'Tis the Season Not to Shovel

If you don't want to shovel snow this winter, one option is to buy the monster truck of snow throwers: the self-propelled 1332PE Professional, a $2,249 brute from John Deere (DE Quote) that sports a halogen headlight, heated handlebars, one-hand operation and enough torque to take on anything Mother Nature can drop on your driveway.

To find the snow thrower (the industry's preferred term for snow blower) that's right for you, keep the following factors in mind.

Size of the job. How much snow thrower you need depends largely on how much space you need cleared and how much snow you expect. If your driveway fits your car and little else, a 10-horsepower, 40-inch-wide, four-speed snow thrower doesn't make much sense. Alternatively, if your driveway looks like a 200-yard section of the interstate, bigger is likely better. ...