40V HP Brushless Whisper Series 22″ 2-Stage Cordless Electric Self-Propelled Snow Blower (model RY408150)

Ryobi 40V 22-inch, 2-Stage Snowblower

3.5/5

Manufacturer: Ryobi
Model number: RY408150
Power source: Cordless
Motor size: 40V
Weight: 136 lbs

Specifications & Features | Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower

Specifications

• Clearing width: 22 in
• Stage Type: 2 stage
• Motor Power: 40 Volts
• Auger diameter: 10 in
• Auger Material: Steel
• Chute material: Plastic
• Run Time (2x *Ah batteries): Avg. 30 min
• Discharge chute turn radius: 180 degrees
• Plowing capacity: 1900lbs/min
• Max throw distance: 45 ft.
• Ideal surfaces: Paved or gravel, even or uneven
• Total Weight: 136 lbs
• Self Propelled: Yes; variable forward and reverse
• Light: Single LED, Auger top-mounted

Features

• Brushless motor, advanced electronics, and lithium batteries to provide more power, runtime, and durability
• Whisper series snow blower is engineered to be 44% quieter than gas snowblowers
• Variable speed, self-propelled drive system
• Variable speed all steel auger for heavy-duty clearing
• Dense & Deep (up to 18 in) snow capable and panel-based, lever-controlled, 180° directional chute
• High-intensity LED headlights allow you to blow snow at dawn or dusk

Overall Power & Performance

The true test of a snowblower is wet snow and luckily (or unluckily) we get plenty of that in Cape Cod where we tested out the Ryobi RY408150 snow blower. We used this to clear 6″-8″ of heavy wet snow and it easily threw the white stuff 35+ feet when needed. This Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower sports a high-torque, brushless motor that self regulates voltage to maintain consistent power throughout the battery run-time. We varied the auger power/speed and the chute top angle to max out around 35-40 ft of max distance. Why does this matter? This allowed us to throw snow across our driveway and/or far enough straight ahead to not double clear the snow. It gives you more options when clearing snow.

Run-time

One of the positive surprises of this snowblower was the run-time. On the above-mentioned snow, we found the included 2x 8 Ah batteries actually allowed us to clear snow for about 35 mins total before running out. This slightly exceeded the stated 30 mins and represents a 17% performance increase over what we expected. More importantly, we had enough run-time to finish clearing our main (gravel) driveway that is approximately 12 ft wide x 30 ft long. This Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower has 4 battery spaces; 2 for active batteries and 2 storage spaces (the 2x 6Ah batteries were ones I already had).

Shear Pin Replacement

Fortunately (at least for review purposes) we did shear a shear bolt while testing out this snowblower. It gave us a chance to test out the shear pin replacement factor and it was not more complicated than required. We appreciated that Ryobi supplied an extra set (4 bolts) or replacement shear pins. And we really appreciated that there was an integrated and easily accessible storage spot between the chute and control panel. We sheared the pin when a few pieces of larger crushed rock got caught between the auger and housing which is not a knock on this snowblower as it comes with the territory of having a crushed rock driveway vs. paved.

LED Light

The placement and brightness of the LED were both effective and appreciated. We did a second clearing just after dusk to specifically test the night operation of the snowblower and it worked great. The LED light is not a full light bar. It is just a centrally mounted LED assembly, but still proved adequate for homeowner/residential use. There is no option to turn off the light.

Control Panel Design & Overall Ergonomics

The overall design of the Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower is pretty standard. It has bottom mounted skid shoes to allow for depth settings on pavements or hard ground surfaces. These are made of heavy-duty plastic as opposed to steel so, while less expensive to replace, have the potential of becoming brittle and breaking in the extreme cold. There is a lever-style control for the chute top angle (controls throw distance) on the top control panel. It was easy to operate with gloves and preferred over a manual adjustment design. There is also a crank-style lever underneath the handle assembly used to adjust the chute throwing direction. This was preferred to other crank handle-style chute controls we’ve tested on other snowblowers.

While the auger and self-propelled drive levers are a standard, handle integrated design, we did run into issues with them during use. In particular, we had to clean out frozen/packed snow accumulation approximately 10 mins into our first run on 6″ heavy snow. The snow build up prevented the plastic handle from fully depressing the activation switch on the bottom of the control assembly, pictured below, preventing the auger from engaging. This was an easy fix but unnecessarily frustrating issue.

