# HSS1332ATD covered deck storage conundrum - question



## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Now, I wouldn’t have normally dared to ask this question on such a highbrow and distinguished forum like this but the two golden retrievers you see in the picture below insist I drop the false pride and see if there might be a consensus opinion about something. End of season may be 6-8 weeks off and while I have been assured that I can leave my snowblower, covered, outside, in my back yard and out of sight and out of mind beneath the tall pines I really want to get it up on my covered wrap around deck. I’ve invested hours online trying to get a suitable ramp arrangement that will meet the max 15 degrees slope and it just seems to be an absurd and costly notion. I’ve got the one 8” step up to the concrete stoop from the sidewalk and another 7” up to the 1.5” thick redwood decking. Now the 1332 is about 320#. I’m pretty sure I can walk it up to the first slab without damage to it but I’m worried the weight of the machine is gonna chew up the edge of that wood deck. Can I walk it up?

Am I over thinking this or am I cruising for a bruising trying to get my 1332 up on to that deck so I can store it around the side of the covered porch for the six months of no snow? ......without a ramp.

Like I said, I wouldn’t ask, but the Goldens have been neglected by my almost constant search for adequate ramping and want me to stop putting so much time into this.

Any thoughts?


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## CalgaryPT (Dec 7, 2016)

Breckcapt said:


> Now, I wouldn’t have normally dared to ask this question on such a highbrow and distinguished forum like this but the two golden retrievers you see in the picture below insist I drop the false pride and see if there might be a consensus opinion about something. End of season may be 6-8 weeks off and while I have been assured that I can leave my snowblower, covered, outside, in my back yard and out of sight and out of mind beneath the tall pines I really want to get it up on my covered wrap around deck. I’ve invested hours online trying to get a suitable ramp arrangement that will meet the max 15 degrees slope and it just seems to be an absurd and costly notion. I’ve got the one 8” step up to the concrete stoop from the sidewalk and another 7” up to the 1.5” thick redwood decking. Now the 1332 is about 320#. I’m pretty sure I can walk it up to the first slab without damage to it but I’m worried the weight of the machine is gonna chew up the edge of that wood deck. Can I walk it up?
> 
> Am I over thinking this or am I cruising for a bruising trying to get my 1332 up on to that deck so I can store it around the side of the covered porch for the six months of no snow? ......without a ramp.
> 
> ...


A good trick with wooden steps is to take two heavy duty door hinges with removable pins. Mount the hinges upside down on the stair lips and mount the mating hinge halves to similar thickness planks. This way you can attach the planks temporarily to the underside of the step lips, and drive your machine up with no damage. When done, remove the planks by pulling the hinge pins and store the planks somewhere. Leave the hinges mounted under the stair lips for future use.

I've used this trick for temporary wheelchair ramps as well.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

Time to go to the home center and pick yourself up a little shed. Pour (or have poured) a concrete floor for it to sit on, and big enough for your mower and whatever else too.

Hassling that stuff up onto the deck will soon take its toll... fuggedaboudit.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Yanmar Ronin said:


> Time to go to the home center and pick yourself up a little shed. Pour (or have poured) a concrete floor for it to sit on, and big enough for your mower and whatever else too.
> 
> Hassling that stuff up onto the deck will soon take its toll... fuggedaboudit.


🤦🏼


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

...they come in kits, think of all the fun you'll have assembling it and fixing it up to match that nice-looking house.


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

Feel pretty sure you can back it up those steps no problem. I use to back my big heavy Simplicity up 13 steps to the 2nd floor of my garage. Imagine you have pretty good snow hog type tires and they have plenty of grip. And you can ease it if you want by laying a 2x6 on each step, keeping it back near the risers.


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## contender (Jan 18, 2018)

Most of us with snowblowers would also have the odd piece of plywood etc laying around.... a chunk 2 ' X 3' layed across each location as you slowly back your blower up would protect the top step(deck) if you are concerned.....


