Finally got some tries at horsing the new snow thrower around with the few NH storms which have hit. The largest storm dumped about 10 inches of wet snow on us. I couldn't wait to tackle the EOD to finally challenge the Simplicity P1628E. I was extremely impressed. It was cutting through the 2 1/2 feet of hardened, caked-up EOD snow when the auger started to clang, clang, clang... Mind you, it still was throwing snow, but now making noise. I stopped the auger and the sound stopped, so I brought it up the driveway into the garage where I could have a look. When I got some light on the subject, there was the cause of the metal clanging sound. A three foot long piece of 1/2 inch rebar was wrapped (about 4 times) around the auger. I tiried to take the end and un-bend it, and I couldn't even budge it. So, out came the cordless reciprocating saw and in 3 cuts, it was free. Now to inspect the damage. Other than a few paint scrapes, there were no dents or damage. I started it back up and no ill-effects, and finished the EOD task...
My guess is either the snow-plow lost this piece, or a jealous neighbor has a twisted idea of a practical joke. Either way, it told me a little bit about the machine's ruggedness. What really surprises me is that it didn't snap a shear pin. Tells me the snow doesn't have a chance!
