# so for those of you getting tons of snow on the east coast ...



## ehonda (Jan 17, 2015)

So for those of you getting tons of snow on the east coast, what's your general impression? 

Some of you are obviously snowblower junkies -- tinker with them, buy/sell them, tear them apart, modify them, watch vides of them online, etc.

So with as much snow as you're getting, are you sick of it? Or you can't get enough?

When you think about next season, do you hope there's no snow at all?

Around here, it's been an extremely light snow season, except for a 20" blizzard last week, and people here were bitching and moaning.


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## WestminsterFJR (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm a bit anal retentive when it comes to snowblowing, or everything, for that matter. The snow lines have to be straight, 3" away from my lawn's edge, the piles have to be in the right location, etc. As a result, I've been operating under survival mode lately. Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to relax and capture videos in blizzard conditions with over a foot of snow on the ground. After the initial pass, I'm more at ease. But by then, there's not much left to video.


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## motorhead64 (Dec 15, 2013)

Running out of places to put snow on my small in-town property. More snow on the way. MH


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

While I love getting out there, being immersed in the snow falls and fighting back with the machinery, I'm quite concerned about the snow loads on the roof, ice dams and the safety of the school kids and other pedestrians forced to walk in the streets. A few people have been killed during these past weeks and roofs are starting to collapse.


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## melson (Feb 9, 2015)

It's a little over the top - too much too quickly. I spent 3 hours moving snow around so I'd have a place to put the 12+ inches that's coming-in Valentines Day. Haven't had to do that but maybe twice before. Sheesh.


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## fixer5000 (Nov 3, 2013)

hey theres another foot or so coming this weekend right??? aaaaaarrrrggggg lol i love my snowblower but ya know??? enough is enough lol


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## Duff Daddy (Sep 22, 2014)

Well this is my first year in the house. 115' x 8' and then a 40x40 section ...decent size driveway. 
I started off with the Deere, now have 4 total and working on a 5th. I think these will become toys for the summer where I can take some time and clean up. Possibly repower and sell some. 

As far as where to put it. I try to take everything from the 40x40 and blow it to part of the 100ft strip...then I blow that to a little marsh/swap area we have where it wont get in to any foundations or leachfield area


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## time2time (Jan 8, 2015)

We're not too bad here in NJ.. got enough to test the toys, but not so much as to be inundated. It sucks to have to deal with a lot of snow, but at least it is satisfying to be prepared for it when it happens.

Still, I am looking forward to spring.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

WestminsterFJR, I am in the same club. But your 3" off the edge of the grass is my 3' over the edge of the grass to allow for the whole winter season of clearing. And it's 10' in the back yard.  

My dad gives me a hard time about treating the clearing of the snow like it's a science. I tell him, "dad, it is a science." He says just go out and clear it and be done with it. I just laugh my DUPA off when he tells me that. 

Anyway, there is a lot of planning on how to clear your property. 




WestminsterFJR said:


> I'm a bit anal retentive when it comes to snowblowing, or everything, for that matter. The snow lines have to be straight, 3" away from my lawn's edge, the piles have to be in the right location, etc. As a result, I've been operating under survival mode lately. Maybe it's just me, but I find it hard to relax and capture videos in blizzard conditions with over a foot of snow on the ground. After the initial pass, I'm more at ease. But by then, there's not much left to video.


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## rnaude241 (Nov 24, 2013)

I couldn't love it more! I enjoy every minute I am outside snowblowing so this winter (last 3 weeks really) has been great. At this point I am hoping we crush the all time snow record for Boston. 

As for next year, there is no way we can duplicate what's happening now, but I will still enjoy cleaning any of the smaller systems we may get.


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## JnC (Feb 21, 2014)

I love putting the machines to work every chance that I get but dealing with snow/snow removal at work is pain in the you know what. Sick of dealing with idiots on the road that think they have feet of God, doesnt help I have to commute around 60 miles a day down to Bedford, MA from Nashua, NH.


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## SnowdIn (Feb 12, 2015)

*MA: All kinds of records broken*

New member here. I'm in central Mass and the good part of all of this snow we're getting is it has been dry and fluffy because it has also been very cold during the storms as well. (Current temp: 8 degrees where I am this morning)
This makes it real easy to move the snow and my snow blower throws it far. (1997 Toro 824 PowerShift) Almost makes it fun to see the plume traveling 40-50' away through the air. It's also easier on the machine. 

Worcester, in central MA is currently at 92.1" [Normal to date: 40.6"] of snow for the season. This is about 50.0" above normal and places the city at #1 in the top 5 of snowiest cities this year in the U.S. (Ahead of Buffalo: 86.4" [68.8"], Erie: 85.9" [73.6"], Boston: 78.5" [*27.4"*], and Syracuse: 74.7" [87.0"]) We have received three storms so far that have exceeded 30-36" in some localities.


