Jan 2016 snow

Mower trouble? Are 2-cycle engines the bane of your existence?
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Jan 2016 snow

Post by kevm14 »

DC is going to get totally abused. Up our way, looking at 4-8 or so. 50 mph gusts though. I will probably have to use my snow blower at the new house for the first time, on dirt, which will suck.

Probably won't lose power. But I may fill up my remaining 5 gal gas cans with Sta-Bil. Then that gas will be fine for a good year.

I have been using my coal stove a few times to burn wood which works alright. It won't heat the house but it does a good job warming the great room, so I have a supplemental heat option.
Bob
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by Bob »

We got a little snow and a lot of sleet here. I drove the Prius to work on my bald-ass OE tires without issue. It is somewhat annoying that traction control does not appear to be defeatable.

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Here's my back yard:
Back yard
Back yard
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by kevm14 »

Maybe I'll have to put the snow storm blogs in a different section. We did not lose power.

I did a lot of snow blowing though. It went OK but there's still a good inch of snow all over the driveway due to having to raise the blade for dirt. I think I also threw a couple of rocks.

In anticipation of wanting to maintain parking, I cleared a much larger area than what I would have considered the driveway proper. All of this, including a path around the other side to access the oil fill, was accomplished on a single tank.
bill25
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Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by bill25 »

The driveway proper... Sounds fancy.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by kevm14 »

You've seen it. It's not fancy.

I made sure to clear parking where I usually park my Caprice and Ranger, plus more area closer to the well head. I changed the spot the Ranger sits as it had some trouble getting out from where I usually park it. I also cleared a large section next to the driveway for additional parking spots. Ian is having a birthday party in a month or so and I need to keep it clear or else it could turn solid until Spring. That's my theory, anyway.

I will say that a truck plow would make sense even for my driveway as there are quite a few places/valleys to put snow. You would have to back blade the area in front of the garage though. That said, I have no desire to buy a truck w/ plow. Maybe if my driveway was larger.
bill25
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Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by bill25 »

I also had no desire to own a truck with a plow, until I owned my driveway... The tractor was barely adequate this time around. I definitely learned it's limits. somewhere around 4-6 inches. I think the linkage needs some adjusting, and maybe a new drive belt. There was some odd squealing for a minute or 2 if the brake wasn't depressed very slightly, while moving... Reverse is ridiculously slow, and as a plow, you do a lot of that on the driveway "pad". 4 wheel drive would have been better. I need to re-evaluate my snow plans. The plow is great for storms 5 inches or less. It seems less than adequate for a full solution. It is a good stop gap though. I could plan to get a super snow blower (the 45 inch), and just get a better used tractor when this one dies, and that would probably work. My best bet would be to get the 45 inch used in a couple years from someone that overbought.

I have read a couple blogs where people used the rear trans/assembly from an all wheel drive tractor and added it to the front of a 2 wheel drive to make it AWD. This is interesting to me... Obviously. I wouldn't be opposed to pricing out making the Scotts AWD and eventually upgrading the engine.

There are a lot of ideas and solutions as we already know since I looked at just about all of them already. I definitely need a blower for paths.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Jan 2016 snow

Post by kevm14 »

The reason I like snow blowers is because they can do everything, and you don't have to bust your ass to use them. Plus, you kind of end up needing one regardless of what else you have. By themselves, the only extra thing you need is a shovel for steps.
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Your experience with this recently storm confirms what I thought about the plow blades on a lawn tractor. But it may suit you since in a modest storm, you'll finish sooner, even if you need like 3 tiers of snow removal plan (Scotts w/ blade, snow blower, plow guy still for big storms). Maybe you can buy a used AWD tractor.

I didn't really mind doing my driveway with my 26". I don't know how long I was out. A lot longer than I needed to be to just get the driveway functional, because I did a lot more than that.
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