# Snow Blower Recommendation, Please



## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Hello from East Tennessee... I found this forum while doing some snow blower research and have read quite a few helpful threads - I appreciate the resource. We don't get a lot of snow where I live, but more than you'd think for this latitude because of the nearby mountains. In any case, I have a long-ish driveway: ~1/8 mile, 9 foot wide asphalt (good condition), with slopes ranging from "mild" to "if it snows more than 2 inches, no two-wheel drive car is making it up our driveway". 

The past several years we've been getting about a half dozen snows a year and while the average is 2-3", it does snow more. This past weekend, we got about 10" at our place. I've been shoveling it for about 10 years and while I usually shovel the wheel tracks and call it good, it isn't so good for my wife, who would like a bit more leeway getting in and out of the driveway, so rather than do the minimal shoveling and repeatedly risk aggravating an aging shoulder (and more importantly, continue to aggravate my better half), I've decided that I am completely willing to buy a snow blower to keep the driveway in better shape when it does snow (remember, 1/8 mile with slopes). The biggest challenge that I can foresee beside the hilly driveway would be that sometimes our driveway gets driven on and packs it down and that makes for some tough shoveling.

So, I'm looking for something that can:

Handle slopes well
Make relatively quick work of my driveway length
Handle fluffy or wet snow down to 2" and up to 12" 
Handle some hard pack when needed
Be a quality piece of equipment (buy once, cry once works for me)

Price is not the most important factor. I don't have to throw over an embankment or anything and drifting is not much of a problem. While I prefer to buy from a local dealer, I am ok with buying online and I am mechanically inclined (I maintain all of my 2 and 4 stroke small engine equipment up to and including valve adjustments and general mechanical repair. I stop at engine internals because as infrequent as that is needed, I'd rather pay someone who works on that aspect regularly). Given where I am located, there aren't too many dealers around. I have a local place where I have bought my commercial zero turn mower that is a parts & service dealer for Ariens and I've already stopped by to see them; they don't sell Ariens snow blowing equipment, only Cub Cadet. There is a Honda dealer about 30 minutes away. My parents live in Indiana and they do have an Ariens dealer near them and I'd be willing buy from them if the recommendations go Ariens.

Finally, I like to be as self sufficient as practically possible. I know some might recommend to hire "a guy", but 1) I don't know "a guy" and 2) getting people to show up when you want them to as often as you want them too can often be more of a chore than the actual chore... Especially in East Tennessee, when during a snow storm "a guy" is very, very, very busy. 

I'd be happy to answer any clarifying questions and would love to hear what this knowledgeable and experienced crowd has for suggestions!

Spencer


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

Toro QXE fullsize single stage might be something to look at.







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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> Toro QXE fullsize single stage might be something to look at.


Interesting. How would a drive system like that perform going both up and down hills?


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

The same as any 2 stage(besides weight), differences would be if it has a differential steering or trigger steering(I don’t know if they have those options or not) grippy tires help, and I think it does


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> The same as any 2 stage(besides weight), differences would be if it has a differential steering or trigger steering(I don’t know if they have those options or not) grippy tires help, and I think it does


Perhaps a broader question: how about compared to tracks? I see where for slopes a lot of folks recommend tracks, but if this drive was different, perhaps tracks wouldn't be needed for a hill?


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

Tracks can be great for a hill, problem is the price tag goes up, and tracks are not usually found on smaller machines


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> Tracks can be great for a hill, problem is the price tag goes up, and tracks are not usually found on smaller machines


Ah, I'm looking for the best machine for 2"-12" of snow with hills and 1/8th of a mile of asphalt. Not worried about cost at the moment, just what would work best for that range/surface area.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

For that amount of snow I think the qxe is a good size, go smaller and there’s no drive, go bigger and it will be over sized or overkill for most storms u get. 






