Snow Blower Maintenance

Prepare Snow Blower for Winter

By Mark J. Donovan

With winter almost officially upon us it’s time to pull out the snow blower and prepare it for winter weather. Snow blower maintenance should include cleaning the spark plug, changing the oil, and putting fresh gas into it. Also make sure to turn the gas cut off valve to the ON position. In addition, check the snow blower shear pins to make sure they are connected to the auger blade and drive shaft. You may also want to buy a couple of extra shear pins in case you break one during the winter season. It’s a major pain to break a shear pin in the middle of a snowstorm when you can’t as readily make it to the hardware store. Also make sure the muffler does not need to be replaced.

Also, as part of the snow blower maintenance, check to make sure the adjustable skids that are attached to the base of the snow blower frame are set evenly and at the right height so that the horizontal auger blade is not touching the pavement. In addition, make sure the pull chord is not frayed and is in good working order.

Once the general maintenance has been completed, fire up the snow blower to make sure it runs smoothly. If it does not, you may need to adjust the carburetor. If you do not have the skill or energy to adjust the carburetor take it into a shop to have them tune it up for you.