Question about snowblowers
 

Clearance.

My new one basically has the scraper blade at ground level. That can't be right.

How much to raise it? An eighth? A quarter? The manual doesn't say but I can obviously bugger around with it. It'll be on asphalt. No gravel.

I'd like to get this right before I mutilate a nipple or two.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

There are two wear shoes either side. They should be adjusted so that the base is a few mm off the ground.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

If your drive way Is relatively level, quarter of an inch would be a good starter for ten. After your first experience with using at this hight will give you a base line as to whether you need to raise it more, or can reduce the hight re ground clearance. As low as you can go relative to the surface of your driveway is best. This way you blow most of the snow without damaging your asphalt surface. Thin layer remaining often melts in the sun or you can deal with this small volume with a snow shovel. Danger is that this thin layer thaws then freezes creating a surface of ice...Play it by ear.🤔

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

god, it's even more complicated than I thought.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I must confess I've been googling for the news headline "Gatineau, homme, blessures, mamelons, freak, souffleuse, accident"

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I'm retired, I have time.....🤓😎

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Got it.

I'll stick the thing on some 1/8 plywood and loosen various bolts before re-tighting them.

Having the scraper scrape that close didn't make sense.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Me too, but I'm not in the least mechanically minded.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

My request this year on Christmas Day was that "next Christmas We have a snowblower that I can understand and handle". A number of you have held back whilst I decided that I needed to change the NB winter, and faced it with tools that were not up to the job!

Many thanks, I applaud and appreciate your patience!

Now we have a huge thing that I can't move or start. I want one of those that has tracks on either side like a tank, but I need it small enough that I can move...I am short and light...learning to get to grips with this stuff is the secret to overcoming the bloody thing:thumbup:

Snowblowers 101 would be a great thread for the future! the snow falls just as heavily in my garden (regrettably) as it does in the man next door's ...but I am not as equipped as I'd like to be to deal with it.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Perhaps you could look at one of the blowers that mounts to the front of a lawn tractor, that seems like a low hassle approach if you don't have a lot of driveway.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

We are thinking about one of these. We are entering our third winter in this house, struggling by with just shovels but my back is getting a bit old for that, and the kids are starting to move out/get better paying jobs. So far this winter my shovelled snow bank (iceberg) is in front of the tent the lawnmower is in. Our drive is about 30m, with a slope upwards towards the road, so my minivan struggles very quickly once it snows.

(I am in the north of York region, ON so asi understand it, not as much snow as Millie)

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

:(Not wishing to sound dense...what's a lawn tractor? We are central, but we aren't big --- a reasonable, but not big, garden and a garage and drive for four cars on a hell of an inclination...very steep:( We have various mowers, including a drive on one that Forest Gump had? It's red and iconic, apparently...lucky me:thumbup:

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

A grand name for a ride on mower. Something of this sort:

Sears.com

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

There are pros and cons to a lawn tractor mounted attachment. Check out this thread on the subject....

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1618341/buying-lawn-tractor-snow-blower

I have a lot of grass to take care of in the summer months and my tractor gets worked pretty hard, its more expensive than a blower so I like to winterize it and store it for the winter, fully maintained. One thing I would add is the need to use stabilised gas in your stored lawn tractor/blower due to so much ethanol in gas these days. Failure to do so is likely to cause carburetor/fuel line problems down the road due the gas having 'gone off' so to speak over the storage period. Only a week ago I had to fix a neighbours snow blower due to this problem. Carb strip down and clean solved the problem, an expensive and inconvenient scenario if you have to put your blower/lawn tractor into a small engine repair shop to be fixed.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

You want one of the smaller Honda tracked models such as this one: http://powerequipment.honda.ca/snowblowers/dual-stage/hss622ctd

Not cheap but easier to manoeuvre I think.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

A snow blower with powered wheels should be more than sufficient to ensure one is able to plough a driveway and various paths around the garden.

We have a 30" powered wheeled one that used to be more than sufficient to plough our drive (about 10 feet wide and about 100 m long) and would easily cope with ploughing pathways through our fields.

Once we obtained a tractor, it became superfluous for the drive and general pathways but we still use it to plough the pathway around our house if we are feeling lazy.

This is me blowing snow in on of our fields 3 years or so ago. Yes, my hat is on backwards

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I got me one of these, best $700 I have ever spent.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

yes, I have one too. Had it for a while and use for clearing the deck of snow, keep it on the deck under a cover over the winter. Just have to remember its a two stroke motor re gas!!! Too small for my driveway though. I have a 30 inch two stage 11.5 HP blower for that and a plow blade on my ATV for the really sloppy stuff that the snow blower struggles with....like trying to blow ice cream kind of stuff. I should add I have a very long and relatively wide drive way incorporating a roundabout, hence the abundance of mechanical snow clearing aids.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I use a broom for my deck!

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I wish......;)

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Does it not have an electric start option? That's what I use on ours. Not that it's been much use this year as we've had mainly wet snow that clogs the thing up.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I'm trying to convince OH to spend money on a newer tractor (that I can use) with a proper snow blower attachment, we currently have a 1940ish Ford tractor with a blade on the back, that is hassle and time consuming for snow moving. So far snow moving has been relegated to snow squashing, which in turn will be a big icy mess come the melt!