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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

There’s a lot of machines including mine (husky st230p) that seems it needs to be slower in 1st gear. I say this because of the review in that second clip 


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to SBF sperho

You can always adjust your shifter to make first a little slower at the expense of making the two reverse gears a little quicker. I'm taking it for granted you have a friction disc and not a geared transmission :devil:

.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

If you're doing almost 700' of driveway that is steep enough that a couple inches can make a 2WD get stuck you'd be looking at a Toro (or Ariens if you order on line) 32" tracked machine IMHO. That's just going on what you've said. You should post some photos showing the hill(s) you're talking about as a non tracked machine might be adequate for what you have. Snowblowers have better traction than you might think. It would also be cheaper with wheels. Ariens makes a 36" wheeled machine but it's 3K+. The zero turn isn't going to take a blower or that would be the way to go, rider with blower for that much asphalt. 
If you honestly aren't worried about cost you should look at a Honda. Buy one and your'e done. The Toro and Ariens are next best and will also last a lifetime if taken care of.
The Cub isn't a bad machine but it doesn't get near the love here that a similar Toro or Ariens would. The build quality just isn't the same in our opinion. They are made by MTD and they get the job done it's just hard to explain how it's not the very respected Cub Cadet of the past that earned the reputation by being stout, well built machines.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Po...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-306238632-_-306238588-_-N

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Honda-3...s4dzQXdPxV_Rit8kRq8aAkiWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ariens-...PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-207153412-_-303335604-_-N

But being in Tenn. this really seems a bit overkill. For that length of drive I'd want the wider bucket so I wouldn't be out there making so many passes to get it cleared but maybe a dealer has a nice clean used 32" or a last years model ?? Something that would get the price down some. I'm close to Canada so we cherish our blowers and bigger is always better as all too often we're going into drifts over the top of the bucket :surprise:

For your location and the amount of snow that Cub might not be such a bad choice. Or even a Troy as they too are an MTD. 
.


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> What Kiss4aFrog said for big driveways...


Thanks... I have some pictures that I'll try to get up tomorrow. Right now, I'm leaning toward wider and wheels. Maybe the 30" Ariens non-EFI. Two out and backs and done. How are two-stage machines with lighter snows? 80% of the snows we get are 6" and under, so most of what I'd be doing would be between 2 and 6, but I want something that will also handily take care of 6-12, because those are the really painful ones... I don't mind overkill as long as the overkill does not lead to less than acceptable performance for the lighter clearing I would be doing 80% of the time...

Edit: On cost, I suppose sub-2000 would be nice. I just didn't want that to bias recommendations to budget first, everything else second - because if I really do "need" a $3000 machine, then a $3000 machine it would need to be, But if a $1500 machine will get me 90% of "perfect", then let's go with the $1500, etc...


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

IMO anything in the $800-1200 range would be adequate. Does 1 or 2more passes out weight paying more for a bigger machine at an extra $1000 give or take for 2-4 in bucket?


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Here are some pictures to give folks a sense of what my driveway is like. There are some other connectors to my neighbors place that are flat which aren't shown that I clear as well.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Sorry, I goofed on the typing. Cubs aren't bad. It should have read "The Cub *isn't* a bad machine" I have a Troy so I know what the build quality by MTD is first hand and the Troy has held up very well for me. Cub should be the same.

Love the creek. Always wished I had something like that running through my property. The photos are great. Seems it's a little steep just before the street but to me it looks like wheels with or maybe without chains should handle it.

A single stage machine is usually quicker and cleaner on lighter snows but that's a long driveway to be walking a SS machine. They do help pull themselves by the augers rubber literally scraping along the surface but that's also what wears then down over time. I'm old and I'm doing 300' and I just can't imagine doing mine with a SS again, did it once that way in an emergency.
By adjusting the skids and scraper bar you do a pretty good job with a two stage but that wood bridge deck is going to be a problem as that's what you'll have to set the machine to clear at the expense of leaving a little more snow on top of the asphalt.

30" Ariens would be great IMHO. Fisher is correct in your case that a bigger bucket isn't always worth the extra $$ and starting out I was thinking more of advise I'd give to a neighbor. Around here there have been times when it's way below zero and then the wind chill on top of that and one more pass is the difference between being tired, sore, wet and uncomfortable and your face, hands and feet going numb and feeling like something is frostbit and it's going to fall off.

.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

How bout a plow! 


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Sorry, I goofed on the typing. Cubs aren't bad. It should have read "The Cub *isn't* a bad machine" I have a Troy so I know what the build quality by MTD is first hand and the Troy has held up very well for me. Cub should be the same.


 Thanks for the clarification.



> Love the creek. Always wished I had something like that running through my property. The photos are great. Seems it's a little steep just before the street but to me it looks like wheels with or maybe without chains should handle it.


