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My snowblower....SUCKS!

O

OBIO

Retired SOH Admin
Today, I finally got to use the second hand snow blower I bought back in May. We didn't get much snow, but the wind had piled it up pretty good by the garage doors. So, I figured I would finally get to put the snow blower to use...you know how guys and power tools are. Well, the thing....SUCKS! It would barely throw the snow more than a foot and bogged down in the deeper (maybe 10 inches deep) snow. And this is a light, dry powdery snow...not a heavy wet snow. I would be better off taking off the blower portion of the unit, bolting on a nice 1/2 thick plate steel plow and using the power end of the thing to push the snow off the drive way. So much for the pride of owning a self-propelled snow blower "capable of clearing a 24 inch wide swath of snow up to 24 inches deep."

What a disappointing day this has been.......I have been looking forward to using this thing since I bought it, I finally get to use it, and it SUCKS!

OBIO
 
Just came back in from doing more snow blowing. It seems that the engine is not hitting full RPM and power. It's an old unit, built in 1985. It starts very easily, but runs rough. Tomorrow, I will pull and check the plug, expose the carb and clean and adjust the needle valves, check the governor plate and spring....basically give the thing a tune up. When I used it earlier, the gas that was in it was the gas that was in it when I bought it...and it was old gas. I ran it out and put in fresh gas for the second session, and it seemed to do a bit better...but still not hitting full stride. Maybe after tomorrow's tune up, it will be ready for some real snow blowing.

I will also check to make sure that it is not running backwards.

OBIO
 
If you didn't live where there's snow....you'd avoid all that.

I personally won't touch carbs anymore. I just take 'em in and let someone else mess with it. Old gas would probably have crapped it out and they are awful touchy.

I have empathy for you though...the temperature here is going to plunge to 40. I may not make it.
 
Tonight's forecast calls for temps around 15 degrees with wind chill around 0 degrees. Right now, it's in the mid-20s, with wind chill around 8 degrees.

OBIO
 
If it's like my ancient beast single-stage, the best thing I do for it every 3-4 years is put on a new drivebelt. The housing is so warn from scraping the sidewalk that snow or slush always sneaks in and builds up, then when I'm done it refreezes inside and I have to open up the side to chop and thaw things free again. But the blasted relic always starts and I get a warm feeling knowing I'm surviving another winter without spending obscene amounts money on a new one, which I know will someday happen.
 
You guys all have warm temps:icon_lol:. Come over here to Iqaluit -18F and windchill of -31 most of the day. As for snow I got tons if you want more:icon_lol:. Will sell dirt cheap snow/severe cold temps to the US Free:icon_lol:.
 
CG_1976 said:
You guys all have warm temps:icon_lol:. Come over here to Iqaluit -18F and windchill of -31 most of the day. As for snow I got tons if you want more:icon_lol:. Will sell dirt cheap snow/severe cold temps to the US Free:icon_lol:.
Click to expand...


Yo! I grew up in the big city.... Fairbanks.....so I've earned my Florida Sun!! :)
 
Nope I wouldn't move. Might vacation for 1 week in warm, but cant stand warmth and I'd miss my Northern Beautiful lights. Less people up here to thank goodness for that, piece and quiet. The only real noise is Jet engines, Turbines and Props. Now for a snow-blower at CYFB we just get a Fat A380 to clear the Rwy:icon_lol::icon_lol:.
<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hxeKmiFudFg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>
 
OBIO, the solution is pure and simple...... you need a Kubota. My G2000 with a 50" blower will blow snow 2 houses down the street from me. But they don't like it too much. ;) I'm just glad I haven't had to use it so far this year. Besides, I haven't gotten the blower out of storage yet.
 
OBIO-

What you need to track down is an old Gilson 2-stage snow thrower. Most don't say Gilson on them(except for a little ID plate), as they were labeled and sold by Montgomery Ward and other stores. Briggs and Stratton engines(both of mine are 8HP), built like tanks compared to what's for sale these days, and cheap! I bought my first one, vintage circa 1971, 3 years ago for $50 and ran it for two winters before I needed to put any parts in it- I'll be putting it to work tomorrow. This fall I found another one in great shape- a 1978- and scored it for $280 delivered from Vermilion! I got it to use out at my Dad's place. Parts are not a problem, either- there's a Gilson web site that sells a good selection of parts, and parts pop up on eBay as well. Talk about bang for the buck!

-Mike Z.
 
Hey All,

What he needs is one of these:

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or maybe one of these:

131637.jpg


:bump:

-Ed-
 
EasyEd is onto something. Around here we have snowblowers attached to those vehicles (first picture). The blades have about a 5 foot diameter. When I rode around one near my house this afternoon the blades were above my head (on a bicycle). They can really throw snow.
 
I used to spray the chute with WD40... prevents the snow from clogging. Had an old CUB 2 stage. Used ether to start it... removed the plug, sprayed, replaced plug, one-pull-start at -20. Really threw the snow.

Dick
 
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