Yard Machines 31C-040-800 Review

(Rated: 4.2 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
Check Price
Related pages: Best Electric Snow Blower, Best Snow Blower, Electric Snow Blower Reviews, Snow Blower Reviews, Yard Machines, Yard Machines Snow Blowers,

As anyone who has ever had to do it knows all too well, shoveling out your driveway and sidewalks can be back breaking work. This is the case whether you have a just a porch and sidewalks to keep clear or a medium sized driveway. And even if you only have a few inches of snow to remove, doing it by hand with a shovel is still a lot of work.

That is where a compact electric snow blower like the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 comes in. With this little guy you can get a small area clear of moderate snow fall in just a few minutes. No more spending a half an hour or more clearing snow by hand. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 helps you finish the job more quickly than ever, so you can get back indoors and out of the freezing cold sooner. It’s perfect for smaller driveways, sidewalks, patios and decks.

Review Summary

The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is equipped with everything you need to clear moderate snow fall from your driveway and sidewalks quickly and efficiently. This compact snow blower is a great alternative to shoveling, because it not only takes less time with the Yard Machines 31C-040-800, but you also will not wind up with a sore back and shoulders for a day or two after you are finished. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 comes fully assembled and ready for use, and it is small enough that storage is easy to find for it.

It’s also light enough that you should have no trouble lifting it over a curb if you need to dig your car out of street parking, and it can be used to clear off your porch steps as well. With the Yard Machines 31C-040-800, you won’t be producing any emissions while you use it, and it runs very quietly as well. Best of all, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is a very affordable snow blower – which means that even homeowners who are on a budget will be able to get it without putting too much strain on their wallets. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is a great little snow blower for homeowners with the right conditions on their property for it.

Specifications

The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is a single stage electric snow blower that weighs just 27 pounds and has compact dimensions of 43 x 35 x 17 inches. It has an 8 amp motor that provides enough power for it to move up to 400 pounds of snow per minute, and throw snow up to 25 feet.

The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has a clearance width of 12.5 inches and a snow cut depth of six inches. It has an ergonomically designed handle for greater comfort while you use it. The 13 has compact wheels and a manual push drive that is assisted somewhat by the auger. Its chute rotates 60 degrees.

Description

You can start using the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 as soon as you get it unpacked from its box: there is no assembly required. All you have to do is get it hooked up to an extension cord, plug it in, and you are ready to start clearing snow! The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is a very compact and lightweight snow blower that is perfect for homeowners who do not have particularly large driveways. If all you have is a walkway and porch steps to keep clear of snow, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is the snow blower for you. It is light enough that you can easily lift it from one step to the next. And it has a clearance width and overall dimensions that make it ideally suited for clearing stairs and walkways.

The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has a snow cut depth of six inches, which is just right for areas that do not get a whole lot of snow fall during the winter. With the Yard Machines 31C-040-800, you can clear light snow fall much more quickly than you could with just a shovel – and it will take less work, too. There is no reason to get a big, overpriced snow blower that comes with a huge snow cut depth and extra wide clearance if you do not get a lot of snow in your region or if you do not have a big driveway to keep clear. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 can do everything you need, and save you money in the process.

That is because the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 not only is less expensive up front than other snow blowers, but a lot cheaper to operate and maintain as well. With a motor that only draws 8 amps of power to run it, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 uses as much electricity as the average electric coffee maker. You’ll produce zero emissions and spend almost nothing to run it. This is a great little snow blower.

Pros

If you have the right conditions on the ground for it, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 will provide everything you need to keep your property clear of snow all winter long. This is a snow blower designed to take on smaller jobs with light snow fall, and it does that exceedingly well. Yard Machines has made the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 a compact and lightweight snow blower that clears snow efficiently and is inexpensive to use and maintain.

1. Light and compact : The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 weighs less than thirty pounds, which means that just about anyone should be able to lift it easily over a curb or from one step to the next to clear porches and walkways. And because it is so compact, it is easy to find a spot to store the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 in your garage or tool shed – and you can even keep it in your basement or a hall closet as well. That way it’s always on hand.
2. Great alternative to shoveling : If you have a smaller driveway, or just have sidewalks and a patio or deck to keep clear of snow, you do not need a huge snow blower to get the job done right. But you also know all too well how much work it can be to keep your property clear with just a shovel. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 offers a great alternative to both: it’s easier to use than a shovel, but smaller than the average snow blower as well.
3. Perfect for small areas : Because of its compact dimensions and narrow clearance width, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is perfectly designed to keep smaller areas free of snow all winter long. You can easily fit it down a narrow garden path, and it is perfect for keeping stairs and small porches clear of snow as well. It can fit places where a larger snow blower could not get to easily. If you don’t have a huge driveway to clear, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is just right.
4. Comes fully assembled : Most snow blowers require at least some assembly to get them ready to use – even compact electric ones – and this can be a bit of a hassle. Sometimes directions are not at all clear, and you occasionally need specialized tools to put them together. But the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 comes completely assembled, and is ready to start clearing snow as soon as you get it out of the box. If you’re not very mechanically inclined, this is a great feature.
5. Zero emissions : Best of all, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 runs very quietly and produces no carbon emissions at the point of use. That means that you can keep your household’s carbon footprint low – especially because it does not draw a whole lot of power. A big, gas guzzling snow blower is not only going to be loud, it is also going to fill your yard with fumes and the atmosphere with harmful emissions. With the Yard Machines 31C-040-800, you don’t have that problem.

As you can see, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has everything you need to keep a smaller area free of light snow fall all winter long. If you have the right conditions on the ground for a compact snow blower, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is the perfect one for your needs. It can easily clear off stairs and walkways, and even take care of smaller driveways as well. It is perfectly designed for clearing small areas quickly and efficiently.

