Snowblower, single stage

Re: Snowblower, single stage

Kemper Watson said:
The biggest part of our problem was that it was SUPPOSED to go below Atlanta. Macon and the middle of the state was to get the 3 1/2 inches we got. I woke up to warnings of a "light dusting" at 3 PM. When it started snowing heavily at 11:15, everyone hit the highways and overwhelmed it. The school system is usually the first to call snow days. Even they were misinformed as none of them closed. I was lucky in that in getting my brakes done early that AM, it took way longer than expected. When it started snowing, I was 2 miles from my house. I hit Target for food and was home in 25 minutes

Edit: There is still a National Weather Service Radar map showing it going below McDonough GA somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.
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Down here in warner robins, we got an inch and a half. They closed schools, the airforce base and almost everything else, being from up north (as they call it here), it didn't bother me but i saw a number of cars in ditches and at the worst points the ice was as bad as any snow in farm town illinois.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Especially when dealing with ice (and snow) experience and preparation make all the difference. Heathrow was shut down last year due to the snow. No snow plows. Still, there's little to do about falling ice. Had a bit of a laugh at Maine a couple years ago when they got hit by an ice storm like we usually get, and were basically, unprepared.

Atlanta was held up (unfairly) to ridicule. Drivers, workers, folks in responsible positions were not prepared for what should have been a minor or non-event,

DC was gridlock after 9-11 because everyone was let out at the same time, overloading the roads. A plan for staggered departure (like during snow) and plans to make streets one way and lights forced to green to make a rapid exit have been developed since.

Our joke about our area is the bread, milk, toilet paper rush, and that everyone needs to get out and stake their parking place on the Beltway when the news first vocalizes the "s" word. Our prep is better, and we love to laugh at our driving idjits. The "snow" in transition climates is very different from places with real winter.

Of course, I'm sitting here watching our local news still making a spectacle of Atlanta's woes.

Give 'em a break.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

I learned a very long tine ago, do not get on a highway in bad weather!
The highway always gets jammed up. Even though back roads are slower and may be much longer, you have choices and likely get to your destination sooner.

Anyone remember RT128 in the blizzard of 78?


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Re: Snowblower, single stage

A good reason to not watch the local news that goes out of their way to make the local yokels feel good by making non-locals look bad. (I suspect a lot of this goes on in European news reportage about the US, not that they have to dig hard to find dumb asses here).

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Another tidbit about ice, salt, and latent heat... I recall making hand cranked ice cream as a kid, when we would put rock salt on the crushed ice so the ice water would be a colder temperature than 32'F to make ice cream solidify faster...

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I recall about 17" of snow while I was living on Beacon street (near kenmore Sq) but never tested Rt 128 during a major storm. One time back in the early '70s when I was younger and even more ignorant, I recall driving from Westport Ct to Boston with a co-worker for the weekend, during a blizzard (so we did experience the MA pike in full blizzard conditions). That was an adventure with too many anecdotes to recount them all. One involved having to stop and replace a cracked distributor cap that caused misfires due to the extra moisture. That was before we even got above New Haven, CT. :-)

JR
 
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Re: Snowblower, single stage

Rob Spence said:
I learned a very long tine ago, do not get on a highway in bad weather!
The highway always gets jammed up. Even though back roads are slower and may be much longer, you have choices and likely get to your destination sooner.
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This. Plus, many of the local towns do a MUCH better job with snow removal than the state highway departments (note: that's not a knock on the state highway departments, as the local roads are often easier to plow and plenty of contractors are also in the snow removal business), meaning that major secondary roads are often in good condition when the primary roads are not.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

John Roberts said:
I recall about 17' of snow while I was living on Beacon street (near kenmore Sq) but never tested Rt 128 during a major storm. One time back in the early '70s when I was younger and even more ignorant, I recall driving from Westport Ct to Boston with a co-worker for the weekend, during a blizzard (so we did experience the MA pike in full blizzard conditions). That was an adventure with too many anecdotes to recount them all. One involved having to stop and replace a cracked distributor cap that caused misfires due to the extra moisture. That was before we even got above New Haven, CT. :-)
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That's pretty strange, JR, I lived at Beacon and Mass Ave for a year in 2011! Now out towards J.P., closer to Longwood where Selena works. I love driving in the snow but I'm well equipped for it after a lifetime of crossing mountains in the winter in VT & NH.

P.S. 17 feet of snow?
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Bennett Prescott said:
That's pretty strange, JR, I lived at Beacon and Mass Ave for a year in 2011! Now out towards J.P., closer to Longwood where Selena works. I love driving in the snow but I'm well equipped for it after a lifetime of crossing mountains in the winter in VT & NH.

P.S. 17 feet of snow?
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Typo... fixed it...17" I recall it was enough to shut down the city for a breather.

In the late 60's i lived all around back bay and even in Cambridge for a spell. The closest I lived to Mass Ave was on Marlborough Street, on the last block below Mass Ave... I lived on Comm ave and Beacon street up toward the park, and the snow event was while living out Beacon street in the 900s past Kenmore square. This was 40 odd (very odd) years ago...

I remember being able to walk to work (across the Harvard bridge) to my day job at MIT Instrumentation Lab, even if the Mass Ave buses were not running, during snow storms that kept most workers home.

JR
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

So back to the snowblower....... :-)

I took my own "buy once, cry once" rule and bought the Toro 621 QZE. Hit the pocketbook pretty hard (over $750) but I didn't want to get something different and always wonder if I made the right choice. Used it yesterday and it was very nice, especially the quick shoot control. The neighbor appreciated me having a new toy as well :-)
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

cevinreed said:
So back to the snowblower....... :-)

I took my own "buy once, cry once" rule and bought the Toro 621 QZE. Hit the pocketbook pretty hard (over $750) but I didn't want to get something different and always wonder if I made the right choice. Used it yesterday and it was very nice, especially the quick shoot control. The neighbor appreciated me having a new toy as well :-)
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Make sure you get the fuel WITHOUT ETHANOL. All the small-engines I use recommend straight gasoline. My neighbor across the street didn't believe that and used the cheapest stuff at the corner station. He's used his blower for 2 years and now it really sounds horrible, barely able to throw anything but a couple inches of light powder.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Dick Rees said:
Make sure you get the fuel WITHOUT ETHANOL. All the small-engines I use recommend straight gasoline. My neighbor across the street didn't believe that and used the cheapest stuff at the corner station. He's used his blower for 2 years and now it really sounds horrible, barely able to throw anything but a couple inches of light powder.
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I'd have to drive a couple hundred miles to pull that off. And that drive would probably be into a snowstorm. :?~:-?~:???:
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Almost every station here has "real" gasoline which is to be dispensed/used in licensed "classic" cars or small engines.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Toro fuel recommendations:

Toro | Ethanol Fuel Facts Landing Page

I had glossed over the part about E10 being (nominally) acceptable. The fact that they recommend adding an H2O absorber to any ethanol blend kicked it over in my mind to "use real gas". Anyhoo...

Proper fuel is essential for optimum performance and engine longevity. And fun in the snow...
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Personally I use thermal snow removal but most "water absorbers" are just co-solvents with ethanol being a common one.

Although my late 80's ranger had a sensor that had problems with dry gas, neither of my f250's have had problems with blended, as long as there was a lot of it. I also ran blended for a long time in my evinrude 150 two stroke and my Honda 40 four stroke.

I think a big part of it is not letting the engine sit with fuel in it.

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Re: Snowblower, single stage

Jay Barracato said:
Personally I use thermal snow removal but most "water absorbers" are just co-solvents with ethanol being a common one.

Although my late 80's ranger had a sensor that had problems with dry gas, neither of my f250's have had problems with blended, as long as there was a lot of it. I also ran blended for a long time in my evinrude 150 two stroke and my Honda 40 four stroke.

I think a big part of it is not letting the engine sit with fuel in it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD
Click to expand...

StaBil is your friend.
 
Re: Snowblower, single stage

Dick Rees said:
Toro fuel recommendations:

Toro | Ethanol Fuel Facts Landing Page

I had glossed over the part about E10 being (nominally) acceptable. The fact that they recommend adding an H2O absorber to any ethanol blend kicked it over in my mind to "use real gas". Anyhoo...

Proper fuel is essential for optimum performance and engine longevity. And fun in the snow...
Click to expand...

No problem here (though all gasoline here is E10), my snowblower uses diesel.


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