Need snow blower info from experts

In addition, I have a Honda 621 single stage that we use for detailing the walks and up close to the house. It's about 12 years old now and I have never had a problem with it.

I would suggest that you look at the local equipment dealers and get their opinions. Ariens and Toro are good brands. Honda is great but expensive, anything made by MTD will be cheaper but they are lightly made. They use plastic bushings instead of bearings and you will learn to work on them a bit. So far as chains You can see if you can get by without and buy them later if needed. You may also want to consider a used machine (sometimes a good buy as a trade-in at a dealer) to allow you to kind of get the feel for things.

You may want to talk to the neighbors and see what they have been using. Some areas really don't get that much snow (it's a relative thing)and you may not have to invest in a monster machine. Folks around here are about split on doing their own clearing and hiring it out.

Since you are on gravel make sure that the skids are set up a bit especially at first before the ground freezes. These things chuck rocks as well as they move snow. After the ground freezes you can drop the skids a bit and get a cleaner cut. Don't throw towards your house, car, barn, or anything with glass you don't want broken (how does he know this????)

Two stage, as mentioned.

Wheels vs track. I've had both, I much prefer wheels. Turning with tracks is a bear, as is freewheeling. You don't get miraculous traction with tracks either, the wheels do just fine.

I've done just fine with 5 hp on various machines. Yes, when it's several feet deep I have to slow down. But that's a function of the hopper capacity far more than engine power. But I certainly like lots of power.

Width. 20 vs 40, etc. Doesn't really matter, it's just a few inches difference. I wouldn't bother to go hunting extra wide, I don't think it's worth the extra money.

I thought the headlight was a silly gimick, until I used one that had it. Pretty handy at night.

I do not like the modern wheel drive controls on almost all machines today. It's external on the back, with things engaging under a flat leaf spring. Quite prone to getting stuck with snow and not engaging the drive. Seems a pretty universal problem, as everyone complains about it.

8 horse minimum for sure, and don't get carried away with the cut width. 20-24" is about all an 8 horse wants to handle.

Two stage absolutely.

SiL had one with tracks, I wasn't impressed. I run Snow Hogs on mine and go anyplace he does.

nless you're going with the Big Buck Unit, get a generic MTD. Most of the others are the same unit anyway, just painted and marked up.

Normally, I wouldn't pizz on a Tecumseh if it was on fire, but I can not fault the Snow King on my blower. Cold-blooded as heck, you want it HOT before you start blowing snow with it, but other than that it has been fine. Starts reliably runs well when warm.

Unless you're going to get a LOT more snow than I think you are, you'll be fine with a low end unit.

Get a 2-stage model, at least 8 horse. Depending on how steep your driveway is, you may want to look into tracks as opposed to wheels. For gravel areas, adjust the scooper way up if you value your windows.