Three years ago I went shopping with a friend to buy a snow blower. Every winter I have asked him if he used the Snow Blower. there hasn't been enough snow to need the snow blower. A week ago we had maybe 6 to 8 inches of snow , so yesterday I went for a visit and asked if he used the snow blower because it finally snowed enough .He said no , it wouldn't start. I really thought it was funny.
Snow blowers and life is worth living
- Thread starter wpod
- Start date
Fuel had probably gone bad.
I start mine up on a sunny day before snow season just to make sure everything is ok. I do the same the day before any significant snowfall is forecast. It's less stressful to troubleshoot a problem before the snow flies. My Ariens Deluxe 24 used to give me problems for the first few with the factory F7RTC Torch plug. IIRC that plug was cleaned and gapped two or three times just to get the machine to start. A new NGK BPR6EIX installed two seasons ago solved that problem.
As far as gas is concerned, I've always drained the tanks and run them dry each spring. My first snow blower with 8 HP Tecumseh Snow King is well over 20 years old but continues to run well. I gifted that one to a neighbor who has given it three solid workouts this winter.
As far as gas is concerned, I've always drained the tanks and run them dry each spring. My first snow blower with 8 HP Tecumseh Snow King is well over 20 years old but continues to run well. I gifted that one to a neighbor who has given it three solid workouts this winter.
wpod - your friend needs to live and learn.
The best time to work on a snow-thrower is a beautiful Summer day.
I use the same Ariens my Father bought in 1977.
The best time to work on a snow-thrower is a beautiful Summer day.
I use the same Ariens my Father bought in 1977.
Same here, 23+ years with the same machine and it runs as good as new.
Ethanol free gas with a little dab of Sea Foam and my old 1994 MTD with 10 hp Tecumseh starts right up and runs like a champ. I turn the fuel switch off and let it run out of gas when I'm done running it.
Hoping the thing never dies, I remember when my dad bought it back when I was in 7th grade.
Hoping the thing never dies, I remember when my dad bought it back when I was in 7th grade.
Friends don't let friends store OPE with bad gas.
Proper end-of-season prep was not done.
Snowblowers with a hot summer have it worse than mowers with a cold winter. With respect to gas going bad.
Snowblowers with a hot summer have it worse than mowers with a cold winter. With respect to gas going bad.
I start all of my power equipment once a month, summer and winter. I use masking tape on each one with the date of the fuel from the gas cans, they are all marked as well. I only use non ethanol gas treated with Stabil Marine 360, double dosed.
I don't let the gas get older than 6 or 7 months. Then it goes into the cars. Never had a carb problem.
I don't let the gas get older than 6 or 7 months. Then it goes into the cars. Never had a carb problem.
There is much wisdom in that statement, even if it was a joke. I think it was season #2 on the Ariens when we had a significant snowfall and it wouldn't start. I needed to clear the driveway before everyone left in the morning and packed down the wet snow, so I turned to the shovel. The next sunny weekend day I removed, cleaned and gapped the POS Torch plug and she fired right up. I repeated that process once or twice thereafter before wising up and installing an NGK plug. It starts so easily now that I don't even think about using the electric starter.
I always add stabilizer to all OPE. I usually don't fill up the gas tank in the snowblower, since I want to run it dry at the end of the season. Im hoping that's in a few weeks before April rolls in.
Good wordplay for those who remember that public service campaign. I've been using Ethanol free TruFuel in the 2-cycle stuff for five years now and 89 octane E0 in the 4-cycle stuff for the past two years. I am fortunate to have a convenient and economical source of E0. That being said, I still run the seldom used equipment dry and treat the gas in the others with Stabil.
I stabilize my fuel before I fill the cans at the station, haven't had any issue with leaving fuel in the carbs. The 1990 Toro 521 and 1998 Honda HS621 both start just fine, even if I forget to run them once during the off season.
Bought them both used in 2016 and hardly used them until this year! I'd buy a snowblower every year if it means I'll never need to use it
Bought them both used in 2016 and hardly used them until this year! I'd buy a snowblower every year if it means I'll never need to use it
I start mine sometime in July or august and let it run for 5-10 minutes, then don’t touch it again till it snows. Always filled with E10 gas and it’s always started on the 1st pull.
I drain the fuel out of my snow blower every spring (doing mine today...) and store it. I pull it out in September / October put some E0 gas in it and fire it up. I warm it up and change the oil. I never have trouble starting it on the electric start. It starts usually within 2 or 3 seconds. My electric start is on the way out this winter (17 year old MTD) and so with the pull start it usually starts by the second pull.
Just my $0.02
Just my $0.02
