The need to tune up your snowblower is a given part of snowblower maintenance if your equipment is a gas-powered one. All gas engines, even those used in automobiles, need regular tune ups to keep them working smoothly. In fact, since you only use your snow thrower’s engine during the winter season, it is more important to tune up the machine to help it recover from the long seasons of lying unused in your garage and to recharge it for the next season’s use.

If you own a car and are familiar with automobile tune ups, then you already know everything there is to know about snowblower tune ups. If not, then you can read up on the topic or ask an experienced mechanic to teach you how. This is a routine process that you can easily do on your own, as long as you know what steps are involved. Here’s a basic guide to walk you through the process.

What’s Involved in Tuning Up Your Snow Thrower?

Inspect your hardware. First, check the hardware of your snow thrower for any worn parts. Give special attention to the rubber paddles, skid shoes, and scraper bars. If these are worn, make sure to replace them to ensure their effectiveness. If you don’t replace them, chances are that you’ll have to do your snow blowing repeatedly to completely get rid of snow that gets left behind. Check the auger drive belts as well; regular inspections will help you detect problems even before the belts tear completely. If this happens, you will need to deal with a bigger problem.

Also, check the pulley to see if it is still tight and taut as needed. Remember, however, to do all these with the machine turned off, and unplugged if you have an electric model. Spark plugs. Make sure to change the spark plugs, especially if you are using a two cycle gas engine. This is the most important part of maintaining your gas snowblower’s engine. This should be done every few seasons to maintain your machine’s optimum performance.

Check the engine. Your snow thrower’s engine should be properly lubricated for it to run smoothly. Make sure the machine has enough oil to go around, and that the oil is fresh and clean. Ideally, the oil should be changed after every 20 or 25 hours of use. You can use either 5W30 oil or 30 weight oil. Aside from the putting in enough oil, you should also thoroughly grease the lube in the gear box.

Re-fuel. Always re-fuel your snow blower at the start of every winter season. As much as possible, refrain from using fuel left over from last winter, even if you took care to put engine stabilizer while the machine was in storage. Even engine stabilizer cannot keep fuel fresh for an entire year. A fresh supply of gasoline, or a gas-oil mixture for a 2 cycle engine, will help keep the machine running smoothly.

Check the filter. Four cycle gas engines come with a filter, which also needs to be checked from time to time. If the filter is old, clogged, or has too much dirt, it should be replaced. You will notice a world of difference in the performance of your machine when you’re using an old filter or a new one.

Prevent rusting. One of the most important tasks in maintaining your snow blower is to prevent any form of rusting. This is key to the longevity of your snow blower. Thus, wire brushing or sanding your snow removal equipment is an important step in any periodic tune up. Wire brushing or sanding is an effective way of getting rid of rust especially if you plan to re-paint.

Investing in Snow Blower Maintenance Kits

When that time of the year comes again, make sure your snow blower is ready to tackle the winter that is to come. So before winter even comes, give your snow blower a tune up. For this, you will need certain tools. If you want to make the maintenance easy and to do it properly, invest in a snowblower maintenance kit. Such kits will contain everything you need to tune up your machine.

Tune Ups Are A Must

It is a known, undeniable fact: a gas-powered snow blower is a far bigger hassle than an electric powered one. Since they are powered by gas engines and the gas engines tend to be sensitive, these snow blowers need a more meticulous maintenance. Thankfully, though, despite this disadvantage, gas snow blowers hold much more power than electric ones, so you can rely on them to tackle greater and heavier snow challenges that electric models won’t stand up to. The need to tune up your snow blower engine is small sacrifice compared to all the advantages that a powerful gas snow blower offers.

Return from Tune Up Your Snow Blower to Snowblower Maintenance

Return from Tune Up Your Snow Blower to Snow Blower Reviews