On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 06:31:38 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

:


Simple solution to bad gas off
season: Never completely fill
the tank of the mower or blower.


Better to make frequent stops for
refills than leave gas in the tank
for more than one month at a
stretch.
If I never completely filled mine I'd be stopping half way through
most jobs to add fuel ---

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....
I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can. When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:19:07 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 06:31:38 -0800 (PST), wrote:

:


Simple solution to bad gas off
season: Never completely fill
the tank of the mower or blower.


Better to make frequent stops for
refills than leave gas in the tank
for more than one month at a
stretch.

This is all true, except for the part about "not completely filling the
tank" (that depends on how much gas it takes for the job). But no
matter how careful people are with this stuff, no one is always able to,
or remembers to do all the stuff we're supposed to do. After spending a
few hours out in the cold blowing snow, the last thing I want to do is
poss around with draining gas or adding additives. And it's almost a
guarantee, that once Spring comes, few prople even think about their
snow blower.

It's the same (in reverse) with lawn mowers, chain saws and warm weather
gas engines. I know for fact that if I spend a day cleaning up fallen
trees after a storm, the last thing I want to do is **** around with my
chain saw gas when I'm done. I just want dinner and a couch or bed to
relax in.

Many people know what we're supposed to do, but we're not all human and
facing life's challenges. Details like this are forgotten or postponed
until it's too late. It's too bad these engines cant automatically
drain their gas and flush out their carbs after use, but that's not
available or practical.

I personally prefer a sturdy (no maintenance) electric snow blower and
the same for chainsaws, weed whackers, etc. As far as lawn mowers go, I
still use gas engines. Chopping up cords is part of the reason, but I
have to mow far beyond the length of most cords anyhow.

Actually better to leave the tank right full than 1/4 or less. No
air-space means no condensation and therefore no water in the gas.
Also means less surface area exposed for evaporation.
Ive seen too many tanks left empty or almost empty for a year at a
time all rusted inside - and the rust dust screws up the carb real
good (and eventually the tank rusts through)

I store my equipment with the tank full (of non ethanol gas) and the
carb drained -

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 09:31:03 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per Norminn:
Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

One thing I would look for is working shear pins on the impeller.

I have a snow blower add-on for my BCS standup tractor and found that
the factory had pounded in steel sleeves where shear pins should have
been.

You hit a newspaper or something in that condition and I would think it
could break a crankshaft.
Generally the impeller is belt driven and the belt just disintegrates
if the engine has enough power to do any damage.

Per :
You hit a newspaper or something in that condition and I would think it
could break a crankshaft.
Generally the impeller is belt driven and the belt just disintegrates
if the engine has enough power to do any damage.

My rig is 100% gear-driven and it has made me a believer in belt drives,
which look to me to be:

- Vastly lighter

- Less expensive

- Nowhere near as noisy


--
Pete Cresswell

On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:00:03 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
You hit a newspaper or something in that condition and I would think it
could break a crankshaft.
Generally the impeller is belt driven and the belt just disintegrates
if the engine has enough power to do any damage.

My rig is 100% gear-driven and it has made me a believer in belt drives,
which look to me to be:

- Vastly lighter

- Less expensive

- Nowhere near as noisy
How does the blower disconnect from the engine??

On Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 10:31:04 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 4:12 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:37:13 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 7:20 AM, Norminn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

Mine's a two stage 24 inch Troy Bilt with electric start. It will
handle a couple of feet or more of snow. Only trouble I had with it was
time I did not run it dry and ethanol containing stabilized gas clogged it.

Neighbor has one exactly like it and no problems, except, maybe last
year when he accidentally ran into his newspaper buried in the snow.

I'm 75 and have no trouble handling it.

Funny, I had both those experiences. Leaving gas in it fouling the carb
and the newspapers. Newspaper thing is really bad. You can check the
driveway before a storm, then go out the next morning and not even think
that the delivery guy chucked it somewhere and it's now buried. Have extra
shear bolts for sure....


When neighbor hit the paper, it was a mess. He came over to look my
unit over to make sure he got his back in its original condition
thinking he bent the blades.

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.


That's all that is available around here.
Newer units may not have this problem.

Yes, IDK how much better newer ones are. I don't think it's just
alcohol attacking the seals. You would think there are suitable
gasket, seal, etc materials that alcohol would not affect. I think
the other part of the problem is the alcohol attracts water and that
in turn creates gunk, corrosion, etc.




I'm told there is also the potential for gas to evaporate from the
carburetor gumming it up.

PITA with all small engines with long inactive periods in keeping them
clear. Best to run these engines dry.

Yes, that;s probably the best. If you can remember. I forgot again
with my snowblower. But tested it a couple weeks ago and it started
right up, runs OK. Guess I got lucky. Not sure why. It didn't have
stabilizer in it either. As I said, other times, in just a few months,
when I realized I hadn't taken care of it, it was already fouled.

On 1/9/2015 8:55 AM, Don Phillipson wrote:
"Norminn" wrote in message
...

We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a lot
of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. . . . it refreezes and
gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the mailbox or have
visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a reliable, manageable
machine?

No snow thrower can clear ice. Ice requires:

Sounded like the ice was because of incomplete
snow plowing. Many snow throwers cut close to
the surface.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:17:48 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 1/9/2015 8:55 AM, Don Phillipson wrote:
"Norminn" wrote in message
...

We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a lot
of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. . . . it refreezes and
gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the mailbox or have
visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a reliable, manageable
machine?

No snow thrower can clear ice. Ice requires:

Sounded like the ice was because of incomplete
snow plowing. Many snow throwers cut close to
the surface.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No. the ice was for exactly the reason he gave. Getting older and
lazier he didn't get the slo[p shovelled, and it froze. That's why he
wants a blower.

It was above freezing here today and everything turned to slop.
Dropping to -20C overnight, so I got out the snowblower (AKA the "slop
pump") andgot rid of all the crap that was going to turn into rocks
and "road turds" overnight. The old Yamaha can blow water 20 feet!!!.

If I had not gone out and moved that crap it would have become an
awfull icy mess overnight. (It will likely still be bad enough in the
morning - I didn't blow the whole block!!!

On 1/12/2015 2:31 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 10:31:04 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 4:12 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:37:13 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 7:20 AM, Norminn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

Mine's a two stage 24 inch Troy Bilt with electric start. It will
handle a couple of feet or more of snow. Only trouble I had with it was
time I did not run it dry and ethanol containing stabilized gas clogged it.

Neighbor has one exactly like it and no problems, except, maybe last
year when he accidentally ran into his newspaper buried in the snow.

I'm 75 and have no trouble handling it.

Funny, I had both those experiences. Leaving gas in it fouling the carb
and the newspapers. Newspaper thing is really bad. You can check the
driveway before a storm, then go out the next morning and not even think
that the delivery guy chucked it somewhere and it's now buried. Have extra
shear bolts for sure....


When neighbor hit the paper, it was a mess. He came over to look my
unit over to make sure he got his back in its original condition
thinking he bent the blades.

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.


That's all that is available around here.
Newer units may not have this problem.

Yes, IDK how much better newer ones are. I don't think it's just
alcohol attacking the seals. You would think there are suitable
gasket, seal, etc materials that alcohol would not affect. I think
the other part of the problem is the alcohol attracts water and that
in turn creates gunk, corrosion, etc.




I'm told there is also the potential for gas to evaporate from the
carburetor gumming it up.

PITA with all small engines with long inactive periods in keeping them
clear. Best to run these engines dry.

Yes, that;s probably the best. If you can remember. I forgot again
with my snowblower. But tested it a couple weeks ago and it started
right up, runs OK. Guess I got lucky. Not sure why. It didn't have
stabilizer in it either. As I said, other times, in just a few months,
when I realized I hadn't taken care of it, it was already fouled.


I think gas at marine areas is alcohol free otherwise only places around
here I've seen were in MD 100 miles from me.

My lawn mower and generator have shut off valves from gas tank and they
are easy to run dry. With snow thrower I have to siphon and then it
still takes several minutes to run dry.

Guy I know that used to have a service gas station and now deals with
lawn service knows engines and said it depends on type of carburetor
that might have evaporation problem.

I store stabilized gas for generator and recycle in 2 years in car if
not used. I was using some stabilized gas in a can for my weed wacker
with 2 cycle oil and it lasted over 5 years before going bad.

On 1/12/2015 2:31 PM, trader_4 wrote:

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.

A local equipment dealer here in CT carries it in 5 gallon cans. It was
at a high price, but not outrageous.

On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 19:09:07 -0500, Frank
wrote:

On 1/12/2015 2:31 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 10:31:04 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 4:12 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:37:13 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 7:20 AM, Norminn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

Mine's a two stage 24 inch Troy Bilt with electric start. It will
handle a couple of feet or more of snow. Only trouble I had with it was
time I did not run it dry and ethanol containing stabilized gas clogged it.

Neighbor has one exactly like it and no problems, except, maybe last
year when he accidentally ran into his newspaper buried in the snow.

I'm 75 and have no trouble handling it.

Funny, I had both those experiences. Leaving gas in it fouling the carb
and the newspapers. Newspaper thing is really bad. You can check the
driveway before a storm, then go out the next morning and not even think
that the delivery guy chucked it somewhere and it's now buried. Have extra
shear bolts for sure....


When neighbor hit the paper, it was a mess. He came over to look my
unit over to make sure he got his back in its original condition
thinking he bent the blades.

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.


That's all that is available around here.
Newer units may not have this problem.

Yes, IDK how much better newer ones are. I don't think it's just
alcohol attacking the seals. You would think there are suitable
gasket, seal, etc materials that alcohol would not affect. I think
the other part of the problem is the alcohol attracts water and that
in turn creates gunk, corrosion, etc.




I'm told there is also the potential for gas to evaporate from the
carburetor gumming it up.

PITA with all small engines with long inactive periods in keeping them
clear. Best to run these engines dry.

Yes, that;s probably the best. If you can remember. I forgot again
with my snowblower. But tested it a couple weeks ago and it started
right up, runs OK. Guess I got lucky. Not sure why. It didn't have
stabilizer in it either. As I said, other times, in just a few months,
when I realized I hadn't taken care of it, it was already fouled.


I think gas at marine areas is alcohol free otherwise only places around
here I've seen were in MD 100 miles from me.

My lawn mower and generator have shut off valves from gas tank and they
are easy to run dry. With snow thrower I have to siphon and then it
still takes several minutes to run dry.

Do like I did on my old snow blower. I cut the hose and put a shut-off
valve in-line.
Guy I know that used to have a service gas station and now deals with
lawn service knows engines and said it depends on type of carburetor
that might have evaporation problem.

I store stabilized gas for generator and recycle in 2 years in car if
not used. I was using some stabilized gas in a can for my weed wacker
with 2 cycle oil and it lasted over 5 years before going bad.

On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:52:55 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 1/12/2015 2:31 PM, trader_4 wrote:

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.

A local equipment dealer here in CT carries it in 5 gallon cans. It was
at a high price, but not outrageous.
Up here in the "great white North" Shell premium fuel is ethanol
free. The low octane dtuff is E5, so that makes the mid premium E2.5

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

On 1/12/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:17:48 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 1/9/2015 8:55 AM, Don Phillipson wrote:
"Norminn" wrote in message
...

We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a lot
of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. . . . it refreezes and
gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the mailbox or have
visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a reliable, manageable
machine?

No snow thrower can clear ice. Ice requires:

Sounded like the ice was because of incomplete
snow plowing. Many snow throwers cut close to
the surface.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No. the ice was for exactly the reason he gave. Getting older and
lazier he didn't get the slo[p shovelled, and it froze. That's why he
wants a blower.

I'm not a "he". I DID get the driveway shoveled every time it snowed
last year. The reason for shopping for a snow blower is to keep the
drive clear and PREVENT it from becoming an ice berg. ) 8" of wet
snow is heavy damn stuff and I don't need back aches!

Per :

How does the blower disconnect from the engine??

The engine is mounted on a transmission that drives the wheels and has a
PTO. All implements attach to the PTO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qwaJ1lhhYI

The idea sounds pretty good but the implementation is strictly Release
1.0.

It's like they designed it, put it into production, and never fixed any
of the inevitable design bugs - like the starter handle getting wedged
in the engine protector cage (which could be cured by moving one of the
cage bars a quarter of an inch) or the dead-man switch with wires
running outside where then can snag on brush... and a disconnected wire
just quietly disables the dead-man function until the operator finds out
the hard way....

Also, in spite of the idea sounding pretty good (only one engine to
maintain....) the reality is that you can, for instance, get a
pretty-good snow blower for less than the thousand dollars they get for
their single-stage snow thrower attachment whose housing rusted out and
failed completely after about five years of use....and whose replacement
housing was made out of some cheap metal that actually *tore* when it
rubbed up against an obstacle...and wasn't even primed before being
painted.

Probably more than you wanted to know..... -)

--
Pete Cresswell

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 05:54:54 -0500, Norminn
wrote:

On 1/12/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2015 17:17:48 -0500, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 1/9/2015 8:55 AM, Don Phillipson wrote:
"Norminn" wrote in message
...

We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a lot
of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. . . . it refreezes and
gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the mailbox or have
visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a reliable, manageable
machine?

No snow thrower can clear ice. Ice requires:

Sounded like the ice was because of incomplete
snow plowing. Many snow throwers cut close to
the surface.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.
No. the ice was for exactly the reason he gave. Getting older and
lazier he didn't get the slo[p shovelled, and it froze. That's why he
wants a blower.

I'm not a "he". I DID get the driveway shoveled every time it snowed
last year. The reason for shopping for a snow blower is to keep the
drive clear and PREVENT it from becoming an ice berg. ) 8" of wet
snow is heavy damn stuff and I don't need back aches!


Same reason I bought a REAL snow blower. If you live where you get 8
inches of heavy stuff do yourself a favour and don't even CPONSIDER a
single stage or electric blower.
Get a Honda, since the Yamahas are not common and the quality and
engineering on so much of the other product out there is suspect.
Get hydrostatic drive too - no slipping friction drive when that wet
slop gets into the machine - and track drive gives traction without
chains to fall off and get gobbled up by the blower (and to rust) and
no tires to keep going flat.

The Honda WILL cost you more than even a Troy-Bilt - but you seldome
get more than what you pay for.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:25:48 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

I'll bet you lunch at your favourite restaurant you never owned a 67
Cat with a 385 Cu Inch engine.
You might have owned a 66 with a 389, or a 67 with a 400 but The "Iron
Indian" never had a 385

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 10:06:44 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :

How does the blower disconnect from the engine??

The engine is mounted on a transmission that drives the wheels and has a
PTO. All implements attach to the PTO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qwaJ1lhhYI

The idea sounds pretty good but the implementation is strictly Release
1.0.

It's like they designed it, put it into production, and never fixed any
of the inevitable design bugs - like the starter handle getting wedged
in the engine protector cage (which could be cured by moving one of the
cage bars a quarter of an inch) or the dead-man switch with wires
running outside where then can snag on brush... and a disconnected wire
just quietly disables the dead-man function until the operator finds out
the hard way....

Also, in spite of the idea sounding pretty good (only one engine to
maintain....) the reality is that you can, for instance, get a
pretty-good snow blower for less than the thousand dollars they get for
their single-stage snow thrower attachment whose housing rusted out and
failed completely after about five years of use....and whose replacement
housing was made out of some cheap metal that actually *tore* when it
rubbed up against an obstacle...and wasn't even primed before being
painted.

Probably more than you wanted to know..... -)
Good GAWD- a British clone of a 1950 Gravely!!!! Talk about setting
technology back 60 years.

On Monday, January 12, 2015 at 7:09:15 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/12/2015 2:31 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 10:31:04 PM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 4:12 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8:37:13 AM UTC-5, Frank wrote:
On 1/9/2015 7:20 AM, Norminn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

Mine's a two stage 24 inch Troy Bilt with electric start. It will
handle a couple of feet or more of snow. Only trouble I had with it was
time I did not run it dry and ethanol containing stabilized gas clogged it.

Neighbor has one exactly like it and no problems, except, maybe last
year when he accidentally ran into his newspaper buried in the snow.

I'm 75 and have no trouble handling it.

Funny, I had both those experiences. Leaving gas in it fouling the carb
and the newspapers. Newspaper thing is really bad. You can check the
driveway before a storm, then go out the next morning and not even think
that the delivery guy chucked it somewhere and it's now buried. Have extra
shear bolts for sure....


When neighbor hit the paper, it was a mess. He came over to look my
unit over to make sure he got his back in its original condition
thinking he bent the blades.

Gas problem was either ethanol attacking the seals as their is a caution
in the manual not to use it.

Good luck with that. IDK where you can find gas without alcohol in
it around here, NJ.


That's all that is available around here.
Newer units may not have this problem.

Yes, IDK how much better newer ones are. I don't think it's just
alcohol attacking the seals. You would think there are suitable
gasket, seal, etc materials that alcohol would not affect. I think
the other part of the problem is the alcohol attracts water and that
in turn creates gunk, corrosion, etc.




I'm told there is also the potential for gas to evaporate from the
carburetor gumming it up.

PITA with all small engines with long inactive periods in keeping them
clear. Best to run these engines dry.

Yes, that;s probably the best. If you can remember. I forgot again
with my snowblower. But tested it a couple weeks ago and it started
right up, runs OK. Guess I got lucky. Not sure why. It didn't have
stabilizer in it either. As I said, other times, in just a few months,
when I realized I hadn't taken care of it, it was already fouled.


I think gas at marine areas is alcohol free otherwise only places around
here I've seen were in MD 100 miles from me.


I used to have a boat, sold it a few years ago, never paid any attention
as to how the pump was marked.

I found this site that lists places alcohol free is available by state.
For NJ, only one place listed and in the details it's from someone who
drove by, didn't stop to try to actually buy it and it was $10 a gallon.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=NJ




My lawn mower and generator have shut off valves from gas tank and they
are easy to run dry. With snow thrower I have to siphon and then it
still takes several minutes to run dry.


You would think that since there is generally agreement that the best
practice is to run it dry that they would provide a drain so you could
easily empty the tank. I always try to manage the gas when using it so
that little is left, then just run it dry at the end of the season.
If I remember.....




Guy I know that used to have a service gas station and now deals with
lawn service knows engines and said it depends on type of carburetor
that might have evaporation problem.

I store stabilized gas for generator and recycle in 2 years in car if
not used. I was using some stabilized gas in a can for my weed wacker
with 2 cycle oil and it lasted over 5 years before going bad.

I've also kept mixed 2 stroke gas for long periods, left it in weed wackers,
etc with no problems.

Per :
and track drive gives traction without
chains to fall off and get gobbled up by the blower (and to rust) and
no tires to keep going flat.

A track-drive Honda was calling out to me a few years back.

But then I started wondering about transport issues. i.e. If I want to
clear paths in a park that is a quarter-mile from my driveway, how am I
going to get the machine to the park? Right now, I just put my
walk-behind garden tractor with snow thrower into high gear and walk...
--
Pete Cresswell

Per :
Good GAWD- a British clone of a 1950 Gravely!!!! Talk about setting
technology back 60 years.

Italian.... but you've got the idea.

British implementation of rust proofing: "Oil Seals".
--
Pete Cresswell

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

A track-drive Honda was calling out to me a few years back.

The tread on my 9HP self propelled are so aggressive that I'm not sure a track
drive would be all that more effective. I certainly haven't had any issues going
up and down a 250' mountain side driveway. The previous owner put chains on, but
those don't do a whole lot as they are almost swallowed between the tread..

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:14:24 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:25:48 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

I'll bet you lunch at your favourite restaurant you never owned a 67
Cat with a 385 Cu Inch engine.
You might have owned a 66 with a 389, or a 67 with a 400 but The "Iron
Indian" never had a 385

My memory is getting bad. I wonder if it's the hyperparathyroidism I
just learned about.

I had a '50 Olds with a 300 ci engine.
a '65 Pontiac with a 318
a '67 Pontiac with, I guess you're right, a 400.
and a '72 or 73 Buick with a 455.

After that, I had LeBarons with toy engines. They didn't even melt the
snow off the hood.

I thought I had a 389 in there somewhere, but I guess not.

On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 7:20:26 AM UTC-5, NorMinn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

I have 2 snowbowers which I finally quit using..........



Snowlowers toss rocks way better than longer than snow

So will the toss area have anything that can be damaged? Errant rocks show up any time

since your older like me, at least check into a 4 wheel quad with a snow blade, pushing even a power driven snowblower is hard work

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 12:49:31 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Per :
and track drive gives traction without
chains to fall off and get gobbled up by the blower (and to rust) and
no tires to keep going flat.

A track-drive Honda was calling out to me a few years back.

But then I started wondering about transport issues. i.e. If I want to
clear paths in a park that is a quarter-mile from my driveway, how am I
going to get the machine to the park? Right now, I just put my
walk-behind garden tractor with snow thrower into high gear and walk...
I'd tie a toboggan behind my Yamaha and ride. Not terribly fast, but
easier than walking!!

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:04:19 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:14:24 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:25:48 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

I'll bet you lunch at your favourite restaurant you never owned a 67
Cat with a 385 Cu Inch engine.
You might have owned a 66 with a 389, or a 67 with a 400 but The "Iron
Indian" never had a 385

My memory is getting bad. I wonder if it's the hyperparathyroidism I
just learned about.

I had a '50 Olds with a 300 ci engine.
Close - it was a 303 Rocket
a '65 Pontiac with a 318
More likely a '65 Plymouth with a 318. 65 Pontiacs were 389 or 215
unliss they were Canadian,with 230,283 or 327 Chevvies
a '67 Pontiac with, I guess you're right, a 400.
and a '72 or 73 Buick with a 455.

After that, I had LeBarons with toy engines. They didn't even melt the
snow off the hood.

I thought I had a 389 in there somewhere, but I guess not.

