Warnings ancross all Michigan. Dang it. My near 15 year old blower died after last winter. Hell of a time getting anyone to work on them anymore. The local shop I bought it from no longer sells or services them. Finally found a fella to work on it. Dropped it off in early September when it was still in the 80s. He replaced a ripped up belt. Finished 3 or 4 days ago and I’ve got it home just in time it appears.
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That's great that you found a good repairman. My Ariens is 11 years old. It has the Subaru/Robbins engine and I just gassed it up and checked the oil yesterday. Starts on the first pull every time. Actually surprises me. Only problem that I ever had was something stuck in the carb. I took it off, sprayed heck out of it and viola, been great ever since.
I went smaller for storage purposes (22") and damn if that thing doesn't punch well above its weight. Glad you mentioned belts. I never even considered it as a consumable, and will look into ordering one up for drive and blower, just in case.
Amazingly this was the first time it failed, although there are some sheer pins I’ve broken and replaced on my own. In that case, half the battle is getting the garage heated up with portable propane heaters and the machine defrosted before replacing the broken sheer pin. Everything you do is twice as hard in the winter.
LOL - Yeah, I also use the propane portable for the garage in winter. I hear ya.
Just a few flakes observed this morning, Derf
Seems we're going to get dumped on this weekend!!
Stay warm, Derf
Edit: Whew what a slog! The snowblower was pushing the snow, instead of expelling it. Had to use the shovel frequently, and the snow was sticking to the shovel badly. Took about 3 hours. I should have hit it once this morning, rather than waiting until it was mostly over.
•Check electrical connections: Look for any loose, damaged, or corroded wiring, especially near the throttle and ignition. Clean all connectors and ensure they are tight.
•Inspect the switch: Make sure the handlebar switch is working properly.
•Examine the fuse and relay: Verify that the fuse and relay for the heated grip circuit are intact and not blown. The fuse is typically an inline fuse holder located in the wiring harness near the battery or under the dash panel.
•Test voltage with a multimeter: With the engine running, use a multimeter to check for voltage at the hand warmers. There should be a path for power and a ground connection.
•Check for continuity: Use a multimeter to test the continuity of the hand warmers themselves. An open circuit (infinite resistance) means the heating element is bad.
•Troubleshoot weak heat: If the hand warmers are only slightly warm, they often work best at full throttle and may not get "hot" like other types of grips.
If the fella out in the woods really fixed my Honda I'll be happy. Not too confident. It had lost all the hydro fluid. Should know after a good hour's work what shape it's really in. Sorry I checked the weather. Looks like 4-7 inches tonight and 35 mph wind.
--- snow blower impellers and chute area
--- standard hand snow shovel blade face
If you can have these in a warm area (garage) for application
--- WD-40 can be used to repel snow sticking to shovels and snowblower chutes by creating a slippery, non-stick surface. It's best to use the Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant or Big Blast formulas for this purpose. Before applying, clean the surface to remove dirt, rust, and oil.
There is also an Armor All product spray (ceramic) that helps with this and may be used on vehicle surfaces during the warm months.
Wet snow and the blower is no fun !!!
For some of us 'true winter' folks who have had the annual experience for years; there are more stories than one has time to write/tell. Especially during periods of heavy snowfall.
I'll offer one story that is a rather uncommon winter event; although there must have been or are similar events in other locations, over the years.
The time period is mid-1970's - mid-1980's for my knowledge base. Michigan has always had a lot of active motorcycle clubs. And, yes; I'm sure some were a bit rough.
To the best of my recall, several clubs would hold racing events to raise money for charities in the area. This would include circle track racing in the winter. The one I describe next may not have been for charity, but for fun of a club.
The Saginaw Bay is 26 miles wide by 52 miles long. The depth runs from 15 - 28 feet. The bay is busy with ice fishing after the ice is thick; as some folks drive their vehicles to their spot (more snowmobiles/quad runners now). A friend and I went to a mid-winter motorcycle race on the ice.
I had a 1968 Chevy Bel-Air at the time. The ice racing was very interesting; but a side activity was a large section of ice away from the race and other cars. A large area of ice had been verified by others (we watched a few) of being free of cracks or 'heaves' in the ice surface. So, away we go.....get up to speed of 50 mph or so; then crank the steering wheel hard one direction and then the other way. Slam on the brakes to discover how long a skid would last on the ice. There was about 1/4 mile free space for all of the this silliness. Well, anyway; a different thing to do in the winter.
Some still learn about driving/stopping on snow in large parking lots here. Family members learned about this at a nearby large, smooth parking lot covered with several inches of snow. An excellent teaching moment for braking, turning and stopping without having to be on the roads.
Lastly, the motorcycle ice racing is very interesting to watch.
Saginaw Bay map
Studded motorcycle tires
Where the highway was wide enough and no other vehicles nearby I experimented, at low speed, with entering and recovery from skids. Good to get the feel of the thing. I did the same sort of thing when taking flying lessons- getting into problems like stalling, losing visual references and flying on basic instruments ("needle, ball, and airspeed").
Knowledge is helpful, but caution is indeed indicated.
You have spent your lives amassing a good retirement income. I love you guys. Could you please spend some of that money to hire a service to clear your dangerous snow problems? Consider it an investment in a long, healthy life and peace of mind for Anna.
- The exercise is healthy and also proof that I am still alive!
- I don't trust anyone to do it right. Plows mounted on trucks can do a lot of damage to
drives and nearby landscaping. Snowblowers take longer but much better on your drive & yard.
- There's often a wait of a day or longer for the plow drivers to get to your place.
The Camry is my first AWD. Mostly positive impressions, but I didn't think it steered particularly well in 10 inches of heavy slush out on my unplowed road the other day. Traction + steering appear to be two different matters. I believe the Rivian has front & rear steering. Wonder if that behaves better in heavy slush? Would guess so.