# My first Snow Blower: A Snapper 5/22



## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Hello, my name is Rick and i'm new to this forum (was sure to post an introduction.) As a new home owner of about six months, I finally decided to get a snowblower after shoveling my 60ft driveway a few times. We have a two car garage so the driveway is somewhat wide as well (if you are shoveling it sure seems like it anyway!)

After looking around a bit a friend offered me his Snapper 5/22 free of charge. It is currently at the local small engine repair place getting a full tune up. I asked the owner to change the oil and plugs, and to check the belts, grease whatever needs greasing, etc. I will probably to a little paint work on it this summer, just where there are touches of rust...which luckily is not too many places. I can't figure out how to add a picture yet, but will soon. It looks like this one:

https://cd5a26cb38e2f692acf4-1755b9e4a9778d68267568d15a55e9ec.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/5485b2c5d4/3-1.jpg

Questions I have:

-What years were these made

-Are they generally reliable and favorably regarded among snow blower enthusiasts?

-Is Snapper generally considered to be an entry level, mid grade, or high end grade of power equipment?

-Anything I can do besides "tune ups" at the shop to keep this thing running tip top?

-What is the most snow I can blow with this thing? Should I keep it under 12' inches?

-Are electric start kits worth the trouble of trying to keep another battery charged? I don't really mind pull starting as long as it works.

Thanks, and will try to take and post some pictures as soon as I get it back from the shop.


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

RickDangerous said:


> Hello, my name is Rick and i'm new to this forum (was sure to post an introduction.) As a new home owner of about six months, I finally decided to get a snowblower after shoveling my 60ft driveway a few times. We have a two car garage so the driveway is somewhat wide as well (if you are shoveling it sure seems like it anyway!)
> 
> After looking around a bit a friend offered me his Snapper 5/22 free of charge. It is currently at the local small engine repair place getting a full tune up. I asked the owner to change the oil and plugs, and to check the belts, grease whatever needs greasing, etc. I will probably to a little paint work on it this summer, just where there are touches of rust...which luckily is not too many places. I can't figure out how to add a picture yet, but will soon. It looks like this one:
> 
> ...


Yours is entry level to lower mid level but don't worry about it, it's fine. You have a 5hp Tecumseh engine, a good basic engine that everyone on here owns. 

I don't know what your shop does in a tune-up, use synthetic oil, have the wheels removed and axles sanded and greased. I only replace belts if they are bad, not routinely. I never replace a spark plug. Ask for the parts back. The shop may give you someone else's parts!

You can do 24" of snow with that. In wet snow the chute will clog. You have a tall chute which is nice. You will slow at the EOD end of driveway.

Electric start is just that, electric start, no battery, you have to plug it in to an extension cord.

After using it, you decide if you want to upgrade. Careful of new with the pretty!


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

JLawrence08648 said:


> Yours is entry level to lower mid level but don't worry about it, it's fine. You have a 5hp Tecumseh engine, a good basic engine that everyone on here owns.
> 
> I don't know what your shop does in a tune-up, use synthetic oil, have the wheels removed and axles sanded and greased. I only replace belts if they are bad, not routinely. I never replace a spark plug. Ask for the parts back. The shop may give you someone else's parts!
> 
> ...


Thanks; Super helpful all around!

I really don't mind doing a pull start as long as the machine actually starts after 2-3 pulls, so I will keep it as is for a while.

24" snow...wow. We recently had about 36" here in VT. What i've been told the strategy is when the snow is expected to exceed your blower's capacity, is to go out and blow mid storm, and then finish up the other half when the storm is done. Thanks again JL


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

RickDangerous said:


> 24" snow...wow. We recently had about 36" here in VT. What i've been told the strategy is when the snow is expected to exceed your blower's capacity, is to go out and blow mid storm, and then finish up the other half when the storm is done. Thanks again JL


I like to go out once! And have done 26" with my Ariens 5hp 22" easily though slower and dry. I have found when I go out and do 12" of a 24" snow when I go out later the 12" has filled in and back to 24". That's my sidewalk, the driveway is different and it as bad.


