2009-08-11

Yard Machines 31B-040-800 Snow Fox 12.5-Inch 8.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower


I've been using this device since December of '06 and all I can say is it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. We typically get one or two major snowfalls a year, and the Snow Fox has done the job in short order every time, hanging out-of-the-way on the wall of the garage otherwise. No messing around with gas or oil, just plug it in and away it goes. Nothing has broken for ME. I've used it on 10"+ snowfall and it works great.

We have a long driveway and steps up to a walkway to steps up to the landing for the front door. Not only does the Snow Fox blow the snow several feet forward (I'm not sure 25, but plenty), but it's easily lifted up to the walkway where, resetting the vanes with a simple twist, the Snow Fox, er, tosses the snow a bit off to one side - which is perfect, really, for the application.

I've only had two problems, which relate to the extension cord. First off the blower's plug is set within a sort of cup supposed to prevent you from plugging in the kind of cord that has a little tang on the extension cord's female plug, if you know what I mean.
Second, I occasionally run over the cord... But the great thing about the Snow Fox (I don't know how this compares to other blowers) is that whenever I run over the cord or other impedimenta in the snow (frozen wad of leaves, stick, stray piece of twine) it immediately stops, and it's easy to counter-rotate the blades and dislodge the item. And it goes right back to work, no problem!

Where *I* live, the kids don't come around with shovels after a snowfall - the guys with the plow do, and they want $100 to push a pile of snow up against the garage door and pound the rest into a slippery smear on the asphalt. This thing has repaid its cost at least twice a Winter!
Buy Yard Machines 31B-040-800 Snow Fox 12.5-Inch 8.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower!