Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

We got a pretty good hammering over the last 36 hours.  Looks like about fifteen to eighteen inches of fine windblow, fairly heavy snow in the driveway.  This is a picture of the steps to the house that I took this morning:

We are expecting about 12" of snow overnight here in the Chicago area. I have used my new Simplicity 924 twice so far this season on 3"- 4" snowfalls and it went through the snow like a hot knife through butter. Tonight's snow will be a real test. I did observe that the 9 hp Briggs & Stratton sputtered a bit when I plowed the wet, heavy, salt-laden snow at the end of my driveway (courtesy of the city snowplows) so I need to go more slowly and carefully in that area of the driveway.

A few observations for you snowblower veterans on this site...the owner's manual says to change the engine oil after 5 hours of use. I assume this is the same principle as changing the oil in a new car...as the new engine breaks in, tiny metal shavings could collect at the bottom of the oil pan? I have Texaco Havoline 5W-30 oil. Do you recommend synthetic oil?

In an earlier post some folks suggested that the B & S motors are more quiet than the Tecumseh. I agree...the B & S in my 924 runs smoothly and is quieter than my 5 hp Tecumseh lawn mower.  

I completely agree with Borat about the Simplicity product. Even though my 924 is an "intermediate" model with a 24" scoop, it is built like a tank. All heavy-gauge steel. The only thing I question is if I should have bought a 28" or 30" model...it would clear the driveway with less passes. But the 24" is more manueverable and takes up less room in the garage. So it's apples and oranges, I guess.

I am still thinking about attaching a headlight to the snowblower. I thought about using one "fog light", typically installed as an aftermarket product sold at auto stores. The 924 has the alternator output wire so it should hook right up. The question is, how do I turn the light on and off? Connect a toggle switch?

Do you guys wax the metal portions of your snowblowers to protect the finish? My neighbor said that waxing the inside of the chute helps prevent clogging. Sounds good to me. By the way, I offered to drag race his single stage Toro...he declined.

When digging into heavy, packed, we t snow, the load on the engine will increase.  The tempo of the engine will change from a steady hum while under light/intermediate loads then start to bark as it takes on a heavier load.  It shouldn't sputter.    Sputtering to me is when the engine misfires and begins to stall.  So, was your engine  actually sputtering or just responding to the heavier load?  If it's sputtering, take it back to the dealer.  It will not cure itself. 

Oil change after the first five hours is as you've said, to clean out any machine filings etc.  I recommend any synthetic oil of the correct viscosity.   Don't forget to lube axles, chains & shafts as per previous discussion and manual recommendations as well.   

A good way to keep snow from sticking to the inside of the chute is to spray it with cooking oil such as PAM.  You'd pretty much have to do it every time you use it.  I lined my chute with a piece of Krazy Karpet.  It's a chore to put in but it's very slick and durable.   I haven't polished my machine.  I just blow the snow off of it before I put it away.  A trick that I've learned is to do the end of driveway snow first.  Get all of the salt & gravel work out of the way then do the rest of the work.  That way, you run clean snow through the machine and take most of the salt off the machine as you do it.   

You shouldn't need a switch for the head light unless power supply is so limited that the engine won't start if the draw from the light takes too much away from the ignition system.  If it does require a switch, make sure you get an outdoor switch similar to one used on motorcycles or ATVs. 

"Sputtering" was a poor choice of words, Borat. As you mentioned, it was the engine responding to the increased load. It was also suggested to me by the deliveryman that I clear the end of the driveway first for the exact same reason you stated.

How often do you recommend I lube the axles? Once per season or more frequently? I have to buy a grease gun...I assume an auto parts store would have them.

I grease the axle once before each season. 

If you're buying a grease gun, just get one of the small hand held units.  They take the small tubes of lube that will probably last you for years.  Get either snowmobile or marine grease.   Buy a flexible extension for it while you're there.  You'll be thankful.  If you can get a 12" long extension all the better.   For the drive chains on the interior of the machine, get yourself some spray lithium grease.  Cover your drive and friction disks before doing any spraying inside the enclosure.  You DO NOT want to get grease on those parts. 

Good idea about the Pam! Thanks, I've used spray silicone but didn't notice a whole lot of difference. I meant to put an impeller kit on this summer and never got a round tuit. No way I want to be out in the garage doing it in 10 degrees weather in the winter.

Got 3" yesterday, expecting 4 tomorrow and maybe 12 on Sunday ... and only 3 more days until winter starts :)

Borat, your driveway sounds exactly like mine ... does the wind always blow in the wrong direction on yours, too?  ;)

I have wondered what pledge would be like, I have put that on hardwood floor before and man it was lethal, dangerous really. The floor was as slippery as a krazy karpet.  Probably no where near as effective on painted metal tho, but probably try sometime.

How about a good hard auto wax? That's made for painted metal and carnuba (sp?) might last a lot longer. But I don't think any wax would be as slippery as Pam.