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## detdrbuzzard (Jan 20, 2012)

hello rick, welcome to *SBF!!* you can read the maintenance forums to see what others have done to their blowers with 5hp Tecumseh motors. that will save you a few bucks at the shop. if you can have the shop install an impeller kit, it will help your snapper blow more snow and not clog up when the snow is wet and heavy. being your first snowblower go slow and don't over work your machine, half bucket to 3/4 buckets of snow after the first pass


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Welcome to the forum Rick, I have almost the same exact snow blower but mine is the 6hp version, Very solid made machines and have gone through some pretty heavy snow. 2014 was when we got 4 storms in a row and no time between to melt and the first yr I had my house and got this from the old owner and wow did I put mine through a workout and it just kept going. Still use it actually. This is my brother using it before he got his new one with the impeller mod and as you can see the depth of the snow is pretty deep but I have gone through deeper with it.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Dauntae said:


> Welcome to the forum Rick, I have almost the same exact snow blower nut mine is the 6hp version, Very solid made machines and have gone through some pretty heavy snow. 2014 was when we got 4 storms in a row and no time between to melt and the first yr I had my house and got this from the old owner and wow did I put mine through a workout and it just kept going. Still use it actually. This is my brother using it before he got his new one with the impeller mod and as you can see the depth of the snow is pretty deep but I have gone through deeper with it.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmA0oyCs4xA


Awesome! Thanks for sharing that snow looks DEEP for a little 6hp machine.

Can anyone post a link to where one can buy the impeller mod online? Or is it something that has to be fabricated or ordered through a local shop? Thanks!


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

This is basically all it is, You can make one much cheaper. Do a search on impeller mod and there will be a lot of sources to get what you need in that thread.
SNOW BLOWER IMPELLER KIT?- 1/4" 3-Blade Universal- Modifies 2-Stage Machine | eBay


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## JLawrence08648 (Jan 15, 2017)

Do a search on here, LOT of info and recently, past month or so. You can buy pre-made on eBay or Amazon or make it yourself using SBR, conveyor belting, and TSC has baling belting. Then stainless screws or bolts, washers, torque nuts, and a strip of metal.


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

*My 2 cents...*

:icon-clapping-smile Snapper is an old and revered name in lawn and garden equipment.
You have to post ten times before you can post pictures.
My advice is always use non-ethanol gas, use this website to see where in your neighborhood to buy it, Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada and add a gas stabilizer because any gas over 30 days old starts to go stale. 
Secondly, sparkplugs are cheap, change your oil and sparkplug every 25 hours and you'll have a reliably starting and running machine. Don't over fill the oil, use 5w30 synthetic and run engine wide open for good lubrication because these engines have a splash lubrication system that doesn't atomize the oil well at low rpm. Enjoy!


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Again, thank you all and super helpful. Will definitely order and install the impeller kit ASAP, and the Ethanol Free gas map is awesome, now aware of my local ethanol free spots and will be using them for bikes, boats, and power equipment.

How does the impeller kit work? Smaller tolerances in the second stage mean less space for snow to collect and clog?


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## FearlessFront (Aug 18, 2016)

Those older Snappers are the best, especially the heavy duty ones that were 8hp and up. Like the 8/24. One of the reasons the older snappers prior to 2004 when Briggs took their name were so good, is because the gap between the impeller and the belly has one of the smallest gaps that was on the market, so they throw snow the farthest. Impeller mods are almost not necessary on the Snappers that's how close the impeller is to the belly. Either way they are excellent workhorse machines.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

My 6/22 had about a 1/4 inch gap, the reason you get clogging is ice forms on the surface in the clearance and slows down the throwing snow when it's wetter, The rubber in the mod scrapes the slush off and doesn't give the new slush any place to stick so it throws faster out of the chute preventing it from clogging up. Well that's my understanding of it anyway.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Dauntae said:


> My 6/22 had about a 1/4 inch gap, the reason you get clogging is ice forms on the surface in the clearance and slows down the throwing snow when it's wetter, The rubber in the mod scrapes the slush off and doesn't give the new slush any place to stick so it throws faster out of the chute preventing it from clogging up. Well that's my understanding of it anyway.


So despite the tighter clearance on the older snappers, an impeller mod is still a useful upgrade?


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

SO.....got a call from my mechanic today.

-Apparently he thinks its a 6hp model. He said he has done a lot of work on these over the years and despite the 5hp label on my Tecumsuh motor he says he's SURE it's the 6HP motor. Interesting...