We appreciated the self-propelled power but found the lower end speed setting to still be slightly faster than desired. Of note, with a plastic body composition and total weight of 136 lbs, there was a learning curve on gravel surfaces to keeping the auger intake from getting stuck and the tires from spinning. The all-steel auger and intake housing design meant that the high wear components (minus the skid shoes) are rugged and able to clear packed snow and intermittent ice chunks as expected.

Snowblower Safety Features

This Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower has the standard style cleaning tool integrated into the tool body housing. This is a standard yet essential feature as every year there are multiple instances of snow blower operators losing fingers from cleaning out clogged chutes using their hands. It stayed securely in place and was easy to remove and store again.

One of the major benefits of switching to a cordless snowblower is the decrease in noise and fumes. The Ryobi RY408150 snowblower exemplifies these traits. We used it without hearing protection as the only real source of noise is the auger churning through snow. And even then, we were able to have a conversation without yelling. The lack of fumes and post-use ear ringing are real benefits and fall into the long-term safety category.

Final Thoughts | Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower

The Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower (model RY408150) is a mid-sized yet powerful option with basic features and overall solid performance. It is ideally designed for small-mid sized paved driveways and sidewalks. It provides straightforward adjustability with a solidly performing motor. The run-time with the provided 8Ah batteries was on par with the manufacturers advertised performance and sufficient for most of the snow blowing we used it for. At $1200, which is an average-range price, we’d like to see a more robust design in the lever-based auger and self-propelled controls though. The decreased noise and fumes are huge benefits to a cordless snowblower. If you regularly snow blow, and already have Ryobi 40V tools, then this is a no brainer.

Ryobi 40V 22-inch Snowblower Review is a post from Tool Box Buzz

EGO POWER+ 28 In. Self-Propelled 2-Stage Snow Blower – Model SNT2807

EGO POWER+ 28 In 2-Stage Snow Blower

5/5

Manufacturer: EGO
Model number: SNT2807
Price: $2,199
Power source: 56V Li-Ion
Weight: 182 lbs

This battery powered snow blower was  designed to perform like a gas powered 2-stage unit and it’s clear from the outset that EGO has set the bar high. Some fresh wet snow here in New Hampshire was a great way to give this snow blower a great test. Check our thoughts on this battery powered snow blower.

Specifications and Features

• 2-in-1 electronic chute adjustment joystick delivers effortless control of 200-degree chute rotation and deflection
• Throws snow up to 60 feet
• EGO claims it will clear a 32-car driveway with 8 inches of snow on a single charge when used with the two recommended 12.0Ah ARC Lithium batteries
• Trigger-controlled steering assists with turning for more control
• Heated handle grips keep your hands warm
• 28-inch clearing width and 21-inch intake height
• Large 16- by 5-inch snow tires deliver added traction in slippery conditions
• IPX4-rated weather resistance for working in challenging weather conditions
• 5-year tool warranty, 5-year battery warranty

Initial Thoughts – Using the EGO 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower

EGO ships the SNT2807 battery powered 2-stage snow blower on a pallet partially assembled. Assembly of the unit is exceptionally easy to do and takes less than 30 minutes from the time you un-crate the unit. The control panel and handles come shipped loose as well as the chute assembly. Both of these pieces come with the control cables attached to them so it’s really only a matter of attaching both with some easy to use bolts and knobs. The knobs have nuts embedded in them so there’s no tools needed, the knobs are simply hand tightened to the bolts.

Over the years we’ve been impressed with the quality of EGO outdoor power equipment and this unit is no different. It clearly stands out both in quality and the features compared to other similar snow blowers. EGO put some thought into both the controls on this snow blower and added features to make it stand out among the competition.

The snow blower includes large 16 inch by 5 inch snow tires that grip well and roll really nice. It also includes adjustable skid plates for the front of the snow blower. These are really important with gravel driveways to minimize the front auger area picking up stones and gravel.

The motorized chute rotates and tilts with the control of the joystick. The snow blower also includes a plastic stick for unplugging a clogged auger or chute.

The snow blower includes steel augers and a typical sheer pin design. The metal auger housing is sturdy and well built.

EGO has also included some LED lights both in front of the auger housing and also on the front of the control panel. This provides a good amount of light for blowing snow at night.

