Who's ready for snow?

I'm always ready for snow

2/3 of our cars have snow tires.

It's December 20, and the snow tires are in the shed.

Sometimes, it's actually difficult to understand how the human brain works.

Any given year, they are going onto the cars ~ 2nd week in November.

Granted, the only use they would have seen was last Thursday.

So I would say I am not ready, both in my state of mind, and my actions.

p.s. we have a 2004 Craftsman 29" blower, it says 9 HP (back when mfgs lied about these numbers--notice there are no HP ratings claims today).

the electric start broke many years ago--a new starter costs 1/2 of what I paid for the machine new.

It had some years where it had to be choked to run, lately it runs fine.

I saw the very same blower for sale during the pandemic for less than what I paid in 2004--texted my wife's cousin and he ran out and grabbed it--what a deal, $399 for a $1000+ blower, not bad. Pandemic really created some crazy deals, which are reversed today. Sta bil is my friend lol

Here in northeastern PA, one must always be ready for snow this time of year. We have a foot on the ground right now.

Instead of shopping on black Friday, I usually spend the day putting the chains on the tractors, installing the plow, gassing up the snow thrower and breaking out the shovels.

Every year about this time, the wife and I talk about moving to a warmer climate but we're still here.

Maybe next year.

Ready? yes, snow thrower gassed up and ready to go. salt-like substance in a few buckets, shovels by the doors.

However, I'm probably the only guy with a Jeep Wrangler that doesn't like snow.

I take a different approach on fueling the blowers. I'll wait until a snow event, then add what I think is the proper amount of fuel (1/4, 1/2 tank etc). Otherwise I end up with excess that either needs to be siphoned out or burned.

They still have no clue on totals, but with the single digit temps (F), at least it will be the fluffy kind.

Yeah, the big blizzard is predicted here in east Central Iowa starting tomorrow afternoon. I put gas in and started my snow blower last night just to make sure it was ready to go.

I have a 24" 2-stage MTD Yard Machines snow blower that I bought at Sams Club in Oct. 1998, so it is going into its 24th season. The 10HP Tecumseh Engine still starts and runs like new. It has an electric start that I have never used ... always starts on the first or second pull. I change the oil every year and have replaced the spark plug a time or two. I do have a heated garage, so that helps for easy starting and keeping everything dry.

I have replaced the skid shoes multiple times, the scraper blade twice, and had to put a new shear pin in the auger once when the auger got tangled up in an electrical cord someone left under the snow in the driveway. A couple of years ago, the cable on the hand control lever that engages the auger broke and had to be replaced. Last year the plastic gas tank cracked and started leaking, so I put a new gas tank on it this summer. I am amazed that it is still easy to get parts for a snow blower this old.

I keep thinking that this old beast is going to give up on me one of these years and I probably should buy a new one. But just like the Energizer bunny, it seems to keep going and going ...

I had my old, small but very powerful Ariens 2 stage snow blower for over 30 years. Finally gave up the ghost last year when I ate a small concrete frog my wife had as a decoration that got dislodged onto the driveway. I was used to eating dog toys that got buried in the snow. I probably ate at least 20 of those. I remember getting a tennis ball stuck in the blades. It compressed really tight and would not budge. That was a tough one to get out.

Bought one of the newer big snow blowers. I wanted a small powerful one like the old Ariens, but alas, it appears they are not made anymore. To get a 2 stage, you almost have to buy one that looks like you are going to plow some ones parking lot. Wife thinks I was having mid life crisis when I bought it. But I honestly tried to find one of the smaller ones with big powerful engine that used to be made.

Went to the gas station today to fill both gas cans before the proposed big snow comes. I just got a Tesla and when I pulled up to the pump, all eyes seemed to be on me.

I gave up pulling the rope to start them several years ago. I know I could do it, but going on 80 and don't see the need as both the blowers had an electric start when you plug in a cord. Did not use it on the first one for almost 25 years. But when I tried it, I heard the bugles play and the clouds part. Wonderful!
I do religiously use StaBil gas additive and drain the tank at the end of the season. Those little jet carburetors just don't seem to tolerate the new gas that is available now.

something on the other forum....there is an all weather classification of tires, that gets the mountain snowflake symbol...meaning it's not a snow tire, it's not an all season tire.

Makes me wonder if that's what's appropriate for Phila? Snow tires are simply awful in rain, and obviously on dry pavement. The best for snow and ice. All seasons are terrible on RWD cars, defying logic almost. But when one thinks about it, only 47-50% of the vehicles' weights are on the drive wheels...