-Repairs were $296 dollars (Ouch) apparently the carb needed a total cleaning, belts were dry rotted and needed to be replaced, shift linkage had to be replaced, everything oiled/greased, maybe something else I can't remember. I know it has sat for a few years....happy to save an old machine but man; hoping he didn't take me to the cleaners..

Picking up today in anticipation of Fri/Sat slush storm we are getting


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Ouch, that's a bit $$$ in my opinion, mine IS the 6hp and one a few differences are the choke knob is on the top and all the 5hp had it on the side or the engine, another thing I noticed is the starter motor is larger than the 5hp starters. Post some pics when you can and we'll see what's on it.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Okay...finally got my blower home today. Looks like it was made in 1990.

The guy at the shop claimed he had to call Tecumseh for some parts, and gave them the serial number. He said that that model year (89/90) they made a mistake and used some 6HP blocks that were meant to go with 5hp engines and that my engine was one of those. The top end still looks to be 5hp though, so i'd imagine it's 5hp, even though this guy seems to think it's six.

He changed oil, something to do with the ignition (said flame was orange, and needed to be blue, greased everything up, cleaned the carb, and did a bunch of other stuff.

Runs great! May get a chance to use it this weekend too it's looking like. 

Is automotive de-icer (alcohol based) okay to spray in the chute to prevent ice buildup before my impeller mod kit gets in?


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Looks good, I think mine was from around 85-86 if I remember right but you can see the slight difference in the heater box.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

So what's the consensus from my pictures and story from the mechanic. 5 horse or 6 horse?


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

RickDangerous said:


> Picking up today in anticipation of Fri/Sat slush storm we are getting


I understand you are excited to try it out!







especially since you havent yet used it..
but..
I hate to tell you this, but IMO you absolutely should *not* try to use the snowblower this weekend, for three reasons:

1. It wont work, at all.
2. you will be disappointed.
3. It will tell you absolutely _nothing_ about how the machine will work in "real" snow.









2-stage snowblowers simply aren't designed for slush..they dont handle it well at all, many cant throw it at all..
its just not what they were designed to do.

You have a very nice little snowblower!







a quality machine that very likely will throw like a pro..next winter.








with 4" to 18" of *cold* regular winter snow, it will probably do great..

with a thin layer of slush..its not even worth trying.
here is what everyone who has a 2-stage snowblower does with slush in April: absolutely nothing.








it will melt away by itself in a day, or less..

you can try it!








but IMO its not even worth it..
but just remember when it doesn't work, that doesn't mean its a bad snowblower..its not a fair test...because technically, you arent going to get any snow this weekend..you are only going get semi-solid rain.. from the perspective of a 2-stage snowblower, that is no snow at all..

But next winter, I predict it will work great.

Scot


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## stromr (Jul 20, 2016)

I agree with Scot, let it melt! I have used my single stage with the chute pointed straight ahead on my deck with reasonable results.


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

I agree, Mine threw it some but we had 4" of slush and cold coming in so had to get it moved so it didn't freeze, This one has warm coming behind it and will melt fast, I may pull out the single stage just to clean the walkway and to try it out after I did some carb work on it but may not even do that.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Are single stage blowers better for slush for reasons of simplicity of the action?


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

RickDangerous said:


> Are single stage blowers better for slush for reasons of simplicity of the action?


Yup, one paddle action at higher speed closer to the surface flinging it like a school kid with a booger lol


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## The Q (Dec 19, 2016)

RickDangerous go ahead and try it. I know I wouldn`t be able to resist trying it out. What`s the worst that could happen? The slush wins? So what?


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

The Q said:


> RickDangerous go ahead and try it. I know I wouldn`t be able to resist trying it out. What`s the worst that could happen? The slush wins? So what?


He makes a very valid point lol I'd do it.


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## Blosumsno (Dec 7, 2016)

Hi Rick and welcome!


I have a 2003 5.5 hp I55224 (or 55/22 in traditional format) so yours seems to be close to this vintage maybe even late 1990's but I don't have any snowblower brochures from that era to reference. I bought mine new and it cost over $800 at the time.


I think you may be able to click on my avatar photo to enlarge it.


Enjoy, mine has had no problems and still on original belts and drive disc though I think those are due for replacement. Only the last storm we had in early March it would surge at no load but it was easy to fix by removing the low end jet and clean out the holes-didn't even have to pull the carb off.


