Snowblowers

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mkopec

<Gold Donor>
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I got an old ass Toro 690
rrr_img_77280.jpg
from my pops as a hand me down when he got a new one, and it does the job here in Mich (Detroit suburb). Unlike last year, we usually dont get too much snow. But its hard to tell from year to year. Last time before last year I can only remember one winter where we got dumped on like a foot in 12 hours. Other than that we usually get like inch here, 3 inches there, maybe a sixer... etc...

If it does snow hard, like last winter, a small Toro does the job fine, you just have to stay on top of that shit. If they are forecasting a severe dumping, I will usually go out and do one clearing when its like 1/2 done and then another when its finally done duping. But again, those are so rare that I deal with it.

Id definitely like a bigger one like one of the above you guys linked, but I just cannot justify that amount when 99% of the snowfalls in the past 10 yrs that I can remember are cleared with my toro paddle one just fine. Not to mention you have to store that big monstrosity somewhere as well. My little toro 690 I hang on the wall on a hook next to the kids bikes in my garage. Of course if you have the room or a shed or some shit, this is a non issue. But i dont have a shed yet and I ahve to store all my shit in the 2 car garage, which includes lawnmower, edger, blower, snow blower, table saw, planer, jonter, bandsaw etc....

I remeber when my buddy bought one like the above after the last big snow storm we got back in the early 2000s. And we dint get shit for snow for the next 14 or so yrs until last winter.
 

Xarpolis

Life's a Dream
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I personally don't like the finish I get with a snow blower. It always leaves a little bit of debris on the ground, and after the wheels go through, it pushes it down so you can't shovel it up afterwards. I like to shovel because I take it down to the pavement. My property looks like it didn't snow (on the driveway and sidewalks at least) even after a terrible storm. I'm anal retentive about how I do the shoveling. It HAS to be perfect. I may need to move on to a snow blower at some point in the future due to my rheumatoid arthritis, but not at the house I currently own. There just isn't enough room to put a snow blower year round.
 

Xarpolis

Life's a Dream
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Exactly. Higher octane will run purer, leaving your engine cleaner in the long haul. Lower octane has the chance of leaving carbon inside the engine. For the duration of time you will own a snow blower, it pays to invest a few more dollars in the gasoline you use on it. Also, buy some SeaFoam. It's a fuel additive that will stabilize the gas so that it won't go bad nearly as quick. If it only snows once all season, you're quite alright leaving just 1 tank of gas in the blower for x many months until you finally run it dry at the end of the season.
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
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Alternately, you could probably run that thing through a cow pasture and quickly make ground beef in bulk
 

Joeboo

Molten Core Raider
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That thing needs to be a driveable vehicle in the next zombie apocalypse survival video game
 

Palum

what Suineg set it to
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Exactly. Higher octane will run purer, leaving your engine cleaner in the long haul. Lower octane has the chance of leaving carbon inside the engine. For the duration of time you will own a snow blower, it pays to invest a few more dollars in the gasoline you use on it. Also, buy some SeaFoam. It's a fuel additive that will stabilize the gas so that it won't go bad nearly as quick. If it only snows once all season, you're quite alright leaving just 1 tank of gas in the blower for x many months until you finally run it dry at the end of the season.
I don't think it's that simple. These engines don't have ECUs and have a fairly small compression ratio. Higher octane fuel ignites at higher pressure/temp, so you may have a harder time starting it and the burn temp difference may lead to more engine wear over time. It's probably no big deal going 87->89 or whatever, but running 93+ may have adverse affects just like running shit gas will.
 

Lejina

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
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People often have this idea that high octane fuel burns better than low octane. It's actually the opposite. You use high octane in high compression engines in order to avoid early ignition of the air-gas mixture, otherwise you get pinging.

With that said, premium gas usually has more additives added to it than regular. Some of those additives being detergents which keep your cylinders clean from excessive carbon generated from using the wrong gasoline...

Ideally for a snowblower you want to use regular low octane gas and you add some additives to it if you don't use it all that much so the gas doesn't turn to shit in between uses. Otherwise plain ol regular on it's own will do just fine.
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
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So just over a month ago I bought a nice Cub Cadet snowblower.

It hasn't snowed since I bought the thing.

I guess I'm okay with this.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
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Yeah, I've had ours out only once this whole winter, and didn't really need to. That's fine, no snow means I keep riding the motorcycle!
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
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So do you have to like ... summer - ize these things for the no snow months?
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
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Yeah, I summerized mine yesterday. Don't dump a big snow fall again, weather. It will make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry.