May 6
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One of the perks of living here in Tyler is that you don’t have to deal with too much snow.
Sadly, that’s not the case with Amarillo, where my friend Roger lives with his wife and daughter. They receive a significant amount of snowfall during the winter, and last Christmas, I received an email from him asking me: “How to make my snow blower throw snow farther?”
Naturally, my first answer was to get a new snow blower with greater throwing power. But as I thought the matter through, I realized that getting a new blower might not be possible for everyone. So, I set about finding ways to modify existing blowers to throw snow farther.
Howdy folks! I’m Stacy Smith, and today I’m going to give you the lowdown on how you can make a snow blower throw snow farther. These are modifications that are all tried and tested and will surely work, provided you implement them correctly.
Let’s begin.
Before I jump into the details of the modifications that you can make to your existing snow blower to make it throw snow faster, let’s do one thing. I’ll make a list of the factors that determine a snow blower’s throwing distance. Once you’ve gone through this list, you’ll be able to appreciate the modifications that I suggest in a new light.
Typically, the larger the impeller, the farther the throwing distance. If your impeller diameter is small, snow can pile up nearby and create large snowbanks.
For the best throwing distance, I recommend a 180-degree rotation for the snow blower chute. This prevents the build-up of rust and helps your snow blower throw snow across more considerable distances.
The larger the top pulley, the farther the snow throwing distance. As a rule, you need to install top pulleys concordant with the depth of snow in your area.
Along with the above factors, the RPM (Rotations-per-minute) of the mower also determines the distance the snow is thrown. Higher RPM results in greater snow throwing distances. Simultaneously, the blade number, impeller size and clearance, and outer chassis also play a part.
The type of snow blower you use will also go a long way towards determining the distance to which it can throw snow. Single-stage snow blowers can throw shorter distances as compared to two-stage or three-stage blowers. Similarly, gas-powered throwers usually work better than electric-powered ones.
Keeping the above factors in mind, let’s now take a look at the different ways in which you can make your existing snow blower throw snow farther away.
Snow may be soft to touch and cold to hold, but the truth is that it can be somewhat abrasive, especially when it gets into your blower chute with debris. This can result in the snow moving slowly through the chute, which can impact the throwing distance.
If that’s the case with your snow blower, I recommend lubricating the chute to reduce friction. You don’t need to buy any special lubricant to do this: cooking oil is a good enough option. In case you’re looking for a more long-lasting lubricant, then you can use liquified graphite sprays.
If you’re still working with a single-stage snow blower and would like to upgrade performance without investing in a new model, I suggest installing an impeller in your existing machine. An impeller is essentially a fan that works to force the snow farther along the chute.
Impellers work by speeding up the snow as it passes through the snow blower. This results in the snow being thrown at a greater distance than without the impeller. Two-stage snow blowers use an impeller after the auger to speed up the snow.
Impeller kits can be bought from local hardware stores and also online, but installing them requires considerable technical know-how. Unless you’re hands-on with mechanical fittings, it’s best to hire a professional to get the job done.
The next solution that I have for you is replacing the auger belts on your snow blower. Old and worn-out belts might slow down the operation of the machine, resulting in slow auger speed.
If that’s the case, try to tighten the belt first; if that doesn’t work, you might have to go for a complete replacement. Doing so will provide the auger with sufficient spin and speed, which is certain to throw the snow farther than before.
Finally, the last tip for you is to regularly maintain your snow blower, especially the metallic parts. This will help to maintain the blower’s efficiency, improve performance, and in turn, throw snow farther.
Necessary steps you can take in this regard are:
All this can go a long way towards ensuring that your snow blower performs to the best of its ability.
Roger was able to get good results after following my tips, and I’m sure so will you. These tips won’t cost you much time or money to implement but are sure to bring noticeable improvement in the snow-throwing distance of your blower.
However, if after taking all the required steps, the blower’s performance still doesn’t improve, it might be time to get a new one. Of course, that depends on your budget as well as distance requirements.
With that, I’ll now take your leave. Do remember to let me know which method worked the best for you.
Till then, stay safe!
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