the Poulan Pro PR271. The Poulan Pro is a two-stage gas-powered snow blower designed for heavy wet snow. The LCT 254cc OHV engine with 12.5 lb.-ft of torque drives the augers through snowdrifts up to 23 inches high while clearing a 27-inch wide path.
The improved ribbon augers mix the snow and air, resulting in less clogging, reduced clearing time, and easier handling of snow. The impeller pushes the snow through the chute with a good throwing distance.
An electric start ensures fast startup always. With the power steering, it’s possible to handle the 240 pounds snow blower with one hand. The friction disc transmission has 6 forward speeds and 1 reverse mode to maneuver the snow blower in any snow condition.
The Poulan Pro snow blower has a 2-year warranty and the engine a 4-year warranty.
The Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490 three-stage gas snow blower is the ideal width to clear heavy snow from sidewalks. The 277cc OHV engine will clear a 24-inch path through 21 inches of snow.
Like its big brother the Troy-Bilt Vortex 2890 snow blower, this snow blower turns quickly with the Touch ‘N Turn power steering. Just One Hand operation is designed for effortless control. Trac tires keep the snow blower on course with its traction feature. Well-balanced, the snow blower’s eight speeds, six forward and two reverses, navigate through various snow conditions.
For comfort, the three-stage snow blower has heated handgrips, a gas engine with electric start, and skid shoes to protect against damaging garage floors and driveways during transport.
The three-stage design creates a constant flow of snow from the 12-inch auger to the accelerator, impeller and through the chute. The accelerator’s speed is ten times that of the steel auger. The operator directs the distance and pitch of the discharge chute with the four-way joystick. The throwing distance is as far as 40 feet.
The snow blower has a 2-year limited warranty and the auger gearbox five years.
PowerSmart is known for budget-priced products that deliver a good experience. The DB72024PA is no exception.
The PowerSmart DB72024PA is a powerful two-stage gas snow blower that costs about what you’ll pay for a single-stage. The 212cc 4-cycle overhead valve engine clears a path of 24 inches through up to 21 inches high of heavy snow. The engine conveniently has an electric start and will start even at minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 10-inch auger doesn’t automatically activate when starting the engine, which is a nice safety feature. The trigger to the left activates it, and the trigger to the right engages the wheels to move the snowblower forward. The chute rotates 180 degrees and has a throwing distance of 40 feet.
The metal skid shoes adjust to accommodate various heights and terrain and 13-inch deep track pneumatic tires help keep traction.
The Toro 38472 is a versatile snow blower that can clear an inch of fluffy snow and a foot of deep snow. The 99cc 4-cycle OHV engine will move 1,100 pounds of snow per minute throwing it 25 feet away. If you’re a fan of gas snow blowers, then you’ll like this single-stage snow blower.
With a clearing height of 12 inches and a clearing width of 18 inches, the snow blower clears snow efficiently on average-sized paved driveways. The chute rotates 205 degrees and has three adjustable heights. The Power Curve technology not only moves snow fast, but it also minimizes snow clogging in the chute.
The snow blower is compactly designed; the chute and handles fold taking up minimum storage space.
Toro is so sure you won’t have issues starting the engine in cold conditions that they issue a 2-year Guarantee-to-Start warranty together with the 2-year full warranty.
What to Look At When Shopping For The Best Gas Snow Blowers
What stage blower do I need?
What is a single stage snow thrower?
A single stage snow throweris a less complex design than a two or three-stage blower. It’s in the name: there’s only one stage of blowing the snow. The auger (the twisty blade that smashes through the snow) does all the work. It grabs the snow and fires it out the snow discharge chute.
The auger is what moves the snowblower. When it grabs the ground and snow it is clearing, it also propels the snowblower forward. This is different than in two or three-stage snow blowers. It will also grab anything on the ground – like rocks, gravel, woodchips – and throw them out of the chute as well.
That’s why it’s a bad idea to use a single-stage blower if you have a gravel driveway. The rocks become projectiles. If you are in tight quarters, you might damage property or hurt yourself or others.
Use a single-stage snowblower for light snow, small walkways, and when you want to clear paved driveways.
What is a two stage snow thrower?
A two-stage snowblower uses a serrated collection auger and an impeller. The process has two stages. It gathers the snow and breaks down the snow and ice particles into smaller pieces before it moves it to the impeller. Powered by the motor, the impeller speeds up the process and throws the snow out the chute to the designated area. It can throw the snow up to 50 feet.
Depending on the horsepower, the two-stage snow blower moves snow up to 12-24 inches deep. It efficiently clears a driveway that is two cars deep and three cars wide.
This is trivia but it matters to some people. Single stage machines should be called snow throwers, while 2 and 3-stage machines are snow blowers. Unlike snow throwers, the two-stage snow blower normally self-propels. This can help with getting up steep driveways and paths. It doesn’t scrape the surface and can clear gravel driveways without picking up the gravel.
It’s not necessary to stop the machine when rotating the chute to throw the snow in another direction. The adjustable chute rotates while the engine is working.
The auger is the nasty-looking spiral blade you’ll find at the front of blowers. You push it into the snow, and its job is to cut and crush – eventually moving the snow backward in the machine.
You want the auger to be sturdy since it take a lot of punishment. On single-stage machines, the auger not only cuts but also flings the snow up and out of the snow chute.
On single-stage cordless snow blowers, you will find the chute directly behind the auger. It’s the tool you turn from side-to-side to direct where the snow should go after it’s gone from your driveway.
I think it’s one of the most important parts of a snow blower. You need to be able to turn it quickly and easily – nothing’s worse than a chute that won’t turn while blowing in 5 degree weather.
A good chute can be turned with one hand. This is one of the most important comfort features for a gas powered blower. Trust me, a top one will save you time and anger consoling money! And isn’t saving time one of the main reasons you want buy a snowblower in the first place?
Finally we have the impeller. It’s only found in a two or three-stage blower. You’ll find it right behind the auger. It scoops and chops the snow and wooshes it up the snow chute.
As I mentioned earlier, you want this piece to be STRONG. It will take a lot of abuse every time you use it. Not only is damaging ice and hard snow chunks it’s daily rival, but it’ll have to deal with whatever else you accidently uncover under the snow. Tree sticks, children’s toys – whatever you accidently discover will meet the impeller shortly!
What About Fuel Care?
Gasoline is relatively cheap and easy to handle and provides a lot of power for your snow thrower. It’s why most throwers are powered by gas.
You do need to worry about end-of-year maintenance if you want to avoid problems next winter.
Why?
Ethanol. While you always had to take precautions to keep you fuel “fresh”, ethanol is particularly nasty to small engines.
The situation is better with these newer machines, but you can read plenty of horror stories about gunked-up gas-lines even on 1 year old blowers. Luckily, it’s not that hard to fix.