Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Pictures of your snow weapons

[RoyJackson]

You are going to have to get it dried out first, then get some lube in there. IF it was mine, i'd spray Breakfree CLP on/in all the moving parts...

You can buy it at gunshops, also in Walmarts around here... It will keep the water out and lubes well, plus it will keep the rust away too...

SR

My chute is a manual rotation...I use Fluid Film on it and, so far, no sticking and easy rotation.
BTW, if you leave your blower outside, it might be worthwhile cleaning and snow away from the chute and covering the area of the rotator mechanism.

 

[jgayman]

I've found that by blowing the snow just a little more than horizontal keeps the wind from blowing the snow back at me.

Absolutely! I've been using a snow blower for over 30 years and I can count on one hand the number of times I've looked like a snow man. The trick is to stay with the wind and raise the chute only high enough to get the snow where it needs to go. Now obviously there are exceptions and everyone's situation is different but I always get a chuckle as it seems 99% of the photos and videos I see of folks snow blowing they have the chute at max height and blowing snow into the clouds. Yes it looks impressive to the neighbors but it is usually not necessary.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

My chute is a manual rotation...I use Fluid Film on it and, so far, no sticking and easy rotation. BTW, if you leave your blower outside, it might be worthwhile cleaning and snow away from the chute and covering the area of the rotator mechanism.

I was thinking this. As for putting fluid film I did this and it didn't seem to work. As for using other chemicals my chute sits on a strip of Teflon or a white plastic ring. I wouldn't want to bugger that up with a chemical. Think I will try the cover thing after I clean and drying it out good.

 

[Garandman]

Quick review of two walk-behind snow throwers: An Ariens 926 Pro and a Honda HS928TA. Used the Ariens and Honda a few more hours each and I have a more detailed review.

• The Honda HS928TA cost me $2,600. A new Ariens Pro 28 is $2,100. The Ariens Hydro Pro Track 28 is $3,000 but has the 21 ft lb torque engine. The Honda HS1332TAS is about $3,200. These are some of the most expensive machines on the market.
• Hydro drive is a thumbs up, if you have the budget.
• Track drive I'm starting to think the plusses outweigh the minuses. It is quite a bit easier to handle packed drifts and you can climb stairs. I think I'm going to get a furniture dolly to move it around the garage.
• No grip heaters on the Honda. I miss them after an hour or so. Now I'm wearing my snowmobile gloves.
• The Honda chute, though smaller and shorter is more vertical. You can blow snow almost straight up. Because the stream is concentrated, you can control where you put it with more precision than the Ariens.
• The Ariens chute is larger and more curved. It throws more snow, but not as far in most conditions, and is more spread out.
• In straight line deep snow, the Ariens just walks away from the Honda.
• I've broken three Ariens shear pins in three seasons and they're about a buck a piece. In about 20 hours of operation we've broken five Honda shear pins, which are costing $2 or so each. Just bought 10 mail order for $17.
• Honda shear pins are much easier to change.
• The Tecumseh OHV and Honda seem to be using about the same amount of fuel. They're both much better than the Tecumseh L heads.

So my summary right now based on maybe 10 hours of experience with the differences between the two different machines (wheeled friction drive versus hydro track drive) is if you are a suburbanite with a lot of snow to move, Ariens is a better choice. If you live in the city or have women or smaller children using it, the Honda is lighter and has more control over where you put the snow.

 

[Garandman]

Quick review of two walk-behind snow throwers: An Ariens 926 Pro and a Honda HS928TA. Used the Ariens and Honda a few more hours each and I have a more detailed review.

