Snowblowing rules of thumb

[Green Acres Homestead]

The only people that don't make mistakes is the people that don't do anything. I was blowing snow and over a embanking I had a steep road into a wood lot. figured I would blow it out. go down there and stuck and ditches on both sides of me. I suffered the same hardship except I was little more prepared with clothes.

Snow Blowing
Here is one for the books. I have a 34 HP HST 78" Plow on front 64" blower on back. I usually plow at 6" and blow if deeper than that. We just had 12" on top of 4" on top of ice. Went out to blow out the 12" I have 1000 ft of flat road and parking. 800 ft is Blacktop. Hiked out to the barn Got her running plowed some space Turned around and started backing down blowing. Oh yeah have a loose fitting canvas cab. Wind was fickle so I was running backwards in a cloud. Before I knew it I had slid off the driveway sort of parallel. No go. Hiked back to the house , not plowed yet , got a snow shovel, dug it out. No go big piles by now . Dropped the plow dug it out again. Little back and forth and with out the weight of the plow it came out.
I had wet gloves, wet pants, wet boots and wet socks. I have not been that wet and cold in 50 years maybe longer.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

The only people that don't make mistakes is the people that don't do anything. I was blowing snow and over a embanking I had a steep road into a wood lot. figured I would blow it out. go down there and stuck and ditches on both sides of me. I suffered the same hardship except I was little more prepared with clothes.

Snow Blowing
Here is one for the books. I have a 34 HP HST 78" Plow on front 64" blower on back. I usually plow at 6" and blow if deeper than that. We just had 12" on top of 4" on top of ice. Went out to blow out the 12" I have 1000 ft of flat road and parking. 800 ft is Blacktop. Hiked out to the barn Got her running plowed some space Turned around and started backing down blowing. Oh yeah have a loose fitting canvas cab. Wind was fickle so I was running backwards in a cloud. Before I knew it I had slid off the driveway sort of parallel. No go. Hiked back to the house , not plowed yet , got a snow shovel, dug it out. No go big piles by now . Dropped the plow dug it out again. Little back and forth and with out the weight of the plow it came out.
I had wet gloves, wet pants, wet boots and wet socks. I have not been that wet and cold in 50 years maybe longer.

 

[PILOON]

Also have been stuck while blowing and or plowing.

Now my tractor lives with a dedicated shovel hanging from one corner of my cab.

 

[Kubotafan]

As a child you learned to not piss into the wind (sorry ladies). For the life of me, I don't understand why people can't learn to not blow into the wind.

I have always been able to avoid pissing into the wind, but there are times when I have had to blow snow into the wind. I can be clearing over 50 driveways after a storm, and driveways aren't always such that you can blow with the wind.

 

[GuglioLS]

The day after Christmas here in Edgewood New Mexico we got 27" in less than 24 hours. After blowing that stuff around a couple of days later in the frigid 12* F getting nearly instantly freeze blasted by the self-created blizzard the first FRIG-GEN rule should be - "Let someone else do it while you watch out the window sitting by the wood stove.

This is my first snow blower. For the past 37 years I have been plowing it with a blade or pushing it with a dozer but this past summer I had a barn build and chip sealed 600 feet of driveway and a large parking area in front of the new barn so scraping it with a blade would have ruined the chip seal.

I picked up a Woods SB84 (7 footer) and attached it to a 35 HP Jinma. I was a bit concerned the tractor might be a wee bit under powered when I first had it delivered but soon found out it has enough oomph to power it, or simply raise it a bit and make two passes when the going gets tough. It is amazing how fast that thing clears out deep snow blowing into oblivion. It has the optional hydraulic motor for chute rotation and I added a hydraulic cylinder for height control from Surplus Center.

There are high voltage overhead power lines crossing my driveway. No one has mentioned blowing snow that might or will hit power lines. The blower manual says nothing about power lines. Does anyone know the risks of blowing snow under high voltage overhead power lines?

The last rule in my book is - At the end of the day enjoy the fruits of your labor



Click for Video....

 

[RoyJackson]

There are high voltage overhead power lines crossing my driveway. No one has mentioned blowing snow that might or will hit power lines. The blower manual says nothing about power lines. Does anyone know the risks of blowing snow under high voltage overhead power lines?

In 15+ years of reading threads on TBN, that's the first time I read a question concerning blown snow and overhead power lines!
I have no idea if there's a danger in snow hitting those wires. My guess is it's a minimal risk, if a risk at all as there is no solid connection between the wires and the tractor....not like a backhoe or a loader.
However, you could angle the chute deflector downward...the cast snow wouldn't go as high and drop below those wires.

 

[ray66v]

I guess some people have never seen swirling winds, or winds that change direction suddenly.

Yes, they do exist.

 

[newbury]

As I contemplate the possible need to get the snowblower out tomorrow, I have developed some snow blowing "rules of thumb" over the years that some of you newbies to snow blowing may want to consider. I figure that I have moved about 5,700 inches of snow with my three snow blowing rigs over the last 29 years. Snowblowing is my favorite winter activity, now that IO have a heated cab. Feel free to add to my list, I am always looking for new techniques:

RULE 1. Don't put your hand in the moving augers. This is an obvious one. I have occassionaly stuck a broom handle down the chute in the spring with the blower running, but that is about as dumb as I get. I have develped a fondness for my appendages over the years.
<snip>

I stopped reading the thread at this one.
DO NOT STICK STUFF IN THE CHUTE WHEN THE MACHINE IS RUNNING

I was blowing snow w/ a Gravely. Chute kept clogging up. Took the old broom handle to clear the chute. Broom handle got sucked in, snagged my glove, broke the tip of my forefinger off.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

I stopped reading the thread at this one. DO NOT STICK STUFF IN THE CHUTE WHEN THE MACHINE IS RUNNING I was blowing snow w/ a Gravely. Chute kept clogging up. Took the old broom handle to clear the chute. Broom handle got sucked in, snagged my glove, broke the tip of my forefinger off.

man a guy has to be on guard. Just get absent minded for 1 minute and you can loose your life.

 

[aczlan]

I stopped reading the thread at this one.
DO NOT STICK STUFF IN THE CHUTE WHEN THE MACHINE IS RUNNING

How about this (my rule): Thou shalt not get closer than 4 feet to the front of the blower (or the chute) with the tractor engine running.

Aaron Z