DeWalt 60V Max snow thrower
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The DeWalt 60V Max snow blower package is out there 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 software means you may must spend additional money to get one.
extra shopping for selections
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Residing in Cleveland, winters could 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 an awesome job till I pulled it out of the shed to prep for a current 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 gasoline engine struggling to kick over.
With a storm just some 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 gas 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 chunk of equipment with all method of strategies for speedy and violent disassembly, the intense 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 bought out at Dwelling Depot, however is out there 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 means to deal with a lot various inches of dry, powdery snow. And I frightened concerning the battery working out midway by way of my job. However DeWalt made a number of design selections 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 implies that if that you must change the route your particles is thrown, you need to cease what you are doing, shut off the unit, after which alter the chute. And you need to do that each time you need to transfer the chute, which could be an annoyance at finest, however a nightmare in the event 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 need to manually alter the chute’s ejection angle, however it’s just about a “set and overlook” 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 just some hours. The management panel options battery-level indicator LEDs for every battery, letting you examine how a lot energy you have got at a look. DeWalt claims the 60V Max can clear a 32-car driveway on a full cost, and I am extremely inclined to imagine them.
I’ve a typical suburban driveway that comfortably matches six automobiles and about 200 toes of sidewalk to keep up. With each batteries charged, I used to be in a position to totally clear my driveway and sidewalk sections twice, which was about 45 minutes of run time altogether, earlier than I would even drained half their energy.
And since I had a lot additional energy, I did what every other 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 all the 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 choice, so your runtime might range relying on the mode you utilize. The ability modes can be used to regulate your chute velocity for dealing with heavier or drier snow. The eco-friendly mode works properly with recent powder for when that you must shortly 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, all the machine continues to be surprisingly straightforward to alter route.
My greatest grievance concerning the DeWalt 60V Max is that it doesn’t come packaged with a chute-clearing software; you need to purchase one separately. Whereas not an enormous deal, not together with a software that means that you can 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 pondering whereas the unit continues to be working.
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 deal with several types of snow and prolong your battery life. And electrical chute controls make adjusting particles ejection fast and straightforward.
The light-weight design makes it straightforward to maneuver round curved and angled walkways and over uneven surfaces, resembling 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 demise as you manually shovel your driveway.
