mason156

From your pictures, it looks to me like there is another reason to recommend a two-stage snowblower, which is the shape of your driveway and the height of the wall around it.  The two-stage makes it easy to toss the snow across the driveway and/or up and over the wall.  I would not worry about the slope - that kind of slope is not a problem for the tires that basically all of the snowblowers you would be looking at use.  There are many good machines in the 8-9 HP two-stage market.  I'll let everyone else who has their favorite make their pitch.

Steve

I am looking to buy a grass trimmer for my dad.  He is currently using my Stihl FS-85 and eventually I will need it back.  I was thinking Shindaiwa because I have heard nothing but good things about them and something a little lighter than my FS-85.  Truth is, however, I just don't that much about grass trimmers.  Any advice is welcome.

Steve

People have recommended some excellent saws, but many of these saws are in the $350-$400 range.   If  money is not a serious issue, this may be a great way to go.  If  money is an issue, it seems like saws at the $200-$250 range make more sense for the amount you're going to use it.  Also,  if you have a good dealer, they are a real asset and they may even guide you toward a brand of saw.  My experience has been that a good fraction of dealers in my area are not really much of a resource and they end up charging you for an extra level of "service" that they fail to provide.  Be careful in evaluating the dealer and listening to their advice.

I ended up at a good dealer and bought a $400 saw - so I am not saying that  it's a bad way to go.  But I heat with wood and did not mind spending the money.  Your needs may be different.  Regardless, I recommend including Kevlar chaps and a helmet in your chainsaw budget.   They're not fool-proof, but they are at least fool-resistant.

Steve

PS - I started with a $100 poulan special, and while I never use it anymore because it has no safety features, it still runs fine and cut a lot of wood in its day.   I would not recommend the super-low-cost saw market, because its a gamble, but it is not like every cheap saw fails and every pricey saw is trouble-free.

I finally got the chance to address my problem today and found that both approaches (taking the housing off and not taking the housing off) were right.

I first removed the belt cover and bottom plate, drained the fuel, and tipped the machine onto the Auger housing.  Sure enough, it was easy to put the belt back on the pulleys and get myself back in business.  After I put the belt on, I tipped the unit back, added some fuel and started it up to check for problems.

 The Auger pulley was shimmying and the belt was dancing around.  Closer inspection revealed that the cast hub that attached the pulley to the shaft was cracked.  I followed the instructions in the manual and split the housing from the engine assembly (using the tailgate of  my pickup instead of a milk crate).  It wasn't a bad job at all.  Turns out my local dealer has the part in stock, so I should be back in action tomorrow.  (I will swap the belts as well.)

Thanks to all for your advice.  It made the job very easy and worry-free.

Steve

I have  had the R3 done. 

It seems like I should be able to get in there,  I suspect I should remove the idler as well.  I think the belt hopped off instead of the shear pins breaking when I ate a (not very large I might add) stick.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Steve