Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - snowblower advice

hello folks...I would like to buy a snowblower...live on Long Island....would like to spend no more than $500.00.....and would like a 4-cycle engine..
area to be done is a single car width driveway about 50 feet long and a small walkway....I'm looking for recommendations...thanks for the help..Happy Holidays!

Try a whole bunch out first--then you'll know what you need. What you want isn't always what you need. I can tell you if you're short of time--the wider the scoop the better. (Less passes with wider machine)If you want good performance and you have lots of time--a 5 horse is big enough. Most 5 hp are very light and easy to throw around and use less storage room.

Based on your budget and needs, look at any MTD product with a 5-horse Tecumseh.

Puey...MTD?

I have an 8 hp thrower and I couldn't be happier with it. I don't think I would need anything more than 5 hp except that I live in an area where the wind really blows hard and I therefore can only throw the snow in one direction a lot of the time, so it has to be able to throw it across the entire width and a lot of it's three cars wide. I think 5 hp would be more than sufficient for your needs.

I am in the same spot as coachD. Great advice so far.

I have a one car width driveway that has a decent hill in the middle of it. Its relatively steep. Don't need to throw snow very far.

Will I be able to push a 5 hp up the driveway? I'm leaning toward the 5-hp size just looking for an idiot-check here.

Thanks

Zeke:

My 8 hp is self-propelled. I would assume at least some of the 5 hp models would be as well.

ZekeMowatt, if you have any kind of a hill, I would recommend a blower with powered wheels. When you have to push a blower uphill thru 6+" of wet snow, that extra money spent would be worth it.
My $.02 worth,
Mike

Mine is a 5 horse single stage - 20" path. While it is not self propelled per se, the spinning scraper blades do contact the ground and move it forward.
I do a 70' drive plus a 3 car garage apron. It works great on dry snow but needs to be "burped" occasionally in the wet stuff.
A single stage usually runs $ 300 - 500. Also, most are 2 cycle. No big deal for me. I keep a 1 gallon can of mix. In the summer it feeds the weed eater and chain saw, and the snow blower in the winter. I do make up a fresh tank of mix at least seaonally.

The MTD I recommended will be a two-stage, self-propelled unit and can be found at most larger chain stores. It may be name-branded Yard Machines, Yard-Man, Troy-Bilt or Bolens. It likely will have electric start as well.