Robert Valenzano

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Snow Blowers for Gravel Driveways


For those with gravel driveways, you know it can be a real pain to remove snow after a winter storm.  Shovels and plows can kick up rocks, and you don't want to destroy your beautiful gravel driveway with a snow blower either.  The advantage that some snow blowers possess by clearing all the way down to the pavement become a disadvantage when blowing snow from a gravel driveway.


Electric snow blowers and single stage snow blowers feature rubber or plastic augers that make contact with the ground when running.  While this means that you'll have a nice clean driveway, you'll also be flinging rocks across your yard & at your house if you're using one on gravel.

Two stage snow blowers have steel augers that do not make contact with the ground.  This leaves a thin layer of snow behind, and the skid shoes can be adjusted to keep the leftovers to a minimum.  This also means that there will be clearance room for the rocks and stones that make up your gravel driveway.  Ariens snow blowers are extremely popular in the two stage category, and they have 22 models in 2014 ranging from about $800 to over $3000 for professional models.