dd,
tough call. Get one of those troy-bilts from lowe's. I bought one with my father a couple of years ago. Two-stage 6 horse I think. It drives good with larger tires and is fairly balanced. Throws this snow well. I haven't tried it with slush but this stuff has been pretty easy. It has an electric start which makes a difference. I like it because he can use it and I don't have to dig him out any more.

Good luck.

P.S. What is a medium length driveway?

I don't know much about snow blowers in general, but I own a Honda HS724WA. I wanted a quiet running model & not too big. This model is manual start, but I don't find it that difficult to start (the elect start models where bigger & more expensive). It did amazingly well in 4' snow. The one downside of this machine is that the controls are a bit awkward to use, but if I go slow it is manageable.
I do recommend that it be purchased from a dealer nearby (& they may have used machines for sale), so if there is a problem, they will come to you to fix it (if you are not the mechanic).
Also, gravel may be a concern, as you will be throwing some stones with the snow. & a steep driveway may also need a track drive. The blower blade clearance should be set up with a gravel driveway in mind.

Features you might want to evaluate: lights (if no outdoor lighting), hand warmers (I guess that 50' of driveway takes a half hour to clear, longer takes more time and face & hands can get real cold!), wind screen. And the best accessory is a one piece hooded insulated outdoor suit! & a gas can of course.
Good luck

Check out Lowes for the Husqvarna 10.5 HP, 30 or 27 in cut for about $999.00.Sears for $1049.00.

They can ship one to you if you order on line!!!

I have the Husky, 9HP 27 cut,has trigger controls for turning, Infinite speeds,and great chute controls!!

I love mine, great blower!!

Also I wear a hat, 3 hole Ski hood, 2 eyes and mouth opening, with a Ski mask!!

Ski mask keeps vision excellent, hat and hood, head warm

I would recommend your talk to a dealer first. I'm not a big box store fan when it comes to major equipment purchases. With a dealer you get the service you are going to need sooner or later. Lowes and HD can't give you that!

I have a Toro 826 that is a beast on moving the snow in New England - except this winter - no snow!

Other brands to check out are Simplicity and Ariens. Both of these have excellent track records as does Toro.

I would also rewcommend at least an 8 horse power for your situation.

Enjoy the journey.

eal51 in western CT

another source of info:

Here is a link that might be useful: info

Are there any snowblowers still for sale in CO? Seriously...if the need is immediate and you have a $1K limit then any snowblower is better than none at all. If you are able to shop around, anything 8hp or larger from Ariens-Toro-Simplicity would be a good choice. I would add Honda except you won't get one for that price. I would consider the Husqvarna if available. I wouldn't go for a MTD:Craftsman:Yard Man unless you are desparate to get something in a hurry.

AZ

Thank you, everybody, for your suggestions!

If not on sale I would suggest at least an Ariens 926LE. About $1,000. Also check Simplicity and Toro.

Ariens: all metal, 3 year warranty, excellent track record. Here in the East they are being discounted 20% at HD. If you have a 10% coupon you should get 30% off and get it for $699. If on sale I would go for the 28" model with the traction trigger control and heated handgrips and 11.5HP engine which can easily handle 3 foot storms.

Make sure that you purchase something with some HEFT to it - something that will bite down into semi-compacted snow instead of riding up onto it. Many of today's snowblowers are made with lighter materials and are consequently lighter in overall weight. You may find that some sort of a rigged weight mounted to the top of your blower housing is beneficial. My current walk-behind snow equipment is 40 years old and weighs in excess of 600 lbs. - I don't have any trouble with the "biting in" thing.

Ariens Cant go wrong
dealt with customer service
replaced clutch in the first year free!
and because it was a local dealer they came picked up delivered it back. all in two days during a snowfall!

If you havent bought one dont. I lived in denver 25 years and you will only need it about once ever 5-10 years. Its just going to collect dust.

Ariens or Simplicity. Get 8-9 hp and electric start.

Sandy,
I'm with you except last year we had about 70 inches of "Dust".

Peace

Well, if your driveway slopes. Then you might consider a snowblower with tracks. If the prices are out of your price range. Then just look around for a good used unit.
Because I will either fix them or replace the engines. I normally get them a lot cheaper.

I currently have 8 snowblowers. Some are ready to use and others are not.
I have a set of tracks, but I have not installed them on a snowblower yet. 2 of the snowblowers that I have, have been modified. One of them is a Toro 521, or should I say it was.
Now it has a 7.75 ohv engine on it and it is awesome. It just plowed through the 2 feet of snow that we got last year. It didn't even bog down even it the heavy wet snow.
The only thing that I did was push the snowblower to the limits just to see how it would do. I am impressed. All I did was stretch out the auger belt.

What ever you end up getting. Just be sure to keep at least a set of shear pins (never use regular bolts), drive and auger belts.

Good luck,
Jeff