On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 12:49:36 PM UTC-5, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
and track drive gives traction without
chains to fall off and get gobbled up by the blower (and to rust) and
no tires to keep going flat.

A track-drive Honda was calling out to me a few years back.

But then I started wondering about transport issues. i.e. If I want to
clear paths in a park that is a quarter-mile from my driveway, how am I
going to get the machine to the park? Right now, I just put my
walk-behind garden tractor with snow thrower into high gear and walk...
--
Pete Cresswell

What makes you think a track type won't go just as fast? An Abrams
tank will do 50mph, won't it? I'd be more worried about longevity
of the treads. Tires are cheap, I'll bet the treads aren't

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:24:59 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:04:19 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:14:24 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:25:48 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

I'll bet you lunch at your favourite restaurant you never owned a 67
Cat with a 385 Cu Inch engine.
You might have owned a 66 with a 389, or a 67 with a 400 but The "Iron
Indian" never had a 385

My memory is getting bad. I wonder if it's the hyperparathyroidism I
just learned about.

I had a '50 Olds with a 300 ci engine.
Close - it was a 303 Rocket

Okay.

a '65 Pontiac with a 318
More likely a '65 Plymouth with a 318.

My memory is not so bad that I think I had a Pontiac when I had a
Plymouth. But it's possible that was the 389 and I never had a 318.
I must have been thinking about my mother's car.

The '65 Pontiac, esp. the convertible, was one of the best-looking cars
ever made, IMO.

65 Pontiacs were 389 or 215
unliss they were Canadian,with 230,283 or 327 Chevvies
a '67 Pontiac with, I guess you're right, a 400.
and a '72 or 73 Buick with a 455.

After that, I had LeBarons with toy engines. They didn't even melt the
snow off the hood.

I thought I had a 389 in there somewhere, but I guess not.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 20:51:23 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 18:24:59 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:04:19 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 11:14:24 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:25:48 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Sun, 11 Jan 2015 16:00:20 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:32:57 -0600, wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:03:29 -0800 (PST), bob_villa
wrote:

A couple thoughts on this: better quality machines have carb bowls with
a drain; also, additives change seasonally and may not start well in Winter.

My father had a gas powered snow blower. In warm weather we'd check it,
and it would start right away. We would add gas stabilizer, drain it,
and all the stuff required. As soon as it came time to blow snow, the
damn thing would never start. It almost seemed like it was made to not
start in the cold.

He had that thing in the repair shop numerous times, we rebuilt the carb
more than once too, plus changed the spark plug and other stuff. About
all that thing seemed to do was waste money, while he and myself
shoveled snow. That's when the rest of the family, bought dad an
electric snow blower for Christmas. It worked well, and always ran when
needed. He used it for years, until he was no longer able to clear snow
(due to his health). Then I used it, until it finally burned out, years
later. I'd probably have one now, but I have a farm tractor with a
loader for snow cleanup. About the only thing the tractor cant do is
the porch and a 15 foot sidewalk. I just shovel that little bit....

I drilled a small hole in the air-box to accept the little red tube
on the ether can.

When I had a '67 Pontiac Catalina with a 385ci engine, it often woudn't
start in cold weather, so I drilled a hole in the fire wall and and made
one in the glove box, and ran some thin clear tubing from the glove box
to the carbureter, with a short piece of polethylend tubing at the
carburetor end of that.

The other end went on a can of ether in the glove box. After that I
never had to get out of the car, and the car started every time.



When it's cold I give it full choke and a little
whiff of starting fluid and it starts on the first or second turn.

Some of us really NEED a 2 stage blower, so electric is out of the
question, even if we were willing to take the chance of chopping up
the power cord. Electric snow shovels are fine for small sidewalks,
porches, and decks.

I'll bet you lunch at your favourite restaurant you never owned a 67
Cat with a 385 Cu Inch engine.
You might have owned a 66 with a 389, or a 67 with a 400 but The "Iron
Indian" never had a 385

My memory is getting bad. I wonder if it's the hyperparathyroidism I
just learned about.

I had a '50 Olds with a 300 ci engine.
Close - it was a 303 Rocket

Okay.

a '65 Pontiac with a 318
More likely a '65 Plymouth with a 318.

My memory is not so bad that I think I had a Pontiac when I had a
Plymouth. But it's possible that was the 389 and I never had a 318.
I must have been thinking about my mother's car.

The '65 Pontiac, esp. the convertible, was one of the best-looking cars
ever made, IMO.

