Getting a Yarbo ready for snow season

The Snow Blower module turns a Yarbo Core into a two-stage robotic snow blower — the same machine that mows the lawn in summer clears the driveway in winter. If you are buying for this winter, here is what the module does, what it needs from the Core, and what to measure before the first snowfall.

Every figure below comes from our product pages, which follow Yarbo's published documentation.

What you need

The module does not run on its own. It mounts on a Yarbo Core, the tracked drive unit that carries every Yarbo tool module. If you already own a Core, the Snow Blower module is the only addition. If you are starting from nothing, the Core + Snow Blower bundle pairs the two, and the Core + Lawn Mower Pro + Snow Blower covers both seasons with one machine.

The constraint first: the Snow Blower module is on pre-order. Yarbo publishes an estimated ship date, and we confirm your date when the order is placed. Check the product page for the current estimate before you plan around a storm.

What it clears

• Two-stage auger and impeller, 24-inch clearing width, 12-inch intake height
• Throws snow 6 to 40 feet; the chute rotates from −10° to 190° and the deflector from −5° to 50°
• Dry, wet and packed snow on paved, concrete and gravel surfaces
• Rated to −13°F, with IPX5 water resistance
• 36% slope rating on snow

Two figures in that list decide whether it suits your property. The 12-inch intake height is the depth it takes in at one pass — check it against the snowfall your area usually gets. And the 36% slope rating on snow is well below the Core's 70% rating on grass. A driveway the mower climbs without trouble may still be too steep to clear.

How much it clears on a charge

Per Yarbo's testing, the module clears about 6,000 sq ft per charge at 1 inch of snow on the Y40 Core, and about 7,000 sq ft on the Y40P. It runs about 1.5 hours per charge and recharges from 20 to 80% in about 1.5 hours. The Core parks itself on a wireless dock to charge, with no exposed contacts.

To size it, measure the area you want cleared — driveway, walks, the apron in front of the garage door — in square feet. A driveway 20 feet wide and 40 feet long is 800 sq ft. Yarbo states its coverage figure at 1 inch of snow; it is not a figure for deeper or heavier snow.

Measure these before the first snowfall

• Slope. Check the steepest section of the driveway against the 36% rating on snow.
• Area. Add up every surface you want cleared and compare it with the per-charge figure.
• Surface. Paved, concrete and gravel are the surfaces Yarbo lists.
• Where the snow goes. It throws 6 to 40 feet. Pick a throw direction that keeps snow off the street, parked cars and windows.
• Where the dock goes. The Core charges on its dock between runs, and its operating range is −13°F to 113°F.

The Core positions itself by RTK-GPS backed by vision, IMU and wheel odometry, so it keeps working near trees and buildings where GPS alone drifts. Its long-range HaLow radio link reaches roughly 31 acres from one data center.

Y40 or Y40P

Both Cores take the Snow Blower module. The Y40P replaces the Y40's gearbox drive with gearbox-free dual hub motors. Per Yarbo's testing, that raises snow clearing from 6,000 to 7,000 sq ft per charge and top drive speed from 0.65 to 1.2 m/s, with less routine maintenance than a gearbox drivetrain. The Y40P is also on pre-order, and we confirm its date when the order is placed.

The module weighs about 77 pounds. The Core does the carrying, and the same Core takes the Lawn Mower Pro, Blower and Trimmer the rest of the year.

Not sure your driveway suits it?

Send us the slope, the surface, the area and where the snow can go through the contact page. We will tell you before you order, including when it is not the right fit.