I just went thru this whole mental PIA decision process. I started with the
idea $700. would get me something decent. Maybe for very light snow areas.
I ended up spending $975.00 plus tax on sale at Sears. For your area you
probably need 9 to 10 HP. Most all of them use a Tecumseh or Briggs &
Stratton motor.
I got tons of good info from the guys here but ONE point you want to check
is the height of the handles relative to you. If they are too high IT WILL
BE ONE AWKWARD AND PAINFUL MACHINE TO MANAGE. The second thing is the
ability to turn the machine. If you don't have a clutch for wheel lock so
you can turn easily you will need a runway to make a turn unless you like
bulldogging the machine. Two stgage is a must. It appears that only real
the lower priced machinces do not have electric start. Electric start
incidentally is NOT BATTERY started. I totally recommend it. If you need
to change the direction you throw the snow frequently then compare the
chute mecahanisms carefully. The crank style is a pain. Speeds: i don't
know if 6 is better than 5 and I don't know yet why I need to reverse
speeds. Buy a snow cab for an extra $100.00.


wrote in message
...
On Fri, 2 Dec 2005 14:22:53 -0500, Keith Williams
wrote:

I've not found electric start to be very useful at all.

So if I keep my garage at 50 degrees, you think I don't need it at
all?