How important is EZSteer feature in a Snow Thrower?

Question

I am in process of purchasing a snow remover/thrower. I have a 2 car driveway, about 1.5 car in length. I am in northeast region and looking at last few years stats, we get 12-14 inches of snow at least 5 times a year. For cleaning my driveway and curb, I am looking to purchase a Sears Craftsman snow remover/thrower. I wanted to know how important is the EZSteer feature provided in some higher model snow throwers as compared to ones that do not have. The snow removers with EZSteer feature are about $200-250 more expensive.

Based on the answers I got so far, I think big snow blower is a relative word. I was talking about a 24 inch vs 26 inch with EZSteer snow throwers.

Answer 1

A big snowblower can be a lot to horse around in the snow, with slippery conditions underfoot. Remember, you will be turning the thing around at the end of each pass. So much depends on how strong are you, and how heavy is the snowblower.

Even with my little 24 inch Toro, at times it can take some effort to drag it around after I've done 150 feet of driveway, plus a turn around area, plus my neighbor's driveway. Admittedly, I only use the snowblower when the snow is too deep/heavy for the tractor to push, so when I do need to use the snowblower, it is a heavy day for snow.

Is it worth the extra money? That depends on you, the depth of your pockets, etc. I definitely suggest trying it out. Can you turn it easily enough? Don't forget that you will need to do so outside in the blowing snow, multiple times. A little exercise is a good thing of course.

Answer 2

I have one of the smaller 2 stage snow throwers (basically this one) that is very easy to Maneuver. My wife uses it easily. For me and my location (northeast Ohio), I don't need a bigger one so something like EZSteer is overkill. If you feel like you really need a bigger one, it might be useful.

Have you tried pushing these around in the showroom? A real store should let you actually take it outside and turn it on, but even at a big box store you should be able to see how hard it is to pivot it onto its rear wheels and spin it.