Snow Blowers

The spring is actually a great time to complete your snow thrower spring maintenance. You have just finished the season and the repairs you need to make are at the top of your to-do list. For example, draining old gasoline out of the fuel system now will prevent it gumming up the carburetor and filters. In addition, combining your snow thrower maintenance with preparing your lawn mower for the summer lets you complete two jobs at the same time. Both can be accomplished more efficiently. Now is the time to get this work done so you do not have to do it in the fall once it gets cold again. The picture shows a John Deere engine. However, these tips apply to all small engines that are used on a seasonal basis.

Snow Thrower Spring Maintenance

The following steps and tips will help you with your spring maintenance.

• Grease the impeller and augur shafts
• Change the oil in the engine
• Drain the fuel from the fuel tank and carburetor
• Check the belts
• Tightened the belts
• Check the belts for signs of wear
• Correct all other maintenance issues you may have noticed through the season
• Repair lights, oil the housing to prevent rust
• Check the air pressure of the tires and inflate as needed

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Can a bad spark plug affect snowblower engine performance? The answer is definitely yes. Plugs that are dirty with soot or have an improper gap can affect a snowblower engine in several ways. They may become difficult to start. When they start, they may run rough and use more fuel in the process. You may get a lot of exhaust because of the poorly burned fuel. In some cases, when a spark plug is in really bad shape, the engine may not start at all making it quite frustrating on those really cold, snowy days. If you are having problems of this sort, attend to the problem immediately before your snowblower will not start at all.

Can a bad Spark Plug Affect Snowblower Performance

Remove the spark plug using a spark plug removal socket after first disconnecting the spark plug wire from it. Once it is removed, inspect the spark plug for damage. Any damage to the metal of the porcelain should require a new plug to be installed.

If you decide to keep the old one, clean all of the soot and deposits off the plug and then reset the gap to the manufacturer’s specifications. Once this is complete, reattach the spark plug wire and hold the plug against the metal housing to ground it properly. Pull the crank to turn the engine once or twice to confirm adequate spark is being produced.

If there is no spark, you may have problems other than the spark plug. You may have to do this several times to ensure that you have a spark. Make sure you properly ground the plug against the housing.

Reinstall the spark plug in the engine and reattach the spark plug wire. If the engine still does not run smoothly, you may have a gummed-up carburetor which will require cleaning etc.

The answer to the question, what will a bad spark plug do for a snowblower, is nothing good. At the very least, your engine may run rough, be difficult to start and use more fuel than normal. At the very worst it will not stat at all, especially on the coldest day of the year or when you have the most snow. These things just have a habit of occurring at the worst times leaving you to shovel snow or look for help from a neighbor.

Your snowblower engine can run rough for other reasons as well such as bad gasoline, a gummed up carburetor and other issues. However one of the easiest things to check first is the condition of your spark plug. The one shown in this picture needs to be clean and reset. It may even need to be replaced if the corrosion is bad once you remove all of the dirt etc.

What will a bad Spark Plug do for a Snowblower

Remove the spark plug while being careful not to dislodge any dirt from around the spark plug area. Disconnect the wire first. You will need to use a spark plug removal tool to unscrew it from the engine.

Once it is out, clean it with sand paper and a spark plug cleaning tool. If there are pock marks in the porcelain or you cannot get it to clean up just buy a new one. In both cases you will need to reset the gap according to the manufacturers specifications.

While the spark plug is removed you should also verify that it is producing adequate spark. Reattach the spark plug wire and ground the outer metal of the plug against the housing. Crank the engine once or twice to confirm that it is producing a spark. If not you may have other problems to resolve besides replacing or cleaning the spark plug.

We discussed options for a tubeless tire repair in our last post. We wanted to spend a few more minutes discussing tubeless tire conversion. This is a viable option for older snow blowers with tubeless tires. It is an inexpensive way to repair the tire and you do not even have to take the tire and rim off the axle. This can be a problem for older snow blowers. We will outline a step-by-step approach to completing a tubeless tire conversion assuming that you cannot remove the tire and rim from the axle. If you have the rim off the axle, just ignore the appropriate steps.

