A heavy winter storm covering your yard in deep snow makes clearing it a necessity, and both snow blowers and snow throwers can help—but they’re not the same. Though many people use the terms interchangeably for snow-clearing tools, snow blowers and snow throwers function differently despite sharing the same basic purpose. While both rely on a spinning auger to lift and eject snow, the way they process and propel it varies significantly.
They serve the same purpose, but they differ in size, power, snow removal ability, and price. Understanding the difference between the two is key to choosing a snow thrower vs snow blower to handle your winter snow clearing duties.
Snow Throwers and Snow Blowers Are Not the Same Machine
Snow throwers and snow blowers clear snow in the same way: Both have a spinning auger that lifts the snow and launches it through a chute as you guide the tool along a driveway or walkway. But while snow throwers do this in a single step, or stage, a snow blower uses multiple stages to move the snow.
Key Differences Explained
There’s also a size difference: Snow throwers are smaller, more nimble machines that can handle moderate snowfall on smaller driveways, while snow blowers are larger and capable of clearing deeper snow from bigger driveways.
Key Differences
Snow throwers are ideal for removing small amounts of snow that are not extremely deep. They are single-stage machines that scoop up snow with an auger and launch snow out of a chute in a single action. Depending on the size of the snow thrower, they can clear a path that’s 18 to 24 inches wider and between 6 and 12 inches deep.
Snow blowers are more powerful than snow throwers, making them a good choice for those who need to clear larger driveways or live in areas with harsher winters that receive higher snowfall totals. Like snow throwers, snow blowers have a rotating auger that scoops up snow, but they use two or three stages to clear snow.
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A three-stage model is even more powerful. This type of snow blower has an accelerator that breaks up the snow, allowing it to cut through compacted icy snow and large piles of snow more quickly than a two-stage model. Snow blowers can clear a path of snow ranging from 24 to 32 inches wide and 1 to 2 feet deep.
Choosing Right Machine
With their ability to remove a wider swath of snow with each pass and launch it further, snow blowers are best suited for handling long winding driveways or larger driveways that hold three or more vehicles. While snow throwers have a narrower clearing width, their small size makes them easier to turn and maneuver, allowing you to clear 4 to 8 inches of snow over a smaller one- to two-car driveways.
However, these are recommendations. You can certainly use a snow thrower to tackle a larger driveway. Just plan on spending more time out in the cold to get the job done. Likewise, you can use a larger snow blower on a small driveway, but it may end up taking you longer. These larger machines require more room to turn and are more difficult to maneuver around smaller driveways.
Snow throwers are smaller and lighter, which generally makes them easier to maneuver, especially in tight areas. The controls on a snow thrower are also relatively simple, so there’s less of a learning curve when operating them. Snow blowers, on the other hand, are much heavier but are usually self-propelled and have power steering, so there’s less physical effort to operate them than a snow thrower.
Operating and Maintenance
Both snow throwers and snow blowers come in battery-powered and gas-powered versions. Cordless electric snow blowers are easier to maintain and start than gas models, operate with less vibration, and don’t produce exhaust.
The transmission, large engines, and self-propelled system on these machines adds to their expense. Single-stage snow throwers are simpler machines, so they cost less. Snow throwers generally cost $500 to $1,000, while snow blowers can range between $800 and $2,000, with battery-powered snow blowers typically costing a couple hundred dollars more. The Greenworks 13-Amp 20″ Corded Snow Thrower is a budget option that weighs just 32 pounds and can clear snow up to 12 inches deep.
