Thank you for that tip. I wouldn't have thought of that. My 10 year old Ariens has the original plug, but that Tecumseh may not have been made in China. Don't know anything about Tecumseh except that it worked and was loud.
Tell me about 1-stage snow blowers
- Thread starter wbwanzer
- Start date
Yeah single stage blowers are great, but unless you wear spiked snow boots, you'll find yourself slipping around trying to push a single stage through heavier stuff. Remember that not unlike when we shovel, lots of blood moves towards your arms, legs and shoulder muscles to compensate for the strain you're putting on them pushing a blower around (and other hack medical stuff like that). Depending on your heart health though, that might solve your being concerned with which blower to buy. The caretakers at your local cemetery will take care of all your snow removal needs at your new, permanent residence. As we age, that is a major consideration. There is definitely something nice about a blower pulling you around (not with paddles). My next snow blower will be whatever I find on a curb that I like better than what I'm using now. Oh, and the Splitfire and E3 plugs are absolutely guaranteed…guaranteed to cost more than the standard Champion or NGK plug that do just as good a job. UNLESS, you're racing your snow blower at the 24 hours of Le Mans! Single stage blower throwing snow too far? Just tip the deflector shoot down a little. Adjust as needed.
We had snow here in PA this weekend. How did the new Ariens perform for you?
I've never had to push my Toro 721R forward. Just lifting up slightly on the handle allows the rubber auger to contact the ground and pull it forward. This might not be the case with other brands though.
Thanks for asking. It did great. It's exactly what I hoped it would be. I'll be 70 in a few months. I ran this new blower and didn't feel exhausted when I was done. It weighs 70 lbs. less than the old machine. I don't put the wheels into reverse every time I need to back up a little. I could, but it's so much quicker just to pull the machine back a little. That's the part that would really wear me out.
It starts on the first pull which is good. The only thing I don't like is the little strainer type basket that is in the opening of the gas tank. It's more difficult to see when I'm reaching the full point when pouring gas.
On a side note, the young fellow that bought my old machine loves it, but did contact me about it the other day. The blower always ran fine for me and ran fine when I was demonstrating it for him. He got it home and it ran fine when he was showing it to his father. Then when he tried to blow snow with the other day it would only run for a minute then sputter out. He was wondering if he was doing something wrong. I didn't think so. It dawned on me the next day that he probably added some of his own gas to the tank and that was probably the problem. I contacted him to tell him what I thought and he agreed that he had added fuel. His father had told him it was probably the gas, but like most of us, he didn't want to hear it from a parent. When I told him it was most likely the fuel he then agreed. He was never upset with me about the machine. He told me repeatedly that he would buy the blower again. He's very pleased with his 'new' blower.
Glad to hear that it has worked out for you. I used both my old 1-stage and newer 2 stage Ariens Deluxe for this last storm. The 1-stage worked very well when loaded with dry snow. It worked fairly well when loaded with slightly wet snow. Give it a any kind of load of wet snow and you can just forget about it.
The Ariens powers through anything, and you can hear the engine slow down and really reach for its full torque when needed.
The forecast calls for another five inches here on Sunday. Maybe the machines and I will get another workout together.
My favorite part about mine is how well it does in the heavy heart attack slushy snow. Throws it easily and never clogs. My 2 stage blower has been modified with an impeller kit which helps, but I still prefer my 721R in the slush. I also like that it cleans right down to the pavement, after a few hours of sun my driveway is completely dry.
Best thing I ever did to my Yardman 2 stage! Mine actually throws water now... I am very happy with my YouTube hack and the performance of the machine in the heaviest slush. We have had a lot of wet heavy snow in eastern Iowa this year and this hack I did last spring has been a life saver.
Just my $0.02
