Snow blowers are a fairly recent invention, far outweighed by how long snow has been around. But two of the most recognizable names in the snow blower business, Toro and Ariens, have quite the histories behind them.
Snow Blowers
The motorized snow clearing machine was first invented in 1870 by Robert Carr Harris of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. Although Harris patented his “Railway Screw Snow Excavator”, a basic type of snow blower, the first practical snow blower belongs to someone else.
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In 1925, Arthur Sicard presented his first prototype, a design he based off a concept he first thought up 31 years earlier. Two years later, Sicard sold the first “Sicard Snow Remover Snowblower” to Outremont, Montreal, and the rest is history.
The Sicard Snow Remover Snowblower had a fairly basic design, consisting of only three sections: the snow blower with two chutes and a motor; the snow scooper; and a four-wheel drive truck chassis equipped with a truck motor. But despite its simplicity, the Sicard was a beast, capable of throwing snow 90 feet away (or in the back of the truck if you wanted to hang onto it.)
Toro Snow Blowers
Almost 100 years ago, Toro got its start and never looked back. They’ve consistently produced quality snow blowers for every type of drive and snowfall. Toro has also branched out into lawn and garden care, agricultural needs, and home, professional and sports areas.
But when it comes to snow blowers, you’d be hard-pressed to find yourself a better one than a Toro snow blower. The machines are quite sophisticated, coming in choices like single stage or two stage (for light snow or heavy snow, respectively), and electric options for homeowners who want an alternative to recoil start snow blowers.
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Ariens Snow Blowers
The Great Depression had only been underway for a few years when an idea was sparked in 1933. Henry Ariens’s company, Brillion Iron Works, the one he had spent 40 years building, was gone in an instant. But instead of giving up and rolling over, Ariens and his three sons turned their focus elsewhere.
Using a $1,500 loan borrowed against his life insurance policy and another $1,500 raised by selling stock shares, the four Ariens built what would eventually become one of America’s premier snow blower companies, starting with America’s first man-made rotary tiller.
And now, 80 years later, winter weather dwellers everywhere are as familiar with an Ariens snow blower as they are with the season itself. They’ve got eight different types of snow blowers currently available, with Snow Blower Source a proud carrier of Ariens.
