# Sticky  Winter 2021-22 Safety Thread



## Yanmar Ronin

As we all get ready to enjoy our machines this season, never forget... they can chew more than snow.

*Read and understand your Owner's Manual, especially if you're new to blowing or unfamiliar with the machine. If you don't understand something, please ask someone experienced before launching off.

*ALWAYS better safe than sorry... stop, think, then act.

*Fingers/other don't grow back. Pain sucks.

*DON'T let this be you:










Everyone please stay careful and safe. 🍻


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## Oneacer

Ouch ... very graphic image there, but sends the point home ...

Never, ever put your hand near a running blower ... even when it is shut off, there can be built up inertia in the auger, impeller and drive system. Always use a tool to do any blockages on a non-running machine.

Never wear loose clothing or any hanging scarfs or anything with dangling string pull ties, etc..

Wear appropriate footwear to provide non slip traction.

Any of the older equipment like the Ariens 10000 series, etc. should only be operated by very experienced individuals, and never let a child or anyone just run one, unless very well supervised.


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## Ziggy65

When snow blowing keep children, adults and pets away from the area you are clearing. You don't want a child or pet getting caught in the auger or hit by a rock thrown from the chute. 

Never aim the chute in the direction of cars or windows incase you pick up a projectile.

Take your time when blowing snow, it's not a race. Accidents usually happen when you are rushing.


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## orangputeh

Some operators like to tie down the auger handle for whatever reason. Maybe they say their hand gets tired holding it down. 
Don't do this. It's a safety thing where the augers stop turning when you are away from a running machine.

I see this all the time.


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## Big Ed

The Snowbird has no safety shutoff like that if you slip it keeps on trucking. lol.

Beware of holiday electric cords under the snow, don't forget they are there.
Edit again, watch out for news papers too.
Using a shovel? Edit (No) to know your limits, shoveling will kill you too.

Beware of body parts starting to freeze, stop and warm up so you don't get frostbite.


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## orangputeh

Very good point about working while tired. I take union breaks every once in awhile even though not in Teamsters union anymore.

The ER has many snowblower incidents every season


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## phendric

Oneacer said:


> ...very graphic image there...


Yes, yes it is.


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## Darby

From the quotes to live by thread, "make haste slowly" Working too fast clouds thought.


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## dr bob

Pay Attention. All The Time.

Read the Manual. Maybe every year. I'm getting to the point where I can't remember even half of the stuff I've forgotten. So a trip through the manual is a good exercise. I write a LOT of manuals, and try and respect the efforts of others who do the same. A good manual is like a piece of great art. Certainly more valuable if you look at it.

Stay ahead of maintenance. Saves you trying to do something stupid, in a hurry, with a stressed head and frozen fingers.


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## Huntergreen

Spent a career working in the ER. Don’t think this can’t happen to you. One of the last snowblower incidents I saw was a first aid squad member who gave safety courses on home power equipment.


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## Yanmar Ronin

Very good addendums all, thanks for taking note. Much appreciated.

As to the graphic nature of the picture... yes indeed it is, and very much on purpose. And that one is actually quite tame; if you have a strong stomach do an image search for "snowblower hand injury".

In case anyone is interested, the photo I posted is part of a longer post detailing the injury and treatment. That can be found here. (Caution, language/graphic).


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## Yanmar Ronin

dr bob said:


> Read the Manual. Maybe every year. I'm getting to the point where I can't remember even half of the stuff I've forgotten. So a trip through the manual is a good exercise.... Stay ahead of maintenance.  Saves you trying to do something stupid, in a hurry, with a stressed head and frozen fingers.





Huntergreen said:


> Spent a career working in the ER. Don’t think this can’t happen to you. One of the last snowblower incidents I saw was a first aid squad member who gave safety courses on home power equipment.


These and others bring to light another great point... don't let familiarity breed complacency.


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## Cstanis

I came upon this post and thought it appropriate to comment. Several years ago I witnessed a three year old boy fall in front of a snowblower it was a two stage and his snowsuit got caught in the auger. The father reacted quickly and released the auger handle. I ran over and looked at him and all I could think of was God don't let him be hurt. His boot was on an angle and I thought maybe he broke his ankle but he wasn't crying. We had to cut the snowsuit away and other than a few scratches he was ok.

I always respect power equipment but that experience put a new perspective on how fast ones life could change.
Sorry for the rambling


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## Yanmar Ronin

Cstanis said:


> Sorry for the rambling


Naw ya done good... nice time to bump the thread anyhow as the snow gets ready to fly. 👍


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## WrenchIt

I suspect the Gravely Dogeater earned its appellation the hard way.


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## Ballroomblitz

Absolutely awful picture had to turn my head away, maybe it can allow others to appreciate that these machines must be respected and handled with safety first in mind. When i joined this forum many years ago the first thing i learned from established posters was to always be extremely careful for this very reason, lesson well learned and something i am quite aware of everytime i need to service my machine or clear out a chute. Thank you for the post as it is another reminder for us all on the impact if we fail to take safety seriously enough.


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## Yanmar Ronin

Ballroomblitz said:


> ...Thank you for the post as it is another reminder for us all on the impact if we fail to take safety seriously enough.


You're very welcome.


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## dr bob

A post in a recent maintenance and repair thread reminds us that adding fuel to a hot engine is Not A Very Good Idea. In that post, a member shares that the small fuel fire melted wiring and plastic linkage parts, and damaged the carburetor.

Adding fuel to a small engine? Do it while the engine is cold, before you dash out to use it. Out blowing and run low on fuel? Shut the engine off and go take care of some other business while the engine has a chance to cool off, and only add fuel to an engine that's cool enough for you to put your bare hands on any exposed engine part without doing more than warm your bare fingers a bit.


The fizzix:
Gasoline will self-ignite at temps above about 450-500ºF, depending on where you find the information. A still-hot exhaust satisfies this requirement nicely. It will flash to vapor when temperature is above about -45ºF (that's forty-five degrees below zero Fahrenheit...), suggesting that it can offer a flammable or explosive mixture in virtually any condition we not-Antarcticans will be trying to clear snow. Even if you don't pour or splash liquid gasoline directly on the hot exhaust, the vapor will spontaneously combust on contact. Reminder also that a static spark, generated when you rustle your arms in your synthetic-shell parka or wind pants, is all that it takes to ignite the flammable vapor.

So... Always fuel outside, away from any ignition source. Always fuel a cool engine. "Ground" yourself and your fuel can to the snowblower chassis before you start fueling. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. And remember that you can remove burning clothing and roll in the snow to extinguish yourself if the need arises.


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## Yanmar Ronin

dr bob said:


> Adding fuel to a small engine? Do it while the engine is cold, before you dash out to use it.


Yes, good call. 

I'd add... use something for fueling that's easy to control, like an electric siphon with a shut-off on the nozzle. Much easier to 'meter' the fuel that way, and stop it before a spill/overflow that could possibly ignite later.

Besides... a big full fuel can is heavy, especially out in the cold and in a hurry with froze fingers.


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## sledman8002002

Yanmar Ronin said:


> a big full fuel can is heavy, especially out in the cold and in a hurry with froze fingers


You're right about that, I find they seem to get heavier every year too. I keep 1 and 2 gallon cans for the smaller equipment and save the big lads for trucks and quads.


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## dr bob

Lots of folks seem to bad-mouth the latest fill nozzles with the shut-offs. I've discovered that I can prop the 5-gal fuel can on the crossbar, and use the shutoff feature on that nozzle to stop flow when level gets close to the top. They are supposed to shut off "automatically" when the rising tank level starts to block the vent passage in the nozzle, but the can is too flexible (collapses...) to depend on that to work when the can is more than 2/3 full of fuel. I still need to pay attention.


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## tabora

Yanmar Ronin said:


> use something for fueling that's easy to control, like an electric siphon with a shut-off on the nozzle.





dr bob said:


> I still need to pay attention.


I've been using one of these and have been pretty happy with it, although the battery contacts corrode too easily and require some vigilance. Electronics contact cleaner will keep them happy, though.








