# Snowblower (thrower) used on gravel

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 9, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590 "2009-12-09T15:09:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590/1 "2009-12-09T15:09:40Z")

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Using a snowblower on a gravel driveway usually leads to having to replace a shear pin now and again as a rock gets jammed in the augurs. I was thinking would it be better to slightly reduce the throttle, my thoughts on it are:

- It would be less jarring to the engine as it would be turning slower and have less power in the power stroke to fight a rock. Also it may give the rock enough time to move out of the way.

But after thinking about it some more

- Less speed and less power the less the chance the shear pin will shear, which means the engine takes the total hit  
Any thoughts, experience on it?

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590/2 "2009-12-09T15:27:30Z")

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I don’t have one (though after this bloody storm I may wish I had one) but couldn’t you simply raise the blower high enough that you leave some snow on the drive?

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590/3 "2009-12-09T16:04:15Z")

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> [@Grey](#):
>
> I don’t have one (though after this bloody storm I may wish I had one) but couldn’t you simply raise the blower high enough that you leave some snow on the drive?

It’s already at the max hight.

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**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590/4 "2009-12-09T16:05:40Z")

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Get smaller rocks? 😃

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowblower-thrower-used-on-gravel/520590/5 "2009-12-09T17:03:58Z")

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The pins will shear at a reduced speed too. You also won’t throw the snow as far. The city just repaired water main in our drive by the highway from which they cut out asphalt. I’m shooting a layer of gravel today. The plows left a layer of gravel about 2 inches thick on top of the snow. of our driveway. I only broke one shear bolt slinging the layer. For problems with your driveway gravel on the ground you should adjust the height spacer or what ever the name is on the sides of the auger. Other than that buy pins by the gross.