Electric Landscaping Machines - Page 3

NeilBlanchard · 12-16-13, 01:01 PM

I'm not sure which of these two - I'll confirm it when I get home:

http://www.snowjoe.com/Snow-Joe-Ultr...-Thrower-SJ620
Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 15 AMP Electric Snow Thrower - SJ622E

I think it is probably the 13.5A model, since it did not include the cleanout tool.

Edit: yes it is the 13.5A model without the light.

Snow Joe Ultra 18 in. 13.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower - amazon.com

More snow tomorrow!

NeilBlanchard · 12-18-13, 02:21 PM

The new Snow Joe worked incredibly well in the 8-9" of fine powder we got in the storm yesterday. The one glitch is the handle on the chute direction crank fell off - it is held on with 2 'C' clips (my brother calls them 'oh Jesus' clips, because they always go flying...). I'll either get another clip or live without the handle, as the rod works just fine.

torycooper · 01-02-14, 12:17 AM

Cordless is always a better option. You can go as far as you wish, trimming your lawn.

NeilBlanchard · 01-03-14, 10:36 AM

Cordless has definite advantages, but also definite disadvantages. Portability is big advantage, and limited use time is a big disadvantage. Batteries will wear out, and they will need replacing.

A corded tool costs a bit less, even with the cost of a 100' cord included, and you can keep working and working with the tool as long as you physically can. Also, the electricity used for corded is significantly less - charging and discharging losses are non-trivial.

We just got our third snow storm of this winter, and it left us about 8 inches of powder. It was ~4F when I went out to clear the snow. Me and my Snow Joe ( Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 13.5 AMP Electric Snow Thrower - SJ620 ) and a 200 foot extension cord ...

Cleared a 90 foot long driveway, including the plow pile and:
Two ~36 foot driveways, , including both plow piles and:
A ~55 foot path between the house and the long driveway and:
A ~40 foot path to the compost bin and:
An access area to the fire hydrant, through the plow pile.

In about and hour and a half.

With about 16 cents of electricity.

Daox · 01-03-14, 10:44 AM

Haha, thats a lot of snow moving! Nice job. You probably would have burned through about a gallon of gas in that time I'd guess.

NeilBlanchard · 01-03-14, 10:50 AM

My old gas snow blower would have burned a quart to a quart and a half, maybe? This was light snow. I would have had to have driven to buy that gas, and I would have had to change the oil in the crankcase, and I would have had to pull the starter cord for much too long, as well.

Gas tools a terrible in many ways. I am *all* electric, now!

MN Renovator · 01-05-14, 10:04 PM

My electric snowblower used 470wh(kill-a-watt reading) on a 25 minute run through 4-5 inches of semi-moist snow. It plows right through it but I'm still trying to figure out the best way of handling the cord. I see a bunch of videos of people who go all the way down the driveway and do the 'cord waggle' back up before making the next run down. I've been doing my driveway at a 45ish degree angle doing one push to the left, back up and do a push on the right and the cord never gets in the way. I've been wondering if there is a better way.

Most of my driveway runs cost about 5 cents for me. I've been thinking about and even started a thread about converting this to cordless with a lithium pack but I figured I'd need about a kwh to be safe but if I instead used a battery that would get the job done 80% of the time and run it until it was nearly exhausted and do the spots harder to reach with a cord first, I'd save on the labor and the cost of the battery. These little electric snowblowers are much more powerful than the 2-stroke gas snowblowers of a similar design. My brother has one at his house and it would bog down easily and I actually can get the job done with the electric faster.

I'm just trying to figure out better tactics of cord management. I want to get one of those cord rewinder reels and pull out the pin that prevents it from retracting and just having it keep the cord taught and then I can just go about the job. The ones with 12 gauge cord are spendy though and I'm not sure if the one I'd buy would be hackable enough for it to work and how well this idea would work.

