Roof Snow & Ice Dams...

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Lowes-Gilford having no snow-blowers in stock....because they were all....maybe 25-machines...were all trucked down to a Lowes store in Massachusetts.

For $599, Lowes sells a Troy-bilt 24" two-stage, self-propelled snowblower which is a real good machine, capable to remove the heavy snow at the top of the driveway where the town plow has piled it on, plus it only weighs about 150-lbs which makes it easier to get it up and onto a single step on a walkway or a deck or something.

The next OUT OF STOCK item will be sump pumps, especially eastern Mass. They are going to be talking about flooding soon, and it will be bad.

I bought that Troybilt model at Lowes last winter hoping it would get me through a season or two. I've abused this machine and it hasn't missed a beat. It doesn't owe me anything considering the amount of snow it has moved.

I bet after the good review it craps the bed on this next storm!

I'll take a well maintained 30 year old Ariens over most of the machines they sell today.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

The next OUT OF STOCK item will be sump pumps, especially eastern Mass. They are going to be talking about flooding soon, and it will be bad.

I bought that Troybilt model at Lowes last winter hoping it would get me through a season or two. I've abused this machine and it hasn't missed a beat. It doesn't owe me anything considering the amount of snow it has moved.

I bet after the good review it craps the bed on this next storm!

I'll take a well maintained 30 year old Ariens over most of the machines they sell today.

I bought an Ariens in 1974. Every 7 or 8 years I would take it back for service, but I did change the oil every 4 or 5 years. In 2008, I tried to start it, pulled the string and it broke....1st time it failed me in 34 years! Went to Nashua Outdoor Power Equipment and bot a new Ariens. The old one went to my Son's father in law and he's still using it. There may be some other really good machines out there but IMHO you can't beat an Ariens.

[Dad sold the C * C]

I have always been an Ariens guy. I will admit that some times I'm lax in preventative maintenance, but with a little attention you can get them going again during a storm. They just work! One thing I miss from my old one is the locking differential. But I like the new chute direction and deflector controls.

Now that said, a friend has a Honda 24" snowblower that I really like; this is used at a horse farm so it is either on a stone dust driveway or frozen yard and dirt. I like that the transmission is variable but just slides and not notched; you can keep moving and adjust speed. Good when working around fences, dogs or horses

[upthesaukee]

Back in the 1980's, Dad had an Ariens that belonged initially to his brother in law (my uncle), and had been bought back in the 70's.

Dad took it to several places because it would never start by setting the choke and pulling. But, give it a little psssssttttt of starting fluid, and it fired right up and would blow snow all day long. I used it often, and while it was a beast and heavy as all get out, it was a work horse.

After Dad died, and I moved out to upstate NY, mom ended up selling it to a family friend. It is still in use, and it just takes a psssssttttt of starting fluid to get it going.

With all this snow, I wish I still had it and a can of ether.

[8gv]

I'd bet there's a long list of proper maintenance for a snowblower but I have been consistent with only one item.

I put StaBil in every time the gas can gets filled.

It always starts and runs.

[fatlazyless]

... for about 15.87 I got myself a gallon of www.marvelmysteryoil.com at walmart...because I like the name....plus it is brite red, smells fantastic...like red peppermint...and comes in a brite red translucent plastic, see-through, bottle...and every time the car, snowblower, lawnmower, outboard gets gassed up....it also gets a hit of mystery oil into the gas....like a fine peppermint red wine to keep the engine running very happy...

... have thought about about taking a sip myself...but have yet to do that...after once getting a mouthful of gasoline about 45-years ago!

[8gv]

StaBil tasted pretty bad when I tried it. It got me started too...

[bclaker]

One Sunday when I lived in Barrington, I noticed an Ariens with a for sale sign on it in someone's yard when I was going for the paper. On the way back home, I stopped. It was in pieces, but it looked like everything was there. he wanted $25 for it. I offered $15 and he accepted. When I got home, I put it back together and replaced a broken throttle connection with a piece of coat hanger. It started right up and worked well for 15 years. It was still working when I moved to Laconia and I left it for the people that bought my house.