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## Blosumsno (Dec 7, 2016)

RickDangerous said:


> So what's the consensus from my pictures and story from the mechanic. 5 horse or 6 horse?


The photo shows a DOM (Date of Manufacture) 5179. and the tag on the frame says it's a series 3 (mine's a series 4) so I'd guess a 1995. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I recall Tecumseh's DOM read as the first digit is the last digit if the year- in this case 5 would be either 1985, 1995, 2005 etc. 


It's not a 1985 because those had white engines and handles as shown in my late 80's brochure. And the barcode on the tag wouldn't be there in the '80's


I did some research and found out that in 1989 the intermediate frame machines were series 1 and were: I4221 (4/22), I5241 (5/24), and I6241 (6/24). There was no 5/22. here's the manual I checked (Feb 1989 revision.): Snapper Snow Blower I4221 User Guide | ManualsOnline.com

I found the manual for your series 3 machine and Rev. 5 of the manual is from 2000 so I really think yours is a 1995 build. Here's the link to your manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/156046/Snapper-Ei5223.html#manual

As for 5 or 6 horsepower others here and your mechanic would be better able to answer that but I thought I'd help with your date question.

Hope this helps you.


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## tpenfield (Feb 24, 2015)

I've been following along. The Snapper looks like a nice machine. . . :smile:

$296 for a tune-up :dizzy: Do you know how much beer you can buy with that? :biggrin:

If the impeller blade is about 1/8" to the housing, then a mod kit won't really do much. The real benefit comes with adding it to machines that have around a 1/2" gap. . . 1/4" gap might be worth it. Essentially, the gap allows the snow to 'escape' from the impeller blade as it tries to 'throw' the snow out from the impeller housing. Less gap, less snow 'escapes'.

It seems like the older machines were designed with tighter tolerances. Some of the newer machines have a pretty excessive gaps that robs the machine of throwing efficiency.

Snow season is winding down, so now we got to start thinking about prepping our machines for summer lay-up.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

So...i'm thinking my machine must be a 1990. The DOM states, 5179 0, which would make sense as 5/17/1990. My mechanic called Tecumseh for engine parts and gave them the serial from the block, and they said it was a 1989 6HP block. I'm guessing since the top end is 5hp it only makes 5hp... Anyway, since there was no 5/22 in 1989, and the DOM states it was built in 1990, i'm thinking thats what it must be.

Okay so on a side note, just because I wanted to have some fun I did snow blow the 8-10 inches of slush at the end of my driveway this Sunday morning. I used pledge (wax is main ingredient) in my chute and bucket, and went to town. It worked okay! It only threw the snow 2-8 feet, but I did clear the end of the driveway and the machine didn't clog up.

Will stick to lighter snow next winter....haha. 

Thanks everyone for the great advice and feedback! I am really loving the little snapper and plan to get a few years out of it for sure.


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

RickDangerous said:


> So...i'm thinking my machine must be a 1990. The DOM states, 5179 0, which would make sense as 5/17/1990.


I believe it's either an '85 or '95... manufactured on the 179th day of that year.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

classiccat said:


> I believe it's either an '85 or '95... manufactured on the 179th day of that year.


Interesting, you must know more about how they format the dates than I do.. you think it would be easier to figure out the year if they go to the trouble of putting a DOM on there..lol


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## drmerdp (Feb 9, 2014)

I've figured out some DOM from jackssmallengines.com. Their parts lookup by model sometimes lists the year based on its serial. Other websites might do it to.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

Unfortunately Tecumseh made things really difficult by using a *single digit* to represent the year! then they went on to use that system for 5 decades..makes things really difficult, when just one extra digit would have eliminated the problem. 

From 1965 to 2004 they used the 4-digit code where the *first* number is the year, and the last three digits are the day of the year. (then they started, finally, using 5-digits in 2005..then stopped making engines in 2008!)

With no context, just a Tecumseh date number all by itself, such as:

5179

In Tecumseh-speak that translates as "this engine was assembled at Tecumseh on the 179th day of a year ending in 5"..
and "year ending in 5" could be 1965, 1975, 1985, or 1995. (thanks Tecumseh!  ) 

So then we have to use clues based on the engine model, the snowblower model, features on both, etc. to try to work out which decade we are talking about..There are pretty big difference between a 1965 engine and a 1995 engine, and snowblower, so some years can be ruled out fairly easily..

