NEW SHOP or which snowblower to buy?

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Finally after some years working in garage I build a SHOP.
It started last year:141301
After only a few month straggling with county base was dig out:141302 and with some technical problems 141304141305, concrete pad was done
141306.

Another few month getting permit from county ( look to the leaves color change):(:(141307 and shop start looks to be a real option for me.141309:D:D

Please see next post

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

And I got a shop.141310 141311141312
it is 20 by 24 and 9' high:( ( in my next life I would build a much higher):o
I did spray foam insulation and 3/4 plywood as a walls cover ( again my county inspector requested not less then 3/4 plywood for fireproofing:()
Delta-Fl and 3/4 OSB for a floor and finally I stared moving my tools and stuff from garage-shop.
As you can see on the pictures I did not finish yet:141313
141314 141315 141316 141317.
In a plan were DC with 6" S&D PVC

BUT WINTER COME......
cont.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I love winter and snow ( I am from Russia) but not in a middle of moving my stuff to shop. This is only 150-200 feet from garage to shop and I am alone ( not counting my wive and dog). It is impossible to do anything after last show storm. In my backyard only 26-32" of snow. And after cleaning a front road - another 500', I dig a narrow pass for me and my superviser 141318 141319.
I am start thinking about snowblower.
If somebody has a good snow blower and would recommend it, please let me know.


I need a snowblower to start doing woodworking

[Rod Sheridan]

Eduard, how about using your dust collector without a bag to move snow?:D

Howdy from Canada by the way................Rod.

[Mark Bolton]

Nice setup. Was that like a 70m boom delivering your concrete?!? Zoikes, what did that cost? You have a very nice, state of the art structure for sure.

I would settle for a shoveled path and a coffee pot in that shop. Walk the narrow path, shut the door, and enjoy that there isn't an inviting walkway for anyone to strol down and bother you.

Other than the dog of course,
mark

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Beautiful shop Eduard! Keep those photos coming as you continue completing and movin in!

[Lewis Cobb]

Hi Eduard -

Great looking shop and greetings from Canada - another snow country :)

Lewis

PS - Where are you from in Russia? My wife's from Ulyanovsk but grew up and went to university in Novisibirsk.

[Mike Archambeau]

Eduard;

Nice shop! To clear that path to the shop you should get a snow scoop. No lifting involved and no engines to maintain. When I was in college in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, this is how we moved our snow. One year we had 350 inches of snow!

http://www.silverbear.biz/

[Mitchell Andrus]

Eduard, if you don't mind, what was your budget and did you stick pretty close to it? How much per square foot?
.

[Aaron Wingert]

Eduard I'd have loved to watch your county inspector justifying the need for 3/4" plywood for fire resistance in a detached shop/garage without a home right next to it. :confused: I'm intimately familiar with the International Residential Code and I assure you.....That ain't in there. I believe I'd have asked for a code section to justify his requirement.

Heck of a good looking shop! Looking forward to seeing more pictures once you're all thawed out and moved in.

[Bill Blackburn]

Same up here Aaron - city and country codes in most of area require it. Get to be spendy, heavy, and harder to toss up but .... they get to call the shots and us minions pay the bills.

Eduard --- Super Nice! And huge vote for Ariens, Honda, NorthStar (Northern Tool's private label) 'blowers. Can't go wrong with any of them.

Mike - thing with them sliders shov's is when the "walls" get high they PITA or worthless. Not much good on pavers or rough surfaces either in my experience. Simple sidewalks they fine. I was in UP for years outside the Porkies. 240-260" was common yearly occurances and then up and up from there..... it was great for sledding...the motorized flavor. Whereabouts were you at? Michigan -Tech then? Love that country. Hate the economics of area. Can't have it all I guess

[Dave Gaul]

Eduard;

Nice shop! To clear that path to the shop you should get a snow scoop. No lifting involved and no engines to maintain. When I was in college in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, this is how we moved our snow. One year we had 350 inches of snow!

http://www.silverbear.biz/


I like this idea! Much cheaper than a snowblower! My only reservations are how it would handle deeper snowfalls. In the videos, it seems to handle a 6" snowfall just fine. How will it perform in 12" + ? Also, some parts of my driveway don't have much space for dumping off the snow, so that may pose a problem for some too when using a snow scoop.