We love the creek, too. The only pain is that whenever we have someone deliver heavy stuff (building materials, concrete, etc.) no one wants to drive across it... We eventually convince them that they will be ok - it's a _stout_ bridge - but it's always a minor production. :icon-rolleyes:



> A single stage machine is usually quicker and cleaner on lighter snows but that's a long driveway to be walking a SS machine. They do help pull themselves by the augers rubber literally scraping along the surface but that's also what wears then down over time. I'm old and I'm doing 300' and I just can't imagine doing mine with a SS again, did it once that way in an emergency.
> By adjusting the skids and scraper bar you do a pretty good job with a two stage but that wood bridge deck is going to be a problem as that's what you'll have to set the machine to clear at the expense of leaving a little more snow on top of the asphalt.


 Thanks for that basic info - it seems that a two stage will work fine.



> 30" Ariens would be great IMHO. Fisher is correct in your case that a bigger bucket isn't always worth the extra $$ and starting out I was thinking more of advise I'd give to a neighbor. Around here there have been times when it's way below zero and then the wind chill on top of that and one more pass is the difference between being tired, sore, wet and uncomfortable and your face, hands and feet going numb and feeling like something is frostbit and it's going to fall off.


It feels like 28"-30" would be a good compromise. That way, I can leave several inches for overlap between passes for a good clean and still only need two out-and-backs. Here's what I'm looking at that are close to the range that Fisher mentioned. All are a bit less than the 30" Ariens. One of them has tracks. Tell me which one to buy... 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Ariens-Deluxe-28-28-in-Two-stage-Gas-Snow-Blower-Self-propelled/1000102373 (Ariens Deluxe 28)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cad...r-Steering-and-Steel-Chute-2X-28-HP/305948963 (Cub Cadet 2X 28")

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Troy-Bi...and-Heated-Grips-Storm-Tracker-2890/306093601 (Troy-Bilt 2890 Storm Tracker)


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

e.fisher26 said:


> How bout a plow!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My neighbor has a medium/small tractor with a plow and between doing damage to the asphalt and all of the hard pack he created, I have ruled that out...


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I would go with the Ariens 28" from your three. I don't think you're going to need the tracks. If you had included the 30" with the bigger 306cc engine I'd go for that one as it's nice to have the extra power. 
Do you really need it there, probably not. But when you're buying new it's always nice to have something you'll be happy with for a long time.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Ariens-Deluxe-30-30-in-Two-stage-Gas-Snow-Blower-Self-propelled/1000102383

.


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## e.fisher26 (Nov 6, 2016)

Over powered is better then underpowerd


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## Hanky (Nov 14, 2014)

Big Toro 1428 or Ariens for sure


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## bearlindsay (Oct 31, 2017)

That's a beautiful property! I'd love to live tucked in behind some woods like that and the creek would be the icing on the cake! 


I don't have any experience with other brands, but I researched the living daylights out of Ariens when I bought mine. 

I think your good options would be the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO ($1249MSRP) or 30 ($1399 MSRP)
https://www.ariens.com/en-us/snow-products/snow-blowers/deluxe/deluxe-28-sho
https://www.ariens.com/en-us/snow-products/snow-blowers/deluxe/deluxe-30
Both of these come with the 306 cc engine where the regular Deluxe 28 comes with the 254 cc engine. I have the 28 SHO and find that I do a lot of my snow blowing in first gear and sometimes that is too fast for the engine. (Central Connecticut: usually a wet, heavy snow. When I get a drier, powdery snow it goes much faster)

Seeing as you have such a long driveway, I think you should step it up even more and go with the Platinum series. It's basically the Deluxe body with more engine. And with more engine, you can blow at a higher speed and get out of the cold faster. Seeing as there's no wheeled Platinum 28's, try the Platinum 30 SHO ($1799 MSRP) with the 414 cc engine. 
https://www.ariens.com/en-us/snow-products/snow-blowers/platinum/platinum-30-sho

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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Ok - lots of great thoughts. I do not have an Ariens dealer in my area and I'd rather not drive hours to get to one, but I do have an Ariens parts/service dealer that I trust who will happily service an Ariens, so I'm going to buy either the Ariens Deluxe 28 SHO from SnowBlowersDirect or the Ariens Deluxe 30 from Lowes or Home Depot. Advantage of SBD is better torque/inch and a few hundred bucks cheaper (bit lower price and no TN sales tax). Advantage of Lowes is I don't have to deal with a semi-trailer delivery. Question: is SBD reputable? Would you deal with a local box store over them? I'll set it up myself in any case. I'd like to order this thing tomorrow, so let me know what you think of the whole SBD thing. Thanks!


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

28 sho if you cant set it up its a great deal for 1249 from sbd


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

1132le said:


> 28 sho if you cant set it up its a great deal for 1249 from sbd


How reliable is SBD?


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## Lunta (Dec 14, 2017)

I think you'll get a lot of opinions about whether you need tracks on that slope, and those opinions are all certainly correct, but sometimes only correct for the writer's own snow conditions in their own yard.

If your snow cover comes and goes a few times during the winter, I think wheels could be just fine. As you run your machine forwards, the drive wheels are running practically on "normal ground". Yes it's snowy, but there is possibility for traction.

However if, like us, the early snow falls of the winter thaw a bit, and refreeze in to a sheet of ice, and then the fresh snow falls on top of that, then tracks are a much better option.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

I think there was only one guy raving about them but we pretty much agreed he was the problem and not SBD or Ariens.
Since you have a dealer willing to work on it and you apparently know how to uncrate and set it up with the directions then if the price is right SBD would be the way to go.

.


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Lunta said:


> I think you'll get a lot of opinions about whether you need tracks on that slope, and those opinions are all certainly correct, but sometimes only correct for the writer's own snow conditions in their own yard.
> 
> If your snow cover comes and goes a few times during the winter, I think wheels could be just fine. As you run your machine forwards, the drive wheels are running practically on "normal ground". Yes it's snowy, but there is possibility for traction.
> 
> However if, like us, the early snow falls of the winter thaw a bit, and refreeze in to a sheet of ice, and then the fresh snow falls on top of that, then tracks are a much better option.


Thank you for your perspective Lunta. Fortunately, more often than not, snow here is a "one and done" kind of thing and then it's no snow for weeks at a time. Given that you live in Finland, I doubt you can relate too well to that. Ha...


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> I think there was only one guy raving about them but we pretty much agreed he was the problem and not SBD or Ariens.
> Since you have a dealer willing to work on it and you apparently know how to uncrate and set it up with the directions then if the price is right SBD would be the way to go.
> 
> .


Thanks - I did a search for SBD and found that generally things were legit and careful inspection at the time of delivery is key. That said, I just now pulled the trigger on a Deluxe 28 SHO from SBD with a few extra shear pins, poly skids, and lift-gate service for less than the pre-tax price of the 30" from Lowes. The way I look at it, now that I've spent about $1300, it's a relatively small price to guarantee that there won't be enough snow to even need the thing for at least the next 3 years. Either way, it seems like a good investment. 

I'll post up with my experience with SBD and the set up process when I get to that bridge... I'll probably ask a few questions if the instructions are in Vague-lish.

Thank you to everybody for their input - I'm going to be the laughing stock of the neighborhood until I'm not!


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## WVguy (Nov 24, 2018)

sperho said:


> The way I look at it, now that I've spent about $1300, it's a relatively small price to guarantee that there won't be enough snow to even need the thing for at least the next 3 years.


Yup, that's exactly what happened to me when I bought my first snowblower in 1992. We didn't see a single snowflake for four years, then living just north of Washington, D.C. Then the law of averages caught up with us, big time. I was sure glad to have it then!

But for that reason, after you've checked it out and made sure everything works okay, in the spring drain all the fuel from the tank and the carburetor. Leaving treated fuel in it is okay for one year, maybe two, but beyond that the stuff will gum up. Around here it is not a given that I'll run it every winter so I drain the entire fuel system in the spring if I used it that winter.


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## zandor (Dec 15, 2017)

Congrats on the new machine. As far as not having tracks goes, remember that you can get chains for snow blower wheels if those slopes give you any trouble.

No snow if you buy a blower? Not necessarily. I bought my first snowblower last fall, and we got 10" or so in January. Of course then it had a glitch, which I'll blame on the dealer. It's an Ariens Platinum 24 SHO EFI and one of the wires under the dash came loose. I figure it wasn't plugged in all the way. I forget if it connected to the on/off switch or the throttle. Both are electronic on the EFI machines. It lost power then dropped dead. I spent an hour pulling my hair out, took the bottom cover off to see if something was messed up with the belts, etc., then spotted the loose wire. Plugged it back in, fired it back up, no problems since. So if you get one of these fancy new EFI machines check for loose wires otherwise it will snow and the clip will slip off.


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

So this happened today. Just have the basics assembled. Will finish and get it running soon... (R&L Carriers were the carrier used for the shipment and the box/pallet/machine arrived in pristine condition - lift gate service worked out very well)


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Awesome, it looks great! Enjoy, hopefully you get some snow for testing it out!