Snow Blower Controls

One of the first things that stand out on this snow blower are the controls. Pictured above are the controls which not only work well but they are very intuitive and positioned well.

• Drive Controls – The left green upper lever is the drive lever that engages the wheels. The lower black lever on the right and left handles are used to steer the snow blower left and right. The green handle just to the right of the left handle operates forward and reverse, with multiple positions that determine the wheel speed.
• Power / Accessories – In the center of the console is the large green power button, along with a button for the LED lights and also the heated handles.
• Auger Control – The upper right green handle engages the auger. It has a safety handle that must be depressed before the auger can be started. To the left of the right handle is the auger speed lever. This lever controls the speed of the auger and the distance the snow is thrown. This is a great feature as it allows battery use to be maximized depending on the depth and heaviness of the snow.
• Chute Controls – At the top, center of the control panel is a joystick that controls the snow chute. The joystick can be depressed left or right to move the chute left or right. By pressing the joystick forward or backward, the top of the chute is angled to increase or decrease the distance the snow is thrown. Both of these motions are motorized and not cable driven like older snow blowers.

Battery Compartment

The EGO 2-stage snow blower holds two batteries in a compartment located just over the axle. Without a motor this is a great location to store the batteries and place as much weight on the drive wheels as possible. The snow blower can use any of the EGO 56V batteries. EGO does recommend the 12 Ah ARC batteries for maximum performance.

Snow Blower Performance

Great features and controls are one thing but the real question is performance. So far the EGO POWER+ 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower has proven to be an excellent battery powered snow blower. This snow blower was able to throw heavy wet snow just as good as a gas powered unit. The electric chute controls work well and the variable auger speed is a very useful feature. The torque created by the electric motor is evident when chewing through a 2 foot tall heavy wet snow bank. This blower can handle anything my old gas powered Craftsman did and then some.

Run-Time

EGO claims this snow blower can clear a 32 car driveway of 8 inches of snow. If you assume a car is roughly 6 ft wide, 15 feet long, or roughly 2,880 square feet. That’s roughly a 200 foot long driveway that’s roughly 10 feet or so wide. Of course 8 inches of what kind of snow? At any rate, that’s a decent size driveway. Just so happens that the driveway this snow blower was tested on is roughly that size. In the previous storm there was about 6 inches of heavy wet snow and a full charge nearly finished the driveway. Luckily we’ve got other EGO batteries so we just swapped them out and finished.

If you’re going to own a battery powered snow blower you really should own at least one set of backup batteries. This will double the range and make things much less frustrating. While doing research for this review, some users were complaining about batteries getting too cold to charge. This is definitely one down fall of all battery powered snow blowers and another reason to have a backup set of batteries that are stored in a warm area.

Final Thoughts – EGO 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower

The EGO POWER+ 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower is by far the best battery powered snow blower we’ve used and reviewed. The snow blower is packed full of features, has easy to use controls, offers exceptional performance, and supported by a company leading the way in battery powered outdoor power equipment. Backed by a 5 year warranty on both the machine and the batteries this snow blower deserves a 5 star rating. Get yourself and extra set of batteries and ditch the yearly maintenance of a gas powered machine and the reliability of your snow blower starting when you need it. We’ve all been in a situation where the gas snow blower won’t start when the first storm hits and that’s not fun!

EGO POWER+ 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower Video Review

EGO POWER+ 28 Inch 2-Stage Snow Blower Review is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 24″ Two-Stage Snow Blower RY40870

Ryobi 40V HP Brushless Two-Stage Snow Blower

4/5

Manufacturer: Ryobi
Model number: RY40870
Price: $1799
Power source: 40V Battery
Motor size: Brushless

RY40870 Snow Blower Specifications and Features

• Dual brushless motors deliver 2X more power (compared to model RY40890VNM)
• 24″ clearing width & 21″ clearing depth
• All metal variable speed auger for more user control
• All metal 180° directional chute throws snow up to 55′ away
• Hassle free push button start for user convenience
• High intensity LED light bar and headlights for increased visibility
• Variable speed self-propelled for drive speed control
• Heated hand grips
• Includes (4) 40V 6 Ah batteries with (4) active ports for extended runtime & ultimate power
• Dual port rapid charger charges 2 batteries in parallel 4X faster than a standard charger
• 5-year limited tool warranty, 3-year battery warranty

Assembly Required

Normally assembly isn’t a topic in these articles but something like that this requires some assembly makes sense especially for home owners purchasing this snow blower. The snow blower comes in a box shipped on a pallet and does require some assembly. This snow blower took about 45 minutes to full assemble (plus a slight detour).