Tubeless Tire Conversion – Step by Step

• Place blocks under the snowblower to raise the wheel off the ground
• Disconnect the spark plug wire to avoid accidental engine starts
• Remove the existing valve using pliers to pull it out of the rim
• Using several screwdrivers pry the outside edge of the tire off the rim
• Reach inside and run your fingers along the inside of the tire to detect any sharp edges that could damage the new tube
• Remove any sharp objects from inside the tire
• Place the new tube inside the tire and position the valve in the rim
• Begin blowing up the new tube
• Massage the tire as you are adding air to ensure it properly seats onto the rim
• Fill the tire with air to the recommended pressure

The tire is repaired inexpensively and without waiting for a mechanic.

It should be pretty easy to do a tubeless tire repair snowblower, right? Well there is always a complication. To begin with, the tire always goes flat when it is really cold outside. If only the tire would go flat in the summertime and you had the presence of mind to repair it then. Another complication is that your snow blower is old and the rim is rusted onto the axle. No matter what you do it will not come off! Even after using penetrating oil, hammering it, and trying to get a gear puller on it, nothing works. What can you do to get this fixed? In some cities there are mobile small engine repair mechanics to call on. You may have to load it onto a trailer and take it to a mechanic. While these solutions are viable, they can be expensive and time consuming. There is another answer.

Tubeless Tire Repair Snowblower – Install a Tube!

If you cannot get the tire and the rim off, there is another approach. Purchase the proper size of the tube for your wheel. Pry off one side of the tire from the rim. Install the tube inside the tire and insert the valve into the appropriate spot in the rim.

Pry the tire back onto the rim and blow up the tube. Take care to make sure that the rubber tire seats properly on the rim. You may have to massage the tire a bit to get everything to fit. Now you have a tubed tire with a lot less effort and very little cost.

If you can clean the rim and the existing tire, reapply the glue and then blow up the tire you may be able to keep your tubeless option. When it is cold or you cannot get the rim off the axle, this can be quite difficult to do. Nevertheless, it is another option for a tubeless tire repair.

Many consumers have struggled with the decision to hire a snow removal company for the season or do it themselves. They worry about the cost and health issues, particularly during heavy snow days when shoveling can be very strenuous. Now there is a third solution provided by TouchPlow, no contract driveway snow clearing. Modeled after the ride-sharing service Uber, TouchPlow allows consumers to order snow removal on demand. This is another example of how technology delivers better service and more competition to the consumer.

No Contract Driveway Snow Clearing

Clear the snow from the driveway yourself when there is a light snowfall. After a heavy snowfall, use TouchPlow to order a contractor to come within a specified time frame. The breakeven cost is somewhere between 10 and 15 times. A double-wide driveway large enough for four cars will cost between $30 and $45, depending on how quickly you need the service.

You can save on the cost by only ordering on heavy snowfall days and giving the contractor 24 hours to complete the job. Prices may vary based on the demand and supply of contractors. Once you place your order, a snow removal contractor will bid on the job and arrange to clear the snow from your driveway.

No Contract Driveway Snow Clearing is a new solution that may have some growing pains. Download the app to your smartphone and sign up for the service to get started.

There is a new snow-clearing service available that is modeled after the Uber ride-sharing system. On-Demand Driveway Snow Removal is provided by local contractors. It is called TouchPlow and is designed for consumers to order snow clearing as needed using an app on their smartphones. The app is available on both apple and android phones. All you need to do is download the Touch plow driveway snow removal service. Once you install the app, you will need to create an account, providing your address and payment information. Whenever you need your driveway cleared of snow, just place an order and wait for a bid. There are a couple of things that consumers need to be aware of when using this app and the services provided by contractors. We will cover a few of them in this article, although the services is still quite new. They are still getting the bugs out of the system.

On-Demand Driveway Snow Removal by Touch Plow – Comments

From a process perspective, it all seems to work really well. Once you create an account, select your driveway size, place an order and wait for a contractor to take your request. You can request service in 4 hours, or longer. The longer you are willing to wait, the lower the price that you will pay. Something to consider based on how urgently you need your driveway cleared.

Any contractor can pick up your order. There have been some reports of less-than-scrupulous contractors taking bids. This is part of the getting established phase. You will want to monitor how good a job the contractor does.

Some folks have placed their order while sitting in Florida for their home in Ottawa. Nice touch and you do not need to be there to clear snow.