For a snowblower, I've owned one of the Troy Built models they sell at Lowe's, and I never had a problem with it. Should have kept it through the divorce! I've also read in consumer reports that the Craftsman models are worth trying too.

Oh, and great looking shop btw!!!

[Don Bullock]

Eduard, congratulations on the shop. It looks great. The fire code here requires drywall instead of plywood. In our county the fire department has final say on all building more than 120 sq. ft. If they don't pass it, no matter what the code says, it doesn't get signed off.

I wish that I could help you with a snow blower recommendation, but here in Southern California we don't need them.;)

[Brian Tymchak]

I need a snowblower to start doing woodworking



I completely understand. I think my next tool investment for my shop is a riding lawnmower... ;)

Brian

[Kent A Bathurst]

If you have only 2 mortises to make, you wouldn't go buy a mortiser - you'd chop by hand. I don't know how long you've lived in No Va, but I lived there for some years, and have friends that still do. The snow you are seeing is not routine for that part of the country. I wouldn't get carried away. You could shovel the minimum, and then take the Old Testament approach: "God put it there, He'll take it away."


Two things I know for a fact:
(1) My Dad never had a snowblower when we lived in Fairfax, but he did have something even better: "Teenage sons are machines that convert a roof and meals into mowed lawns, raked leaves, and shoveled snow, without ever making a sound." Don't know if you have a couple of those machines hanging around?
(2) Also - if you have neighbors - teenage boys will do ANYTHING to get gas money. And I mean ANYTHING.

[Nick Laeder]

I like this idea! Much cheaper than a snowblower! My only reservations are how it would handle deeper snowfalls. In the videos, it seems to handle a 6" snowfall just fine. How will it perform in 12" + ? Also, some parts of my driveway don't have much space for dumping off the snow, so that may pose a problem for some too when using a snow scoop.

For a snowblower, I've owned one of the Troy Built models they sell at Lowe's, and I never had a problem with it. Should have kept it through the divorce! I've also read in consumer reports that the Craftsman models are worth trying too.

Oh, and great looking shop btw!!!


They'll handle it. I'm a Tech grad too (I'm assuming Mike Archambeau is as well), Class of 01 and 04 BSCE and MSCE.

We used to use those things for every snowfall, and there's some snow up there. I remember it snowing for 48 straight hours once. We had to shovel the steps to the house every couple of hours.

Yooper Scoops are the best.

[Joel Earl]

Wonderful shop - I am very jealous.:o:p

back to the scooper thingys....how do you handle a 100' long walkway 30" wide at most with something like that? Do you have to lift the thing up and over the side banks every few feet when it gets full? I like the idea but have to wonder if it wouldn't be more of a hassle than actually just shoveling it up and over? Bad back says that is a No-No any longer for me.

In a normal year where my banks are just 2-3' high I see it as manageable but when they are better than 5' like they are today I can't see how it can work unless I was to push it to ends every 20-30 minutes in a snowfall. That does not work for me as I am not home always. I need a POWERFUL 24" 2 stage blower that's 8hp or so - anyone have any rec's in this range/size too ?????

[Chris Stolicky]

Nice shop.

If you are really still convinced you need a snow blower, here is the advice I was given:

"Buy the biggest and most powerful one you can afford. Oh, and try to get one with a Tecumseh engine."

That's pretty much the best advice you can get.

With that said, if you don't usually get much snow, I would just struggle through the shoveling. Gas engines require maintenance, Even with as little as it can be at times, it also takes away shop time.

[Lee Schierer]

You can't go wrong with a Simplicity Snow blower. They are great machines and handle wet snow better than any other I've seen. Mine is in it's third year and still throws the snow like new and I have to be careful not to put it on the roof of the house. Starts on the first pull when cold too, even though I have an electric starter, I never use it.

[Mike Archambeau]

Same up here Aaron - city and country codes in most of area require it. Get to be spendy, heavy, and harder to toss up but .... they get to call the shots and us minions pay the bills.

