Yard Machines 31C-040-800 Snow Fox 12.5-Inch 8.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
by Yard Machines
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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: 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: Super Little Snow Mover
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this through Amazon in March of '06. Little did I know I would be using it in April of that year. We have limited storage in our garage and live on a steep downslope lot so storing a big gas machine in our garden shed or garage was out of the question. I also have a bad back and can't do much shoveling. This little work horse has operated perfectly for the past 3+ years. If the snow is over 8" I can pick up the Fox and do the top layer of the snow and then run through whats left. We have a wood parking deck and the larger gas machines tear and scar the wood. My neighbor tried his on our deck and we were sorry we let him. I worked out a simple pattern for clearing since this does throw the snow 20 ft. I do two swaths down the left side of the deck and the snow goes clear across the street to the other side. Then I work from the cleared strip from left to right on the deck so the snow gets piled on the right side, which the plow drivers like.
When we get a berm from the plow, my husband chops up the berm and I "throw" it across the street. It arches over the plowed street. Today I moved 9 inches of lighter snow with 2 inches of slush/ice under it. The key is to go out when there is less accumulation. Its not so noisy that you couldn't use it at 10 pm and worry about bothering the neighbors. Also, don't wait till the temps get above freezing. All snow starts to melt into itself at that point and becomes very heavy, even for the monster machines. I'm sooooooo glad I bought this.
Customer Review: The Little Thrower That Can ... With Practice
Summary: 4 Stars
Purchased through Amazon several seasons ago. Pretty much meets the manufacturer's claims regarding performance. Gave it away when we left snow country. Our needs are different now that we're back in snow country, so I purchased a Toro 1800 Power Curve. Several observations on the Snow Fox:
-Throws snow a HUGE distance when blowing straight ahead. However, will barely move snow out of the way when discharging to left or right.
-Light and maneuverable, handles make it easy to pick-up to clear steps and such
-Like all throwers where the scraper is designed to always contact the ground, this model does not like uneven surfaces such as tilted concrete slabs or gravel. It will catch on the edges and stop moving forward or the impeller will strike the ground.
-Managed to crack the impeller by striking a stone or something and jamming it against the housing. Crack did not reduce performance and made machine look more menacing.
-Unit shipped fully assembled. Plusses and minuses here ... sure you don't have to put it together, but the carton is huge and light and poorly braced inside. My carton arrived crushed. Handles on thrower were bent, but straightened easily when I took 'em across my knee.
-Hangs on the pegboard nicely out of the way.
-Due to resistance losses you are limited to 150 feet of power cord length.
Finally, remember the old adage ... 'When all else fails, read the instructions'
Gary
Customer Review: Good Value for a bad back!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got a great bargain! I caught a sale and paid well below what this is going for now. I am on a limited budget, a single parent with a bad back.
Even if I could afford a heavier machine, moving it would likely prove too difficult for me.
Shoveling is just too much for me. While it is clear that during heavier snows I will have to go out every 6", that's ok with me. I usually do that with the shovel anyway because shoveling 30" at one time is so hard for me.
It took me couple of times using it to get the knack of dealing with the cord, but I have my system now, and it goes quick. Also, I learned to cover my face because unless it's really still, I'm pretty covered with snow by the time I'm done. I prefer to use it blowing straight out because it seems to have more power that way. This also requires some finess so that you aren't always blowing the snow where you've just cleared. It feels to me like it's faster than shoveling, but I honestly don't time it. I can tell you though, that I'm NOT exhausted when I'm done, and my back doesn't hurt. This is so light!! I would compare it to vacuming the house.
I was also able to clear some higher drifts (over 2') by picking it up using it to scoop out snow.
Don't mistake this for a heavy duty snow blower, you'll be disappointed. But keeping in mind that it is low cost, light weight, and rated to clear 6", I would say this is a great labor saving device.
Customer Review: The Snow Fox really blows!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've never been a big fan of the white stuff. It makes holiday postcards look pretty, but boy, I sure don't like shoveling it. When I threw out my back in '94, I was prohibited from doing any type of labor that would put a strain on my back. As enjoyable as it was watching my wife shovel the sidewalk and driveway at 5:00 AM, our marriage counselor suggested we find another solution to our snow-clearing problems.We briefly hired a neighborhood kid to help us out, but one morning I caught him giving my wife "the eye", so I fired him. That left us with no choice, but to look into purchasing a snow blower.
I tried out a number of different gas-powered snow blowers, but none of them blew as well at the electric Snow Fox. Sure, your range of blowing is limited by the length of your extension cord, but if you have a short sidewalk like chatchi, then you won't mind the limited reach.
The 8.5 amp amatek electric motor makes easy work of any blanket of snow Mother Nature might throw your way. However, don't be surprised if you have to blow the same areas more than once. Sometimes the Snow Fox doesn't blow everything the first time, so repeated passes are often necessary to clear the path you need.
It's not as powerful as a gas-powered blower, but when you want an efficient, fairly priced snow blower, the Snow Fox is all you'll need to get your blowing done right.