I agree with everyone that in this case we are most likely talking about '85 or '95.
we can safely rule out '65 and '75 because of features on the engine, such as the red plastic knobs.

so which is it then? No one has ever created a "Snapper snowblower ID webpage", so we dont have a lot to go on..
There is another clue here:

http://pdfstream.manualsonline.com/3/3d6e0d15-a532-07b4-89d6-019429624afa.pdf

That manual appears to be dated 3-1-00. Assuming that is a date, which it probably is, that manual was from year 2000.
Which makes the snowblower more likely to be a 1995 than a 1985, because individual engine models didnt usually stay in production for 2 decades straight..So that manual, still being printed for that engine in year 2000, makes 1995 for the snowblower more likely. not definitive, but likely.

I would say 75% likely to be 1995 and 25% to be 1985.

Scot


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Apparently Tecumseh figured they wouldn't still be producing engines for more than 10 years ! LOL I guess this is similar to the Y2K issue that computers were faced with 17+ years ago.


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

I think, given everything put forth here, that it must be a 1995 as well. My impression is that they had more white in them and a simpler look in the 80's (as in picture attached.)

Tecumseh doesn't make engines anymore? I could swear I saw something new at Tractor Supply yesterday with a Tecumseh engine. Is someone else using the name?


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## classiccat (Mar 1, 2014)

that's a really nice machine... it's kind of hard to tell but that engine almost looks like a medium frame 7 or 8 HP (HM70 or HM80).


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

classiccat said:


> that's a really nice machine... it's kind of hard to tell but that engine almost looks like a medium frame 7 or 8 HP (HM70 or HM80).


I know! Looks like they were on par with Ariens machines for a while. Very rugged and high quality looking. 

Now they don't even make snow blowers... :'( sniff...


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Well....sad to report this cold weather has killed my snapper, or so it would seem.

Last fall I had a bid tuneup done, and this season i've cleared snow 3-4 times with it and its worked great, though the last time I used it it took me a few times to get the blade moving.

This morning, I went to clear my driveway, and the blade would...not....move. It's been cold here in Vermont, sub zero, and I wonder if the driveshaft or gear housing froze up somewhere. The engine was running fine, as was the forward and reverse gear, but after several times trying to get the blade moving I heard a grinding noise and smelled that burnt metal smell. To top it off oil started spewing out of the base of the engine all over the unit.

I'm already $300 deep into this nice old 5/22, and can't fathom spending much more on it, so unless my small engine guy can be guilted into doing the repair for me for the cost of parts, i think i'm just going to leave it with him to fix up and sell.

Oh well....it was fun while it lasted and was a fun first snowblower. It was in the garage, granted cold out there, but are you supposed to warm up you front end with a blow dryer in weather like this?? What did I do wrong?


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## RickDangerous (Mar 27, 2017)

Hello All! I'm back for the winter. 

We got our first snow of the day here in VT; 3-5 inches.

The snapper is long gone but my Cub just got it's oil change and winter tune


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

Blade?


You mean the ribbons on the front or the impeller that chucks the snow? They could have been frozen from water/slush from the last time used, a heated garage or torpedo heater or even hair dryer thaws that out and next time make sure the snow/slush is cleaned out of the impeller housing before storing for the next day.


Oil spewing out is another issue though! Personally you can find new engines online. You can get a 8 hp (now called 1150 as in 11.5 lb-ft torque) B&S engines on the famous auction site for under $200 or a harbor freight 6.5 hp one for about $100. The B&S snow engine series and predator 6.5 hp should bolt up to the chassis of the old blowers with no mods except for maybe a new crankshaft pulley bolt if the threads don't match. The bigger harbor freight ones have a 1" crank vs the 3/4" needed for most all old blowers. Those two also have the same crankshaft distance from engine base as the old engines so you can even reuse the belts, bigger engines will have a taller crankshaft (because of longer stroke).


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

Good to see you back, It was tough to see my snapper go also but I had it sit as a backup way too long so sold it to a co-worker and almost cried when he said he left it at the dump when he couldn't get it started, Well much larger machines to clear the snow.... IF I ever get any LOL


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