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## Yanmar Ronin

tabora said:


> I've been using one of these and have been pretty happy with it, although the battery contacts corrode too easily and require some vigilance. Electronics contact cleaner will keep them happy, though.


I have a couple like that too, and they also work real good for filling the kero stoves.

The Tera with the handle valve are these: (mine are the 3v version but)









Amazon.com: TERA PUMP Gas Transfer Pump with Flow Control for DEF Diesel Kerosene (3.3ft Long Hose, Gas Pump Style Nozzle) Battery Powered Liquid Transfer Pump : Automotive


Buy TERA PUMP Gas Transfer Pump with Flow Control for DEF Diesel Kerosene (3.3ft Long Hose, Gas Pump Style Nozzle) Battery Powered Liquid Transfer Pump: Hand Fuel Pumps - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



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Just noticed the price, wow they got expen$ive...


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## meierjn

Yanmar Ronin said:


> I have a couple like that too, and they also work real good for filling the kero stoves.
> 
> The Tera with the handle valve are these: (mine are the 3v version but)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amazon.com: TERA PUMP Gas Transfer Pump with Flow Control for DEF Diesel Kerosene (3.3ft Long Hose, Gas Pump Style Nozzle) Battery Powered Liquid Transfer Pump : Automotive
> 
> 
> Buy TERA PUMP Gas Transfer Pump with Flow Control for DEF Diesel Kerosene (3.3ft Long Hose, Gas Pump Style Nozzle) Battery Powered Liquid Transfer Pump: Hand Fuel Pumps - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
> 
> 
> 
> www.amazon.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just noticed the price, wow they got expen$ive...


What the heck is the "shower head" attachment for?


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## Ziggy65

I bought one of those battery transfer pumps last year, after reading about them on this forum.
They work great, wish I had bought one years ago.











Princess Auto has one on sale right now for $6.99


https://www.princessauto.com/en/battery-operated-transfer-pump/product/PA0008920878


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## Yanmar Ronin

meierjn said:


> What the heck is the "shower head" attachment for?


Unknown, mine don't have that.


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## tabora

meierjn said:


> What the heck is the "shower head" attachment for?


Taking a shower, of course. With warm water, not gasoline. Or watering plants.


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## Mortten

Worked on and around equipment my whole life. But it only takes a second of stupidity to cause harm. Was using my Cub Cadet 1250 tractor with a QA-36 PTO driven thrower on it. Got some slush clogged in the chute. Shut the PTO off and idled the tractor down but didn’t shut it off. BIG mistake. I must have bumped the switch ( no safeties on that old a tractor). I went to push the cog down and it got me. My hand was stuck and the belt was slipping. As I was trying to reach to shut the switch off it stalled and my hand came out. Still had gloves on. I looked at it and knew it was bad. Walked a block and a half home and had the wife call the squad. 
















This was New Years Eve morning 2017. 9 1/2 hours of surgery and 3 more hours 6 days later. Lost 3 fingers and the thumb was broken in 6 places. But I’m a resilient guy. 6 months later on July 1st I started installing the first of 20 new windows in the house. Don’t think for a second it will never happen to you. 
How it looks today.


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## Yanmar Ronin

Thanks for sharing that, sobering indeed.

We should make a couple of these pics into stickers for our machines... that'd make ya think twice fo' sho'.


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## Sid

I used to work in a municipal school system. We would start blowing early , 6 am until the kids started to come into the building, then we would stop until the kids all were in the building, , because they would run around the machines , and otherwise act dangerously . No one ever got hurt that way .
Sid


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## LouC

This is why I much prefer single stage machines with rubber paddles. Much much safer than a 2 stage with metal augers/impeller.


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## JLawrence08648

There's a few things we need to do to be careful, use a stick, broom handle, snowblower clearing tool with the auger off. If you need to, turn the engine off. If working on the auger, remove the spark plug, there's still compression that will turn the engine. If you not want to remove the spark plug, you can pull the cord until you've passed the compression stroke.


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