Eduard --- Super Nice! And huge vote for Ariens, Honda, NorthStar (Northern Tool's private label) 'blowers. Can't go wrong with any of them.

Mike - thing with them sliders shov's is when the "walls" get high they PITA or worthless. Not much good on pavers or rough surfaces either in my experience. Simple sidewalks they fine. I was in UP for years outside the Porkies. 240-260" was common yearly occurances and then up and up from there..... it was great for sledding...the motorized flavor. Whereabouts were you at? Michigan -Tech then? Love that country. Hate the economics of area. Can't have it all I guess

Bill;

Went to Michigan Tech during the 1978-1981 timeframe. Loved being up there. I had a Jeep CJ7 so it was a blast. Did a lot of snow shoeing. Met a pretty girl from Detroit and convinced her to marry me and move to CT. Thirty years laterand she is still pretty and still with me (that is a miralce!)

The economy up there is challenging. Thank God people still want to educate their children, because without MTU there would not be much left. Are you familiar with Pasty Central: http://www.pasty.com/
They have some great pics and videos. Also there is an old timer in Eagle Harbor that has a nice web site: http://www.eagleharborweb.net/

Hey back in the depression, 81% of the people in the Kewenaw Peninsula were on welfare. The copper mines had just closed and there was no other work to be had. Lots of the miners headed to Detroit, Flint, Saginaw to work in the automoblie factories. Now those cities are in big trouble. My folks still live in Saginaw. I was there during the holidays and was really disappointed to see the economic decline.

[Mike Archambeau]

I like this idea! Much cheaper than a snowblower! My only reservations are how it would handle deeper snowfalls. In the videos, it seems to handle a 6" snowfall just fine. How will it perform in 12" + ? Also, some parts of my driveway don't have much space for dumping off the snow, so that may pose a problem for some too when using a snow scoop.

For a snowblower, I've owned one of the Troy Built models they sell at Lowe's, and I never had a problem with it. Should have kept it through the divorce! I've also read in consumer reports that the Craftsman models are worth trying too.

Oh, and great looking shop btw!!!

Dave;

The scoop does the deep stuff even better. When you push down the handle, the thing moves like a tobagan, so you can slide the snow up a bank and then tip it forward to empty the load. So you never lift the weight of the snow.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Rod - it is a good idea to use DC for blowing snow. I will try and will report after:D:D

Mitchell - I over my planned budget:(:(, but only for 15-20%. Final price around $50 per sq.f. This price included foundation, shed, spray insulation, walls with 3/4 plywood, floor with Delta-Fl and 3/4 OSB and all electrical work and AC/heating/dehumidifier unit - Mr.Slim ductless:D.

Mark - I am not sure how long was the boom, but total distance from concrete machine to foundation around 200 feet.

Aaron - I am not sure that I would ask for justification for 3/4 plywood. County requested covering spray foam with drywall, but I want a something usefull - we become agreed for plywood.:D

Coming back to main question - SNOWBLOWER. I prefer something powerful with engine. Agreed with Chris - "bigger is better"
Yes, I know in VA I will use this machine maybe few times in a three - four year.But if I will take care of SB, keep maintenance schedule and so, it may be my last purchase of snowblower in my lifetime?;)
It is another winter storm today and tomorrow
Ed.

[Mike Archambeau]

Rod - it is a good idea to use DC for blowing snow. I will try and will report after:D:D

Mitchell - I over my planned budget:(:(, but only for 15-20%. Final price around $50 per sq.f. This price included foundation, shed, spray insulation, walls with 3/4 plywood, floor with Delta-Fl and 3/4 OSB and all electrical work and AC/heating/dehumidifier unit - Mr.Slim ductless:D.

Mark - I am not sure how long was the boom, but total distance from concrete machine to foundation around 200 feet.

Aaron - I am not sure that I would ask for justification for 3/4 plywood. County requested covering spray foam with drywall, but I want a something usefull - we become agreed for plywood.:D

Coming back to main question - SNOWBLOWER. I prefer something powerful with engine. Agreed with Chris - "bigger is better"
Yes, I know in VA I will use this machine maybe few times in a three - four year.But if I will take care of SB, keep maintenance schedule and so, it may be my last purchase of snowblower in my lifetime?;)
It is another winter storm today and tomorrow
Ed.

