Newbie Snowblower question: Anti-stick coatings for snowblowers

[rfc143]

Forgive the newbie question; I did a search and could not come up with a good hit.

Just sold our HLA plow and bought a used Provenost P-INV 80 Reverse pull blower for our Kubota 5240. We've had one heck of a November with repeated dumps (some small, some big) of wet slop. Based on experience with my walk behind Ariens doing the walks, one might think having more horsepower avoids having to constantly unclog the chute (NOT!). Thinking about buying 40 hp thee point hitch wet n' dry vac (just kidding)!

So, aside from just going slow, can I spray the surfaces with anything to make it less likely that this "wet cement" sticks and gloms up the works? I've thought of PAM, Diesel Oil, Silicone sprays etc. Is there some magic formula?

 

[Zick]

Fluid Film

 

[devildog1]

Fluid Flim does work but it's a bit expensive to use all the time, maybe Pam would be the more economic way to go? Just saying.
DevilDog

 

[Doofy]

Fluid Film. Pam tends to get sticky over time.

 

[Captain Dirty]

Forgive the newbie question; I did a search and could not come up with a good hit.

<snip>
So, aside from just going slow, can I spray the surfaces with anything to make it less likely that this "wet cement" sticks and gloms up the works? I've thought of PAM, Diesel Oil, Silicone sprays etc. Is there some magic formula?

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW PE); see bumperm's post from 10/3/2015, "B2782 Snow Blower modifying". It's not cheap, it's not a spray-on. Installation is a major project, but the Calvinist belief that "the more expensive/troublesome/difficult/time-consuming something is, the better it is" makes UHMW PE a great modification. Likely it would be a project for next summer. Not all VT snowfalls are "heart-attack cement" so you will have a season to try a number of spray-on formulations to see what may work for you.

 

[leonz]

I can testify to Fluid Films effectiveness for sure.
Getting the snow blower dried out and warm is best as you can apply several coats of fluid film with a blue shop towel, you can save the same shop towel and reuse it for that.


In a pinch you could heat up the chute and spout a little and polish it with some turtle wax and put on several coats if you have it.


If you have the time and a long break between snows another option would be blue stripe slick sheet material from Horn Plastics to line the chute and spout with using bucket elevator bolts to secure it to the chute and spout.

They have remnant pieces for sale too.

UHMW and HMW Plastic Dump Truck Box Liners - Super-Slide

 

[RoyJackson]

I've been using Pam or, more frequently, a generic version of Pam...I have used Fluid Film and sometimes still do.
Personally, I haven't notice much difference (as far as being and staying slick) in any of them, so I'd go with the generic anti-stick vegetable spray.
I apply the spray no matter the ambient temperature. My tractor and snow blower are parked outside 24/7/365. Haven't noticed any problems yet even though winter nights in Vermont frequently drop well below 0 degrees F

 

[oosik]

I quit using my blower in 2009 when I bought & upgraded to my brand new Kubota M6040. The Kubota is big & heavy enough that I can clear the driveway and any berms with just my rear blade.

With my 1982 Ford 1700 - I had a blower - "The Blue Machine". When the snow was "gloppy" it was a real PITA to get it to blow. I tried everything that was available to me to "slick" things up. Some actually helped a bit. I never got around to using UHMWPE or fluid film.

A good sanding of the fan compartment and chute area - followed by fresh paint helped about as much as anything.

Then one day I left the blower on the 3-point and left the tractor and blower outside - in the cold. It was going to snow again and why go thru all the bother of putting it away - reattaching -etc.

So - when I got up and looked outside we had an added eight inches and it was still snowing. It quit after I had my second cup of coffee and some breakfast. The snow was wet enough that it packed pretty solid under each foot step. However - leaving the blower out in the cold was the most positive step I had ever taken. With the steel of the blower being ice cold the heavy snow didn't stick bad at all.

After that amazing revelation - I put a "field pallet" out in the orchard and continued to leave the blower out in the cold. It helped a LOT.

I DO miss blowing nice dry snow at about 15F to 20F - watching it shoot out there about 75 feet was a real blast.

The very stiff & sore neck and shoulders I would alway get after the three to four hour chore - - NOT so very much.

Well - I have NEVER had a time when I could not clear the mile long gravel driveway, yard & mail box area with the Kubota and rear blade. It will blade slop with the best of them and a nice dry snow at below freezing temps is almost as much fun as the old blower was. Using the rear blade and not having stiff neck and shoulders is a blessing also.

 

[SkunkWerX]

I've been using Pam or, more frequently, a generic version of Pam...I have used Fluid Film and sometimes still do.
Personally, I haven't notice much difference (as far as being and staying slick) in any of them, so I'd go with the generic anti-stick vegetable spray.
I apply the spray no matter the ambient temperature. My tractor and snow blower are parked outside 24/7/365. Haven't noticed any problems yet even though winter nights in Vermont frequently drop well below 0 degrees F

I'm in your camp, Roy. i use PAM, and even the generic Sam's Club non-stick stuff, i think it's just aerosol Canola oil, comes in a 2 pack and it's cheap enough. The first line of defense against sticky snow is a nice glossy surface, if anyone has any rust or dull finishes, prep and paint. Sometimes, beginning of season I'll use car wax, then after that it's the generic PAM the rest of the winter.

I have found it depends on outdoor temps, moisture content of the snow, the temperature of the plow or blower as to how much the snow will stick. A friend of mine sprays WD40 on his snow shovel, swears by it.

 

[Oldoak]

I have found silicone spray to be very effective. Doesn't matter what brand name. I just buy the cheapest. I do reapply after each outing. I also use it on my aluminum and poly snow shovels.