Yard Machines 31C-040-800 Snow Fox 12.5-Inch 8.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
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List Price: Our Price: $119.00 You Save: $60.99 (34%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Yard Machines 31C-040-800 Snow Fox 12.5-Inch 8.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
Customer Review: 2-stage thrower
Summary: 2 Stars
I have not yet used the Snow Fox that arrived today, but was disappointed when reading the directions. Amazon's guide to choosing a snow thrower had a link to the 2-stage throwers that can be used on gravel driveways. When following this link, the Snow Fox was one of those listed. Now that I have purchased it, I see it should not have been included under the heading of 2-stage throwers and should not be used on gravel. Disappointing.Customer Review: A Waste of Money
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this to help me shovel a fairly small driveway. I used it a grand total of two times last year. The path of snow that this machine clears is very narrow, meaning that you have to go over the same area again and again. It also cannot handle much snow at one time and cannot throw the snow far at all. I really don't think it saved me any time or effort at all. It also broke down after just two uses (I think a belt broke). It's covered by warranty, but I'm not even going to bother getting it repaired. It was truly useless and a stupid purchase.Customer Review: A great intermediate step between shovel and snowblower
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a short driveway and about 60 feet of sidewalk, so i couldn't justify spending $600 or more on a gas-driven beast of a snowblower. I got this machine after our first snow in late December. Since the east coast has been hogging all the snow this winter, I hadn't had a chance to use it here in South Dakota (usually the harsh winter capital of the nation) until mid-February. Now that I have, though, I'm very pleased.
As mentioned by others, throwing snow to the side only moves it about six feet. This worked fine for my sidewalks (the 12-inch cut let me get the whole sidewalk in three furrows, which took about five minutes).
A pointer for anyone clearing a small amount of snow: I worked out a decent system for the driveway where i start down the middle and throw snow a few feet to each side as I work my way to the edges. By the time I get to the edges, I'm throwing the accumulated pile off onto the grass. This clears the driveway rather well, though obviously it wouldn't be as useful in 20 to 30 inches of snow as some other people have seen this winter.
Power cord management is the only real downside to this device. I find myself spending a pretty good amount of time tossing the cord out of my way as i go and down the driveway. It's a minor annoyance that i still hope to find a solution for.
In all, i can now clear my drive and sidewalk in 20 minutes or so rather than the 45 to 60 minutes it took me by shovel. it also fits neatly in my crowded garage. A great little product.
Customer Review: All I can say is WOW!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just cleared 14" of snow off my driveway and used nothing but this machine. It is fabulous. I know the manual says it can handle up to 6" of snow but believe me this thing handled this last snowstorm without any trouble. Granted I only took 1/2 swaths but still it handled it beautifully. It even handled the stuff that got plowed into the end of my driveway from the road. This Snowfox really does shoot the snow at least 25 feet except when you have the chute turned left or right, then it shoots about 5-8' tops.
I would highly recommend this machine for anyone.
Customer Review: Another quality MTD product
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great product with limitations. If you're planning on it doing the job of a gas powered 24" machine in a foot of snow forget it. I used it several times on my 900 sq. foot deck in 6-8" of wet snow and it worked fine without damaging the wooden surface. I only take small bites of 4-6" so the machine does not bog down. If you listen to the motor it will tell you if you're taking too much at a time. If the snow is fairly deep try shaving off the top 3-4 " then attack what remains. It actually threw that wet snow 10-12'. I would expect much more distance is light powdery snow of 3-4 ". I lubricated the blade and snow deflectors with a product called Snow Jet that is designed to keep the snow from sticking to the plastic parts. I use it on my gas blower and it works well. I've used my neighbors Toro 1800 and it works well in powder but is useless in wet snow. I attribute that to the fact that the Toro has a chute that the snow must be channeled into and thrown out where the MTD simply throws it forward. The MTD deflectors did not work well in wet snow but then I never thought they would. Overall I'm pleased with the product and found it to work well. Assembly is very easy and the parts do not have that cheap feeling or appearance. Unlike my gas MTD that is made in the USA this was made in Mexico but that beats made in China.