DeWalt 60V Max snow thrower
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The DeWalt 60V Max snow blower equipment is obtainable for about $1,000.
- With an all-steel auger and electrical chute controls, you may make fast work of accumulation and drifts.
- No chute-clearing instrument means you may must spend further money to get one.
extra shopping for decisions
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Dwelling in Cleveland, winters may be brutal with lake-effect snow and frigid temperatures. So within the winter of 2021, I purchased myself a Troy-Bilt Storm 2420 two-stage snow thrower. The mannequin did a fantastic job till I pulled it out of the shed to prep for a latest storm…and it would not begin.
I struggled mightily with the pull twine earlier than remembering it had an electrical begin. But a couple of minutes and one extension twine later, there was simply the unhappy, labored whirring of a fuel engine struggling to kick over.
With a storm only a few days away and anticipated to drop over a foot of snow, I did not have time to troubleshoot. Troubleshooting would contain tearing aside the engine, draining the gasoline strains, and testing the wiring harnesses.
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And as my neighbors curiously peeked by way of their curtains and blinds to look at me threaten a bit of equipment with all method of strategies for speedy and violent disassembly, the brilliant yellow of the DeWalt 60V Max shone like a beacon of hope from the again of my storage.
The DeWalt 60V Max seems to be offered out at House Depot, however is obtainable at Ace {Hardware} and thru Grainger.
As a result of it is a single-stage mannequin, I had a number of reservations concerning the 60V Max’s skill to deal with a lot various inches of dry, powdery snow. And I fearful concerning the battery operating out midway by way of my process. However DeWalt made a number of design decisions that I used to be happy to find.
Mainly, the corporate constructed the blower with an all-steel auger and included digital paddle controls for the particles chute.
Different single-stage fashions have handbook chute controls. Which signifies that if you have to change the course your particles is thrown, it’s important to cease what you are doing, shut off the unit, after which alter the chute. And it’s important to do that each time you need to transfer the chute, which may be an annoyance at greatest, however a nightmare in case you’re attempting to work within the wind or bitter chilly.
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The DeWalt 60V Max options handy paddle triggers for controlling chute rotation, letting you immediately maneuver particles downwind and away from you. You continue to must manually alter the chute’s ejection angle, however it’s just about a “set and neglect” adjustment.
As for energy, the mannequin comes with two 60V batteries and chargers, letting you go from meeting — which solely takes a number of moments — to make use of in only a few hours. The management panel options battery-level indicator LEDs for every battery, letting you examine how a lot energy you may have at a look. DeWalt claims the 60V Max can clear a 32-car driveway on a full cost, and I am extremely inclined to consider them.
I’ve a typical suburban driveway that comfortably suits six autos and about 200 toes of sidewalk to keep up. With each batteries charged, I used to be in a position to absolutely clear my driveway and sidewalk sections twice, which was about 45 minutes of run time altogether, earlier than I might even drained half their energy.
And since I had a lot further energy, I did what another Midwesterner would do: I cleared as lots of my neighbors’ sidewalks and driveways as I may. I used to be in a position to clear the whole sidewalk on our facet of the road, in addition to two of the three driveways, earlier than I wanted to stroll again to my own residence to recharge the batteries.
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The DeWalt 60V Max has three energy modes, together with an eco-friendly battery-saver possibility, so your runtime could range relying on the mode you utilize. The ability modes may also be used to regulate your chute pace for dealing with heavier or drier snow. The eco-friendly mode works effectively with contemporary powder for when you have to rapidly clear areas, whereas the heavy-duty mode is nice for moist, heavy snow, and skinny layers of sleet and freezing rain.
Like all different single-stage snow blowers, the DeWalt 60V Max doesn’t have any type of self-propelled drive for the wheels. However the unit’s physique is light-weight sufficient that it does not require a ton of muscle or effort to maneuver and management. I am even in a position to bodily decide it up — utilizing correct kind, after all — and carry it if wanted.
The batteries have a little bit of heft, however even with each positioned within the snow blower, the whole machine remains to be surprisingly simple to alter course.
My greatest criticism concerning the DeWalt 60V Max is that it doesn’t come packaged with a chute-clearing instrument; it’s important to buy one individually. Whereas not an enormous deal, not together with a instrument that lets you safely clear obstructions like packed snow and ice poses a security hazard. Particularly if an operator is in a rush and reaches into the chute with out considering whereas the unit remains to be operating.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
All in all, the DeWalt 60V Max single-stage snow thrower is a formidable little unit. With three energy modes, you may sort out several types of snow and lengthen your battery life. And electrical chute controls make adjusting particles ejection fast and simple.
The light-weight design makes it simple to maneuver round curved and angled walkways and over uneven surfaces, akin to buckled sidewalks. The all-steel auger is hard sufficient to deal with nearly any type of snow, small bits of ice, and even sticks and different yard waste. And for about $1,000, you may get the snow blower, two batteries, and chargers, and numerous mornings of not freezing to loss of life as you manually shovel your driveway.
