I think I see your main problem, Gregory.... those things works better when there's some snow. 

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Originally posted by Owen

I think I see your main problem, Gregory.... those things works better when there's some snow. 

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That's why i Was dicking around with it  

We are in a major drought here and in three years maybe have a total of just over three inches of snowfall.  i get it running just to keep it loosened up.

We're in the same boat here. Didn't even change the oil in mine after last winter. Ran it three times so far, once to move it from the shed to the garage, and again to move it out of the garage and back again so we could install new garage doors. I know if I sell it we'll get 4 feet of snow so I'm keeping it around. Not fair to everyone else if I sell it. There was a dusting this morning, but heavy rains and 50+F temps tomorrow with high wind. Probably lose power, but won't be running the snow blower.

I got a used snowthrower from a friend who was moving. He said it used to work. Oil looked fresh and at the proper level. Had to clean the gas tank, fuel lines, and carb, and the thing started right up. Got a new drive belt just because. We had enough snow during the Christmas break that I got to use it. Only had two lines in before it dumped the oil on my drive way. Shut it down before it killed the engine. Not sure why it blew the oil...but back to shoveling.

I got annoyed at my gas powered snow blower and bought a used electric one,. It always starts by flipping g a switch, we have a small drive way , it is lighter and easier to use than the gasoline one was.

As an update, this weekend I tore apart and fixed the oil leak of my snow thrower. Turns out there is a hidden oil port behind the starter which is buried behind the auger housing.  Fortunately the cap was still nearby and I was able to put it back on tight.  Ordered new rubber auger blade fins and when they are installed it should work good as new. Whoo hoo!

On a side note, I write snow "thrower" because... Many years ago my Mom did an internet search for snow blowers and boy did she get an eye full of unintended and unwanted content if ya know what I mean.

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Originally posted by Tommy5

I got annoyed at my gas powered snow blower and bought a used electric one,. It always starts by flipping g a switch, we have a small drive way , it is lighter and easier to use than the gasoline one was.

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I had a small Toro plug in electric for years.  Paid around $100 for it at (New Englander's will remember) Spags.  It was great for clearing the sidewalks and my deck.  Amazing power.  Last year I switched to a cordless one from Worx.  It's OK, and I love not having a cord to run over, but it doesn't do well in wet snow.  The driveway is too long for an electric at this time, though they improve by leaps and bounds every year.  Even with an acre of lawn to mow, it is likely that my next riding mower will be electric. 

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Originally posted by Buddur

As an update, this weekend I tore apart and fixed the oil leak of my snow thrower. Turns out there is a hidden oil port behind the starter which is buried behind the auger housing.  Fortunately the cap was still nearby and I was able to put it back on tight.  Ordered new rubber auger blade fins and when they are installed it should work good as new. Whoo hoo!

On a side note, I write snow "thrower" because... Many years ago my Mom did an internet search for snow blowers and boy did she get an eye full of unintended and unwanted content if ya know what I mean.

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Back in the '80s when cocaine was king you had to be careful if someone asked you if you wanted to blow a little dope.

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Originally posted by Buddur

On a side note, I write snow "thrower" because... Many years ago my Mom did an internet search for snow blowers and boy did she get an eye full of unintended and unwanted content if ya know what I mean.

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That reminds me of a quiet Sunday afternoon at my sister's house. My then 87-year old mum was reading the local paper. She suddenly looked up from the article she was reading and asked the room in general 'What is dogging?'

The next few seconds are a confused blur in my memory. I do recall three middle-aged siblings instantaneously and simultaneously exiting the room by any means possible. I have a vague recollection I left via the window.

This is why you should be careful with a snow blower!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbhyKsJ_QgU

... not bragging [really, I'm not!!], but on one occasion I hung my jacket on the reels of a swather and on finishing whatever repair I was attempting, I fired it up and dropped the jacket onto/into the oscillating cutterbar.

...  and after finishing some welding on a combine I set my helmet on the wheel.... put the "stuff" away ... then drove over the helmet. 

... but I've still got 10 fingers and 10 toes [only one broken one]. I'd lifted a section of harrows to sweep away accumulated debris with my right foot, and dropped it on my left. 

Having said that ^^, I think I've done as well as [or better than??] most of my contemporaries, and my wife and kids came thru 20 years of my trying to farm relatively unscathed, at least physically.  

Edit: "Daddy's Home" reminds me of a comment made by one of our neighbours.  Her husband worked in AB's oilfields ... 2 weeks on, 2 off??.  Somebody mentioned about the help he could provide in raising their 3 young sons when he was home.  The wife replied: "When he's at work I have three kids to look after .... when he's home I have four."

Owen , sounds like we've had similar experiences, and luck. I still have 10 fingers, 10 toes, and two eyes. I did have to have some metal chips drilled out of one eye, and I've been on crutches more than once, but so far I have all original parts*. Once, as a kid, we put on a talent show in a neighbors garage. We held up the curtain with a rock on a beam. I tripped, fell backwards, grabbed the curtain, and the rock landed on my head requiring 6 stitches. Fortunately it had not lasting effects. Once, as a kid, we put on a talent show in a neighbors garage. We held up the curtain with a rock on a beam. I tripped, fell backwards, grabbed the curtain, and the rock landed on my head requiring 6 stitches.

*Oops, I need to change that. In the last two weeks I got new eye lenses. Much better than the original OEM models.

Geez, Dave, I dunno about, "Fortunately it had not lasting effects." 

Tongue-in-cheek, I'm wondering whether it might be responsible for a tendency to repeat things.  

