Whether it's the Farmers Almanac or harsh memories from last year's "Snowmageddon," snow blowers are flying off the showroom floors all around the valley.
That's why the ratchet wrenches are getting a real workout at Boise Small Engine.
"It's been fantastic for snow blower sales," says Todd Hammons from Boise Small Engine. "Our sales are well over double almost triple for this time of year. Right now we're fielding five, six calls a day and pretty common to send two or three out a day."
And there's no secret to why.
All it takes is a flashback to the huge mounds of snow last year.
Boise Small Engine just got a new shipment of snow blowers and have 14 snow blowers all ready to go out back. But one third of them are already spoken for and they say their supply might last just halfway through November.
Hammons says lots of business is coming from the Farmer's Almanac prediction of another big snow year.
"It was dead-on last year. I wish I'd bought one last year." he says.
The cost starts around $200 for a basic paddle model that can handle most anything that hits the valley. But, if you have a lot of territory and rare snowfall like last year, expect to pay closer to $1,000 for a two stage.
Whatever the cost, if heavy snow hits again, your back will thank you. But if the snow drought of 2011-2015 returns be prepared for your snow blower to see more dust than snow.
We checked around and you can find starter gas models, with no frills, for less than $200. And if you have a small driveway in an area that gets storms with less than six inches of snow, you might consider an electric snowblower. There's no maintenance, no gas to run out, it's better for the environment, cheaper, smaller and lighter.