Cons

But because the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is designed for a very specific set of conditions, it will display some issues if you try to use it to clear very heavy snow fall or keep a big driveway clear. These issues are not Cons so much as they are limitations based on its design – but it is important to know exactly what you are getting before you buy it. With that in mind, let’s take a look at its drawbacks.

1. Short snow cut depth : The snow cut depth on the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is just six inches tall. That means it will be perfect for most regions of the country, particularly those south of the Mason-Dixon that do not get a whole lot of snow fall during the winter. But in areas that routinely get heavy storms, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is not a good choice. It will have trouble with deeper snow and get bogged down in those conditions.
2. Narrow clearing width : For clearing stairs and short walkways –and even small driveways as well – the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has a clearing width that is just perfect. You could not clear stairs with a much larger snow blower, and a bigger one wouldn’t work on porches either. But if you try to use the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 to clear a big, wide driveway, you are going to have to make more passes than it might be worth, and spend a long time doing it.
3. Chute rotates 60 degrees : Because the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 does not have a true snow chute, but rather plastic flaps that direct snow, it only has the ability to throw snow within a 60 degree radius. That is perfect for most conditions it is intended for – that is, clearing sidewalks, steps and decks – but if you are trying to clear a wide driveway with the Yard Machines 31C-040-800, you may find yourself going over the same snow more than once.
4. Could be more durable : Certain parts of the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 could be made from more durable materials. The handle is aluminum, which is not as strong as steel, and the body and auger are made from composite plastic. But this is largely due to the fact that the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is not designed to clear heavy snow fall or deal with particularly difficult conditions. If you use the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 as intended, the durability of its parts should not be an issue.
5. Struggles with slushy snow : Wet, slushy snow presents a problem for all single stage snow blowers, it seems. Because they do not have impeller fans to help push the snow through their chutes, the heavier wet snow is not as easily dealt with. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is no exception to this. As a result, if you are trying to clear slushy snow with this snow blower, it is going to be slow going – but it will get through it eventually.

I think you will agree that these Cons are not the kind of serious issues that would lead me to give the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 a poor overall rating. Instead, they simply indicate the kind of job the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is intended to be used for: light snow fall on small areas. And for that kind of job, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 performs very well, and is well designed to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Product Comparison

I always think it is a good practice to not only look at the individual Pros and Cons of a particular snow blower, but to do some comparison shopping with a few similar models as well. That way, you can get a good feel for what is standard in a given class of snow blower, as well as figure out how one machine stacks up to those snow blowers made by its competitors. Let’s take a look.

	Yard Machines 31C-040-800	Greenworks 26022	Troy-Bilt Flurry 1400
Dimensions	43 x 17 x 35 inches	43 x 17 x 35 inches	41 x 16.5 x 34 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	8 amp	10 amp	11 amp
Clearing Width	12.5 inches	16 inches	14 inches
Snow Cut Depth	6 inches	6 inches	9-1/2 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 400 pounds	Up to 600 pounds	Up to 400 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 25 feet	Up to 25 feet	Up to 20 feet
Drive	Manual push	Manual push	Manual push
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Chute Control	Handle 60°	Handle 60°	Manual 180°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Light	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weight	27 pounds	26 pounds	29 pounds
Warranty	2 years	4 years	2 years

As you can see, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is a lot more compact than the other two models. In terms of selecting a snow blower to use on porch stairs and walkways, the other two have the kind of wider clearances that will make them less well suited for those kinds of jobs. Only the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has the kind of narrow clearance and smaller dimensions that will allow it to clear steps or small patios efficiently.

Conclusion

If you have the right conditions for it, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 can be a great asset to have in your garage this winter. It has everything you need to keep a small area free of light snow fall all winter long. But before you make your final decision to purchase it, let’s take one more look at the Pros and Cons lists.

Conclusion Pros

1. Light and compact.
2. Great alternative to shoveling.
3. Perfect for small areas.
4. Comes fully assembled.
5. Zero emissions.

Because it is so light and compact, the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is the perfect alternative for using a shovel to get smaller areas cleared of light snow fall. It is easy to use, quiet, and produces zero emissions. It comes ready to use – and it is inexpensive to operate and maintain. It’s a great little snow blower for smaller properties in areas that have mild winters.

Conclusion Cons

1. Short snow cut depth.
2. Narrow clearing width.
3. Chute rotates 60 degrees.
4. Could be more durable.
5. Struggles with slushy snow.

The fact that it has a short snow cut depth and a narrow clearance width are simply due to the fact that the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is designed for clearing tight spaces, patios, and porch stairs. I don’t think the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 has any real Cons, provided you use it for the conditions it was intended for.

Final Word

Even when you have a relatively small area to keep clear of snow during the winter, using a shovel to get the job done can be a real hassle. But if you do not live in an area that gets a whole lot of snow, buying a big, expensive snow blower does not make a whole lot of sense. The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 offers the perfect alternative to both: it is easier to use than a shovel and can get the job done faster. But it is also more compact and lightweight – not to mention less expensive – than most other single stage snow blowers out there.

The Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is ideally equipped to clear light snow fall from porches, sidewalks, stairs and decks. It throws a decent amount of snow per minute and can clear up to six inches of accumulation. It is ready to go as soon as you receive it, and it is very easy to use. This is a great little snow blower.

Best Price

And now for the best part: the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 is very affordably priced. It almost doesn’t make financial sense not to buy the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 if you live in a region that gets light snow fall during the winter – especially if you have a smaller property. Not only will the Yard Machines 31C-040-800 cost a lot less than just about any other snow blower out there up front: it will also save you money over time. That’s because it draws very little power: you could use it practically every day and never notice a change in your energy bill. For homeowners on a budget, this is a great buy.