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

Track snowblowers are a bear to push when the engine is off.  The honda I just bought is very difficult to push in just a straight line (After DIS-engaging the Transmission -Or You can Do Severe Damage).  I simply tipped it up in front, slipped a 'Creeper' (those things you lay down on with wheels under them so you can slide under the car to work on it) under it, tilted it forward so the tracks rest on the frame of the creeper, and now I can easily roll the machine any where I want with very little effort. I've even decided to fasten a piece of 2 ft X 4 Ft Plywood (1/2" or heavier) so it doesn't have to be aimed so precisely when doing this.   It has the advantage of being able to move the entire snowblower in any direction, even sideways when desired.  The Creeper I used was a Free bonus when I bought a floor jack from Summit Racing some years back, and I rarely ever used it.

I use a furniture dolly with two pieces of 3 feet of 2x4's screw on top of it for the tracks to ride on and to support the bucket.  Tip the dolly down and the 2x4 becomes ramps.  Put the ramp behind the tracks and pull it reverse and you can get it on the dolly without using the engine to climb the ramp.

What's with the Girlyman stuff, dollies and babby carriers?   Are you guys dancing with the snowblowers out in the garage?  Are you moving them out of the way everytime you pull the car in and out???  What's with the specialized transport.  Why don't you just start it and drive it to where ever?   The Honda is the easiest starting engine in the industry.

trouts2 wrote:
Those of us with tracks just thought it makes sense to have a dolly.  Ask other people who have Honda tracks.  It just works.  Whether engine is easy to start has nothing to do with it. 

I put my snowblower on dollies and move around to clean the garage.  On the off-season, I don't want to start it  and then have to summerize it again.  It stinks up the garage with unburned hydrocarbons when the engine is cold. 

trouts2 wrote:

I guess we girlymen are just Smarter is all.  Snowblowers spend the bulk of their lives in storage. For you Manly heman manly Types who obviously Don't Know, let me explain it slowly for you.  Storage means draining all the gas, putting oil through the spark plug hole into the combustion chamber so the cylinder and piston rings don't rust (Snowblowers have no Air Cleaner and therefore injest water when doing what they are designed to do).  One then should pull the starter cord until it reaches its point of maximum resistance, this means all the valves are in the closed position so no dirt and moisture can enter the cylinder.  The machine is then covered because we girlymen would have already cleaned, wax'd. and lubricated/greased it and we'd want to keep it clean. 

This might be a tad much for you he-man manly types, but filling the snowblower with gas, and starting it to move it around during the off season does the machine harm by negating all the storage work that you should have done to properly care for the machine.  Placing the snowblower which is very hard to push,( and in the case of Honda Snowblowers one can severely damage the Hydrostatic Transmission if it is has not been disengaed first), on a dolly to make it easy to move is wise, and protective of a considerable investment, a Honda Snowblower like mine.  

Incidentally, this is one girlyman who has a Combat Infantry Badge and a number of decorations having served in the 1-505, 3rd brigade 82nd Airborne Division during the war in Vietnam.  Arnold Schwartznegger who first coined the phrase never had a shot fired at him in anger, he was just pretending to do what this girlyman did.  So what manly he-man accomplishments have you made to qualify for calling anyone else a girlyman ?

   OK! OK!  From the comments of both of you I made a big evaluation mistake and way off with the Girlyman comment.  I take it back.  No attack or manliness offence was meant in the slightest.

 

   From the posts it’s looking like a cleanliness thing instead.  Some people have it and some don’t. Who’s to say what’s normal and what’s not anyway?  Some people just have higher standards about particles and dust.

 

I had heard about this type of thing before and saw it in one of my profs at school.  He would come into the room slowly and carefully and pull out his handkerchief to wipe off his seat and desk.  He’d wipe the draw handles and in between the slats of the chair back.  When satisfied there was not more contaminant around he would walk out of the room to shake out the handkerchief  then put his briefcase on the desk and sit down.  I’m sure if he could have controlled the environment he would have brought a sheet to cover the desk and chair for the next day but it was a common room that others used. 

