Living Off The Grid

I’ve been doing a lot of sustainable living book reviews on this site, but would like to provide some homestead and farm equipment reviews as well. If you would like to be a guest writer and post a tractor review or comparison article, please leave a comment below with your contact details.

I don’t have experience with tractors yet, but living in Colorado has given me plenty of experience with snowblowers (also called snow throwers in some parts of the country). Seeing as how we’re about to enter the snow season again here, I’d like to share a review of my favorite brand/model.

8.5 HP Poulan Pro Tecumseh Snow King
I talked my neighbor into getting one of these (he got the smaller 5.5HP size and loves it) but here I’m reviewing the 8.5 horse power Poulan Pro. This heavy duty snowthrowing machine is the best I’ve ever owned. This snowblower starts up every time (electric) without fail or too much trouble; it is priced well for its size; has a low gear for heavy, deep snow; it is not too big for driveway and sidewalk work, but big enough to handle much larger, heavy-duty jobs as well. My favorite thing about the Paulin Pro (which wasn’t the case with the other snowblowers I’ve used, such as my old Craftsmen) are the tires, which are made to get through thick snow and go over ice without the need for chains.

All in all this is just a fantastic machine that I have been happy with. I’m not trying to sell you on it though and encourage you to go to some other snow thrower review sites like this one and this one to see what other people are saying for yourself. Amazon.com also has plenty of reviews on this product.

If the aprox. $800 price tag is too much for you and all you really need is something small to do your suburban driveway, try the Toro 1800 electric snow thrower. It’s a good machine for what it is, but I wouldn’t recommend it to my readers if they own a ranch, farm or homestead and need a heavy-duty machine. For those who can’t afford $800 but still need something more heavy-duty than an electric machine, try the Poulan Pro 5.5 HP snowthrower. This is the one my neighbor has.

Who wants to review farm equipment? Leave a comment below!