3 Things to Do with Your Snowblower Now

Removing snow may not be the first thing on your mind at the moment, but taking these steps now will help to ensure that your snowblower tackles the first snowfall with ease and efficiency.

1) Check to see how your snowblower is handling its time in storage – A lot can happen while your snowblower sits in storage, so now is a good time to see how things are going. If you covered the machine when it went into storage, pull the cover off to make sure that moisture hasn’t been trapped. If you smell mildew, check the cover for dampness and look for areas where melting snow may have accumulated. Generally speaking, plastic covers are great moisture traps and if you didn’t do much in the way of cleaning your snowblower at the end of last season, there’s a good chance that you’ll have some water in there. If there is, dry the machine and leave the cover off to allow water to escape.
2) Lubricate the moving parts – This prevents parts from freezing up while in storage. Lubricate the drive gears, the chain, impeller gears, etc.
3) Check belts for signs of drying and cracking – Garages and storage structures can get extremely hot and dry in the summer months, which can dry out and weaken the belts. Drying will take place even faster if your snowblower is being stored in an area that receives direct sunlight. If belts are cracking, switch them out now. If your machine is getting direct sunlight, move it to a space where it will be out of the sun’s reach.

Winter is closer than it may seem now. Taking these actions now will help to keep your snowblower ready when the weather turns cold and your driveway loads up with snow.

3 Tips on Preventing the Theft of Your Snowblower in the Offseason

As the owners of snowblowers may be getting ready to put their machines in storage and forget about them until the first snowfall of the next season, there are several measures that should be taken to prevent the theft of what is for many people a substantial investment. Additionally, these measures can also make it far more difficult for thieves to steal anything else that may be stored nearby.

These measures include:  

* Storing snowblowers in a space that is attached to the home – Thieves are far less likely to steal from a storage area, such as a garage, that is attached to the home than one that is a distance from it. As far as thieves are concerned, the lower the likelihood of running into the people that live in the home, the more interesting the target becomes.
* If you’re storing a snowblower and other equipment in a separate shed, make sure it’s locked up – A storage space that is surrounded by a backyard fence is the best way to go, especially if you have dogs in the backyard as well. Secure the storage shed with a key access, a dead bolt, a padlock or a combination of the three.
* Light your storage area – Regardless of the target, lighting it up will discourage thieves. You can use either a lighting system that operates on a timer or motion-activated lights. Either way, make sure that your lighting cannot be reached by someone standing on the ground as reachable lights provide the opportunity to disconnect them and work in the dark.

Follow these tips and thieves that might have been interested in your snowblower will seek other targets that provide a better environment for theft.

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