 

You guys have garages so you can control your area and have made dollies to ease cleaning and dusting.  That’s perfectly reasonable for those that have a deep rooted psychological urge to keep things in proper order, everything in it’s place. 

A psychologists friend of mine says it’s very common for people with this penchant to favor Hondas, red Hondas.  More studies are needed he says but something about the slickness of the Honda and the color trigger people of this type to bring home Honda’s. 

 

He says many of his patients of this type with Hondas cordon off areas in their garages and paint the floor and walls around it white to make the grime show up better so it can be rooted out quickly before dust can damage the machine. 

Some of his clients complain of back injuries with having to move the machine around so often but some he says are very clever and have made devices of all sorts to facilitate easy movement of the machine for constant cleaning. 

A few clients he says have even lost their jobs due do showing up late for work because of the time involved in cleaning.  It works out though as most of those he said get on welfare and can hang out in the garage cleaning.  He says they are much happier and have better life attitudes. He said the clever ones who have the paint and machine movement facilitators hardly ever suffer a job loss as they are much more efficient at cleaning and can still hold down a job. 

There were a few he noted that went overboard and the issue was becoming problematic.  They had installed industrial dust and dirt collectors near their machines and large fans to blow grime away over to the collectors.  Some were becoming broke using up life savings and pulling money out of their retirement savings for purchasing of endless stream of devices like vacuum cleaners, cleaning and waxing agents.  One guy had a spare bedroom in the house filled to the ceiling with cleaners.   

 Compared to the many who suffer from this issue you guys with dollies seem to be on the cutting edge, way ahead of the pack and getting the job done efficiently without great disruption to your lives. Congratulations.

That's freaking hillarious Trouts.  And it all started with a simple dolly and a red snowblower.

Funny thing is that I had thought of doing all those things to my garage, but like most people, I have a job and family commitments that puts my dream of an FDA approved clean garage / workshop in the back burner.   You know, the kind of workshop that even Norm Abram would envy.    Some day when the kids are all grown up and self sustaining, I might have to revisit those plans again.  Until then, time is so precious for that dream.

You forgot to mention something about the automated high pressure car wash and the hydraulic lift for snowblowers, tractors, and lawnmowers for storage, with an air handling system for temperature controlled storage.  A separate garage door for entry and exit.  And lastly, an air curtain to blow off contaminants before the car enters the garage.

Yo Trouts:

Isn't there a name for that particular disorder? 

Let me think......let.... me....think.....

Yeah!  OCD .  That's it.  

I know people like that.  Cleaning, waxing & polishing but don't know where the oil drain plug is.   They have hundreds tied up in cleaners, waxes, disinfectants and magic Sham-Wows but don't own a wrench or a screw driver!

borat wrote:

Ever since I discovered the that drain plug, by accident from tooling around with my $150 Snap-On 3/8" ratchet, I've been doing engine flush on a regular basis every 3.0 months.  It's good to keep those acids and moisture at bay from the mildly hydroscopic synthetic lubricant.  You should see my closed loop fluid exchange system, mildly modified from an old dialysis machine, precise to .5 ml per hour.  

I even dynamically balance on the Hunter and rotate my lawn mower tires too.  The wheelbarrow wheel gets nitrogen filled air, but not balanced.  

I got wrenches and screw drivers, metric and standard, various lengths in 5mm increments, with bar codes and computer catalogged, arranged neatly in pull out drawers.

Now where the heck is that snow?  There's people with new snow removal equipment dying to try it out.  Until then, we're just going to sit here and b*tch about dollies and red snowblowers.

aa335 wrote:
I know it might sound a little crazy, but I used to change the air in my tires on my old HS624WA from summer air to winter air in the late fall. It cost more than regular air but I think it made a big difference. Got tracks this year so I don't need to spend the extra $$$ on winter air any longer, although the guy that sold me the winter air said he has some special traction spray for the tracks. I'll let you guys know how it works after the first snow. Got to go and plant those magic beans I got from him last week...See ya!