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## Falstaff (Feb 17, 2021)

I have a shed that I store mine in. My shed is up on 6x6s for ventilation. The total elevation of the shed floor is about a foot. These extend to 7.5' and have a load capacity of 1000lbs. each. Some models that look the same have a capacity of 750lbs each.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Falstaff said:


> I have a shed that I store mine in. My shed is up on 6x6s for ventilation. The total elevation of the shed floor is about a foot. These extend to 7.5' and have a load capacity of 1000lbs. each. Some models that look the same have a capacity of 750lbs each.
> View attachment 177258
> 
> View attachment 177260


i hear all the votes for sheds. I get it. We do have this dumbass covenant of restrictions in our neighborhood - which most people seem to ignore anyway with their RV’s in the driveway- so it my be the small shed route but I can hear the neighbors with nothing to do but complain now. Especially if I put down a concrete slab! Otherwise, the yellow ramp-like Idea may work. It’s very dry up here and we don’t suffer from rust issues, I suppose I could enclose it on the deck around the corner. Gee, I was hoping for, “Hey, man, no sweat, just walk that baby up there!” Maybe a striker plate of sorts fastened on the wood deck edge, removable twice a year. I’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll take a video of me destroying my deck......in front of the dogs. ✌🏼

btw: they rather lightweight?


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Breckcapt said:


> I’m pretty sure I can walk it up to the first slab without damage to it but I’m worried the weight of the machine is gonna chew up the edge of that wood deck. Can I walk it up?


Yes. Tilt the auger housing all the way up and then tilt the whole machine back on the crawlers, then go up forwards; come down backwards. I crawl up/down the steps below quite often.


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## contender (Jan 18, 2018)

Hey Breck, it should walk right up, no problems!! 

To keep everyone happy and not damage the decking my idea would work, but so would those fancy ramps.........However I do like the shed options, but I do live under restrictions as well.....


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

You will probably chew the deck up a bit doing that.

How about 4 treated wood posts in the ground and build a little roof over them for storage. Shed, what shed? Its a rain shelter for the dogs. 

I could walk the Yamaha up on our back deck when I had the movable step in place (that gets moved out for the winter now) that is 8 inches on each roughly.

Honda does not have quite as much front rock back.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

tabora said:


> Yes. Tilt the auger housing all the way up and then tilt the whole machine back on the crawlers, then go up forwards; come down backwards. I crawl up/down the steps below quite often.
> View attachment 177281





contender said:


> Hey Breck, it should walk right up, no problems!!
> 
> To keep everyone happy and not damage the decking my idea would work, but so would those fancy ramps.........However I do like the shed options, but I do live under restrictions as well.....


heh heh, I like the first part of your reply.....


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

RC20 said:


> You will probably chew the deck up a bit doing that.
> 
> How about 4 treated wood posts in the ground and build a little roof over them for storage. Shed, what shed? Its a rain shelter for the dogs.
> 
> ...


😔🤦🏼‍♂️

I should mention I do have the track version so if I can tilt it and just get the front Part of the track up on the deck and lift the rear - assuming I can - perhaps I’ll be ok in extremely slow mode....or manual. Man, it’s tough getting older....✌🏼


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

I don't understand the problem with a couple of 2x8 x 8' planks. Would they be too short? I have a couple of 2x 10's that I used to roll motorcycles and my HS828 up into vans.

Or wait for a big snowfall, blow your snow and then, with the stairs protected by all the snow, drive it up.

I'm against parking it on bare ground. You are asking for mice and other vermin to check out the wiring, and the moisture from the ground will find any weak spots in the paint. Your deck or a concrete slab would be much better.


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## RC20 (Dec 4, 2019)

Planks work, shrug

Mice and vermin are perkily happy in your house so it being on the ground? Nicer to have a piece of wood to sit it on but other than that, vermin go where they will. I am sure they have checked out my shed well.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

RC20 said:


> Planks work, shrug
> 
> Mice and vermin are perkily happy in your house so it being on the ground? Nicer to have a piece of wood to sit it on but other than that, vermin go where they will. I am sure they have checked out my shed well.