[Dad sold the C * C]

Marvel Mystery Oil saved my first Ariens snow blower.
A mouse had built a nest on the shaft that the "forward / reverse " wheel slides on. This makes the drive wheels go faster, slower and reverse. Well I was told to heat up some Mystery oil in a double boiler kind of rig ( very carefully of course ) and pour the warm oil on the rusty shaft. That resolved that problem. And yes it was red, but Mom wasn't so keen on the smell in the kitchen

[ghfromaltonbay]

My father's neighbor moved to Florida about 6 years ago and gave my father his 2-stage, 6.5 hp Ariens snowblower since Dad did a lot of repair work for this neighbor. The snowblower is a bear and was a real tough pull start even though the former owner was a big burly guy. Since Dad already has a big snowblower, he gave it to me and for $198 we got an electric starter which Dad installed. Instead of paying for the starter, Dad asked me if I would give him my little 2-cycle MVP snowblower in trade. I gladly took him up on the offer. That Ariens has worked great, even last year when we had a few 20+ inch snowfalls. I have 60 feet of walkways + an 80 foot driveway and that Ariens is worth it's weight in gold. Last year the sparkplug was replaced at the beginning of the season, and this year it started up on the first try. Thank you Dad, and also our former neighbor now retired to the Villages in FL. Using that machine builds muscles!

[MAXUM]

The snow blowers made today are all junk. I have a 30 year old Ariens and it is a beast. I'd stack that machine up any day against a new one. The nice thing is parts are still available for them.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

The snow blowers made today are all junk. I have a 30 year old Ariens and it is a beast. I'd stack that machine up any day against a new one. The nice thing is parts are still available for them.

If you don't have a new one, and haven't had one for 30 years, how do you know they are junk?
Did you take a survey of the news ones compared to the old ones?

IMO the newer snowblowers are far better then the older models. It's how you take of them just like anything else. Evidently you take care of yours and it runs good because of that. But I've seen older model Ariens that run like Sh*t.

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Rusty

If you don't have a new one, and haven't had one for 30 years, how do you know they are junk?
Did you take a survey of the news ones compared to the old ones?

IMO the newer snowblowers are far better then the older models. It's how you take of them just like anything else. Evidently you take care of yours and it runs good because of that. But I've seen older model Ariens that run like Sh*t.

When I bought mine I looked at new ones and I was unimpressed at how cheaply they are made. Has nothing to do with the way they run in fact I'll probably re-power mine at some point.

[Happy Gourmand]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

When I bought mine I looked at new ones and I was unimpressed at how cheaply they are made. Has nothing to do with the way they run in fact I'll probably re-power mine at some point.

When I replaced my 1974 Ariens in '08 for a slightly bigger one, they looked almost identical except for the additional upgrades that I got with the new one. I DO know that my new one won't last me as long as the old one because I'll be in FL in the winter before it turns 10!! By the way, my '74 and '08 both came with the Tecumseh engines, the later models come with Briggs and Stratton engines.

[fatlazyless]

Supposedly, the $599 Troy-bilt 24" self-propelled two stage, has the engine made by Honda....plus it has worked very good for about four seasons now....if it ain't broke....dunno replace it? Like, what's so good about a headlight and heated handle grips?

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Supposedly, the $599 Troy-bilt 24" self-propelled two stage, has the engine made by Honda....plus it has worked very good for about four seasons now....if it ain't broke....dunno replace it? Like, what's so good about a headlight and heated handle grips?

If that snow blower had a real Honda motor on it the engine alone would be worth $599 or more.

Troybilt is made by MTD and is nothing like the former company of days gone by, and the engine isn't a Honda it's a cheap Chinese clone called a Powermore. Like everything these days it's built to hit a price point with a limited life expectancy.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

If that snow blower had a real Honda motor on it the engine alone would be worth $599 or more.

Troybilt is made by MTD and is nothing like the former company of days gone by, and the engine isn't a Honda it's a cheap Chinese clone called a Powermore. Like everything these days it's built to hit a price point with a limited life expectancy.

Honda also make's a very "cheap" China made version of their motor as I have one on a inexpensive 7000 watt Sam's club generator I purchased for about $500.00. http://www.samsclub.com/sams/black-m...prod3550002.ip

It's not nearly as quiet or as smooth and it's not even in the same league quality wise as the more expensive 7000 watt inverter generator they make that I also have for around $4000.00!!