If you're paying more than $50 per gallon for that traction stuff, you're paying too much.  I got my own Super-Tacky house blend (secret sauce) that costs 30% less with coefficient of friction of .95  It's safe to eat and very sweet.

I even got a blend of 1.25 in the works, just a bit more expensive.  Still working out the kinks.  It works too well, even ice and snow sticks to it.  Think of a wet tongue on a frozen flag pole.

I use helium in the tires during the off season.  Keeps the machine nice and light for shuffling around the garage.  In the winter, I switch to the much heavier "winter air" for traction purposes. 

     No one is perfect and I should confess I had similar issues myself.  I was unhappy and depressed all the time.  I could never put my finger on it. I’d wonder around the garage aimlessly pacing, thinking, and trying to work out just what was out of balance.  I’d pickup a hammer, run the tablesaw or start up the lawnmower but nothing was satisfying.  Life was an empty shell. 

 

   Then one day I had been sitting on a stool out in the garage for a few hours in a horrible anguished state.  I looked up and could just see a caster sticking out from a pile in the back of the garage.  It hit me like a brick. Caster! Dolly! Happiness!

 

   I got the dolly and moved it all around the garage and started feeling better.  This worked for a few days but still something was missing.  I put an engine that was laying around on the dolly and it felt good but not enough.  I put the lawnmower on and rolled it around and felt better.  I was making progress.  My psychiatrist said my relationship with the dolly was good and I should keep working on it.  Over the weeks I was transporting everything I could find.  Some things worked better than others but I had not achieved fulfillment.

 

A friend who wanted to help out and get me out of the garage stopped by and asked me to come along while he looked at snowblowers.  I figured the dealers were close by and I would not be gone from the dolly for long so I went along.  We looked at Ariens, Snappers and a bunch of others but when we got to the Honda dealer things were different.   Wow, nice machine and wicked nice red.  It might work out.  A few days later I bought a Honda track and one with wheels and brought them into the garage. 

The wheeled machine was easy to move on its own but dollying it around was heaven.  I could dolly the wheeled machine over to the track and bring the track back to where the wheeled was.  What more could a guy ask for? 

After a few weeks I could get the machines on and off the dolly from the front and sides with style and grace.  I felt happy and cured.  I called the psychiatrist and canceled my next appointment.  He said I was much better but should come in for follow-up and that I could now leave the garage.  Leave the garage?  Was he crazy?  I fired him.  By then I had setup a hotplate, small fridge, cot and cable out here so just where did I need to go? 

I boarded up the door to the house and rented it out.  The tenants pay a small rent and bring me food.  My days are busy, engaging and full of joy.  Dollying the Hondas back and forth is wonderful but the cake of course has yet to arrive.  It’s December and without some action soon………. I fear a relapse. 

Thanks for sharing, while we're all waiting here for snow to arrive, anyone else want to come out of the closet?

Come on, turd polishers, sock sniffers, and bed wetters, share your story here.  No tree huggers!

Hi trouts2: Just curious, did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid???....

     Fish and paint chips are a delicacy where I grew up.  I was born with such a host of mental maladies that any damage from paint chips would hardly be noticed.   I took a Rorschach test when I was eleven and the shrink ran out of the room screaming. 

 

By the eighth grade my IQ had improved to 40 and 60 by high school.  After high school the family moved next to a university and by osmosis when walking the grounds consider myself as educated at the graduates given their achievements in beer, pot and partying.   I could now be a Menza Fellow but don’t want to show off.  I’m a solid addition to the gene pool. 

Hay, I own a snowblower.  What more could you want for proof of taste, good character and sky high IQ? 

When I latch on to handlebars and charge through EOD the blower knows who’s at the helm. 

My technique is so good I can march a 4hp through a 5 foot EOD and get results like no other.  Snowblowers feel the power emanating from the helm and use it to toss 60 and better.  It’s all in authority and firm mastery of the art of snowblowing.  Around here I’m known as The Skipper of the Driveway and have the same legal authority as the skipper on a ship.  I can marry people in my driveway after clearing and have a snowblower near by.  Not to brag of course.  Just letting you know the tall order honcho your dealing with.

trouts2 wrote:

And they said the art of sarcasm was dead.

trouts2 wrote: 
I'm ready to go with my HS928TA - just say the word......

