Started right up... out of the basement and into the garage. Lawn mower took its place. Thinking about doing a little paint. Will change oil and plug. What is your seasonal checklist for getting the blower ready?

This is my first year with a snow blower.. I was told you should continuously check the oil level through out the snowy season . I was told the oil level will go down with use . I've stored extra plugs , sheer pins , and oil . I'm ready ..

Moved mine to the front of the shed today.I guess at some point it will actually get cold and possibly snow.

After the 16th thinks could get interesting


For the Ariens:

Change the oil, after running it for a while and then letting it sit.

clean the plug with carb cleaner, and gap if needed

Adjust the drive belt tension

Make sure the linkage is good

Transfer case is full of lube.

hit every grease joint with grease

Tire pressure

Adjust the lower blade for wear.

Make sure the shear pins are good.

This year I plan on replacing the steel runners with the hard rubber ones

I always check the oil before I pull the cord.
I start and run every 3 months.
Shear pin? Thanks Tagger, tomorrows chore, go get some.

I went out tonight to do some stuff .. I stopped and picked up some gas treatment stuff to keep my gas fresh .. What exactly are they putting in the gas now that you have to do this ,, ?

I went out tonight to do some stuff .. I stopped and picked up some gas treatment stuff to keep my gas fresh .. What exactly are they putting in the gas now that you have to do this ,, ?

ethanol

Even before ethanol gas went bad. We had a Buick come in a few years back that wouldn't start with 160 miles on it. It was 2 years old. Two old ladies who only drove it to church ( Honest) and church was a block away from their home. Original tank of gas and it was jello. What a mess. Stank up the service department and the bodyshop with the shellack smell. Use Stabile for seasonally used gas powered equiptment.

Just found my bag of shear pins! Getting a couple open end wrenches to put in a cloth bag and have ready hanging in the garage or truck.

People getting nervous with 2 storms in the forecast? It will be in the 40's again next week, likely let mine melt for the most part.

i fired it up and ran it down the driveway and back to really get the lubricant
to all the revolving hardware before tonight's storm.

I have a feeling that this storm will grow from a 2 - 4 to a 6 to 8.

not enough moisture to get to 6-8. 1-3 is still 20:1 on the available moisture

Saturday could get interesting, still talking 20:1 ratio to get to 6-8

looking at 55 at my place Monday.

ahhhh ............ gotta love that Seattle AIR :btu:

...and don't forget to spray the auger, impeller, and chute with silicone. It makes a huge difference with wet slushy snow. I also spray the chute on my lawn tractor a few times a summer and get far less clogs than I used to.

totally true, I use the 'heavy' silcone I use on my trailer bed rails

i left the snow on my driveway as is
no sense shoveling it today
since i can run the machine tomorrow
and kill two birds with one stone

oh and thanks for the silicon tip !

My snow blower didn't work ... worked that little storm the other day ... Parked it ,,, stated right up .. ran pissa . started rolling and it's pushing snow , not throwing it .. I don't think the front thing was turning ,, then the rubber smell ,, then the smoking ,, all the while still running great .. I think I dropped a belt ... shoveled my whole driveway bad shoulder and all ... glad it was light .

My died after three passes yesterday.Worked great two days before,go figure.

My Husquvarna started right up on 1st pull. I changed the oil in December and started it then. Yesterday the 3-4 inches was so light that I used 4th gear to get the job done quickly.

Mine always started 1-2 pulls...until yesterday. When it finally did start, it was surging up and down even after it warmed up. Fuel starvation? Mouse nest in the air filter? Dammit.

mice are my worst enemy. I just grind them up in the motor nowadays. Screw digging them out. Friggin PIA varmints. Mine did the motor surge all day and stalled several times but I persevered with four letter words and the promise of a ball peen hammer to the carburetor as my remedy. It seems the contraption listened as it made it till I deemed the job done. Probably going to get me back on a much heavier storm.

Mine always started 1-2 pulls...until yesterday. When it finally did start, it was surging up and down even after it warmed up. Fuel starvation? Mouse nest in the air filter? Dammit.

Electric start....Ariens Snowblower electric Starter (http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/tls/2788833598.html)

I got that on my Ariens but hardly ever use it

My Troybuilt has it, too, but it was always easier to pull the cord than dig out the extension.

Time to start talking about prep for storage until the '12 - '13 Winter?:biglaugh:

I took a look at my machine yerserday and noticed that the primer bulb felt like it doesn't fill will fuel. I can feel and hear a mixture of fuel and air when I pump the bub. Tell me that I might have a hole in the fuel line or bulb or a loose connection and the engine is suckng air which would make it surge from starvation. Now I need a few more minutes to repair it.

Running out of time for prep.....may get to use them this weekend, esp south!