Winter draws on, as the expression goes, and we must expect all manner of nasty weather until the first daffodils wave their golden welcome to Spring.
The right equipment can make coping with the worst of the winter much easier so here’s our selection of ten top tools to help get through to Spring with the garden neat, the drives snow and ice free and the house warm and toasty.
Possibly you’ll have a few branches and trees felled by the strong winds and you to split these down to logs for the fire.
A great little log splitter on special offer is the Einhell BT-LS 44 Electric Log Splitter, German engineered and made to cope with logs up to 25 cm in diameter and 37 cm long.
Powering the splitting ram is a 1500 Watt motor and it has the power to cut seasoned as well as freshly-felled wood with four tons of splitting force.
Both hands are needed to work the machine, a useful safety feature and it can be taken to where it’s needed thanks to a pair of transport wheels.
It costs just £169, a substantial reduction on the maker’s recommended price of £299.
Delivery is free the next working day and there is a two year warranty from Einhell.
And to cut the branches and trunks into the correct length you’ll need a good chainsaw. And the
Oleo-Mac GS-350 Pro Petrol Chainsaw with Free Starter Pack is currently on exclusive special offer with free safety accessories.
This Italian-made machine has a 38.9cc engine and a 35 cm guide bar and useful instructions are printed on the side of the machine.
Another excellent feature are transparent tanks to check chain oil and fuel levels – the chain lubrication is automatic.
Anti-vibration dampers make it more comfortable to use – this also extends to the carburettor to contribute to a longer working life.
There is an inertia chain which also acts as a forward hand guard.
Free with this chain saw is a helmet, with visor and ear muffs and work gloves, two stroke oil and chain oil and a fuel mixing bottle.
It costs £179.95 compared with the recommended retail price of £289.95. It has a three year manufacturer’s warranty and free next working day delivery. When you buy this chain saw there are special prices on fuel cans, spare chains and log horses.
The one certainty is that there will be plenty of mud about this winter and to keep cars and paths clean the Greenworks 140 Bar Electric Pressure Washer (51037) will be worth its weight in gold.
This machine produces 140 Bar of pressure with a flow rate of 380 litres an hour and gives more consistent power compared with many other pressure washers.
It includes an integrated hose reel with a winder and two detergent tanks to double up on the amount of detergent used or wax.
There are five nozzles including including a soap nozzle and a special one for high pressure cleaning. There is also a spray gun and lance and eight metres of high pressure hose.
The nozzles have special brass fitting that simply click into place. And handle and transport wheels make it easy to move around.
It has a three year warranty from Greenworks and is delivered free the next working day. It costs just £169.95 compared with the maker’s recommended retail price of £399.95.
And for when it gets really rough and the flood waters rise this machine will prove invaluable.
The Loncin LC80ZB35-4.5Q 3” Petrol Powered Water Pump has an output of 48,000 litres an hour, ideal for pumping out cellars in the winter and emptying swimming pools.
The 163 cc engine in quiet in running and produces low vibration levels.
This is a centrifugal pump made of cast iron with ceramic seals for a long life and has a lift of 20 metres and a suction of six metres.
As an added safeguard there is a protection device which cuts in when the oil level is low.
It costs £199 compared with the maker’s recommended retail price of £250 and is delivered free within four to five working days.
There is a two year maker’s warranty.
Another machine you’re certain to need is a chipper shredder especially after the recent storms.
So here’s a great machine, the Ardisam Earthquake CS6V Petrol Chipper-Shredder, currently on special offer.
This USA made machine is perfect for getting rid of all manner of garden waste and turning it into mulch to go around the roots of tender plants or straight on the compost heap where it will readily rot down.
The body of the machine houses two chipping knives which will turn five cm branches into wood chips. Then there are five free-swinging hammers to mulch the green stuff and the intake has been designed to drag the twigs and branches in.
Powering it is a 6 hp engine producing remarkable little vibration.
It comes with a 70 litre collection bag and has large wheels to make it easily moved around. You can also purchase a vac kit which extends the use of the machine even further.
This chipper/shredder costs £579 compared with the cost of £699 from the makers.