To avoid having to siphon unused fuel from my small gas engines, I use this engineered fuel product:

https://trufuel50.com/4-cycle-mix/

It has a long shelf life and contains no ethanol. I've left it in my snow blower over the summer and it starts right up with no issues.

It isn't cheap but I use so little that the added cost is worth the convenience of not having to get fresh gas every few months.

There is also a gas/oil mix version for 2 cycle engines.

A buddy say he gets ethanol free gas for his classic car that isn't driven much. That made me run out and buy Sta Bil ethanol, but after some research I did, seemed it was not necessary and keeping a full tank was recommended (I believe to prevent water/moisture). I've had a garage queen for now 16 years and that's the car I was concerned about.

The lawnmower I simply run the tank out by cutting the lawn and having a Sta Bil mix. But the snow blower contains too much fuel so I let it stay with Sta Bil, never had an issue in 18 years.

Many things we do, imho are out of habit. Like I said I don't reverse the direction of the tires, even though my tires are not directional on any car. Only asymmetrical ie side facing out. Turns out that was a 1970s concept that my grandpa followed, which made sense then. Not today.

I've always added stabil to any fuel I buy. Unless we get hammered with snow (chicago), I expect the 2 gals to last the season.

Supposedly the oil used for the the 2 cycle small blower has some kind of stabilizer in it.

https://www.amazon.com/EcoTech-Full-Synthetic-2-Cycle-16-Oun...

For some reason both pieces of equipment had difficulty starting today. I thought there was some fuel left over from a few weeks ago, apparently not.

I hate snow. That's why I moved to Tennessee 10 years ago from northern Illinois
Don't like cold weather either

I've been told by numerous mechanics, especially small engine mechanics to always use High Test Gas. This is the case for Snowblowers and lawn mowers.

It generally does not have ethanol, so that eliminates problems caused by ethanol. Even if the gas degrades, it will still be better than regular gas.

Since doing that both my snowblower and lawn mower both usually start on the first pull, even after sitting in the off season with gas in the tank.

My snowblower dates from around 1975 and is a Honda HS35 single stage. It has been a fantastic little machine over the years. Each year, and I await a pending storm, I fill the tank, open the fuel valve, wait a few minutes and it typically starts on the 1st or 2nd pull. Parts are still available although I typically source them off eBay.

I purchased a John Deere lawn tractor in 2018. In conversation with the service manager I was told to definitely not drain or run until all the gas was expended. The current practice with newer engines, and he said about the last 15 years, so now about 20, was to add Stabil to the gas and fill the tank to the brim. Apparently this is now the recommendation since the fuel system is sealed and not exposed to relatively moist air which creates the issue. At the time he told me the easy way to tell what to do is check the gas cap; if it has a vent hole drain or expend all gas by running. No vent hole, fill to the brim.

Is the tractor fuel injected? I can see that applying to FI applications, but most of the small engine stuff is still carb'd. Vented caps so air can get in there to displace consumed fuel.

When I used to park the bike for the winter, i'd add appropriate stabil amount, top off the tank. Ride home was less than a mile. Park it and forget about its existence for the next 6 months (nov - apr).

My colleague has a really messed up blower - an ariens snotek 24. For some reason his won't run right unless the tank is full. My guess is clogged fuel pickup inside the tank. I had to replace the valve on mine 2 years ago because it started leaking - pick up of course was clean.

And/or crappy fuel. He runs the 87 in it. All my small engine equipment gets premium (still contains alcohol).

At the end of each snow blower (big 2 stage) use session, I run it dry. Time intervals between use can be a few days or weeks or longer.

I spliced in a tee with a draincock into the fuel line of my old MTD snow blower so I can easily drain the tank after each season. It has a half gallon tank, so there can still be quite a bit of gas in it. So at the end of the season, I drain the tank, then start it and let it run the remaining fuel out of the fuel line.

That said, I still use Stabil in all of my gas cans. I like to keep at least 10 gal. on hand for the generator in case of a power outage which can happen summer or winter. I always rotate my stored gas cans using the oldest gas first. But still it can sit in the can for several months so I use Stabil.

Incidentally, the weather forecast turned out to be correct for us. We got about 8 inches of snow last night. Temps never got above 0 today with wind chills about -20. Now the wind is coming up for tonight and tomorrow bringing a NWS blizzard warning and wind chills of -40 or worse. I haven't even tried to clean the driveway and sidewalks. I don't want to risk frostbite, so I will wait until the winds die down on Saturday.

you're west of me, and tomorrow is predicted 8 degree high, 1 degree low tomorrow night, winds up to 60 mph with LOTS of snow.