You can also specify if you just need the driveway cleared or if you also want your steps and sidewalks cleared. It all depends on the price you want to pay.

The trade-off of course is relying on a contractor to meet specific standards throughout the winter or just ordering snow clearing as you need it. Prices we saw indicated $30 to $40 for Touchplow driveway snow removal. A seasonal contract could cost around $500, making it worth about 10 driveway clearings in the season. If you get a lot of snow days, you might lose outgoing with Touchplow vs. a seasonal contract.

A decision consumers need to make.

The spark plug in the picture has been partially cleaned. Further readers can tell that it was very dirty and corroded. It probably was not delivering a very good spark to the engine. How to know if a spark plug is bad on a snowblower? In situations such as this the engine will be difficult to start and may also run roughly. These symptoms can also be caused by dirty gas, a dirty carburetor or clogged filters. You really have to solve the problem through a process of elimination. Firstly the easiest one is to check and clean the spark plug first. Don’t forget to set the gap properly each time you clean the spark plug.

How to know if a spark plug is bad on a snowblower?

Remove the spark plug after first removing the spark plug wire. Next clean it up using medium grit sand paper. If you cannot get all of the grit off, it is sometimes just easier to install a new plug. Make sure that the gap is set properly as well before you test it.

The next step is to reconnect the spark plug wire. Hold the plug using gloves  with the metal portion touching the side of the metal housing of the engine. Slowly crank the engine and observe if a spark is being generated between the central post of the spark plug and the outer metal housing of the plug. This test will confirm that electricity is being delivered to the plug and it is generating a spark.

Reinstall the plug and start the engine. If the engine still does not run smoothly, you may need to clean the carburetor and filters.  Before doing so make sure you have gasoline in the tank! This is actually a common problem for many people who have trouble starting their snow blower. They forget to add gasoline!

If your snow blower is not running very well it could be because you have a bad spark plug. It could also be due to bad fuel, a dirty carburetor, or even a clogged filter. The only way to really tell how I know I need a new spark plug for my snowblower is to check. A poorly running engine is just the first symptom. Either you or a mechanic will need to eliminate the possibilities until you have a smooth-running engine. Here is some more information about checking your spark plug.

How do I know I need a new spark plug for my snowblower

The easiest first step is to actually check the spark plug. If the engine will run, but not smoothly, then you already know that the plug is delivering a spark to the combustion chamber. If it will not run you will need to ensure that electricity is being delivered.

Remove the spark plug after first disengaging the spark plug wire. If the spark plug is dirty and coated with deposits either replace it with a new one or clean the existing one. If the porcelain around the central post is cracked or chipped, replace the plug. Otherwise, it can probably be cleaned with sandpaper.

After all of the deposits are removed, set the gap to the recommended gap provided in your manual. Reattach the spark plug wire and ground the outer electrode of the spark plug against the housing. Turn the engine over once or twice by pulling the starter chord. You should see a spark between the central post and the outer housing. If not you may not be getting any electricity to the plug.

Once you have confirmed that there is electricity being delivered, re-install the spark plug and try starting the engine following the normal procedure. If it will still not start, remove the plug to see if gasoline is being delivered to the combustion chamber. You should be able to smell it. If not, you will need to clean the filters and possibly the carburetor.

If the spark plug is wet, you may have flooded the engine. Wait a few minutes and try again.

There is a right way and a wrong way to clear snow from the snowblower chute. Many snow blower limb accidents occur every year because the operator sticks their hand down the chute to clear snow. This happens to experienced operators more than it should. There are two categories of accidents.

First, the operator does not turn the engine off. The auger and impeller are still turning in a two-stage blower. A foot or hand is inserted to remove clogged snow and they lose toes or fingers or worse once they clear the snow away and they get caught.

Snow Blower Limb Accidents

The second type of accident occurs even when the engine is turned off. The chute and auger area is clogged with wet snow. You turn off the engine and start clearing the wet snow away.

Unfortunately because of the clogged snow rotational force was built up. When the snow is removed, the auger can move several inches. The impeller can also rotate several inches as well. If your fingers are in the way, you are going to lose them!

Never insert feet or hands anywhere near the impeller or the augers. Always use a stick or some other tool. Better the stick gets broken and not your hands!