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## vmaxed (Feb 23, 2014)

Looks great..good luck with it


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

Setup was very straightforward and it runs like a top. Bring on the white stuff!


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## LDRider (Jan 24, 2018)

Congrats and best of luck with that machine- it should serve you very well.

Brian



sperho said:


> So this happened today. Just have the basics assembled. Will finish and get it running soon... (R&L Carriers were the carrier used for the shipment and the box/pallet/machine arrived in pristine condition - lift gate service worked out very well)


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## 1132le (Feb 23, 2017)

sperho said:


> Setup was very straightforward and it runs like a top. Bring on the white stuff!



check your gas tank for metal shavings some have them some dont
killer machine you are going to love it


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

1132le said:


> check your gas tank for metal shavings some have them some dont


Thanks for the heads up... None found by visual inspection with a flashlight and mirror or by dragging a magnet on a stick across the accessible parts of the tank...

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## 132619 (Nov 20, 2018)

sperho said:


> So this happened today. Just have the basics assembled. Will finish and get it running soon... (R&L Carriers were the carrier used for the shipment and the box/pallet/machine arrived in pristine condition - lift gate service worked out very well)


best of luck man! r and l rules , i have gotten many a part delivered to me though them on a 53 foot trailer where yellow freight won't even try with a city truck pulling a 20 foot jitterbug city trailer.


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## RelaxIN (Dec 20, 2018)

Best of luck to you on your new purchase. 

I wish R&L Carrier's would get their head & @%$ wired with my delivery. I placed my order of a new Platinum on Monday with the understanding that it would delivered on Friday or Saturday. While ordering the blower on the phone, I was told they my order was already picked up and will be shipping out of the New York location. Someone will be giving you a call tomorrow (Tuesday) to setup an appointment. Tomorrow came and went, and nothing.. I called up the next day (Wednesday) and someone said that they will be giving you a call tomorrow as soon as it arrives in PA to schedule the delivery. They called and said that it would be delivered Wednesday or Thursday of next week. I told them that I will not be in the area then due to the holidays, is there anyway to get it delivered on Friday or Saturday as promised. She said that someone will contact me tomorrow (Today) to see if it can be delivered. By the way, New York is only 90 miles away.


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## RelaxIN (Dec 20, 2018)

Update... Literally 5 minutes after I wrote this post, I called Snowblowers Direct to see if they could escalate my request and do something about the shipping. They have been great by the way, friendly, very helpful, etc... anyway, as she was trying to contact R&L Carriers on the phone a tractor trailer pulls up to my house. No phone call, no scheduling, nothing... I literally just got home from running errands 20 minutes before. Anyway, I told the girl that the truck just pulled up in front of the house, that I had to go out and move my truck from the driveway.

So... he unloads the blower from the truck and sure enough the box is heavily damaged.... I mean BAD too..! - So I took pictures of the box and the broken up skid, etc.. .and we opened the box... The blower looks to be okay. I'm going to put it together today and see how it is...


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## sperho (Dec 12, 2018)

RelaxIN said:


> Update... Literally 5 minutes after I wrote this post, I called Snowblowers Direct to see if they could escalate my request and do something about the shipping. They have been great by the way, friendly, very helpful, etc... anyway, as she was trying to contact R&L Carriers on the phone a tractor trailer pulls up to my house. No phone call, no scheduling, nothing... I literally just got home from running errands 20 minutes before. Anyway, I told the girl that the truck just pulled up in front of the house, that I had to go out and move my truck from the driveway.
> 
> 
> 
> So... he unloads the blower from the truck and sure enough the box is heavily damaged.... I mean BAD too..! - So I took pictures of the box and the broken up skid, etc.. .and we opened the box... The blower looks to be okay. I'm going to put it together today and see how it is...


I'm glad you got it, but that driver needs a talking to... The driver is supposed to call you about an hour out and work out the particulars... Oh, and they're supposed to show up on the scheduled day, too. I hope it runs flawlessly...


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## leonz (Dec 12, 2014)

sperho said:


> So this happened today. Just have the basics assembled. Will finish and get it running soon... (R&L Carriers were the carrier used for the shipment and the box/pallet/machine arrived in pristine condition - lift gate service worked out very well)


======================================================================

Fluid film and Seafoam are your friend. 
After you have passed the break in period it in you may want to use 10 weight, aviation gas, sea foam and with Fluid Film to coat everything that contacts snow.


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