Essentially the blower chute and the control panel/grips come folding down/detached to make shipping more compact. It’s not overly difficult to assemble, however, you need to figure it out a bit on your own because the directions are a little to be desired. Also, I was missing a couple of nuts for the control handles so a quick trip to the hardware store was needed. With a little patience and a couple wrenches it’s not difficult to assemble.

Powerful and Quiet!

The first question everyone asks about a cordless snow blower is how well can it clear deep snow. Even with a gas powered snow blower that’s a loaded question and depends on the snow (wet heavy snow vs dry light snow). During a recent storm here in New Hampshire we put the RY40870 to the test. This storm featured approximately 8″ of wet heavy snow. You can see the snow blower in action in the photo above where it was having no problem at all chewing through the snow and throwing it just as far as any gas powered blower I’ve used in the past.

One of the things you notice first about cordless outdoor power equipment is the noise…or lack of! The RY40870 is no exception with no gas engine running the only noise is the sound of the auger churning as it chews through the snow. You can easily talk to someone near you without having to shut down the snow blower.

Run-Time

The second question that is definitely going to be asked is how long does it run on a charge. Well that’s a REALLY loaded question again depends greatly on the type and depth of snow. During the storm I started clearing snow with 4 freshly charged batteries. I was able to blow snow for approximately 30 minutes where I cleared out a large area in front of the garage including some snow banks. It’s so hard to quantify the run-time but I felt like it did pretty well considering how heavy the snow was. Based on how it performed I feel like in a moderate storm (6″ to 8″) of dry snow it can do a medium to large sized driveway with 4 fully charged batteries.

Features and Controls

Other than not having to pull a rope to start the snow blower this unit functions exactly like a gas powered blower. Simply push a button while holding down the handle and the auger starts instantaneously. You can easily set the auger and drive speed with simple levers and control the snow chute side to side and up and down with levers just like my gas powered Craftsman.

This snow blower also includes LED lights mounted to the front of the auger housing and also up on top at the control panel. The lights do a great job and definitely throw much more light than what I’m used to on a snow blower.

The Ryobi RY40870 also includes hand warmers which is a really cool feature! Fit and finish on the unit are good and what I would expect from a piece of equipment like this. Yes there are plastic parts on this unit, but my 15 year old gas powered Craftsman also has plastic parts in similar places. Overall I think the unit has all the features you’d expect and it’s built well.

One slight feature I’d like to see them address is the battery housing cover. It’s spring loaded to keep it shut and protect the batteries which is great. However, it’s a pain to hold that cover open while trying to install the heavy large batteries. Basically holding the cover open with one hand and trying to install a battery with the other, sounds easy, but it’s not with gloves on and a heavy battery.

Where To Buy

As Ryobi is exclusively sold at The Home Depot we’re providing a link to it here for your convenience. This blower is certainly a bit more than an average gas snow blower. Decent 24″ gas blowers run around $800-$1000 where this blower costs $1799. Is the extra price worth it? Well if you start considering maintenance, gas, oil, and the frustrations of starting a gas powered engine in the Winter it’s likely a yes for many of you!

Overall Impression – Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 24″ Two-Stage Snow Blower

The Ryobi RY40870 40V HP Brushless 24″ Two-Stage Snow Blower certainly exceeded my expectations and I think that’s a testament to the investment Ryobi has recently made into their outdoor power equipment offerings.  Cordless outdoor power equipment is the future for homeowners and the performance speaks for itself. While I’d like to see the run-time be a bit better I think it’s still a great option especially for homeowners that don’t want to hassles of maintaining a small gas engine. If you own more than one 40V HP piece of equipment then owning more than 4 batteries could easily solve the run-time issues and create a really great cordless experience. I’m giving this snow blower a 4 out of 5 stars, why? Well it’s a great snow blower, but there is room for improvement in the run-time and having to find hardware to finish the assembly. The bottom line is if you’re interested in a real two-stage cordless snow blower this is a very good option.

Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 24 Inch Two-Stage Snow Blower Video Review

Ryobi 40V HP Brushless 24 Inch Two-Stage Snow Blower Review is a post from Tool Box Buzz