single stage vs. two stage snowblowers?

Question

I am thinking about buying a snowblower and I've come across the terms single stage and two stage snowblowers. What is the difference?

I have a driveway that is two cars long and two cars wide and we get a fair amount of wet, heavy snow. Will I need a two stage on that basis?

All responses are appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Like "Larry M " said :
A single stage has only 1 auger to propell the snow.
A 2-stage has 2, one that grinds up the snow, than delivers it to the 2nd stage, shoots it where you aim it.

A 2 stage snowblower can be very heavy and hard to manuever, but they are self-propelled (chain driven). They can be Much more exspensive (more moving parts).
On light snow falls, they are an "Over-Kill". They work well when the snow is more than 8" deep or doing the driveway approach where the plow went through.
Cost: $ 500.00 - $ 1500.00 (depending on model & Acces.)

A single stage is Much lighter in weight, is Not self propelled, (well it is sorta. The "paddles" pull you along). Just lift up on the handle and away you go.
A single stage will go through "dry" snow up to 12" deep with no problem. They will have a little more difficulty going through "wet" snow, You won't be able to take a full "bite" They don't like leaves or ice chunks, but they'll blow them.
The rubber paddles have to be replaced once in awhile (about $30.00 a set & 3hrs of labor (if you do it))
Cost: $ 375.00 - $ 625.00 (depending on model & access)

Answer 2

Like Larry said a two stage blower has an auger that can run at a fairly low speed that better accepts the walking speed that you are moving forward. The thrower itself can run at a higher speed and usually throw pretty far. The one stage auger is running at a compromise speed.

That being said, the compromise speed seems to work pretty good. Several of my friends are happy with their one stagers. And on fairly small snows (inch or less) they might even do better than my two stage. I like mine however when the snow gets deeper than 5 inches or so. I feel that I can just go over my driveway one time at a nominal speed and readily get the job done. The one stage guys seem to need to push into the heavier snows, come back and push again. On a relatively small drive like yours, this might not be too bad.

Also the additional mechanism makes the two stagers bigger and heavier and subsequently somewhat harder to maneuver. And on very wet snows I have had the feed from the 1st auger to the second auger get packed, making me stop and (safely) clean it out. Only takes a second but tends to slow me down. I don't think one stagers would have this blockage point but I think they have difficulty throwing snows that are wet and heavy, and they might not make it across a double driveway.

I would say with your length driveway, unless your snows are often both deeper than 5 inch as well as wet, a reasonable quality one stage blower would be a good bet.

If you go to a good dealer, they should be able to answer more questions. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

A two stage snowblower has and auger in front to feed the snow two the fan unit that puts the snow into the air,much more efficient than a single stage unit. Not sure but I didn't know they still made single stage units unless it was a hand held jobber

Answer 4

In addition to the previous well articulated differences between a single and two stage compressor...a very important fact was omitted, HEAT EXCHANGE..which in turn makes condensation, aka known as moisture/water. Hands down, a two stage compressor runs much cooler, producing less opportunity for moisture to corrupt your work/tools...this is particularly important when preforming certain repetitive tasks, such as painting etc. Shelling out the extra few bucks for the better preforming two stage well only save you money in the long run in job performance and tool longevity.

Answer 5

I live near Houston,... what's a snowblower?

sorry, I couldn't resist, good luck, & I have no idea on your answer they don't sell them here!