I'm going into hibernation until next week. If the neighbors can't walk on my snow cover sidewaks. too bad.

If I snowblow, all the snow will blow back in my face.

No, no, no, no.

As a young kid I loved snow and couldn't wait until it snowed. As a aged adult I don't hate snow as I find it attractive as a pastoral winter scene but, besides that, I can do quite well if I never see snow again.

No thanks! Haha

But some are predicting rain, either way the shovel and a bottle of aleeve are ready.

The megastorm came... 6-14" amounts to ~2" actual on the ground.

Here in SE VA we've just had rain. But the highs Sat. & Sun. will be in the 20's (Fahrenheit) with no snow. That's a bit chilly for here.

So far in the DC area it was 45° overnight with just rain. This morning the temperature will plummet, bringing in an inch of snow. The overnight low is predicted to be 10°, highs in the twenties for the weekend. too cold for me!
Mark

through winter 2019, knowing single digits were coming would give me some anxiety.

The reason was the 1999 furnace had a weakening blower motor.

I could no longer use the "$8" filters that the previous owner recommended, and would have to use the green filters that were < $2 each. And if they were left in maybe 4 weeks, the furnace would cycle. Less than ideal. Airflow and weak motor.

Today, the 2020 94% furnace uses a 3" filter with an ECM motor. Not as worried about plummeting temps. But it would be unnerving to say be away from home, open up the Trane app, and either be unable to communicate, or see the temps are in the 40's (it doesn't go below 55F as a setting)....life

In the third day of it now with winds up to 50 mph and daily high temperatures below zero ... making wind chills of -45. Thankfully the power at my house has stayed on so far. I saw on the news that 1/2 of the US population is now experiencing severe winter weather conditions. Hope it lets up soon and that all Factory members are able to stay safe and warm!

Got up to -9F here over night. Hasn't been this cold in some time. I do recall a January 2 or 3 years ago when it got to -26F.

Wind gusts of up to 50mph making insane wind chills.

We have a new (as in 2 weeks old) furnace, 80K 96% HE single stage. It's been running for 20-30 minutes at a time with an off time of about 15min. Maintaining 67F. Could bump it up to 68 but then it'll run even more. No 3" filters here, just a simple 1" traditional (not pleated) filter.

According to beestat we've had as much runtime in the last 12 hours as we do in a whole day. This isn't supposed to let up until late saturday or early sunday.

I have a friend in the Louisville area with a heat pump. His system is struggled to keep 67F. Chicago here.

What i've found is keeping the fan running even after furnace shut off helps move the air around more improving off time by up to 10-15 min more.

In the Portland metro area, we're enjoying our seasonal couple days of ice pretending to be snow. It's a thin layer, but shuts things down pretty well.

Thankfully the story wasn't so much the snow accumulation but the bitter cold weather. I can deal with that more than snow.

It's 6F in the Phila area as I type.

Again, I feel uncomfortable below say 15F. Straight antifreeze freezes at 14F, I wonder what the temp is in the garage as I have a couple jugs.

I also wonder, what are the pipes interior to the outside walls? I have no data to go by, only know that in 20 years, nothing ever burst. And the front hose bib didn't even have a shut off as it does today (I put in a Shark Bite 2 years ago).

Makes me wonder, does it make any sense to shut off water, and open up faucets in the house, when one is away during the winter, or best not to touch anything?

DeLorian?

For taking the brunt of the storm. By the time it hit the northeast this morning, it warmed up to a balmy -3 with a wind chill of just -15
I'm even thinking of taking the e-bike for a spin!

Conditions have improved somewhat here in east central Iowa. Temperatures in single digits above 0 and wind chills single digits below zero. I was able to get out this morning with the snow blower and shovel to get the driveway and sidewalks cleared. I blew out the sidewalks for the neighbors on each side of me while I was at it. Still have some shoveling to do but had to come in for a while to warm up with some hot coffee.

Conditions improved here too. It got up to +12F, enough to go out and blow the driveway/side walk.

Both the 2 stage and little one fired right up. Amazing what having fuel in the tank does!

They're promising mid 40's by next week, so all of this will be melted. Then 2 1/2 months to go.

Not this snow, cold, blizzard, driving ban, high wind, trees falling. flue. RSV, Covid, flight delays, ... ... ... ....................