   That's the sprit Frank, ready, agressive and itching to boot some snow around.  Me too.  I've got my policeman's blue snowblowing jumpsuit all laid you ready go.  It's got a beautiful gold reflective stripes down the legs and arms, epaulets, and chevrons all over imparting a bold dash of authority.  You got a truck?  You could bring over the Honda.  The garage has lots of room and I got an extra dolly here.  We could party.  

FrankMA wrote:
Squirrel !!!

trouts2 wrote:
Yo Trouts:

Get someone to go into your garage and mess things up real good before Frank arrives.  He'll go off the deep end.  He'll be like a whirling dervish organizing and setting everything straight.  When he's done, you can both do double and triple checks of everything just to make sure nothing is out of place!  Order is critical!

I've got a friend with OCD.  He's a "checker".  Takes him five minutes to leave his house, another five minutes to start his car and another five minutes to shut it off. 

He also rides a motorcycle.  Takes him two minutes to make sure the side stand is down.  He get's off the bike, looks at the side stand, lightly kicks it a few times, shakes the bike a bit, couple more kicks, another shake, walks away, maybe ten feet, turns around and repeats.  It's truly painful to watch.

trouts2 wrote:

Can I bring my own Dolly? My Honda is very particular about it's Dolly!

FrankMA wrote:
I think there were more than just paint chips ingested. 

Hey new yorker, I did something like that for my troy built garden tiller. I took a wooden top off a school desk and fastened some casters to the bottom, its lower on the part where you drive on to it, higher where the casters are, and it works like a charm to push around the garage when you need to move it some. I have an ariens track drive snowblower and thought about doing something for that also but hadn't gotten that far yet. Good ideas!! Coldfingers

Coldfingers, "I have an ariens track drive snowblower."

Have you used it?   If yes, what is it like?  I have not seen one in action yet.  I wondered of they are any more difficult or easy to use than a Honda. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

On the party side if you want to join me and Frank come on over with your machine.  Bring your dolly.  You're probably an interesting guy. I've never heard of a dolly guy with an orange machine.  It takes all kinds.  I thought it was only a Honda red machine thing.  No big deal though.  Everyones welcome at the garage, no descrimination.  Well......., it would be hard to imagine a John Deere dolly guy at the garage. 

Frank's dolly has a thing for his Honda so it's sort of a triangle affair.  It's not so strange.  There's a lot that has been published American Psychoananylists Journal and The US OPE  Journal about these relationships.  We can talk about these things at the party.   You got a white painted area in the garage? 

Here's Linda. Beautiful and race ready.

Made of rare 1 x 8 rare American Elm supports and top platform of three quarter Furnature Quality German old growth Birch. Six casters of Swedish Steel with ball bearings for zero or hair pin turning. The casters can individualy retract or expand on commands from a remote wireless hand set to adjust platform roll, yaw and pitch in any attitude for heights between1 and 6 inches. Loading is very easy from any side.

The Stealth Black top finish is Brittish Coach Varinish impregnated with titanium for wear. It also has a hand rubbed on magnitized top treatment of clear anti-static compounds that repell dust and dirt about 4 feet. It's a great feature to alleviate fears of dust contamination on a clean machine.

It folds in two directions for easy storage to a square of 10 inches and light at 4 pounds. For long term storage the tires can self deflated on command from the hand set but refill has to be done by hand due to no air lines running to the micro valves yet. I've got the compressor mounted in the Elm supports but still waiting for the air line to come in from Lincoln Labs NASA division. Linda is in daily use so no problem with the air but I'd like to get this project finished. If anyone wants some blue prints email me and I'll get them right out.

Yeah..... That Linda looks like one sweet ride.

Six casters?