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## Dave C (Jan 26, 2015)

Normally I hate snow. It's something that has to be dealt with on a timely basis (clearing public sidewalks around my house), and it keeps me from getting to work on time. My small 5/22 ailing Craftsman blower is inadequate to handle the 40 inch blizzards like we got in 2013 and won't even touch the wet slushy stuff that we get early/late winter.

This year is different. I got laid off in January and I have no urgent place to be in the morning, so I can deal with snow at my leisure. Also treated myself to a new Ariens beast that makes it all so much easier. Not exactly fun, but not back breaking work like it used to be.

So... let it snow.


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## Surge (Dec 31, 2013)

Just moved to a new house with a larger driveway. I wanted some decent snowstorms to get an idea of how to clear this place. The last storm was perfect practice. My town is probably at its yearly average now. I put on over twice the usage now and have learned the hard way to double check all connections before starting out. 
The worst part about these recent storms is the extreme cold and winds. I don't mind snow blowing when it's above 20F, but single digits and wind gusts over 30mph is something I can do without.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

People are going to see a lot of damage once it warms up a bit and the ice starts to melt. I was chatting with a guy this morning and he said he's got to have his umbrella up and rain coat on when he's in his kitchen...it was that bad.

*PSA*: I know most stores are out of snow melt at this time. Medway Block (Rt 109) has about 300 bags of calcium chloride in stock. 50lbs for $25. Cal chloride is supposed to be "safe" to use on the roof.


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## bkwudz (Jan 14, 2013)

I don't mind the snow around the house, it gets me outside with something to do. I like tinkering with better ways to remove and move snow. Like hopped up snowblowers and my latest creation, a copy of a tool to remove snow from the roof. Its only been tested on the small shed roof, but I see no reason it won't work on the bigger roof...find out tomorrow.





 
youtu.be/FrY9NNabwdY

getting around with all the snow pile is a pita, and traffic sucks too.


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## Skeet Shooter (Oct 2, 2014)

I like that both my machines are awesome, however, at my investment property, clearing snow there is a real pain. I have a pretty severe inclined driveway that is boxed in with retaining walls on both sides and then the house and a walkway. Then i have a good deal of sidewalk along with two flights of concrete stairs and more sidewalk up to a 15 foot 4 stair landing to a porch. 

Snow blowing is the easy part. The whole shoveling the stairs and laying down salt and sand is the painful and costly part of it. Also my driveway needs to be replaced and has some pretty good ruts in it from the many decades of cars driving up and down it. So i blow snow first, then take out a scraper and scrape the ruts out and add salt to those so the cars can get up and down. Of course if my tenants had cars that weren't running summer tires, or had AWD/4X4, this wouldnt be necessary...


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

bkwudz said:


> I don't mind the snow around the house, it gets me outside with something to do. I like tinkering with better ways to remove and move snow. Like hopped up snowblowers and my latest creation, a copy of a tool to remove snow from the roof. Its only been tested on the small shed roof, but I see no reason it won't work on the bigger roof...find out tomorrow.
> 
> http://youtu.be/FrY9NNabwdY
> 
> ...


 That's Slick!


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

That's a good idea. Is the blue plastic sheeting just the basic tarp material you'd buy at Home Depot? That should be quite durable.

I've got a couple of roof rakes. They've been getting a lot of use in recent days.


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

I couldn't be happier with the 80"+ snowfall totals we've had the last few weeks. Ultimate test for snow blower upkeep and maintenance. Not sure our black lab feels the same way I do. Other than the 15"x15" patch I cleared in our back yard, there's not a whole lot of green in this area. And judging by the most recent forecasts, it's going to stay that way for a while.


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## AandPDan (Nov 18, 2014)

I'm in central MA and we've been getting hammered but not as bad as some parts of the state. I don't mind the snow, I just wish it would melt a bit. I'm running out of places to throw it. 

Fortunately, the folks moved somewhere with much less snow so I received their snowblower this year. I ran it during high school and it still works just great, an Ariens 924050, all original. Until then we just shoveled and didn't appreciate the need for a snowblower.


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## tinter (Apr 20, 2014)

Soooo ready to put away the Honda and pull out the golf clubs.


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

This is nothing compared to 1980. That's my hand holding the telephone wires as I'm standing on top of the snow bank. 



That is also the winter we registered a minus 40°C (-40°F) Citation almost didn't start and it was plugged in. Froze my contact lenses onto my eyes on the way to my car.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

It's been an uncommonly compressed string of storms after a slow start and we may be looking at our second blizzard in as many weeks, that's very uncommon. Where I am, about 20 miles south of Portland Maine we have been spared the deepest of the deepest on most storms but it sure is piling up. The good news is that they have all be dry and easy to blow. That keeps it fun and with the throwing distances staying strong the dispersal away from the edges have been great. With wetter snow my tall piles would be taller. As it stands some are well over 6 feet by now.

