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Noreaster-- it's snowing like crazy

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This is what my driveway looked like at 7:30am after I got done plowing it for the third time since Thursday :nightmare:

View attachment 31623
 
I got a pic of our Honda 600 with almost more snow on top than it was tall
 
That wouldn't take much don.
 
coldplugs said:
I guess we lucked out (again). About 10 inches of snow, not too much rain and sleet. Today is calm and about 40 degrees so snow removal wasn't too bad. I saw some kids sliding on a nearby hill - all toboggans and the like since it's pretty deep for sleds. One older fellow had his sled (snowmobile) with a long rope trailing and was hauling the others up hill.
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John - this is really interesting to me. With ten inches of snow, and 40 degrees - how the heck do you get rid of it? Shovel? Snowblower? Tractor/plow?

My snowblower can't handle that stuff once it gets above freezing. Forty degrees would be like pumping soft concrete. What do you use?
 
NutmegCT said:
John - this is really interesting to me. With ten inches of snow, and 40 degrees - how the heck do you get rid of it? Shovel? Snowblower? Tractor/plow?

My snowblower can't handle that stuff once it gets above freezing. Forty degrees would be like pumping soft concrete. What do you use?
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Tom, this is the unit. (Toro 826LE). It's about 7 years old now and I've had zero problems with it. The engine is only 8hp - a Tecumseh that has sounded like it's tearing itself apart since day one but it always starts on the first pull and runs good. I learned long ago to get a set of chains for any blower I use & they make a big difference in traction. I've never had trouble with it flinging snow - today was rough but it still threw twenty or thirty feet.

Our trip to the paved road is 1/3 mile, and I use the blower for the first 150 feet of gravel driveway. A neighbor who lives about a mile from here plows the rest, bless him. He won't take any money so I encourage him with an occasional gas card and books on golf and Chevys.
 
Thanks John. My MTD actually works great - except for the heavy wet slushy stuff. The auger picks it up and pushes it to the chute, but it gets jammed inside the chute as it's pushed by the impeller. Then you have to shut it off and pull it up by hand from the chute. Otherwise, in "normal" dry snow it's fine.

Ever have any problem with slush getting stuck in the chute?
 
Tom! Try sprayin' th' chute with "PAM" or mold release! :jester:
 
NutmegCT said:
Ever have any problem with slush getting stuck in the chute?
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Tom -

Clearly, you need to stay away from those Shoney's breakfasts and get more roughage.
 
:winner1:
 
Mickey Richaud said:
Tom -

Clearly, you need to stay away from those Shoney's breakfasts and get more roughage.
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LOL, there was a coffee shop in Hollywood years ago that had an item on the breakfast menu called "The Log Jammer"
 
Ewww! Mickey wins the gross-out award!

My Sears 9 HP blower (Tecumseh OHV) gets jammed with slush on occasion too. But it came with a plastic "poker" for clearing same. No need to shut down machine. Just make sure auger isn't turning (handle controlling auger is "dead-man" so this is no problem). I've had many hours behind this thing in the last few days and I only needed the poker once.

Mine is 120v electric start, which is a good thing. It's not bad to start when hot but sort of a dog to pull-start when cold.
 
Mickey Richaud said:
Tom -

Clearly, you need to stay away from those Shoney's breakfasts and get more roughage.
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roflmao.gif


Got it! Next time, more Dran-O in my grits. (Seriously, I'll try that Pam spray idea.)
 
Guess where I lived in 1978. "Providence County, Rhode Island was the hardest hit by the blizzard; in particular, the towns of Lincoln, Smithfield, Woonsocket, and North Smithfield all reported at least 40 inches (100 cm) of total snowfall"

We had around 50 inches.
 
Tom, Doc's right about the PAM. Done it, it helps. In fact I do it regularly on my MTD snowblower. I've long suspected that MTD's are more prone to clog than some other makes. Mine is a 16 year old, made in U.S.A, 8 horse, tracks instead of wheels model. It deals with light to moderately dense snow fine. The wetter snows, not so much. I keep an old broomstick handle nearby to clear the clogs.
 
This winter has really tested my snow blowing skills. My weapon of choice to ward off the dreaded clogging/sticking....spray wax. Quick, easy and surprisingly long lasting.

 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking I've got two major issues:

1. Limited horsepower. My snowblower is MTD 5hp, 22" dual action. Works great in light to medium snow, but not in heavy wet snow. And the big chunks at the end of the driveway, tossed up by the DOT snowplows - fuggedaboudit.

2. Driveway is gravel. Blower auger picks up gravel with snow, so inside of chute is rough and pocked - not smooth.
 
If it's not smooth, the car wax may be more effective (than PAM) but I'd suggest going to a local hardware store and getting a block of paraffin wax and rubbing that all thru the chute surface and auger blades. :wink:

...no small wonder I live in Florida...
 
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