Good point.....we have loads of voles up here at elevation. I’m sure they’d love to homestead in there over the summer months. Therefore, either fully enclosed under my big pines in a shed - solid and attached floor and all - or up on the covered deck where we keep the summer adirondack chairs throughout the winter. I mean, only going up and down twice a year - Gotta be a solution here. Thanks, guys, it’s my first year out of the blocks on this one. I may locate two rather lightweight ramps that together could handle about 500#. .......I’m definitely overthinking this ✌🏼


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## contender (Jan 18, 2018)

Breck, with a lot of critters renting space, I would strongly suggest installing a piece of aluminum door/window screen inside the air box on your 1332 to prevent a condo from developing inside there. Sorry for side tracking your post.....Stay Safe


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

Breckcapt said:


> Good point.....we have loads of voles up here at elevation.


Not sure what voles like (Farley Mowat likes them - read Never Cry Wolf), but mice love to nest in the air cleaners of motorcycles. Another forum I'm on describes (and pictures) how they bring pink insulation into the air cleaner and set up home. 

A $3500 snowblower? Only place for that is your living room.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

WrenchIt said:


> Not sure what voles like (Farley Mowat likes them - read Never Cry Wolf), but mice love to nest in the air cleaners of motorcycles. Another forum I'm on describes (and pictures) how they bring pink insulation into the air cleaner and set up home.
> 
> A $3500 snowblower? Only place for that is your living room.


My wife would just love that. Voles are little mouselike rodents; they're all over the place with their underground tunnels and mounds wreaking havoc all over the place. They’re a pain.

The young me that still exists around in the back of my brain says give it a shot Dude going very slow but the older me who has his share of screw ups under his belt says consider the ramp concept. I need to run my 1332 around and see how slow it will actually go and what angle I can achieve to clear the auger.

Maybe something lightweight like these: Plate-Style Aluminum Folding Arched Dual Runner ATV Ramps - 7'5

i’ll probably get it up to the concrete slab and then decide if I’m brave/stupid enough to attack that wood edge.....


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## WrenchIt (Dec 6, 2020)

Breckcapt said:


> My wife would just love that. Voles are little mouselike rodents; they're all over the place with their underground tunnels and mounds wreaking havoc all over the place. They’re a pain.


I've read that the way to get rid of chipmunks is to put dry ice in their burrows. The CO2 is heavier than air and as the dry ice sublimates, the gas flows down and smothers the cute little tykes. We use a hav-a-hart trap and run them about 3 miles down the road to some woods. So far only one was smart enough to call a uber and come back. I like that approach, but only because a chipmunk skin hat would take too many pelts.


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## Falstaff (Feb 17, 2021)

Shed route....make sure it is rodent proof.....make sure you have a tight door seam. Stored my old craftsman outside in the fall for one week while I test drove an ATV that I was interested in and kept the ATV in the Craftsman spot. In that one week the mice built one hell of a nest on top of the fan _under_ the protective screen. She is back in the shed now. I know the big box stores sell plastic sheds that are relatively small. One I particularly like is only 4 feet tall. The "roof" flips open on hinges. Drive in and flip the roof back. I can't quote the dimensions but they looked big enough. Floor loading would need to be looked at. Mice for sure will nest in the machine on your porch.
I am sure the short walls can be removed. Might be a PIA but I can see opening the top and door one door then one short (side) walls for moving the machine in and out.
Found it for `ya
Shed


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Falstaff said:


> Shed route....make sure it is rodent proof.....make sure you have a tight door seam. Stored my old craftsman outside in the fall for one week while I test drove an ATV that I was interested in and kept the ATV in the Craftsman spot. In that one week the mice built one hell of a nest on top of the fan _under_ the protective screen. She is back in the shed now. I know the big box stores sell plastic sheds that are relatively small. One I particularly like is only 4 feet tall. The "roof" flips open on hinges. Drive in and flip the roof back. I can't quote the dimensions but they looked big enough. Floor loading would need to be looked at. Mice for sure will nest in the machine on your porch.
> I am sure the shot walls can be removed. Might be a PIA but I can see opening the top and door one door then one side wall for moving the machine in and out.
> Found it for `ya
> Shed
> ...


Coincidentally, I’ve been looking at one similar to that. I can put it up on my deck.....which is the next question to be considered. Spent the weekend figuring this all out. ✌🏼


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## Falstaff (Feb 17, 2021)

^  nice!