Personally this storm is falling on the holiday weekend so I'll dress up and enjoy it. Many of the prior storms have had awful weekday timing with the need to do a morning partial clean-up to get the family out for the day and an evening follow-up. Sometimes the final clean-up spanned 2 nights just to save time for other to-dos like putting my Mr. Gilson hat on for e-mail and part shipments. Add the day job and a full nights sleep has been hard to come by. As for refurbishing machines that does not even seem to be on the radar screen right now. 6 weeks from now thoughts of spring will fill my head. 





 of snow clean-up in the day.

Pete


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## Pathfinder13 (Feb 28, 2014)

fixer5000 said:


> hey theres another foot or so coming this weekend right??? aaaaaarrrrggggg lol i love my snowblower but ya know??? enough is enough lol



+1 on that !! Give us a break and have some more next month and even some in early April, but no walloped four weeks in a row 

Oh well, at least I have had snow to test and adjust and my repower carb and belts "dialed in" just right now. 

Here we go again... this weekend. AND the funny thing is that the dogsled race (Iditarod?) sp? had to be moved to a different spot for lack of snow in the ALASKA town where it's held.  Article is on USA Today.


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

The only thing I hate is that I can't get my ariens on my roof. I have to shovel to prevent ice dams and I hate to shovel


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## 69ariens (Jan 29, 2011)

Spectrum said:


> It's been an uncommonly compressed string of storms after a slow start and we may be looking at our second blizzard in as many weeks, that's very uncommon. Where I am, about 20 miles south of Portland Maine we have been spared the deepest of the deepest on most storms but it sure is piling up. The good news is that they have all be dry and easy to blow. That keeps it fun and with the throwing distances staying strong the dispersal away from the edges have been great. With wetter snow my tall piles would be taller. As it stands some are well over 6 feet by now.
> 
> Personally this storm is falling on the holiday weekend so I'll dress up and enjoy it. Many of the prior storms have had awful weekday timing with the need to do a morning partial clean-up to get the family out for the day and an evening follow-up. Sometimes the final clean-up spanned 2 nights just to save time for other to-dos like putting my Mr. Gilson hat on for e-mail and part shipments. Add the day job and a full nights sleep has been hard to come by. As for refurbishing machines that does not even seem to be on the radar screen right now. 6 weeks from now thoughts of spring will fill my head.
> 
> ...


I saw that vid not to long ago. the guys spreading sand were crazy and I bet very sore.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

69ariens said:


> I saw that vid not to long ago. the guys spreading sand were crazy and I bet very sore.


I remember men standing in a load of sand tossing to the sidewalks with shovels but never in a tilted bed feeding a roadway spreader, that was pre-OSHA!

The city I grew up in had a Walter they used for the beach areas that get huge drifts. I used to love seeing and hearing that beast head out pat where I lived.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)

*Gentlemen!! Start your engines...*

and fill your gas cans!

The weather folks are describing a "*significant*" storm for Wednesday cuz today's blizzard just isn't enough


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

time2time said:


> We're not too bad here in NJ.. got enough to test the toys, but not so much as to be inundated. It sucks to have to deal with a lot of snow, but at least it is satisfying to be prepared for it when it happens.
> 
> Still, I am looking forward to spring.



My answer for Central Jersey,........can't get enough?

I am still waiting for something to blow, my gas can has been full since November. 
Looks like I will be using it for the lawnmowers soon.


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## Joe25da (Feb 1, 2015)

I don't really mind it, I had my dad ove yesterday to give me a hand taking some snow off the roof. It's a pain at work tho. I'm a groundskeeper at a private high school. The equipment is getting older, and there are a ton of sidewalks and curb edges to do. And now we are shoveling roofs. I'm looking forward to getting the Shute extension on my machine


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## PixMan (Feb 14, 2015)

New member here after hitting the site while searching for info on the new way of motor makers getting higher numbers on their products: Torque instead of HP. Nice to see so many fellow Mass folks here.

I'm taking care of my home on a postage stamp sized lot in-town, Spencer MA with a 2006 Husqvarna SBE10530 (AYP made) machine. When I finish fixing it by throwing $30 worth of parts in it, the thing works great for an hour or two.

Over at my mom's on Airport Hill in Worcester, the 15 year old Brute 10HP 29" machine finally gave up with a broken auger weld and split in the auger housing. The $0.25 shear bolt is still in perfect condition. 

So I hit City Power Equipment on 2/5 and apparently got the last known Ariens Deluxe 28+ with that AWESOME AX414 motor. One use of it and I'm out looking for one just like it to replace the POS Husqvarna. Oh well, looks like I need to spend $400 more for a Platinum 30 SHO to get that power. And I have to wait. No dealer can give me a date, and it may not even happen this season. 

I really want them (Ariens) to make more of the one I got. It's the PERFECT machine for a frugal Yankee, because it's got the power and right size, without the amenities that add cost without aiding snow removal rates. That would be the heated handgrips and funky joystick chute control.

Yup, really sick of all the snow because the only place to put it now is UP on top of the piles. And you need serious power to get it there.


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