NeilBlanchard · 01-05-14, 10:21 PM

Do you have a cold weather cord? Mine are regular cords, and the get really stiff and hard to handle, and they get wound up and tangle sometimes. When I mow with an electric mower, I start close to the plug and do rows back and forth moving away from the plug. The cord always is on the part I've already mowed and the mower always stays clear of the cord.

The driveway is a different dynamic, and I do one pass in the middle or down one side. Then at the snow plow pile, I do ~1/2 width passes across throwing the snow onto the sides. And this lets me clear a flare to widen the end. Then I do a pass back up the driveway moving away from the cord. It works easier if the snow is being thrown away from the cord, so it doesn't get buried - not being able to see the cord is not good.

MN Renovator · 01-05-14, 10:45 PM

I haven't had any issues with a stiff extension cord. This is what I'm using, except I paid quite a bit less for it a few years ago when I bought it. They also have the same cord with a greenish color and a red stripe but the rest of the packaging match and they are both 100 foot 12 gauge cord with a standard 120v 15 amp plug. It doesn't say its a cold weather cord but it does the job and I don't bring it inside or anything so its cold all winter. I originally bought it for the electric mower but when I bought the electric snowblower its been fitting the bill just fine.

12-3, 100', 1 Outlet, Stripes™ Orange/Blue Extension Cord at Menards

NeilBlanchard · 01-06-14, 06:56 AM

Hi,

I think the blue stripe, or a full blue jacket means that it is a cold weather cord. 12ga is overkill, though. My 13.5A snow blower and the electric mower and also my wood chipper, all can run fine on a 14ga cord - because the outside plug on my house is a 10A GFI circuit, and I've only tripped it once (or maybe twice?) with the chipper.

I own three 100' 12ga cords (yellow) that I use for mowing, and they are heavy to deal with. I have two 100' 14ga cords (orange), and I have a 50' 12ga. My mother-in-law uses two 100' 16ga cords for mowing and leaf blowing, and has never had a problem.

12-16-13, 01:01 PM	#21
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	I'm not sure which of these two - I'll confirm it when I get home: http://www.snowjoe.com/Snow-Joe-Ultr...-Thrower-SJ620 Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 15 AMP Electric Snow Thrower - SJ622E I think it is probably the 13.5A model, since it did not include the cleanout tool. Edit: yes it is the 13.5A model without the light. Snow Joe Ultra 18 in. 13.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower - amazon.com More snow tomorrow! Last edited by Daox; 02-12-14 at 01:27 PM..

01-03-14, 10:44 AM	#25
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Haha, thats a lot of snow moving! Nice job. You probably would have burned through about a gallon of gas in that time I'd guess. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-18-13, 02:21 PM	#22
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	The new Snow Joe worked incredibly well in the 8-9" of fine powder we got in the storm yesterday. The one glitch is the handle on the chute direction crank fell off - it is held on with 2 'C' clips (my brother calls them 'oh Jesus' clips, because they always go flying...). I'll either get another clip or live without the handle, as the rod works just fine.

01-02-14, 12:17 AM	#23
torycooper Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Bethesda, MD, US Posts: 6 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Cordless is always a better option. You can go as far as you wish, trimming your lawn.

01-03-14, 10:36 AM	#24
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Cordless has definite advantages, but also definite disadvantages. Portability is big advantage, and limited use time is a big disadvantage. Batteries will wear out, and they will need replacing. A corded tool costs a bit less, even with the cost of a 100' cord included, and you can keep working and working with the tool as long as you physically can. Also, the electricity used for corded is significantly less - charging and discharging losses are non-trivial. We just got our third snow storm of this winter, and it left us about 8 inches of powder. It was ~4F when I went out to clear the snow. Me and my Snow Joe ( Snow Joe Ultra 18-IN 13.5 AMP Electric Snow Thrower - SJ620 ) and a 200 foot extension cord ... Cleared a 90 foot long driveway, including the plow pile and: Two ~36 foot driveways, , including both plow piles and: A ~55 foot path between the house and the long driveway and: A ~40 foot path to the compost bin and: An access area to the fire hydrant, through the plow pile. In about and hour and a half. With about 16 cents of electricity.

