August 12
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Do y’all remember being fourteen and naive? I sure do.
At the time, I paid for ice popsicles in summers with the money I got from mowing the lawn. While I lost this source of income in winters, there would always be enough snow for me to shovel and earn a quick buck.
However, that changed when my father bought a snowblower to clear away the six inches of snow that would form on the sidewalk after a typical Texas snowstorm. Since he deemed me too young to work with a snowblower, my rebellious nature urged me to take it for a spin with some friends.
Not soon after, the snowblower got jammed. Afraid my father would find out; I reached into the chute with my gloved hand. Suddenly, I heard my father shouting, and I thought, “Stacy, you are in big trouble.”
Instead, he came over and gave me a tight hug, told me the dangers of putting limbs up snowblower chutes, and taught me the correct way of fixing the problem. Hi, my name is Stacy, and I am here to share with you what my father taught me on how to keep snow from sticking to snowblower.
If you own a snowblower, then you already know how fast it can clog up – especially after snowstorms when there is more buildup of ice and compacted snow.
In any case, a thick blanket of snow may slow you down as you push the snowblower. Moving too slowly with it and not maintaining a steady pace means that the snow does not get processed through the machine and clogs up the chute.
Sometimes, the culprit may be other hidden objects stuck in the snow, such as frozen newspapers, leaves, or even a dog toy.
I would recommend that you always treat the impeller or discharge chute with a non-stick spray or lubricant before beginning work. You may also use automotive or ski waxes as an alternative. Come desperate times, and my dad would sometimes pick up a cooking spray from the kitchen and spray it on as a quick fix.
Anyhow, cooking sprays are considered to be an environment-friendly alternative as they are biodegradable. And although cooking sprays are easier to apply, they need to be reapplied multiple times. After all, the effect wears off much sooner than commercially-sold snow repellant waxes.
My first lesson in snowblower maintenance about 40 years ago was to never put my arm, leg, or any other part of the body into the discharge chute. Indeed, others, like me, may attempt to dislodge objects manually because it seems like a quick fix.
However, bear in mind that this is also an amputation hazard as some snowblower augers continue to run even after releasing the device’s control lever. Needless to say, if the auger – the part of the machine that spins and sucks in the snow – is still running, then don’t try to troubleshoot the issue yet.
That said, the first step to removing snow stuck to your snowblower is to:
Unplug the machine or remove the batteries, and wait for at least two minutes or until it shuts down altogether.
To remove the blockage, you can use a clean-out tool from the market designed for the purpose of unclogging snowblower chutes. These may be plunger-like devices that suck out the dislodged objects or shaped like spades to scrape out the excess snow.
An alternative, you can look for a stiff and long object or use the back end of a broom to scrape out the stuck snow or contaminants.
Once cleaned out, apply a lubricant and test it out to check whether the snowblower runs smoothly.
Sometimes, the problem runs deeper – for instance, your snowblower itself might be difficult to manoeuvre due to pre-existing problems. If you have a two-stage snow blower, perhaps the problem lies in the cables that send power to the wheels.
To tighten the cable, first, unclip it from the handles and attach it firmly to the base of your machine. Once the line seems sturdy enough, reclip it and test out the snowblower to check if it lurches and pushes back abruptly.
If the problem persists, consider readjusting the cable until the snowblower runs smoothly. Additionally, you may check for fuel or spark plugs.
On the other hand, if the snowblower stops moving altogether, you might be dealing with a broken shear pin, which will have to be replaced. And if all fails, it’s probably time to take the machine to a dealer to get the problem diagnosed and fixed.
Unlike fluffy and light snow, compacted snow is heavy and great for building snowmen and snow castles. But it’s not all good news.
In fact, wet snow can jam up your snowblower’s discharge chute or auger, turning this valuable tool into a menace that you have to clean out all the time. And although removing stuck snow is not a difficult task, a small mistake while attempting to do so can shorten a leg or a hand.
Anyhow, as they say, “prevention is better than cure.” With this in mind, remember that off-season maintenance can go a long way in preventing snow from sticking to the machine. Indeed, bare metal auger housing or discharge chutes are prone to corrosion, which may eventually lead to clogging.
And of course, don’t forget to pre-treat the parts with a non-stick spray-on. Or perhaps, simply pushing your snowblower through the snow with the fury of a snowstorm may do the needful!
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