Tools
// BY BR A DLEY FORD //10
W
AKING TO A FRESH BLANKET OF
snow brings back memories of our
childhood, with school called for
the day and the only thing on your
agenda: sledding with friends. But
we’re not kids anymore, and the
realization that we have to unbury
the car and head to work quickly clears the nos-
talgic fog from our minds. If you’ve finally gotten
tired of shoveling, need to replace an aging snow-
blower, or just want something bigger and better,
then we’ve got some snow removal options for you.
Now, testing snowblowers out of season is
challenging without one key element: snow.
We discovered that outdoor power equipmentmanufacturer DR Power uses wet sawdust for
product testing and development. So we got a
dump truck full of the stuff. We hosed it down,
mixing it thoroughly as we did. When we arrived
at what felt like the proper consistency, we
weighed one cubic foot of our imitation snow and
found it was exactly 21 pounds (average wet snow
weighs about 20 pounds per cubic foot). With that,
we set up an area 8 feet by 6 feet by 5.5 inches
deep. We recorded the time it took each machine
to clear this test area. We then created a dense,
wet-sawdust snowbank and used each machine to
break through it. In the course of using the snow-
blowers, we also recorded our impressions on
starting, turning, chute operation, ease of use in
general, and any other notable features.
It’s important to note that wet sawdust, while it
is similar enough for testing purposes, is not snow.
It’s heavier than most snow and much less slippery,
so our test is a bit tougher on these machines than
the conditions most users will encounter. If you
expect snow that needs clearing this season, you’ll
find a snowblower model here that’s ideal for you.Top-Perfoming
Snowblowers to
Dig Yourself Out
72 November/December 2020 PHOTOGRAPH BY TREVOR RAABCOURTESYARIENS;^ COURTESY^ CRAFTSMAN