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

We have a tractor that's easy to use, automatic; one pedal for forward, one for back and it has an effective snow blower attachment. It's a lovely tractor to drive in the summer but, if I were buying one for winter work, a cab would be a wonderful thing to have.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

:rofl:

He had to mention nipples again, didn't he?

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I was only saving someone else the bother.

I was going to fix the skids today but we decided to go out and waste a lot of money watching the first half of Shen Yun. We shoved off at half time and went to the pub.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I think my OH would be too tight to spring for a cab too...seeing as it's taking a lot of effort to get him to buy something newer and more effective lol

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I'd agree to an extent. I have an Ariens 28" 10.5hp model which I've used for a decade or more on our 150ft drive. However it is a heavy beast & the smaller, tracked Honda machines require less physical effort to manoeuvre which might be important to Millie.

I did research blowers for mounting on lawn tractors but got the impression that they weren't much cop until you get to the proper tractor (like you and dbd33 have) stage. Better to get a decent walkbehind blower which is the same money or perhaps cheaper than the blower attachment for a lawn tractor.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

We had an Ariens and it was brilliant for about 4 days. It then stopped working (ceased engine) and when we took it back to Home Depot, they could only give us our money back as it was the end of the season and they didn't have any others in stock.

The Cub Cadet in the picture is the same size, but is nowhere near as good as the Ariens. That thing could plough through a mixture of ice and snow that was a foot or more higher than it was. The Cub Cadet struggles with ice.

A number of our neighbours told me not to bother with lawn tractor, or ATV, mounted snow blowers. I would like to have a front mounted blower on the tractor, but haven't got around to getting one yet. Having one on the back would piss me off no end.

A rear mounted blade on our tractor does the job but, like dbd33, I rue the fact that I didn't get a cab.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Random one here.

I haven't used the blower yet (no need). I will need to use it tomorrow.

There are patches (small mounds) that have turned to ice. Possible, or shear-pin death? I don't know what the limits of a blower are.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

If it's a lump of ice then probably the blower wont go over it. If it breaks off it'll likely be spat out of the chute so aim it away from anything you value. ;) If it's too much the shear pin will break. Then you a) learn how to replace a shear pin and b) start to learn the limitations of your blower. :rofl:

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

OK.

We are in for a fair whack of snow today, so I'll get the chance to learn how to use the thing. I'll avoid the pile of ice at the bottom of the driveway (present from the plough) because it's only on one side and isn't in the way. We're in for a warm-up and rain tomorrow, so I may be able to shift the pile by hand.

In addition, is the manual being truthful when it says to change the oil often? My blower came filled with oil. The manual is telling me to change it after 5 hours.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

That first oil change is to allow any metal particles from the initial few hours running of the engine to be be removed before they have a change to do any damage. So, reasonably important - but if its 5-10hrs I suspect it won't be a problem. From there annual oil change is all thats required and not even that really. Mine probably gets changed once every couple of years.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

OK. Noted. I'll make an initial change at some point.

Is it advisable to drain the thing completely at the end of the season and run it dry of gas (not in that order, obviously) before stowing it for the summer?

I am a complete newbie at this, so I know you'll be nice to me;)

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Drain the engine oil? No, don't do that. Leave it full of oil.
Drain the gas tank? No. Fill the tank completely & chuck in some fuel stabiliser (source from Crappy Tire) if you feel so inclined, although I never bother & mine seems to still work fine after 10years service!

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

You can brim it with gas and add fuel stabilizer to the tank. Run the machine for several minutes to ensure the stabilizer is distributed everywhere. Turn off and store. I like to change oil at the same time, so it's good to go next winter.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

I simply put fuel conditioner into all of our machines that don't get much use in their "off season", lawn tractor, hand mower, motorcycle and snow blower and I have never had an issue when restarting them.

Draining them completely of gas is what those that know tell me is ideal, but I am far too lazy to do that.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

...and remember. Be careful where you point the chute!

http://www.clipartheaven.com/clipart...er-clipart.gif

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

OK. Got it.

Fill it with gas. Clean up the spillage (thanks to Souvette buying and filling a 20-litre container, which is going to be a bugger to manipulate).

Plug in starter. Put the key in. Full choke and engine speed. Pump a couple of times and hit the starter button.

Reduce choke when motor running properly.

Select gear. I'll start low.

Aim chute to throw snow clear over the neighbour's hedge and well away from nipples, as well as anything else that may involve an insurance claim or litigation.

Blow.

Start getting certain neighbours being unusually nice to me.

Some time later, drain and replace the oil. Top up gas and shove some other stuff in it before throwing a tarp over it for a few months.

Have I got everything covered?

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

Purchase wide mouth funnel to assist with gas filling. It's often easier to use than the spout you screw into a gas container.

Re: Question about snowblowers
 

After every use of the blower, top up the gas tank with stabilised gas. That is after each snow blowing session. Purpose is to prevent condensation forming inside the tank in the event a week or so passes before the next snow dump occurs. Added bonus is next time you need its services your good to go!