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: EASY TO USE
Summary: 4 Stars
I only used once on 4 inches of snow. It's light weight. Easy to use.Customer Review: Exceeds expectations
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Yard-Man version of this machine. Not much different except the labeling. I've used it in three separate snowfalls this year and I am a satisfied customer. Most of the reviews I have seen here have been positive and I generally agree with what they say. Some have been negative and I will address some of their points:
1. The choice for most people is between a $600 gas-powered snow thrower that they will use two or three times a year and a $160 electric snow thrower (I actually bought mine from the factory for $140) that they also will use two or three times a year. So if you fault the machine for not being as brawny as a gas-powered thrower you must credit it for being a relatively inexpensive alternative to a tool of only occasional value.
2. The need to replace scrapers and augers, based on my experience, comes from improper use of the machine. If you hold it too vertical, the scraper and auger will come in contact with the pavement. You can tell when you're doing that by the grinding noise it makes. That's why those pieces will wear. If you insist on scraping down to entirely bare pavement, that's what will happen with any snow thrower.
3. You do need to keep cord management in mind when you are operating the machine. Any run of cord longer than 200 feet is going to reduce power and using small-gauge cord will do the same. You need at least 14-gauge power cord. If you attach the cord according to directions, using the cord tether supplied with the machine, the cord will not drop off. You have to be careful not to run over the cord, because it will jam the auger. Just remember, when you have to stop to relocate the cord, that this little electric machine always will start the first time, every time.
4. It's indisputable that the Snow Fox throws snow to the side a far shorter distance than it throws directly ahead. The way to address this issue - if it's a problem for you - is to clear a driveway with diagonal cuts, so that snow you blow directly ahead of you is well away from the driveway. Trying to do it lengthwise on a driveway will mean you have to move the same snow more than once.
5. There's no question that using the Snow Fox is more time-consuming than using a 20-inch, gas-powered machine. However, because it's so light using it is not nearly as tiring as shoveling or pushing a heavy, gas-powered machine. Again, in most places (I'm in Indianapolis) you're only going to use it a few times a year. And please refer again to my points #1 and 3. In addition, it makes a lot less noise than the two-cycle engines of the gas-powered blowers.
This year, we had a 12-inch snowfall, which is rare. I wondered whether the Snow Fox would be up to the job. I found out, to my surprise, that by reducing the swath a little and by using the diagonal technique described above, it did a fine job. Took longer than it would have with my neighbor's big Toro, but it handled the task.
The next week, we had a four-inch snowfall that was right down Snow Fox Alley. I would bet that my little electric thrower did just as well as the big boy next door. And that was with an immediate start, a quiet motor and no two-cycle exhaust.
Hope those comments answer some criticism. If you have a snow-clearing rage of less than 200 feet, live in an area with less than two feet of snowfall a year and have no concerns about your masculine image, I say give the Snow Fox a try.
Customer Review: Excellent Value, Good Product
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this after our first big snowfall in December (07). Our gas blower crapped out on us last winter. In Wisconsin, we had our second highest total December snowfall on record. January is now over and so far we have had a ludicrous amount of snow. So my Snow Fox has been used extensively already. I would say a 4.5 star rating is more accurate. But you can't select a half star. We have an average size Madison city driveway and sidewalk. For snow 2" to 6", using the Snow Fox makes far more sense then using a gas blower. For 6" to 12" it still does a fine job. It's light enough to easily push with one hand. The other hand guides the extension cord. It clears the snow just as fast as a single stage gas blower. Mine hangs on a hook on the garage wall when I'm done.
You will have to experiment with the directions you take clearing your driveway. Getting use to the cord was annoying at first. But once I fashioned a loop out of a rope and hung it from the garage door so the cord was raised, there was no longer a hassle with the cord.
One huge benefit; I have an office job. It has been nice not going into work smelling like gas or exhaust fumes after clearing my driveway in the morning.
Bottom line....if you have an average house in the burbs, this is far more practical then a gas blower.
Customer Review: Excellent machine
Summary: 5 Stars
The UPS man delivered this during a snowstorm. What a lifesaver. I have a large driveway and this cleared the entire thing, and saved my back in the process. When angled to either side, it has low throwing capacity. But when facing forward, it tossed the snow clear across the driveway and out of the way. It was ice and snow, and it still had no problem clearing the way.Customer Review: Excellent product for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but I was very happy. It worked in a Wisconsin blizzard! It did go kind of slow with bigger snow piles, and it was a little clumsy with the extension cords, and it throws to the front much better than the sides, but much easier than shoveling. One of the most useful things I have bought in recent memory. This is a great product, and when you take into account its price, its excellent.