WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR SNOWBLOWER AFTER YOU ARE DONE USING IT

#snowblower #maintenance #garagegear

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR SNOWBLOWER AFTER YOU ARE DONE USING IT. Finished SNOWBLOWING your driveway? Before you pull that SNOWBLOWER in the garage there are couple of things YOU MUST DO to help MAKE IT LAST. Watch as I go over some QUICK and EASY steps that you can take with just about any snowblower model to avoid mechanical issues and make it more EFFICIENT! LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!!!

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[tonyschornak]

I have a snowblower almost the same model as yours, while I use a spray lube at the rotating points on the auger and shoot I no longer use silicone on the shoot or in the auger housing. Silicone and WD40 or lubes of this nature get thick and hold snow and moisture at when cold temperatures. Take a cloth with mineral sprites and wipe all the surfaces clean, this includes the auger. Get a bottle of spray hybrid ceramic car coating, there are a number available. They dry hard - resist moisture and snow buildup up. Also recommend spraying your snow shovel, works there also.

[ronsteitz]

I have a Cub Cadet Trac machine I bought new in 1976 . Before putting away between snow storms I brush off outside of blower around chute. I also clear out snow inside auger housing. Having an attached garage I place blower inside for it to dry off.👍 🎉You have good tips lifting blower off concrete to alleviate rust concerns. 👍 I also spray down chute and auger with (PAM )to keep snow from sticking👍

[marielevine]

Just another comment to add. I live in Ottawa Canada with a good 5 months of winter. I've happily owned and operated a (only one) snowblower for 40+ years. While Garage Gear guy gives good solid advice, I don't do any of that stuff, except keeping the skid plates on a piece of wood off the concrete (in my garage). I summer-ize by running the gas tank dry at the end of every winter and have my snowblower professionally serviced once every 5 years for a couple hundred bucks. They do oil, lube everything, carb, change snow throwing belt. In my opinion that's all you need! Works for me.

[j.sterling]

I just bought an Ariens about two years ago, compared to my last machine (Snapper, 2001) which died in 2021, it's like going from a Chevy to a Cadillac, love the way it performs, best money ever spent. I do regular Oil changes, plug changes and drain fuel at the end of the use season. It is stowed in a dry, clean storage shed during the summer. I don't run a heater in the garage to get rid of Chute and Auger snow accumulation, I let the engine cool down for few minutes running, then, in the driveway I use a pump sprayer with hot tap water to wash down the areas, after a short dry time it is put in the garage, Have no problems doing this.

[lthibault]

I like your enthousiasm! Obviously all this is good. My model has no idle control so I just shut it down and raise it on blocks like you do. I like to just use a spongy rag and quickly clean it with soapy waters. I change oil and grease it once a year, drain gas for the summer (added a little T connector and plug on the gas line to facilitate the process). Replaced a belt and friction disc after 5 years and it works like a charm. Those are very simple machines, easy to maintain, much like other small engines (generator, lawn mower).

[melissaalbert]

I replaced a single stage Cub Cadet (my Barbie snow blower) with a 26” Craftsman (named it Gus) after the snow dump in WNY in November and before the most recent storm rolling in right how. I haven’t used it yet, but I learned what to do before, during, and after use from watching several of your videos. They all had great content with simple tips and great instructions. I’m sure I saved myself some time and repair costs by educating myself with your help, which made me subscribe to be part of the tribe after feeling the vibe.

[wateaman]

Have the Ariens 28 SHO Deluxe. I use a car windshield scraper brush to get most of the snow out of the auger and impeller after shutdown. I did this after throwing ice out of the chute after startup when the snow melted and froze. Didn't break a belt but the ice slammed into the side of the garage. If the augers seem dangerous after shutdown you can always remove the start key- can't run without the key. As far as fuel goes there are several gas stations in town that sell ethanol free premium fuel. I use a 5 gallon gas can for the lawn mower and snowblower and add stabil before fill up at the gas station. Ariens makes a very good snowblower.

[CartoonWeasel]

I clean mine completely. Even inside the auger.
I store it outside (no shed or garage) and dont want it to be ice and possibly break something.
While i clean it (with a car brush) its usually fully cooled down. I put a snowblower cover on it and then a tarp on it for even more water protection.
I also spray with p100 spray since it uses wire to pull stuff around like the shoot.
It would freeze and jam when really cold but since spray everything with the p100(like wd40 but rated for very cold temps. -40c) its been great. No more wire freezing.

Mine also has electric start but its in a square thingy and my extension cord tip wouldn't fit in it so i use only the pull start. Starts on the first pull every time. Even in a week of -20c -30c it'll start on the first pull without having to do anything special.
(My snowblower is a yardworks)

[Tricia_JoElle]

Thank you so much!!! Recently single female who "splurged" on a snow blower. I was worried about the investment since, you know, now a days, things don't last long like they used to!!! Love your video! Gave peace of mind that it will outlast me! Now, need to find "winterizing snow blower" and "how to use a Riding Mower". Another splurge, and it sits- 3 months. Still pushing a mower on 1/2 acre at 63 yrs old. I"m a "visual learner" (show me), so the instruction book is confusing. Sigh...

