Pressed for time? Check our best picks
Cub Cadet 3X 28
- Rich in features
- Easy to use and maneuver
- Chops ice to manageable pieces
Arnold 19A40024OEM
- Cleans uneven surfaces
- High chute for farther throwing
- Tremendous capacity
Our reviews are unbiased, fact-based, and comprehensively researched to help you make the right buying decisions.
Model Analysed
Research Hours
Comments Analysed
For those of you who experience snowfall by the yard, a single- or even two-stage snow blower won’t do the trick.
The toughest jobs require the toughest tools, and in this case, it’s a three-stage snow blower.
In this guide, you’ll learn about the best 3-stage snow blower that the market has to offer.
We’ve studied a dozen different models to find the best and several alternatives for your snow removal needs.
Best 3-Stage Snow Blower – Cub Cadet 3X 28
The 3-stage snow blower that does the best job is the Cub Cadet 3X 28. This machine sports a humungous engine to toss several hundred pounds of snow every minute up to 40 feet away.
Here’s a quick look at the Cub Cadet 3X 28’s key specifications—
- 357cc Engine
- 28 x 23-inch Intake
- 40-foot Throw Distance
- Heated Handgrips
The 3X 28 is a feature-packed three-stage snow blower. It doesn’t just move over 800 pounds of snow per minute by tossing it 40 feet across your yard, but the high-speed accelerator works beautifully at crushing large chunks of ice into dischargeable fragments to leave your driveway safe for parking.
This unit comes with a wide range of specialized features, including heated handgrips, an aluminum auger housing, dual LED headlamps, and power steering—essentially, everything you’d want in a snow blower comes with the 3X 28.
This video shows what Cub Cadet’s 3X series can do.
Pros
- Rich in features
- Easy to use and maneuver
- Chops ice to manageable pieces
- Amazing snow-blowing performance
Cons
- Shear pins could last longer
The Cub Cadet 3X 28 lives up to how a three-stage snow blower should perform. Plus, being made by a popular company, you know you’re getting a durable product for your buck.
Top 3 Stage Snowblower in the Market Compared
| Product Image | Product Name | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall - Cub Cadet 3X 28 |
| Check Today's Price |
| Best Premium - Arnold 19A40024OEM |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Best Budget - Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490 |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Cub Cadet 3X 26 |
| Check Today's Price |
 | Troy-Bilt Vortex 2890 |
| Check Today's Price |
Reviews of Best 3 Stage snowblower
Best Premium - Arnold 19A40024OEM
Key Specifications
- Lawn Tractor Attachment
- 42 x 20-inch Intake
- 30-foot Discharge Distance
- Adjustable Skid Shoes
The Arnold 19A40024OEM isn’t like the other products on this list.
It’s an attachment that fits onto most tractor models to turn your summertime lawn tractor into an all-year machine.
This three-stage snow blower attachment doesn’t have its own motor; instead, it relies on the electrical system of your lawn tractor to run.
The Arnold requires at least 18 HP to operate optimally.
As a tractor attachment, it doesn’t come with many features, except for the adjustable skid shoes to protect concrete and gravel surfaces from being torn to shreds.
However, the augers, accelerator, and impeller fan are stored in a durable steel housing that’s resistant to corrosion and swallows up humungous snow mounds with every pass.
Pros
- Cleans uneven surfaces
- High chute for farther throwing
- Tremendous snow-blowing capacity
- Replacement parts are readily available
Cons
- Could work better on wet snow
If you have a lawn tractor that sits idly by during the wintry months, the Arnold 19A40024OEM will turn it into an all-season machine.
Best Budget - Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490
Key Specifications
- 277cc Engine
- 24 x 21-inch Intake
- 30-foot Throw Distance
- 4-Way Remote Pitch
Although the Troy-Bilt Vortex 2490 is the least expensive model on our list, this three-stage snow blower doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to snow-throwing performance.
It sports a hefty 277cc engine that drives the two augers on either side of the gear box, a decent accelerator, and a powerful impeller fan to throw snow up to 30 feet away.
The Vortex 2490 is rated as a residential-grade snow blower, but it’s certainly one that professionals would like.
However, it’s not as feature-packed as many other three-stagers, though its 4-way remote pitch is a nice touch.
