Are you aware of the amount of gas that a snowblower utilizes?
While it is fair to say that not many people know, it is still essential to consider, so that you know how much it will cost you to use all winter and how much you need to use it for a driveway.
Continue reading below and we’ll let you know what a snowblower will use in gas.
How Much Gas Do They Hold
The fuel capacity of a snow blower will vary.
In consideration of the fuel capacity of your snowblower, Some snow plowers may hold more fuel than others.
Here’s a chart listing the most common snowblower manufacturers and range of capacity in their snowblowers.
| Brand | Smaller Unit Capacity | Larger Unit Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Ariens | 0.33 gallons | 0.95 gallons |
| Craftsman | 0.38 gallons | 0.5 gallons |
| Cub Cadet | 0.5 gallons | 1.25 gallons |
| Husqvarna | 0.58 gallons | 0.71 gallons |
| Troy-Bilt | 0.5 gallons | 1.25 gallons |
Typically, fuel tanks for snowblowers carry a capacity of approximately 0.5 gallons, which works well for single or double car driveways.
If you happen to have a smaller driveway but have a larger snow blower, you will need to fill up your snowblower more frequently and likewise for a smaller snowblower where you would have a larger driveway.
But what does that mean in terms of how much fuel it uses?
Most snow blowers consume between and 0.4 lbs per horse power / per hour. A gallon of fuel will contain 6.5 lbs of fuel.
For the purpose of calculating, let’s say you have a 5 horsepower snow blower with associated with 0.5 gallon tank.
Half a gallon of fuel equals to 3.25 lbs of fuel – (which sounds obvious, I get).
Since it is a 5 horsepower snow blower, you multiply 0.4 lbs of fuel per horse power by 5 HP = 2.
Final equation will look like this:
3.25 lbs of fuel / 2 lbs per hour. The answer is approximately 1.625 hours of running time.
If we take into consideration a single car driveway with less than a foot of snow to shovel, it only takes roughly 20 minutes to snow blow.
If you can snow blow for about 20 min per run, this means you could snow blower your driveway roughly 7 times if you had to use a 0.5 gallon tank.
Other Considerations
There are a few other things to consider when wondering how much gas a snowblower is going to use.
- Your location: If you live in Florida, your snow blower will most likely not burn any gas in its life. If you live in a northern state, you will likely be using your snow blower from October until March.
- The type of snow: Light fluffy snow is not going to take as long to snow blow even if you get a foot of it. You can clear your driveway much quicker and use more or less gas than you would for the super compact “snowman-making” snow.
- The area you are snow blowing: We used the example of a one-car driveway, but if you have a 2-car driveway or a multi car driveway or a really long driveway, you are definitely going to burn more gas clearing that area. You may even need to refill multiple times depending on the size of your driveway.
- The type of snow blower: If you don’t want the inconvenience of refueling, you can also consider an electric snow blower. The electric snow blowers will not require gas or stabilizer or even mess of required stabilizing the gas after the season includes the possibility of figuring out how to work around the extension cord!
What Type of Fuel Do They Need
It’s crucial to understand what kind of gas your snow blower takes.
First, be sure to know if your snow blower is a 2-stroke engine or a 4-stroke engine.
There are not many snow blowers that use a 2-stroke engine anymore, but if you happen to have it, you will have to mix your engine oil with the gas.
Each snow blower will be different in a ratio of fuel and oil, so be sure to look at your owner’s manual before mixing.
Keep in mind that you will not have to mix the oil in the fuel for your engine if it is a 4-stroke engine, but you will have to change your oil once every season.
Ideally, you’ll want a fuel that does not have ethanol in it, which is sometimes hard to find.
The fuel found at gas stations has about 10 percent ethanol in it, specifically the most common 87 percent octane gas found at the majority of gas stations.
Higher grades of gasoline will burn cleaner in your engines because they have less ethanol and more octane, but the 91 percent grade also costs a little more.
If you can find E0 gas, which is 0 Ethanol gas, that should be your best bet for your snow blower; you won’t find it in many locations and will have a little trouble finding such a gas.
Some stations may even have diesel fuel for sale. This is the worse case for a snow blower, and it should be avoided.
How To Buy Gas For a Snowblower
No, please don’t attempt to lug your snowblower to the nearest gas station, there is an easier way!
First things first, grab yourself a gas can if you don’t have one already.
You don’t need to spend a ton of money on a gas can, but to make your process of refilling your gas tank easier in the cold, you should buy one with a flexible nozzle to be able to position the spout before you start pouring into your gas tank.
Gas cans with a wide base are also an upgrade.
If you have a clumsy hand or easily knock over things, traditional gas cans can sometimes be knocked over if they aren’t full!
Not only is this a waste of gas and a messy ordeal, gas is unstable and will create an environmental hazard!
Simply bring the gas to a gas station to fill it up.
You’ll take the gas can out of your vehicle, plop it on the ground, and fill it from there. Once you are done dishing gas into your gas can, simply put the lid back on your gas can and load it back into your vehicle and bring it home!
Another option is to even add a fuel stabilizer to the gas can if you have enough gas can space to save gas for later!
However, you should only do this if you plan on using the fuel stabilizer before the 30-day mark!
Now you have stabilized fuel that you can use properly for a 4-stroke snowblower, a 2-stroke one would still need oil!
How To Store a Snow Blower
If you have spent any time around small motors or auto shops, you may have seen or heard of a fuel stabilizer and wondered what it was.
Over time – gas and oil attract moisture which can cause acid build-up. It takes between 60 and 90 days for the acid build-up to be an issue, so when you store your snow blower from spring until late fall or early winter, your snowblower will not run properly when it snows, and you need to remove the snow from your driveway.
Unfortunately, you can’t “fix” old fuel, and you’re going to have to drain that out of your snowblower to dispose of, but you can begin again.
When you begin again, you want to add fuel stabilizer to the fuel.
Adding a stabilizer will allow your fuel to last from 60-90 days, to at least 6 months, or even up to 2 years.
After you add the fuel stabilizer, you will want to run your snow blower for a couple of minutes so it will have a chance to run through you entire machine.
Yes, it is an extra step, however it is a small investment to protect the fuel you have in your snowblower early in the season.
Final Thoughts
The quantity of gas a snow blower uses is dependent upon a number of different factors.
Having a good understanding of the power of your snow blower, and knowing what a normal winter looks like for your area will give you a much better understanding of how much gas you will need for your snow blower.
To avoid wasting fuel, the gas in your snow blower lasts a long time without stabilizer, and if you follow that approach you will certainly want to choose a gas can that is less likely to spill.
This will help you save on your fuel costs next winter!