In Wisconsin we have two seasons, construction season and Winter. Construction season is predictable. You got cones, and road crews, go in this lane this week and that lane next, dig up the culverts, replace the culverts, paint the bridges, close the road, open the road….you get the idea. However, Winter is a total crap shoot. Sometimes it’s cold as all can be, sometimes it just snows to beat heck.
Well no disappointment here, its colder than heck and so far about 36” of snow. Now some of that has melted down, yet there is still a good 18-20” on the ground. This year we decided to stop shoveling everywhere and work smarter. After much consideration, we purchased a Simplicity Snowblower. We chose Simplicity for one simple reason. It is made entirely of steel, in Wisconsin. (So is Ariens. But the Simplicity is about half the price.) In any case, this thing eats snow like madness. The heated grips are great, and the Briggs and Stratton Engine bring enough power to launch our heaviest snow a good 30-40 feet. The only issue is the hinge on the chute. It gets frozen and sticky. Kind of makes changing the throwing angle a pain in the butt. There is a better hinge design on the next model up, but you must pay another $400. In any case it goes without saying, our boys are thanking us every day it snows. It is a real pleasure to move snow in comfort. If you want to talk snowblowers, or woodworking, give us a call. We will give you an honest opinion.