This brief promotion video introduces the Vortex 2490 and all of its handy features.
Pros
- Quick and easy assembly
- Handles wet and powdery snow
- Great for homeowners and light-duty commercial work
- Accelerator demolishes ice into dischargeable chunks
Cons
- Intake could be a lot larger
It’s easy to see why the Vortex 2490 is the most budget-friendly three-stage snow blower on the market. However, for its price, it sure does offer quite a bit of value.
Cub Cadet 3X 26
Key Specifications
- 357cc Engine
- 26 x 23-inch Intake
- 40-foot Throw Distance
- Heated Handgrips
Next up is another Cub Cadet creation belonging to the 3X series. This 26-inch model is identical to the number-one pick in every way except for its slightly narrower intake.
Being two inches thinner, it’ll take quite a few more passes to clear areas as opposed to the 28-inch version.
But for the average homeowner, the lower cost for a marginal difference is pretty enticing.
This model is also a feature-rich three-stage snow blower that comes with heated hand grips, power steering, bright LEDs, and a durable auger housing.
Sadly, this machine uses up shear pins just as quickly as its big-brother version.
Pros
- Easy to control
- Perfect maneuverability
- Packed with premium features
- Identical to the number-one pick in almost every way
Cons
- Shear pins could last longer
If you’re willing to sacrifice two inches for a cheaper yet high-quality snow blower, the Cub Cadet 3X 26 is the best option.
Troy-Bilt Vortex 2890
Key Specifications
- 357cc Engine
- 28 x 21-inch Intake
- 30-foot Throw Distance
- 4-Way Remote Pitch
The final three-stage snow blower on our list is another Troy-Bilt creation—the Vortex 2890.
Similar to how the Cub Cade 3X 26 and 3X 28 are identical in almost every way, the Vortex 2980 and Vortex 2490 share many of the same features.
One of the only distinctions between them is that this version can swallow snow width-wise per pass.
Also, the Vortex 2890 comes with a significantly beefier engine, though its impeller and accelerator performances are similar to the 2490’s.
This machine comes with heated handgrips, freewheel steering, single-handed operator controls, a four-way joystick pitch adjusting system.
Pros
- Easy to assemble and use
- Excellent option for homeowners
- High-speed accelerator and impeller fan
- Deals with wet and powdery snow effortlessly
Cons
- Intake could be a lot larger
All in all, the Troy-Bilt Vortex 2890 is a fantastic three-stage snow blower that would make any homeowner living in heavy-snowfall areas incredibly happy.
FAQ’s
Next up, let’s see what sort of questions about three-stage snow blowers need answering.
Perhaps. It’s up to you to decide whether your driveway could use a humungous three-stage machine or whether a single- or two-stage snow blower will suffice. A general rule for determining whether you actually need a 3-stage snow blower is seeing whether your town experiences more than a foot of snowfall regularly. If this is the case, then it’s time to check out which 3-stage snow blower works best.
Yes, they can. 2- and 3-stage snow blowers come with the right featured needed to clean driveways without tearing them up in the process. They have height-adjustable gearboxes that come with skid shoes to keep the metallic box from scraping your driveway. As for single-stage snow blowers, they don’t come with this safety feature, so you’ll have to keep it lifted at all times to prevent the auger from making contact.
Generally speaking, August and September are the ideal times to purchase a snow blower if your main concern is price. Many older snow blower makes and models’ prices are slashed during these months, which is perfect for the wintry season just a couple of months ahead. Snow blower prices might also go down in early spring, but purchasing a snow blower at that time means leaving it to collect dust for three seasons.
Even though a Cub Cadet snow blower is our number-one pick, there’s no one specific brand that completely dominates the snow blower market. However, it’s a good idea to check up on what the most popular manufacturers are making. These companies include Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Troy-Bilt, Honda, and Briggs & Stratton. Just keep an open mind while shopping; the model you’re looking for might come from some obscure manufacturer from another land.
Summary
In this guide, we’ve shown you what we feel is the best 3-stage snow blower (the Cub Cadet 3X 28), as well as four top-tier alternatives.
We’ve researched a dozen different models and are confident that you’ll find our picks more than satisfactory.
