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Worst machine day ever


Architectdave

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We got 10 or more inches of snow here in Maine, started with a hour long drive home thats usually 20 minutes. The roads wern't bad but the guy-gal in the little econobox at the front of the line thought 20mph was a good speed *sigh* Not happy Got home to find my wife stuck in the end of the driveway, after shoveling her out and leaving her car on the road becuase the Deville has a 4" (do the math) ground clearance drove up the drive with my pathfinder to find the teenagers boyfriend blocking the tractor shed with his car. Even less happy. Now mind you when he got there in the morning, no school, it had just started snowing when he arrived. So had to shovel him out to get the tractors and snow blower out. Think either of the teens went out and shoveled anything? Pretty far from happy. Fire up the 5008 with the 36" blower since I knew the 3314 would not push that much snow with a blade. So the single stage 5008 was terrible, no matter how slow or how fast or how I feathered the forward motion that thing will not throw snow. Its a plow, shaped like a snow blower, it clogs and just doesn't work. I have no idea how you guys get them to work. Ironically I remember gramps saying the same thing about the 3314 single stage blower when i was a kid, he used it twice and sold it. Really angry. Get out the 24" Ariens two stage. Now we are talking, going great just chugs down the drive, feeling better I can always count on this thing........ping now its a plow. What the? fan blows auger does not, pins are in place... something in the auger gearbox has let go. Awesome. On the way back to the garage it loses forward motion, I think the rubber drive wheel may be bad too....drag it back to the garage. Swearing and ready to kill someone. The house we bought in Feb came with a toro 24" blower, guy said keep it, it runs but not well. I tuned it up last month and it was running perfect. Electric start and starts right up. I couldn't get that thing to start if my life depended on it. Reshaped the thrower chute into custom art with a tire iron. Never been so furious. Grab the shovel and start shoveling. Ready to cry, still now sign of anyoen in the house willing to help. My neightbor must have seen all this and shows up with his giant JD and plows the driveway. I offer his some moeny he says no but thanks. The wife bakes him some cookies and brings them over. Worst machine day of my life. Still angry.
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Last year on a 14 inch blizzard I go out to start the tractor...make it one pass on the drive and the belt blows...darn, no belt. Go to the walk behind I started 2 weeks prior for backup...no spark, go to the little paddle blower for the deck, I am going to do it yet!!! Pulled the recoil out of it. Went back into the house to pee, decided to wait!!!:D:D:D
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Agreed, your story did give me a chuckle if that helps at all. Now, just a guess (because I do not have daughters), but this is the part that would make me most angry:
quote:
teenagers boyfriend
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quote:
Originally posted by Simpleton7016
Agreed, your story did give me a chuckle if that helps at all. Now, just a guess (because I do not have daughters), but this is the part that would make me most angry:
quote:
teenagers boyfriend

Good one!
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quote:
teenagers boyfriend
The only thing that could really sting, is a little reminder of this that pops up 9 months from this rough day.:O:O}:) :D We're all laughing with you, not at you!
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I wrote it light hearted. Did actually wanna cry. As for the BF he isnt a bad kid just lazy. As for a 9 month surprise she is 18 and knows she is out on her butt if she comes home with any surprises. She is off to college next fall anyway. So anyone tell me why my single stage on the 5008 sux so bad?
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Had the same heavy wert stuff here in RI but not 12' deep. Sprayed with silicone just before rolling out of the garage and no problems with clogging. From what I have read here and on some other sites a couple of suggestions...heavy spray, just prior to blowing, with cooking oil i.e. Pam or some silicone spray or furniture polish. Here is a link with some tips. (not all necessarily relative to your post or tractor attached blower/thrower. http://home.gwi.net/~spectrum/snowoperation.html The best bet I've found is to keep as rust free as possible and spray heavily when it is wet. Good luck...
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Run wide open, no rust in chute at all, spray frequently , do not try to throw snow on ground next to you, keep the end of chute fully open. Make sure your belts are tight and not oil soaked, no slippage is the key
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Mike, I checked out your link and I found this tip rather amusing: Avoid using "snow cabs", they just aren't worth it. They destroy the delicate balance of the machine, make it awkward to maneuver in tight quarters and will come down and hit you in the head if the front end rides up in a hard snowbank! Seems to me that the author is speaking from (in)experience. I waxed the inside of the chute and down into the center of the blower housing. I also waxed the leading edges of the impeller. After that, I had no more clogs. I used hard automotive wax. Check out my profile pictures and see what I'm using in the wet, heavy snow.
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Haven't had a day like that in a year, hope with you being that far away it stays far away for a while. I feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel for you while crieng with laughter. some of you guys can tell a story the right way & this is one them, thanks for sharing. PS you need a lot of HP. with a snow like that & a smoooooooooooooooooooth shoot to slide rite out. How does it act? & lets find the cure. I have blown slush with mine.
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I feel your pain. Last year, I was using the sweeper (for about 10 ft) and then it won't lift off the pavement. So I figure the electric lift actuator is froze. Nope. Broken mount :( Hook up the plow, start the first pass, feel a clunk that makes my teeth hurt. Then remebered that there is a 2" height difference between the driveway and sidewalk. So now I have a plow that sheared right off the mount :( and a broken sweeper :( Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed... Soon, you will look back at today and laugh.
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my blower works great i use this spray from your local hardware store for sno blowers, its a lubricant, or you can also use cooking spray(pam) spray anything the snow comes in contact with you will be able to blow slush without clogging the machine sm01 good luck
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I certainly hope your next snowfall doesn't bring more of the same!sm02 As for the teenager's boyfriend not coming out to help, pretty sad. When I was his age and in the same situation I would have been right out there helping any way I could! Of course there may have been a little guilt driving me though.:I On second thought, maybe a lazy boyfriend is better!;)
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quote:
Originally posted by B10Dave
Could have been worse Dave. Wife could have picked up her mother on her way home!!!!
That right there is some good humor!! A-Dave, I know your pain. I've spent many hours in the garage feeling a bit of rage while trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong with these 'simple' machines. Many times the frustration has brought the garage door down long before the project was over, but taking a break was the only way out for this wimp. Needless to say, I honor and respect your drive to press on regardless and to some how manage to not choke someone!! You're a stronger man for it, and I'm sure Gramps is very proud of you!! ____________________________________________________________________ I was very worried the first wet snow would bring me similar pain but I think all that frustration payed off and now I feel blessed. After a makeshift axle tube repair on my only running machine, my well worn 7016H had performed better than I could have ever imagined and impressed me beyond belief. I simply could not believe what this thing was willing to push out of my way. I owe a huge thanks to everyone here, including you Dave, for your willingness to share your experiences both good and bad! Mike
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