• The Honda HS928TA cost me $2,600. A new Ariens Pro 28 is $2,100. The Ariens Hydro Pro Track 28 is $3,000 but has the 21 ft lb torque engine. The Honda HS1332TAS is about $3,200. These are some of the most expensive machines on the market.
• Hydro drive is a thumbs up, if you have the budget.
• Track drive I'm starting to think the plusses outweigh the minuses. It is quite a bit easier to handle packed drifts and you can climb stairs. I think I'm going to get a furniture dolly to move it around the garage.
• No grip heaters on the Honda. I miss them after an hour or so. Now I'm wearing my snowmobile gloves.
• The Honda chute, though smaller and shorter is more vertical. You can blow snow almost straight up. Because the stream is concentrated, you can control where you put it with more precision than the Ariens.
• The Ariens chute is larger and more curved. It throws more snow, but not as far in most conditions, and is more spread out.
• In straight line deep snow, the Ariens just walks away from the Honda.
• I've broken three Ariens shear pins in three seasons and they're about a buck a piece. In about 20 hours of operation we've broken five Honda shear pins, which are costing $2 or so each. Just bought 10 mail order for $17.
• Honda shear pins are much easier to change.
• The Tecumseh OHV and Honda seem to be using about the same amount of fuel. They're both much better than the Tecumseh L heads.

So my summary right now based on maybe 10 hours of experience with the differences between the two different machines (wheeled friction drive versus hydro track drive) is if you are a suburbanite with a lot of snow to move, Ariens is a better choice. If you live in the city or have women or smaller children using it, the Honda is lighter and has more control over where you put the snow.

 

[Topher265]

I don't have as impressive of a machine as many of the pictures in this thread . But what I've got works well for me :thumbsup:.

Here's a picture of my new (to me) F935 with the 47" 2-stage thrower on it. This is a unit from the 80s with around 2200 hours on it. It was originally used by the state of Illinois. I haven't had the F935 a full year yet, and this is my first winter with it. There is a list of maintenance items I'm working on too. Once it's fixed back up, the heat and the wiper will work and it will have a block heater. Plus there will be a lot of adjustments and checks done along with new filters and fluids. For now, I miss not having the heater & wiper. Luckily, it is parked inside so it starts no problem and there are no freezing issues. Behind it, you can see the 60" rear discharge deck that I use for mowing. That is the heavest deck I've ever seen.

A previous owner replaced the hydro chute unit with an electric winch and a three position temporary switch inside. I wish I had all the hydro parts so I could put them back on, but at least this works. The thrower is missing the shoes, and the scraping bar at the back is worn down to the housing. I'm ordering a 5'Lx1'W piece of HMDP and I'll create my own 6"x12" shoes to mount to the side of the housing. Then I'll rip the rest in half lengthwise and have enough to make two scraping blades that won't hurt my nice concrete drive (one to use and one as a spare).

And a couple of quick videos showing the electric chute control and one throwing only a 4 or 5 inches of snow:

[video]http://vid25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/topher1254/Item%20Videos/31C11653-D3C1-42D7-B57B-1326D20BA716_zpsclbyjd85.mp4[/video]

[video]http://vid25.photobucket.com/albums/c95/topher1254/Item%20Videos/4D91868F-AA89-4B11-A34A-F260B1415537_zpskheg2rke.mp4[/video]

 

[xzcVAbc5]

I don't have as impressive of a machine as many of the pictures in this thread . But what I've got works well for me :thumbsup:.

I like the LED lightbar. I'm thinking about adding one to my Kubota. So far I've only used it in the sun, but some day I'm sure it will need to go on a night mission.

 

[beenthere]

Very interesting to see the different snow weapons.
Ran across this one, and gives one the itch to run something with dual blowers on a big JD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxFg6vHctTw


I tricked the software of TBN again to avoid getting a double post. Wish they'd fix that problem sooner rather than later !!

 

[gbnpp05]

I built skid shoes for my rear blade last year. I also made a set for my brother too.
With all the material(except for the 1/4 inch steel I used for the skids themselves), I had under $30.00 per pair of material invested in each set. The sets I made were two skid shoe assemblies. I've seen similar sets sell for close to $200.00
Of course my labor was free but I built two extra sets and might sell them later.

The downside is they have to be welded to the blade as built. Not a big deal and can be installed with that method in less than an hour if you have a good welder.
I can also provide a material list for what I used so you can build your own.

 

[chopped]

wow manure too