Here you go.....http://cgi.ebay.com/JOHN-DEERE-4X4-X595-TRACTOR-MOWER-62-DECK-2004-DIESEL_W0QQitemZ230433419074QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_ DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a6e6ef42

and be sure to get this: http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Deere-47-two-stage-snowblower-425-445-455_W0QQitemZ160402631511QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item2558bdeb57

You can cut grass when you aren't blowing snow. It is 4 wheel drive, diesel powered and will last you a lifetime. I have a similar tractor, with a rear tiller for putting in the garden. The tractor weighs about 1200 pounds.

[Doug Carpenter]

I would suggest a two stage snow blower no matter what.

I have been using my neighbors' machine. It is a Yard Machine. It is self propelled and it is truly awsome. I live in cleveland. We get ALOT od wet heavy lake effect snow and this machine goes through it like butter!

Don't waste your money on a single stage I have used a few of them including an Ariens which is like top of the line and it was okay if it was light fluffy snow that was only 4 inches deep.

Nice shop too.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

Doug, thanks. Yes, it will be a two stage. Right now, nothing can be found in big box stores and due road conditions, nothing can be delivered to home. I will wait a little bit.
Ed.

[Bill Blackburn]

Bill;

Went to Michigan Tech during the 1978-1981 timeframe. Loved being up there. I had a Jeep CJ7 so it was a blast. Did a lot of snow shoeing. Met a pretty girl from Detroit and convinced her to marry me and move to CT. Thirty years laterand she is still pretty and still with me (that is a miralce!)

The economy up there is challenging. Thank God people still want to educate their children, because without MTU there would not be much left. Are you familiar with Pasty Central: http://www.pasty.com/
They have some great pics and videos. Also there is an old timer in Eagle Harbor that has a nice web site: http://www.eagleharborweb.net/

Hey back in the depression, 81% of the people in the Kewenaw Peninsula were on welfare. The copper mines had just closed and there was no other work to be had. Lots of the miners headed to Detroit, Flint, Saginaw to work in the automoblie factories. Now those cities are in big trouble. My folks still live in Saginaw. I was there during the holidays and was really disappointed to see the economic decline.

Hey Mike - I check in @ the pasty site often but Georges eagleharbor site I was unaware of. Thanks very much - looks to be enjoyable.
It's a hard, tough, sometimes brutal life in UP but it's magical place too. Managing to survive on next to nothing remains the trick sadly.

I'm actually taking a trip to L'Anse here in a couple of weeks. My dad was from there - Native American himself and he had worked on the International Bridge way back, as a matter of fact my great grandfather worked on the first one. In their blood I guess to do that type of work and no fear of heights nor the weather. I know I lost part of that gene pool somewhere.:D
I've always said if and when we leave here it's for there. Bit different for us as we are pretty much in that retirement gear down and no jobs required. Or so far so good anyway.
Great school there at Tech. I really pray for all those in MI who really seeing the hard times .... yet again. They truly deserve better than the hand they were dealt in life. Great people and God's Country.
Check that collar tight on your wife...sounds like you captured a good one!

[Rod Sheridan]

Doug, thanks. Yes, it will be a two stage. Right now, nothing can be found in big box stores and due road conditions, nothing can be delivered to home. I will wait a little bit.
Ed.

Funny, we have the opposite this year, snow blowers are on sale, they're not selling because we don't have any snow this year.

I haven't put fuel in my snow blower yet, I may not have to take it out of storage condition this year, kind of an embarassment for a Canadian.:D

What wacky weather............regards, Rod.

[Jeff Monson]

Funny, we have the opposite this year, snow blowers are on sale, they're not selling because we don't have any snow this year.

I haven't put fuel in my snow blower yet, I may not have to take it out of storage condition this year, kind of an embarassment for a Canadian.:D

What wacky weather............regards, Rod.

Thats really ironic, snowblowers are feast or famine, we had a 23" dumping early this winter and there wasnt a blower to be had in the city.

I have a toro snowblower, its 8hp and 24" cut, it works really well and I have not spent a dime on repairs in the 9 years I've owned it.