Over my lifetime I've had several types of snowblowers. The ones with the caterpillar treads are horrible to manipulate. Don't even consider. I had one for a week and returned it. Way too heavy and cumbersome. The larger 2 stage blowers also are hard to turn around and difficult to manipulate through drifted snow. Both of the aforementioned do handle heavy snow, but you will pay a price both $$$ wise and in trying to maneuver, even with a multi speed tranny.
I have two Honda single stage snowblowers. 4 cycle engines. One is a 5hp mod 520 and other a 6hp mod 621. 20 inch and 21 inch. Both are rather elderly. The 6hp I bought around 1993 and the 5hp around 1999. Both are still going strong and throw snow a long distance and are easy to manipulate and manhandle, especially if you have to cut through a drift now and then, as well as carving up what the goobermint plow leaves in the end of the drive. I've had 'em tuned up once or twice and had to replace the rubber auger blades and the skid plate now and then. Easy to do. I've had two homes, one with a 20 ft deep pad in front of a 3 stall garage, with another 25 ft drive to the road, on a slope. Our present drive is the width of a two stall garage to the street, about 50 feet.