It is delivered free within two to three working days and has a two year manufacturer’s warranty.
And it’s quite likely that the electricity supply will fail at some time this winter and that’s where the Loncin LC8000D-F Petrol Powered Generator comes into its own.
This is a really powerful generator capable for powering fridges and freezers as well as power tools and electric heaters.
This can run for eight hours on a full tank of fuel providing a maximum output of 7.5 KW and has a 420 cc engine with automatic voltage regulations with an electric start and runs remarkably quietly.
It has two 16 amp and one 32 amp sockets and is easily moved via fixed handles and transport wheels.
It is delivered free within four to five working days and has a two year manufacturer’s warranty.
It costs £599, a substantial saving on the manufacturer’s recommended retail price.
Remember last winter, how we all slithered in the snow and were stuck in snow drifts for days on end?
Well here’s a great snow clearing machine at a bargain price.
The MTD ME 66 Snow Blower / Thrower – 2 Stage Self-Propelled is a two-stage machine perfect for clearing larger areas like car parks, schools, shopping precincts and health centres.
It is a two stage machine, first dragging the snow into the front chute 53 cm deep with a toothed auger and crushing it down.
The auger is protected by sheer bolts should you hit something solid hidden in the snow.
Then an impellor takes over and blasts it clear through the chute which can be adjusted both for direction and pitch.
A 277 cc Snow Thor specialist engine gives plenty of power and there are four forward and two reverse gears. And it runs on snow skids which are adjustable depending on the surface you are clearing.
Deep-patterned tyres give plenty of grip and there is a headlight to keep you going in the murk.
You can now buy this snow blower for only £799 a massive saving on the manufacturer’s recommended price of £1299.
It is delivered free the next working day and has a one year guarantee from MTD.
Now one for when you are faced with clearing large areas of deep snow, and this comes from a Swedish firm where they know a bit about keeping going through the winter.
The Stiga Silex 95H Two-wheeled Snow Plough is powered by a Honda 160 cc specialist engine and has a reverse gear as well as forward.
It has dual transmission powers both the forward propulsion and snow blade or what ever other attachment you care to fit.
The snow blade will clear to a width if 85 cm and is made of steel with a scraper bar at the bottom.
The blade can be adjusted to clear to either side and this alteration can be made from the driving position.
Very solid tyres give bags of grip and the low weight means it is easy to steer in bad weather and the handlebars can be adjusted to a comfortable height.
Other attachments which can be purchased include a sweeping brush for clearing lighter fresh snow.
It costs £848 – the maker’s recommended retail price is £929 – and there is a one year manufacturer’s warranty.
It is delivered free within two to three working days.
Now one to clear up leaves and twigs from lawns and drives, a top machine and great value for money.
The Mountfield Wheeled Pro Vac with Six-Speed Drive develops great suction for sucking up matted wet leaves and other debris.
It has a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine and six forward and one reverse gears. And it is strong enough to deal with cans and bottles as well.
The working height can be adjusted by a single lever and there is an optional hose for getting to difficult nooks and crannies.
Front castor wheels make it easy to manoeuvre and the debris collector can hold 260 litres.
This is the perfect machine for larger domestic properties and industrial use as well which need to be kept free of leaves and debris.
It is delivered free within two to three working days an has a one year warranty from Mountfield.
It costs £1199, a full £500 less than the maker’s recommended retail price.
And as we head into winter, the lights draw in and the heating gets turned up a notch, here’s a machine to remind you of sunnier days.
The Robomow RL2000 Automatic Robot Lawn Mower is perfect for cutting large lawns from the comfort of a deck chair.
It is really simple to set the machine up – just peg out the base station and peg down a perimeter wire around the edge of the lawn.
The mower itself can be programmed to mow as and when you like and automatically returns to the base station to recharge. And it doesn’t like the wet as it will head for home if it starts raining.
Clippings are mulched and recycled to the lawn.
It costs £1899 and is delivered free the next working day with a two year manufacturer’s guarantee.
This just a small selection of machines to get you through the winter, see our site for huge selections of everything to keep you leaf, debris and snow and ice free for the coming months.