Didn't know what to do with the other two huh?   It would be easier to maneuver with just four wouldn't it?   That thing seems to be pretty stout.  I doubt that there would be to much center deflection, particularly if the load is distributed closer to the corners. 

I love the snowblower, a tad tired and worn, but I never knew that Snapper Snowblowers had relations with John Deere Snowblowers, as this one is obviously the bstd. child of such a forbidden union.  Is there a track snowblower somehwere we can't see, a third point perhaps in this triangle, one that gets together with dolly  ? 

Excerpt from the Trouts Frankenblower Chronicles:


Trouts cranks furiously as he  frantically fastens down the remaining screws to complete his latest "Frankenblower".  

Sweating, trembling, he cautiously rolls the creation through the threshold of the shed door to the brightness of the revealing mid day sun.  He stands, pauses and lovingly gazes at the black, red, yellow and green hues of his latest family member.   Slowly, he reaches for the plastic handle of the pull start.  Quivering in anticipation, his sweaty fingers and palm firmly clasp the smooth cool ring.  His senses are overwhelmed  as he wafts in the sharp fumes of gasoline, the sweet aroma of white lithium grease and the pungent odour of gear oil.  In a low voice he proclaims: "I name thee Lucile."  With a banzai scream he cries out "Come to life my darling Lucile!" and pulls with all his strength.  The machine coughs, sputters, coughs again then roars to life.  "It's alive!  It's alive! he wails, as a large, oily tear rolls down his cheek. 

>>> Was tired and worn.  <<<

It's a sweetheart picked up for $30 and gone through.   It was in commercial service and did not see a lot of maintenance.   It received about 150-200 in parts and at least 10 hours of prep and paint work.  Dual night lights, huge tires, 10hp, 30 inch bucket and in fine shape waiting for snow.  I think it's pretty easy to tell I've too much time on my hands waiting for snow.

That model is a tiger but came with a very short chute.  The Deere bolted right on and the crank teeth a match that gives a good improvement in distance.  I've got the remote hood control but it never got installed.  It would be a nice touch but I am saving the cable for a future repair.  It's $110 for a replacement cable and I put enough into the Snapper already.

Six casters.  The dolley was built for a 650 pound military WWII radio transmitter in the cellar, here during my ham phase.  It now see's service as a dead blower carrier, things with locked gears or big buckets too heavy to lug around.  It's big and a pain in the a$$ to store but useful at carting stuff.  I'd use it more but my garage has uneven wood boards.  The driveway has many mounds and cracks which make it tough to roll with a load but sometimes worth the agrivation with heavy stuff.  

I've got a hydralic table on casters for most carting around of stuff but the dolly is good for big awkward things.  The dolly generally does not cart working tracked guys like Honda and Yamaha.  The get moved mostly without power by tipping them way back to ride on the back of the wheels.  MTD's and Yamaha's are fairly easy to move without power but not Hondas are tough.  I only do short moves here so no big deal.  It would be more effort to dig out the dolly. 

>>Is there a track snowblower somehwere we can't see, a third point perhaps in this triangle, one that gets together with dolly  ?

I'd have to confess, if I had a Honda and a big garage with a flat cement floor it would have a perminant relationship Linda. 

Borat: "It's alive!  It's alive! he wails, as a large, oily tear rolls down his cheek. 

Pretty darn close.  It's a rush to have them fire up and toss like a new machine, even a 6.5hp.  I've got a big wheeled Ariens 1128 that's been around for two years waiting for the right motor.   I've got an 8 and 10hp here both with great compression but it woud be a waste of a nice body to plant one of those.   

I use my son's skateboard with my Honda HS928TAS. I lift the handle bars to elevate the tracks while shoving the skateboard underneath the middle with my foot. Then let it down. It becomes wobbly and unstable but it's easily controlled and maneuvered. Can be rested a bit off-kilter with one track or the auger housing on the ground. I remove the skateboard when I have the machine where I want it. This is a good approach because it works with something many people already have in the garage, and you don't have to buy or make anything. PS - my first post on this b-board.

DIYer wrote:
Snowmobile dollies would work good as well.