Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Track snowblowers are a bear to push when the engine is off.  The honda I just bought is very difficult to push in just a straight line (After DIS-engaging the Transmission -Or You can Do Severe Damage).  I simply tipped it up in front, slipped a 'Creeper' (those things you lay down on with wheels under them so you can slide under the car to work on it) under it, tilted it forward so the tracks rest on the frame of the creeper, and now I can easily roll the machine any where I want with very little effort. I've even decided to fasten a piece of 2 ft X 4 Ft Plywood (1/2" or heavier) so it doesn't have to be aimed so precisely when doing this.   It has the advantage of being able to move the entire snowblower in any direction, even sideways when desired.  The Creeper I used was a Free bonus when I bought a floor jack from Summit Racing some years back, and I rarely ever used it.

Excerpt from the Trouts Frankenblower Chronicles:


Trouts cranks furiously as he  frantically fastens down the remaining screws to complete his latest "Frankenblower".  

Sweating, trembling, he cautiously rolls the creation through the threshold of the shed door to the brightness of the revealing mid day sun.  He stands, pauses and lovingly gazes at the black, red, yellow and green hues of his latest family member.   Slowly, he reaches for the plastic handle of the pull start.  Quivering in anticipation, his sweaty fingers and palm firmly clasp the smooth cool ring.  His senses are overwhelmed  as he wafts in the sharp fumes of gasoline, the sweet aroma of white lithium grease and the pungent odour of gear oil.  In a low voice he proclaims: "I name thee Lucile."  With a banzai scream he cries out "Come to life my darling Lucile!" and pulls with all his strength.  The machine coughs, sputters, coughs again then roars to life.  "It's alive!  It's alive! he wails, as a large, oily tear rolls down his cheek. 

>>> Was tired and worn.  <<<

It's a sweetheart picked up for $30 and gone through.   It was in commercial service and did not see a lot of maintenance.   It received about 150-200 in parts and at least 10 hours of prep and paint work.  Dual night lights, huge tires, 10hp, 30 inch bucket and in fine shape waiting for snow.  I think it's pretty easy to tell I've too much time on my hands waiting for snow.

That model is a tiger but came with a very short chute.  The Deere bolted right on and the crank teeth a match that gives a good improvement in distance.  I've got the remote hood control but it never got installed.  It would be a nice touch but I am saving the cable for a future repair.  It's $110 for a replacement cable and I put enough into the Snapper already.

Six casters.  The dolley was built for a 650 pound military WWII radio transmitter in the cellar, here during my ham phase.  It now see's service as a dead blower carrier, things with locked gears or big buckets too heavy to lug around.  It's big and a pain in the a$$ to store but useful at carting stuff.  I'd use it more but my garage has uneven wood boards.  The driveway has many mounds and cracks which make it tough to roll with a load but sometimes worth the agrivation with heavy stuff.  

I've got a hydralic table on casters for most carting around of stuff but the dolly is good for big awkward things.  The dolly generally does not cart working tracked guys like Honda and Yamaha.  The get moved mostly without power by tipping them way back to ride on the back of the wheels.  MTD's and Yamaha's are fairly easy to move without power but not Hondas are tough.  I only do short moves here so no big deal.  It would be more effort to dig out the dolly. 

>>Is there a track snowblower somehwere we can't see, a third point perhaps in this triangle, one that gets together with dolly  ?

I'd have to confess, if I had a Honda and a big garage with a flat cement floor it would have a perminant relationship Linda. 

Borat: "It's alive!  It's alive! he wails, as a large, oily tear rolls down his cheek. 

Pretty darn close.  It's a rush to have them fire up and toss like a new machine, even a 6.5hp.  I've got a big wheeled Ariens 1128 that's been around for two years waiting for the right motor.   I've got an 8 and 10hp here both with great compression but it woud be a waste of a nice body to plant one of those.   

I use my son's skateboard with my Honda HS928TAS. I lift the handle bars to elevate the tracks while shoving the skateboard underneath the middle with my foot. Then let it down. It becomes wobbly and unstable but it's easily controlled and maneuvered. Can be rested a bit off-kilter with one track or the auger housing on the ground. I remove the skateboard when I have the machine where I want it. This is a good approach because it works with something many people already have in the garage, and you don't have to buy or make anything. PS - my first post on this b-board.

DIYer wrote:
Snowmobile dollies would work good as well.