OK, time to move on from the endless networking/jobs/canada is or is not crap type threads. Important stuff this for those of us that live in area's of high snowfall. I'm gonna buy a snowblower and I'm thinking somewhere around 11hp and 28-30" cut. Probably an Ariens or possibly a Husqvarna.
Any thoughts or experiences to share?

We're negotiating for a 1979 Ford 1700 with bucket and blower. It's a pastel blue so it would do the job without being excessively macho.

AX

Apart from busting two shear bolts in the first 10 minutes of operation I found my Sears bought Craftsman very good. We had 22cm after the last storm and it ploughed through with ease. Its the 27" with 9.5hp and cost $1299.

Can you use a 27" 9.5hp on metric snow? I'd expect a nasty misfit there.

Sorry! 8.75" of snow

Oh, that's a lot, impressive performance for the price.

I found a snow shovel in the garage when I moved in this house in the spring. Much cheaper than a snow blower.

A teenage boy who wants cash is faster and more effective than any snowblower ever made. Trust me on this one.

Agreed. But I ran out of live-in teenage boys a while ago. And long before that they found better ways of dealing with the cash thing. They should get out on parole quite soon now.

It will take a whole army of kids to clear 22cm from my 150 ft drive! Snow blower does it in 15 mins.

I'm in the same situation & as teenage kids are a) lacking in this immediate neighbourhood and b) unlikely to be up to shovel at 6:30am I figure a snowblower is a wise investment. My back will thank me I think!

AX

If you have that much drive a snowblower is still not as effective as a guy with a plough. Im not sure when they sleep, but they seem to be up pretty early around here.

29" 10 hp @ $1049 incl taxes.....soooo much better than last year's model ...you know, the one with the long handle at one end and a curved blade at the other..manual operation Copes with 150' x 40' drive, patio and paths covered with 15" snow - no problem. Probably took me longer to get my snow gear on than it did to clear the snow

I think I'm missing something here. We have more than 150' of laneway and I shovel it by hand (the snow even has to be moved to one end due to walls and fences). Down east or in the snow belt it'd be different but I can't see that a space that size in Ontario justifies waking up the neighbours with the racket of a blower or a truck.

Most of my neighbours are using snowblowers at around 6 in the morning....and as I have injured my shoulders and back using a shovel, I go for the machine whenever the snow is up to my knees.....which are no lower to the ground than the average snowgoose!