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Falstaff said:


> Shed route....make sure it is rodent proof.....make sure you have a tight door seam. Stored my old craftsman outside in the fall for one week while I test drove an ATV that I was interested in and kept the ATV in the Craftsman spot. In that one week the mice built one hell of a nest on top of the fan _under_ the protective screen. She is back in the shed now. I know the big box stores sell plastic sheds that are relatively small. One I particularly like is only 4 feet tall. The "roof" flips open on hinges. Drive in and flip the roof back. I can't quote the dimensions but they looked big enough. Floor loading would need to be looked at. Mice for sure will nest in the machine on your porch.
> I am sure the short walls can be removed. Might be a PIA but I can see opening the top and door one door then one short (side) walls for moving the machine in and out.
> Found it for `ya
> Shed
> ...


I believe that’s a Suncast as well......


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

If you're looking for a fast solution (I'm sure the dogs are!), Harbor Freight sells a variety of car ramps in all lengths and heights and configurations. Your sub-400# snowblower won't even make them breathe hard, so literally anything will work. Grab one or two sets as needed and just drive the unit right up/down the ramps. When not being used you can toss them behind the bushes.

I love the dedicated shed idea but got the impression you're looking for a reasonably quick solution. Around here we call this sort of thing a "moron project", because while it may start out as a quick fix, you quickly say "while I'm at it I might as well do this too" and after a while you pile "more on" and "more on" until you lose sight of the simple problem you wanted to solve. I'm super-sensitive to that now and resist the temptation to over-solve simple problems. YMMV.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

IDEngineer said:


> If you're looking for a fast solution (I'm sure the dogs are!), Harbor Freight sells a variety of car ramps in all lengths and heights and configurations. Your sub-400# snowblower won't even make them breathe hard, so literally anything will work. Grab one or two sets as needed and just drive the unit right up/down the ramps. When not being used you can toss them behind the bushes.
> 
> I love the dedicated shed idea but got the impression you're looking for a reasonably quick solution. Around here we call this sort of thing a "moron project", because while it may start out as a quick fix, you quickly say "while I'm at it I might as well do this too" and after a while you pile "more on" and "more on" until you lose sight of the simple problem you wanted to solve. I'm super-sensitive to that now and resist the temptation to over-solve simple problems. YMMV.


You got it: have a Black Widow ramp I got a good deal on coming possibly tomorrow or Friday. That’ll get it up onto my covered deck and I have a place for it. I’m reminded of my days living on a sailboat where I had an Onan 7.5kw generator with a sound shield. That’s what I need, like a sound shield. I may just fabricate an enclosure that will cover it but, frankly, it just may sit there under cover (a la avoid the “moron project“) depending on if I want to spend the $$ for one of those Suncast horizontal sheds. Hey, in for a penny, in for a pound. 👋


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

Tested out my new ramp the other day, 3-pc, each piece about 25#, and taking the easy way out for off season storage on my covered deck. Skipping the shed idea. Very easy assembly. Overkill for sure but just a walk in the park up and down. I see this board has gone silent, off season for most of you while I not only have 3” due tonight but generally we get heavy wet snow through April. It’ll be May before I shut down, then off season maintenance with a few installs and my 20 hour oil change. Well stocked up on shear pins for next season, it’s been a learning experience. Thanks to all for your patience, truly appreciated. ✌🏼


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

Breckcapt said:


> I see this board has gone silent


Not silent, we were just regrouping...


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## IDEngineer (Oct 16, 2018)

Yeah, you're not the only one still getting snow. We got several inches on several days last week. The only reason we weren't getting snow over the weekend was due to 50-100 MPH winds in our region.


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## Breckcapt (Jan 4, 2017)

IDEngineer said:


> Yeah, you're not the only one still getting snow. We got several inches on several days last week. The only reason we weren't getting snow over the weekend was due to 50-100 MPH winds in our region.


Yesterday it was 48 degrees, Sunny & warm, sitting on back deck with dogs, snow melting off the roof into the heat taped gutter, and I woke up to this morning to this:


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