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.

La Niña and Honda Snowblowers

The U.S. Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a cold winter with heavy snowfall this year as a weather pattern, known as La Niña, directs winter storms across the northern U.S. This same weather pattern brought snowfall in amounts that rivaled the record books in the winter of 2007/2008.
Regardless of snowfall levels, Honda snowblowers stand ready to provide snow clearing solutions in both residential and commercial situations with their wide variety of snowblowers. With ten different snowblower models available, Honda snowblowers can be customized further with a full range of options to perform at the highest level possible for any combination of factors.

Forecasts for the coming season couldn’t be more different than last year’s winter, which saw relatively light snowfall in many parts of the country. Snowfall was so light in the Northwest that many of the Olympic skiing and snowboarding events had to be delayed for adequate snow coverage to arrive. This year, the U.S. Climate Prediction Center is predicting that the winter months of December, January, and February will experience below average temperatures combined with heavier precipitation levels. The reason behind these predictions is the entrenchment of the La Niña weather pattern which cools the tropical waters in the Pacific. The cooling of tropical waters enables an area of high pressure to build into the North Pacific which then directs winter storms southward toward the northern U.S.

Should these predictions for severe winter weather prove correct, the need for Honda snowblowers will be higher than normal. Harbor Power House carries the full line of Honda snowblowers with customization options available to suit any requirements for both residential and commercial uses.