When it comes to snow blowers, most people snow blower maintenance happens at the beginning and/or end of the winter season. This is fine for mild winters, but during extreme winter seasons or areas with excessive snowfall this is not enough. Extreme winter weather speeds up wear and tear, weakens snow blower performance, and can even decrease its lifespan. So, if you have already used your snowblower 5-10 times this season, we recommend mid-season snow blower maintenance to keep your snow blower in top condition.
Here are 6 things to check or replace on your snow blower to keep it performing strong all winter long. This list is helpful whether you have a gas or electric snow blower, but some of these snow blower maintenance tips are exclusive to gas machines.
Before You Start
There are two steps you need to do before you start any snow blower maintenance, or any OPE, to prevent injury to yourself, or damage to your machine.
Consult your snow blowers manual before you attempt any sort of maintenance make sure you are doing it in a safe manner and according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you are not comfortable doing it by yourself either have a friend or neighbor with small engine knowledge assist you, or take it into a small engine repair shop to have them give the snow blower a look over.
Your owner’s manual may even state the manufacturer’s tune-up recommendations.
Remove the power source before attempting any kind of maintenance to prevent injuries from accidental engine starts. For a gas snow blower you want to remove the spark plug, and for an electric snow blower you’ll want to either remove the battery or unplug your snow blower.
When finished plug the spark plug back in or you will have a hard time starting the snow blower the next time you need it. For electric snow blowers, just put the battery back in or plug your snow blower.
1. Check Your Oil
The first few tips are exclusive to gas snow blowers. When it comes to oil there is no single set recommendation. It’s best to start with the snow blower manufacturer’s recommendation. These are usually based on hours of use, but it’s also important to check the amount and quality of your snow blower’s engine oil.
Check to make sure your small engine isn’t running low on engine oil, and also if the engine oil is looking dark and dirty. If so, then it’s time to either add or change the oil.
I know it is not fun changing oil in frigid temps, but if you can find a day with decent weather it’s a quick thing you can do and one of the most important things to prolong the life of the unit. While you are changing the oil consult your owner’s manual on how to change the oil, what type, weight and amount of oil to fill the motor with.
2. Check Your Gas
Generally, if you are using your gas snow blower a lot then you are regularly putting fresh gas in it. However, if it’s been more than 30 days you might want to freshen up your tank with new gas.
If your snow blower is underperforming then may want to treat your gas with a fuel stabilizer. Bad gas causes most starting and running issues with small engines.
3. Clean Your Carburetor
Your carburetor has a direct impact on the gas in your snow blower. For regular maintenance you can add carburetor cleaner to your gas tank. However, if you’ve noticed recently that your snow blower is stalling, excessively vibrating or erratic when idling then you may need to clean the carburetor by hand.
If your gas snow blower has a rough idle, stalling, or even
I would also recommend adding some carburetor cleaner to the fuel in the gas tank.
4. Check Your Spark Plugs
Remember that spark plug that you took out earlier? Check it out. If it’s just slightly dirty then you can clean the spark plug. However, it’s really dirty and worn I would recommend you replace the spark plug since they are generally not expensive.
5. Check the Linkages
This is our last gas-exclusive tip. Inspect the linkages to ensure that the snow blower can perform optimally. This means checking the fuel line, looking for frayed cables, or any noticeable cracks, kinks, or rust. Some things may be easy and minor repairs. However, some things may need to be totally replaced and require a trip to the hardware store or repair shop.
6. Adjust or Replace Your Scraper Bar & Snow Skids
Finally, a tip for both gas and electric snow blowers. During extreme winter season where you’re regularly using the snow blower the blades can become worn, or the scraper bar could be moved. Check these items and the snow skids to make sure that they can operate effectively. On a single-stage snow blower you’ll also want to inspect the rubber paddles.
Even in a less severe snow season, these pieces could have been impacted by something under the snow, like a large rock. So, it’s good to regularly inspect them throughout the season, especially if you notice any unusual noises.
If any pieces are damaged then replace them immediately. If worn, analyze how much life they have left and then decide if you want to replace them now or at the end of the season.
7. Check Your Snow Blower’s Tire Pressure
Cold temperatures can cause tire pressure to go down, and if your snow blower is equipped with pneumatic tires then mid-season is a good time to check them. Improper air pressure could result in a flat tire, and no one wants to deal with that during or after a snow storm. Correct air pressure can also just make your snow blower easier to push, especially if the air is low.
Consult the owners guide to find the correct psi to inflate the tires.
Final Tips for Snow Blower Maintenance
Snow blowers are expensive, but with proper maintenance they can last for years. That is my hope for you to get with my 7 snow blower maintenance tips, and prevent any mid-season hassles.
Nice reminder Jason. It’s easy to forget to keep that tool maintained. Also keep the beast under lock and key! Snowblower thefts are at an all time high in New England!
Everyone around here has been sold out on snow blowers for awhile now this extreme winter cleared all the stores out early this year. I also bet because of the mild winters over the previous years they cut back on production numbers too. I would be pissed if some one stole my snow blower the one thing that helps is that mine weighs 250 pounds its not exactly easy to snatch and run away with. I think you have to watch out on the little single stage blowers they are so easy to pick up and run with if I was really worried I might also chain it up even if it was in my garage if I was in a high theft area.
I’m sure this will spark a debate but I know several guys that put a little 2-cycle fuel in their cars’ tanks at a fill up and have never had problems. It’s hard to correlate plugged fuel injectors, etc, down the road to it but they’ve not had any unusual issues.
If you Google adding 2 cycle fuel to your gas tank it looks like a bunch of people do it. Some mechanics are weary of the possibility of sensor or catalytic converter damage. It’s one of those things as a writer you can’t recommend because of liability reasons. I don’t want to be responsible for damaging a persons car they have to personally make that decision if they want to put 2 cycle fuel in their gas tank to get rid of it. The one thing that does help is 2 cycle motors have pretty much been phased out in new snow blowers.