01-03-14, 10:50 AM	#26
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	My old gas snow blower would have burned a quart to a quart and a half, maybe? This was light snow. I would have had to have driven to buy that gas, and I would have had to change the oil in the crankcase, and I would have had to pull the starter cord for much too long, as well. Gas tools a terrible in many ways. I am all electric, now!

01-05-14, 10:04 PM	#27
MN Renovator Less usage=Cheaper bills Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 940 Thanks: 41 Thanked 117 Times in 91 Posts	My electric snowblower used 470wh(kill-a-watt reading) on a 25 minute run through 4-5 inches of semi-moist snow. It plows right through it but I'm still trying to figure out the best way of handling the cord. I see a bunch of videos of people who go all the way down the driveway and do the 'cord waggle' back up before making the next run down. I've been doing my driveway at a 45ish degree angle doing one push to the left, back up and do a push on the right and the cord never gets in the way. I've been wondering if there is a better way. Most of my driveway runs cost about 5 cents for me. I've been thinking about and even started a thread about converting this to cordless with a lithium pack but I figured I'd need about a kwh to be safe but if I instead used a battery that would get the job done 80% of the time and run it until it was nearly exhausted and do the spots harder to reach with a cord first, I'd save on the labor and the cost of the battery. These little electric snowblowers are much more powerful than the 2-stroke gas snowblowers of a similar design. My brother has one at his house and it would bog down easily and I actually can get the job done with the electric faster. I'm just trying to figure out better tactics of cord management. I want to get one of those cord rewinder reels and pull out the pin that prevents it from retracting and just having it keep the cord taught and then I can just go about the job. The ones with 12 gauge cord are spendy though and I'm not sure if the one I'd buy would be hackable enough for it to work and how well this idea would work.

01-05-14, 10:21 PM	#28
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Do you have a cold weather cord? Mine are regular cords, and the get really stiff and hard to handle, and they get wound up and tangle sometimes. When I mow with an electric mower, I start close to the plug and do rows back and forth moving away from the plug. The cord always is on the part I've already mowed and the mower always stays clear of the cord. The driveway is a different dynamic, and I do one pass in the middle or down one side. Then at the snow plow pile, I do ~1/2 width passes across throwing the snow onto the sides. And this lets me clear a flare to widen the end. Then I do a pass back up the driveway moving away from the cord. It works easier if the snow is being thrown away from the cord, so it doesn't get buried - not being able to see the cord is not good.

01-05-14, 10:45 PM	#29
MN Renovator Less usage=Cheaper bills Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 940 Thanks: 41 Thanked 117 Times in 91 Posts	I haven't had any issues with a stiff extension cord. This is what I'm using, except I paid quite a bit less for it a few years ago when I bought it. They also have the same cord with a greenish color and a red stripe but the rest of the packaging match and they are both 100 foot 12 gauge cord with a standard 120v 15 amp plug. It doesn't say its a cold weather cord but it does the job and I don't bring it inside or anything so its cold all winter. I originally bought it for the electric mower but when I bought the electric snowblower its been fitting the bill just fine. 12-3, 100', 1 Outlet, Stripes™ Orange/Blue Extension Cord at Menards

01-06-14, 06:56 AM	#30
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	Hi, I think the blue stripe, or a full blue jacket means that it is a cold weather cord. 12ga is overkill, though. My 13.5A snow blower and the electric mower and also my wood chipper, all can run fine on a 14ga cord - because the outside plug on my house is a 10A GFI circuit, and I've only tripped it once (or maybe twice?) with the chipper. I own three 100' 12ga cords (yellow) that I use for mowing, and they are heavy to deal with. I have two 100' 14ga cords (orange), and I have a 50' 12ga. My mother-in-law uses two 100' 16ga cords for mowing and leaf blowing, and has never had a problem.