[Ballroomblitz]

I enjoy working and repairing all small engine equipment as a side hobby, anything from snowblowers to lawn mowers to leaf blowers to chainsaws. For my personal 30 year old snowblower i have a yearly maintenance schedule which includes greasing/lubricating all moving parts however for daily storage after each use i don’t bother too much other than pulling it into my unheated garage and storing on a rubber 3/4 inch floor matt. If you wish to go through the suggestions here go for it as it will do no harm, for me however a machine is meant to be run and long as yearly maintenance is performed one should not have an issue and be good to go. Be sure to shut down your snowblower correctly at end of season…turn off gas shutoff valve, run till engine is dry and stalls as sign that all fuel is no longer in the system, press carb bowl fuel screw to remove any remaining fuel within the carb. Cheers.

[conradsobczak]

My complements on a useful video. I have a 28" Ariens. One thing I have been doing is turning the ignition off to shut down the machine for refilling the gas tank or when finished. Per your suggestion, will throttle down for a cool off. Mid season, when the temps get above freezing, will spray the auger, housing, and chute with a Lanolin based product-Fluid Film. Not unusual to get snow in April in Lawrence Park, (Erie) PA. Also, appreciate reading the comments from others. Take care.

[j.morrison]

Great tips. Can't bank on my tenant to follow these steps at our rental duplex, ( I charge them less than half the going rental rate the entire year for the occasional mowing or snow removal when I'm not there) but I'll be sure to use a couple of these tips on my snowthrower attached to my JD which isn't stored indoors but under a 12' tarp. Gets mighty cold in my area with just as much wet snow that acts like wildlife seeking a nice place to keep out of the wind. Makes a lot of sense to melt the ice & snow crammed into the auger area. I depend on my JD snowthrower since I clear 7 driveways and the bridge walkway to church. I don't take money, it's more a neighborly thing I do. If my thrower is down, a lot of people sure take notice. Thanks

[davidp]

No longer own my snowblower since I moved to Texas but I was the guy who always did all of the neighbor's homes when I did own my "Mean Machine".
Great tips but I would add 1 more item, when I was done using my machine for the season I would take it out and run it dry. While I was doing that I would add some STA-BIL to the little gas that was left so that no matter what was left in the tank it wouldn't gum up the carb. Also I pitched my machine a few degrees by putting a brick under one wheel so that the gas would all drain into the carb while I was running it dry.
Never had a problem starting my snow blower in the 10 years I owned it.

[Charlie-Time]

I’ve been doing all that for years, cool down, clean up, parked the skid plates on wooden blocks, my garage is usually warm but love the tip on the small pace heater, always use WD30 and greased exposed cable lines, the garage rubber mat that’s new to me and I love the idea. Will definitely be going out to pick one up that fits. Great tips. Thanks

[Charlie-Time]

A few minutes of care leads to years of fun. Especially on those big snow falls. Best tip when buying a snow blower, get one with independent axle so the weeks can rotate freely, you can spin it around on one weel. A locked axle can really suck with big radius turns, and Briggs Stratton engines are the best when it comes to big engine maintenance, the piston housing is lined so if you ever blow a oil plug when it’s running and you engine stops before you notice, you piston are less likely to seize. Cheers

[MrPlayerPerson]

With my snowblower, after every use, I run the carburetor dry so that at the end of the season I know that I have already Summer-ized my snowblower. I store my snowblower in a heated garage and I put blocks of wood under the unit. I live in Nova Scotia Canada, and winter are a little different, Nova Scotia snowstorms have lots of moisture so we either get snow, wet snow, or snowy ice, which can be a challenge for the auger belt. Get tips Garage Gear!

[davidnovakovich]

Here in Alaska we get our fair share of snow. I always throttle down and let the snowblower idle for a couple of minutes before shutting it off, brush the big spots of snow off, then park it outside behind my garage and place a deep-sided plastic sled upside down on top of the snowblower to keep most of the weather off. Stays outside year round. It’s pry 10-12 years old, no visible rust, and fires right up when needed. Only takes a couple of minutes to put it away.

[waynerowlinson]

I don't have a heated garage, and keep my snowblower in an unheated shed that has no electricity. I've never had an issue. I thoroughly clean it after every use, and actually use an old plastic gas can under the pan and have the back wheels off the ground to allow water to drain forward. As for the impeller freezing, I've had it happen a couple times in the past when I didn't prop up the blower, and have an old wooden axe handle that I use to check the impeller and give it a couple taps with the wooden handle to free it if ice does form. This step is on my startup routine, same as checking the oil and filling the fuel tank.

The most important thing I do? Maintenance. During the summer I thoroughly clean the blower, oil, grease and wax it. A couple of years ago I touched up the paint in a couple of places, then waxed it again. Any mechanical parts that need repair or replacing get done right away. One friction disk, a dip stick (top popped off), and a few shear bolts. Everything else is original. If I'm not mistaken, my blower is 34 years old, and will likely last another 34 years.

[JimConnell-dm]

Hi From Snowy Canada. Good tips, in particular cleaning out the snow blower to avoid broken belts when trying to start a frozen auger. (Don't ask me how I know) I don't like the idea of using a space heater, if only because my unheated garage would take forever to heat and melt the snow in the machine. So what I do is to use a very large toilet bowl cleaning brush to remove the snow from the auger and blades and once done I have a spray bottle filled with windshield whipper solution (good to -40) and I then spray all the areas I cannot reach. When next time I need to run the blower, the snow it gone.

[leefury]

A major US highway exists at the end of my drive. The state graces me with 3-5 lanes of wet, heavy, salt laden snow all winter long. Salt eats snowblowers. So I do all that you mention in this video plus spraying warm, clean water on the snowblower after it has had all the snow removed. I don't use an electric heater, I use a tin can alcohol radiant heater.