Just moved to an area that gets 250-300 inches (or more) of snow pretty much every year.
Just got a nice Husqvarna 9HP 27" snowblower to keep the long driveway cleared, and to give me something to play with on cold days. I wish they’d put a twist-grip throttle on this thing.
Does anyone have any suggestions about using these things? I get the operational side of it (steering, staying out of the churning blades area, etc.). I’m looking more for suggestions relating to “snow blowing strategies”, like, “do these areas first, and then do these later”, or “if you want the snow to pile up on the right, start on the left side of the driveway first and keep blowing the snow right”. Some things will be obvious to me the first time or two I go out, and some things I may take a long time to figure out. Them are the things I’m looking for from experienced snowblowers out there.
Read your owner’s manual and do as it says, particularly regarding preparation of the unit for storage during the off-season.
Make sure the area to be cleared is free of newspapers, extension cords, dog chains etc.
Trying to blow snow into the teeth of a strong wind is something to be avoided.
If snow is so hard-packed that your unit can’t deal with it, try taking smaller bites of it. Sometimes, wiggling the unit from side to side will help it to chew thru hard snow. Alternatively, you can tip the unit back in order for it to take a smaller bite.
Bundle up good. No exposed flesh. If you have a gravel drive, don’t cut lower than the largest piece of gravel. 1 inch or so. Don’t blow into the wind, it’s better to make more passes.
I’ll second what Mr. Duality said. Also, if it doesn’t matter which side of the driveway the snow ends up on, start plowing down the middle and work your way to the outside. This eliminates having to change chute direction on each pass.
Spend the extra few bucks and get chains. These will help in icy conditions and with large amounts of snow.
Finally, the most important tip is to teach your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend how to use the snowblower.
I was told by the dealer to not worry about chains - he said they maybe sell 2 pairs a year. I guess we’ll see. My driveway is flat and concrete.
Owner’s manual read and digested.
As for pointing the snow chute, I’ve got no choice but to blow the snow ALL over onto one side of the driveway - the house and a walkway is on the other side and I don’t want it piling up there. So at the end of every pass down the driveway (80 ft.?), I expect to do a U-turn (power-assisted with this model), swing the chute 180 degrees to the other side (lever on control panel), and come back up the driveway. The snow’s gotta be moved to one side. I figure I’ll start on the far side and work my way over to the side that the snow is being piled up on, and since the driveway is single-lane, I should be able to blow the snow completely over with each pass.
As for the wife, fuggedaboutit. I’m expected to do the snowblowing. However, she has taken responsiblity for shoveling some outside stairs and the areas near the doors. Sounds good to me.
If you’ve got sidewalks, try to get them blown clear before anyone walks on them. Walking will compact the snow, and you’ll have a layer of ice at the bottom that will be impossible for a snowblower to remove.
Try to blow snow as soon after it falls as possible. Again, the lowest layer will ice over and be impossible to blow clear if the snow sits too long.
Good choice of brand (I can’t explain why, but I like where they come from ). When you are going to be using it a lot the quality really shows through. The cheaper brands are OK for many uses, but they won’t stand up as well to major loads and the parts won’t last as long. Many replacement parts end up costing about the same whether you are talking about Husqvarna, Honda, and Simplicity or MTD, Sears, and Murray.
New snowblowers have “Sno-Hog” ™ tires and dealers usually recommend going through a couple good snowfalls to see how they work before you install chains. Actually, chains on some of these snow tires will reduce traction because they have such large “knobbies” that most of the chain will end up stuck in the crevices (whatever the technical name is for the space between the tread) and there will be less surface contact since so little of the chain will be sticking out.
One rule of thumb in snowblowing… The wind will always be blowing in the opposite direction of where you want to throw the snow.
As a snowman, I’d also like to hear from experienced snowblowers. 