 [Btw, glad your cataract surgery (?) is working out.]

speaking of something wrapped around the driveshaft, there was one year we got a pretty good snow in mid December. I had already cleared the driveway and went to get the front sidewalk. With snow covering everything I had forgotten about the extension cord I ran for some Christmas lights laying across the walk. But I got reminded real quick! The impeller sucked that cord right in and wrapped in around everything it possibly could. Luckily I wasn't shocked but I did have a fun mess to undo.

Got new rubber fins for the auger and replaced them last night. Of course haven't used it yet but I get the feeling the difference will be like moving up from a spoon to a shovel to move snow. This guy loves my snow thrower... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Er3PqScUvM

Let it snow... let it snow... let it snow.

My neighbor across the street lost a finger to his snowblower.

My Grandpa used to prop up an old gas powered blowtorch to play a flame on the oil pan before he took his out! That made it even riskier. Watching that as a kid I thought it was really cool. I used to go to lots of flea markets & yard sales.

I bought a box of old Popular Mechanics magazines & one had a section on how to restore & use a gas blowtorch.

I saw a nice one took it home & got it going again! I felt fully confident it was safe. Same as a Coleman stove or lantern. They might blow up if you screw up bad! Only difference is there's a trough under the nozzle you fill with gas to heat the nozzle. A thin stream of gas comes out & vaporizes & burns like a hot damn when you light it!

Some have what looks like a sight on top that is for holding a soldering iron. I lit mine up a couple times to impress my buddies. Probably still in the garage back there.  What was that about repeating ourselves Owen? LOL!

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Originally posted by Eric A

My neighbor across the street lost a finger to his snowblower.

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I know a guy that reached down his chute and took the end off his finger also.

that's why i Went straight into the auger.  

BTW: the "something around the driveshaft"  was one of those wire cages the wife puts around "special plants"  

On my '93 Craftsman you have to be "operating" it, or the auger stops... and you can't reach the auger from the operator's position.  You can run the auger without the machine moving forward/back , but you have to be at the back end to hold the auger-engage lever down. You can take your hand off the auger-engage handle [to crank the chute] and leave the auger turning, so long as you are holding the transmission drive clutch... IF you release the drive clutch the auger stops.  

I haven't found a way to run the auger when I'm not at the back with at least one hand on the controls.    Maybe on small machines one could reach that far...???  Now, admittedly, there are some innovative uses for tarp straps / bungee cords........ but ..... ??? 

Edit: Gregory, the best place that I've found for those cages is the scrap iron heap.  I got tired of trying to straighten those flimsy, useless,  *%$#*^&!  things, so I made some "step-in" uprights from 1/4" or 5/16" rod that hold an appropriately sized bicycle rim.... 3 upright rods per plant w/lugs for 2 or 3 height choices.   My wife doesn't even mention having used cages in the past.  

When I was young, a friend got his hand crunched in his parent's snow thrower. Snow got stuck and he shut the motor off and all, but there was still enough compression left in the engine to rotate the augers when he dislodged the snow...with his hand.

He was an Eagle Scout too. Lesson learned, use a stick or whatever to dislodge a clog...just don't use your hand.

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Originally posted by Owen

 

I haven't found a way to run the auger when I'm not at the back with at least one hand on the controls.    Maybe on small machines one could reach that far...???  Now, admittedly, there are some innovative uses for tarp straps / bungee cords........ but ..... ??? 

 

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Idiots will always find a way around idiot proof safety mechanisms.  That said, my hand cramps up when holding the dead man's switch on my snow blower so I've been very tempted to tie it down.  I do know though that if I do I will get into trouble, not right away, but once I become complacent.

Word to the wise, when something gets tangled in the auger, there is often a lot of tension there, unless you sheared a pin.  Once the wire, brush, driveway marker, whatever gets removed the auger can spring forward and still catch your finger/arm/favorite body part.

Dave: "Idiots will always find a way around idiot proof safety mechanisms.  That said, my hand cramps up when holding the dead man's switch on my snow blower so I've been very tempted to tie it down.  I do know though that if I do I will get into trouble, not right away, but once I become complacent."

I figure the best safety feature and/or the biggest hazard is usually the operator. 

If you become complacent operating a snowblower, I figure it's probably because you've got one with too much "new-and-improved."  My unsolicited advice is to get an old(er) one.... so you have to kinda "herd it along" .... never a dull moment.  

As an idiot who has on occasion removed some shields [mostly depending on their design], and finds that safety (?) goggles/gloves/smocks often add to MY risk, and can't stand safety-toed boots, etc., I figure [depending on the configuration of your switch/handle] a piece of ribbed hose might keep things engaged, but still allow for quick removal???

.... nuthin' whatsoever to do with snowblowers [and I never checked into real/fake] .... but the question of "safety" eventually came to [my] mind: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=537199411769510

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Originally posted by Owen

If you become complacent operating a snowblower, I figure it's probably because you've got one with too much "new-and-improved."  My unsolicited advice is to get an old(er) one.... so you have to kinda "herd it along" .... never a dull moment.  

 

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Had several older ones, and they worked fine, but I've also become an older model and need the assistance of the newer models with steering control.  The heated hand grips don't hurt none either, along with the electric start capability, which so far with the new machine I haven't needed.  Usually starts first or second pull.

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Originally posted by Owen

.... nuthin' whatsoever to do with snowblowers [and I never checked into real/fake] .... but the question of "safety" eventually came to [my] mind: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=537199411769510

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Honorary Darwin Awards recipients no doubt, but still that was pretty cool.