65 Pontiacs were 389 or 215
unliss they were Canadian,with 230,283 or 327 Chevvies
a '67 Pontiac with, I guess you're right, a 400.
and a '72 or 73 Buick with a 455.

After that, I had LeBarons with toy engines. They didn't even melt the
snow off the hood.

I thought I had a 389 in there somewhere, but I guess not.
I drove a 65 Canadian Parisienne convertible for a short time. 283
Powerglide. It was originally white with red interior and black top,
when the boss got it, it had been painted an ugly green.
We painted it Cherry red and it looked great and sold before we got it
re-assembled (It had sat on the lot for almost 3 years when green
until I drove it and told the boss to paint it.)

I also owned a 1985 LeBaron Mark Cross Town and Country wagon with the
Mitt so ****ty 2.6 Hemi in it untill the body pretty well fell off of
it.

On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 2:52:52 PM UTC-5, bob haller wrote:
On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 7:20:26 AM UTC-5, NorMinn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

I have 2 snowbowers which I finally quit using..........



Snowlowers toss rocks way better than longer than snow

So will the toss area have anything that can be damaged? Errant rocks show up any time

since your older like me, at least check into a 4 wheel quad with a snow blade, pushing even a power driven snowblower is hard work

I guess that depends on where you live, how much snow you typically get
and the size of the area. Here in NJ, I wouldn't say using a power driven snowblower is hard work for 90% of the snowfalls. On the few occasions when we
get a lot, like 16"+, then it becomes more difficult. The area at the end
of the driveway where the township plow throws extra snow is the main
trouble area. My driveway has a little grade at that point and between
that and the extra, heavy snow, it can take some pushing and shoving
to get the blower to do what you want it to do. But usually after you
have one pass through, opened up, it gets easier. You can take 1/2 cuts
if needed, etc. If Norminn doesn't have experience with one, maybe she
can try out a neighbor's before buying.

Jan wrote: "and subject them to
hurricaines and tornadows.."


I just happen to have zero tolerance for cold - and even
less for snow! I stopped liking snow at an early age, when
my old man put a snow shovel in my hand. I was no more
than 12. Took me 3 hours to shovel off both our front and
back porches. LOL


That experience led me to wonder just why the F--- folks
choose to subject themselves to such weather.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 9:08:51 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Jan wrote: "and subject them to
hurricaines and tornadows.."


I just happen to have zero tolerance for cold - and even
less for snow! I stopped liking snow at an early age, when
my old man put a snow shovel in my hand. I was no more
than 12. Took me 3 hours to shovel off both our front and
back porches. LOL


That experience led me to wonder just why the F--- folks
choose to subject themselves to such weather.

My family was from pittsburgh Ib wish we were from cocoa florida, or anywhere that always warm and sunny.

I am 57 and would liketo move to my dream area while I am still young enought to enjoy it

On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 06:17:59 -0800 (PST), bob haller
wrote:

On Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at 9:08:51 AM UTC-5, wrote:
Jan wrote: "and subject them to
hurricaines and tornadows.."


I just happen to have zero tolerance for cold - and even
less for snow! I stopped liking snow at an early age, when
my old man put a snow shovel in my hand. I was no more
than 12. Took me 3 hours to shovel off both our front and
back porches. LOL


That experience led me to wonder just why the F--- folks
choose to subject themselves to such weather.

My family was from pittsburgh Ib wish we were from cocoa florida, or anywhere that always warm and sunny.

I am 57 and would liketo move to my dream area while I am still young enought to enjoy it
I spent 2 winters in Central Africa, Before that I really ENJOYED
winters. Snowmobiling, cross country ski-ing,and all kinds of other
cold-fun stuff. When I came back I didn't enjoy the cold so much. Then
about 30 years ago I mashed up a couple of fingers - and now they hurt
like the dickens when they get cold - but I still wouldn't trade
Central Ontario weather for Southern US weather year round.Several
friends and a niece spent several years in Florida and after 2 major
hurricaines, moved back north. A couple other friends spent some time
in the south - and after several near misses (missed by less than a
block) with Tornadoes, headed back north too. They go to Texas for
part of the winter.

You really can't beat our spring and fall weather, the summers are hot
enough for me that I wouldn't want to be much further south, and about
half the winter is actually pretty nice.

Colder than blazes the last week or so, but yesterday and today the
sun is out and not too much wind so even -24C is quite tolerable

On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 7:20:26 AM UTC-5, NorMinn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

If you really don't want to break the bank, consider the Sno-Tek line by Ariens.

http://www.sno-tek.net/

Not fully featured, i.e. no handle warmers, no power steering, etc. Just a reliable series of machines made by a quality manufacturer that decided to get into the entry level machine market.

