Toro electric snow thrower and other top snow throwers

A snow thrower can remove a lot of snow from long driveways and sidewalks in a short amount of time. A good snow thrower saves you the hassle of shoveling, not only saving time but also saving your back from serious injury. In this article we’ll examine the best snowthrower products.

The top dog in the field is clearly the Toro snowthrower pictured at left, model 1800. You can find over 400 Toro 1800 reviews on Amazon as of the time this article was written, and it has averaged 4.5 stars out of 5 on those reviews, clearly a sign of an exceptional product.  Since the Toro snow thrower runs on electricity, there’s no gas to add or oil to change, and it’s considerably lighter than gas models.  It starts and stops at the touch of a button, and there’s a key lock feature to prevent children from accidentally starting it.

Reviewers loved this Toro electric snow thrower.  One writer of a Toro snow thrower review had a 50-foot driveway, wide enough for two cars.  With the Toro 1800, he was able to clear his driveway in 10 to 15 minutes. “I can’t wait for more snow,” he wrote.  Another reviewer used the Toro snow thrower to clear 9 inches of snow from a driveway, and said it cut through the snow “like a knife through butter.” He wrote that it did the job as well and as fast as his neighbor’s much larger and more expensive gas-powered thrower.

Another reviewer, writing from the Northern Indiana snow belt, praised the health benefits of the Toro snow thrower.  He figured it was “less expensive than a trip to the emergency room,” noting that a friend’s father had died from shoveling snow.  He was pleased with the lightness of the machine, allowing him to carry it up stairs to clear them of snow. After clearing his own driveway, he used the Toro 1800 to clear the driveway of an elderly couple across the street, and estimated that it moved about a ton of snow in less than an hour. He praised the thrower for the quietness of the motor, and for the fact the he could hang it up out of the way when done.

Some reviewers noted that the Toro electric snow thrower had trouble with wet, packed snow/ice, although breaking it up with a shovel made it possible for the Toro to clear it.  They also estimated that the Toro’s limit was about 2 feet of snow.  If either of those conditions apply to the snow you expect to clear, a gas-powered snow thrower may be a good investment.

Among gas snow throwers, the Poulan snow thrower pictured at left, model PR8527ES, received outstanding reviews. The Poulan model is described as being “built like a tank and balanced for heavy snow.” For heavy, deep snow, there’s a super-slow speed.  One Poulan snow thrower review writer was impressed with how easy the machine was to operate – he had it set up in 30 minutes, and it started on the first try.  “I was throwing out old snow from the city’s snow plows so far that I had to watch out for the neighbors windows and cars,” he wrote.  He said it’s so well-built and easy to operate that he’s actually looking forward to the next snowstorm.

Reviewers also liked the less-expensive Poulan PP555TE24, which comes with a 5.5 HP gas engine, smaller than the 8.5 HP engine found in its big brother the PR8527ES.  “Makes you wonder how you got things done with previous snow blowers,” one owner of this unit wrote.  “It clears tons of snow in half the time.”  He’s now able to clear up more free time before work to get other projects done. After he finishes throwing snow off his property, he’s able to go ahead and clear snow up the street, to prevent snowplows from piling chunks of moved snow at the end of his driveway.  Also praised the machine for its instant startups and the fact that it never stalls.  Like the other reviewers, he now looks forward to snow.

A couple of other snow throwers to consider:

• Toro 38516 CCR 2450 GTS 5HP Gas Single Stage Snowblower w/ Electric Start
• Toro 38361 Power Shovel 7.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower

You can start looking forward to snow again too, with one of these top-rated snowthowers in your garage.  You’ll free up time that will no longer be spent shoveling, and your back will thank you.