When you want snow removal you can bank on… LET IT BLOW From the simple plastic shovel to a tractor with cab and CD player, there’s lots of ways to get the job done

You know it’s going to snow again, a lot. It is Maine, after all. Our attitude toward such a certain event is mostly defined in the age-maturity ratio of the individuals involved. Members of the “there’s no school” snow angels crowd are beside themselves. For the rest of us, the best that can be exhibited is the “it’s inevitable” shrug before donning heated socks, boots, winter coat, hat, gloves and whatever else we can find to separate us from the icy blasts while we struggle to free the car because work isn’t canceled.

It’s time to choose our weapon. Which weapon we choose depends on a lot of variables. How much snow do we have to move? How far do we have to move it? Is the terrain we’re clearing gravel or paved? How fast do we need to get out the driveway in the mornings?

Some budgetary curmudgeon is going to say, “Why don’t we just hire someone to plow the driveway, dear?” That can be a tough question to answer if you’re not prepared. Some stock replies could be: “The plow guy may not show up in time. You can’t use a plow because it will pile the snow on the shrubbery in front of the house. The plow guy always leaves a swath in front of the garage that needs clearing.” You have to be prepared.

Obviously, the cheapest tool is the good old shovel. But which shovel? You can get the traditional, flat-bladed snow shovel, albeit a plastic one, from a big box store for around $10. Add four more dollars to that and you can get one with the bent handle, which is supposed to be better for your back because it decreases the amount of lifting.

This writer favors the grain or sawdust shovel that costs around $25 to the plastic version. Go to a real, old-fashioned hardware or feed store and spend $50 for the version with an aluminum blade and you’ve bought yourself a real snow-fighting weapon.

If, for some reason, the shovel isn’t your thing, the next step up is the mechanical snow thrower. These range in price from about $130 for an electric that would replace your broom in a light, powdery snow to more than $1,800 for one with a 32-inch clearing width, electric start, speed control and hand-warming handles. If you’ve ever blown powdery snow in a wind, you’ll want to consider adding a snow cab. A snow cab protects the operator from being covered in cold snow. They start at around $200.

If you are seriously considering a snow thrower, it gets even more complicated because there are so many variations. First you have to choose between a one-stage and two-stage model. A single-stage thrower uses one unit to gather the snow in and blow it up the discharge chute. A two-stage thrower uses an auger to propel snow to an impeller that blows it out the discharge chute.

The single-stage is best for sidewalks and small driveways. If your driveway is gravel, consider at least a small two-stage. With a single-stage, the auger that gathers and propels snow also touches the ground to produce forward motion. Therefore, it is more prone to gather loose stones and propel them through nearby windows, yours or the neighbor’s. Most single-stage snowblowers have two-cycle engines so that you have to mix the oil and gas together just like that 1967 lawn mower you got rid of in 1977.

The two-stage throwers have larger engines, and are almost certain to be four-cycle, so no mixing of oil and gas. Many have electric start, a nice step up from that old lawn mower. The top-of-the-line models also have the aforementioned goodies such as heated handles, multiple forward and reverse speeds, as well as drive disengagement, which allows you to disconnect one or both rear wheels while in motion. Drive disengagement makes for much improved ease of steering. Minus that feature, the larger machines can require substantial manhandling.

The factor that gets you out of the driveway the fastest is the clearing width of the machine. If the average car is approximately 8 feet wide, how many passes with the thrower do you have to make to get out? If you have a snow thrower with a 32-inch clearing width, it takes at least three passes to get your car out of the driveway. With a large snowfall, it will take even more because you won’t be able to make as wide a pass through the deep stuff.

Before you rush out and buy the largest thrower you can find, consider where you are going to store it when not in use. Can you keep it in the garage with the two cars, four bikes, kayaks, lawn mower, etc? They do tend to take up more space than the average lawn mower.

Besides checking out the offerings of the nearest big box store, consider checking out your local retailer. Those folks are often able to ask the right questions and make sane recommendations about what you need. Consumers Research, the independent, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, reports on snowblowers every few years.

There are other choices out there besides shovels and snow throwers. If you already own a garden tractor or have the hankering to own a machine that will rototill your garden, mow your lawn and snowblow or plow the driveway, this is your chance. If you don’t already own one, there are lots of brands available. Glenn Dickey at Dorr’s Equipment in Bangor would be happy to sell you a Kubota 2230. It’s a neat little 22 hp, three-cylinder diesel with a hydrostatic transmission and three-point hitch for only $12,100, front-end loader included.

You can hang a snow thrower on the front of your new garden tractor that includes electric chute rotation and deflector adjustment for around $3,200. If you want to stay warm, a cab with built-in heater will set you back $2,950. For just over $18,000, if you need to buy the tractor, you can declare lawn, garden and snow removal independence forever.

You also can move snow with a variety of front-mounted plows with prices starting around $200. The blade’s usefulness is going to be severely tested, however, as the snow accumulation goes past 3 feet in February. One thing in favor of the blade is that if you live close to the ocean and thus get a lot of heavy, wet snow, it’s hard to find a snow thrower that will actually throw the goopy stuff.

Last, but certainly not least, for the obstetrician or business tycoon who really needs to get out of that snow-plugged driveway in a hurry, Dickey would love to sell him a Kubota 4330 Grand L. This 43 hp tractor comes with a cab that has a heater for cold weather and air-conditioning for hot, as well as a stereo radio and CD player. Put turf tires on it so that you can mow the lawn in air-conditioned comfort and it could be worth every penny of its $29,400 price tag. Attach a front-mounted snow thrower to this unit for only $5,200 and dare Old Man Winter to come calling. Yes, I know that you can have your driveway plowed for about 58 years for the same amount but, it’s your independence at stake.