For the same price as an MTD/Craftsman/Store Brand machine you can get an Ariens. Granted, it's not a high-end Ariens, but it will have metal in many of the places that the other's have plastic and things like that. Same price range, much much better machines.

They come in 20", 24" and 28". The 24" and 28" have the bigger engine, so I would lean in that direction. I have a 24" and it hasn't disappointed me yet. I would also suggest you buy it from a Ariens dealer, not a home center.. Since Ariens sets the prices (or at least used to) the price will be the same everywhere, even when there is a sale. Since it's usually the dealers that do the warranty repairs for the home centers, you want to be a direct customer of the dealer, not the home center. As the dealer I bought mine from told me "If I've got 2 machines to fix, one from *my* customer and one from the home center, guess whose machine will get done first?"

Per :
When I came back I didn't enjoy the cold so much.

When I had been living in Hawaii for about 7 years, I was sitting in
this tourist trap in Waikiki called "The International Marketplace".

It was December and the temps were way down - like low seventies/high
sixties.... I had a long-sleeve cardigan on and was freezing my pasty
white butt off.

To cut to the chase, a tourist from someplace like Broken Pelvis,
Montana sat down on the same bench I was sitting on.

I guess he thought he had to say something, so his opening statement was
"Sure is hot and muggy here...."
--
Pete Cresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per :
When I came back I didn't enjoy the cold so much.

When I had been living in Hawaii for about 7 years, I was sitting in
this tourist trap in Waikiki called "The International Marketplace".

It was December and the temps were way down - like low seventies/high
sixties.... I had a long-sleeve cardigan on and was freezing my pasty
white butt off.

To cut to the chase, a tourist from someplace like Broken Pelvis,
Montana sat down on the same bench I was sitting on.

I guess he thought he had to say something, so his opening statement was
"Sure is hot and muggy here...."

Hi,
Of course!!!, LOL!

On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 12:44:00 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Friday, January 9, 2015 at 7:20:26 AM UTC-5, NorMinn wrote:
We are two retirees, 50' long double driveway (concrete). Shoveled a
lot of snow last year, but getting older and lazier. I would like
recommendations for a snow blower if there is one that isn't a monster
to handle, doesn't throw snow into neighbor's yard, and won't break the
bank. We can have it plowed, but that still leaves enough snow that it
refreezes and gets icy; neither of us want to navigate ice to get to the
mailbox or have visitors fall on the ice. Any recommendations for a
reliable, manageable machine?

If you really don't want to break the bank, consider the Sno-Tek line by Ariens.

http://www.sno-tek.net/

Not fully featured, i.e. no handle warmers, no power steering, etc. Just a reliable series of machines made by a quality manufacturer that decided to get into the entry level machine market.

For the same price as an MTD/Craftsman/Store Brand machine you can get an Ariens. Granted, it's not a high-end Ariens, but it will have metal in many of the places that the other's have plastic and things like that. Same price range, much much better machines.

They come in 20", 24" and 28". The 24" and 28" have the bigger engine, so I would lean in that direction. I have a 24" and it hasn't disappointed me yet. I would also suggest you buy it from a Ariens dealer, not a home center. Since Ariens sets the prices (or at least used to) the price will be the same everywhere, even when there is a sale. Since it's usually the dealers that do the warranty repairs for the home centers, you want to be a direct customer of the dealer, not the home center. As the dealer I bought mine from told me "If I've got 2 machines to fix, one from *my* customer and one from the home center, guess whose machine will get done first?"
A simplicity is also a good machine. and +10 on buying from a
reputable dealer.

On 1/14/2015 9:08 AM, wrote:
Jan wrote: "and subject them to
hurricaines and tornadows.."


I just happen to have zero tolerance for cold - and even
less for snow! I stopped liking snow at an early age, when
my old man put a snow shovel in my hand. I was no more
than 12. Took me 3 hours to shovel off both our front and
back porches. LOL


That experience led me to wonder just why the F--- folks
choose to subject themselves to such weather.


It's either snow or roaches and fire ants ;o)

Per :
That experience led me to wonder just why the F--- folks
choose to subject themselves to such weather.

How about "Pleasure is partially defined by pain" ?

i.e.
Q: "Why are you banging your head against the wall?"

A: "Because it feels so good when I stop."
--
Pete Cresswell