A little TLC readies your snowblower for next season
Stabilizing fuel, checking over components keys to maintaining your machine
With winter officially behind us, it’s time to move the lawnmower to the front of the shed and the snowblower to the back.
Before covering up the snowblower for the season, however, there are a few things that should be done to keep it in top working condition for when the snow inevitably returns.
“Everyone has their own idea on how and when to service your snowblower, or lawnmower, but the best practice we have learned over the years is to service it when you are finished with it,” says Deryl Peters, manager of Dave’s Snowmobile Repair in Warren Grove, P.E.I.
This means servicing the snowblower before it goes into storage for the summer.
The standard procedure, according to Peters, is to start by stabilizing the fuel in the tank.
Then, let the fuel run to get the product through the fuel system. This also warms the oil for a faster and better oil change, he says.
Peters then recommends replacing the spark plug, if needed, and cleaning any contaminants from the fuel system.
The next steps involve checking the following:
• Drive and auger belts and pulleys (replace as needed).
• Drive system.
• Replace friction wheel (if applicable) and any shaft bushings.
• Cables or shafts for engagement (replace or adjust as necessary).
• Augers and gearbox.
• General components (bolts etc.). “All that is left is a run and test,” says Peters.
When it comes to storing your snowblower, Peters says it should be placed in a clean and dry place.
“If it’s in a barn or shed some mothballs or mouse repellent should be put around it as I have seen lots of carnage from mice over the years,” says Peters, noting how rodents will chew wires and make a home in the muffler or lower pan.
By taking the time to properly put away and service the snowblower at the end of the season, it will save you time in the long run. Your future self will thank you, especially if you are pulling out the snowblower with the first snowfall.
Just add some fresh fuel, start it, and check it over.
“That’s all it needs,” says Peters.