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Snow Blowing Question No Perverts Allowed to Answer!

edcantu9

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Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
607
Location
Southeastern Iowa
Got a 22" craftsman gas blower this year!

The first half of my driveway is sandwiched between houses. What is the best way to clear the snow and not blow it at my house or my neighbor's house?

How would a GJ'er do it?
 
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soapii

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Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
342
Location
SE Michigan
My old house was like that.....I pushed out away from my house (garage) then length wise (parallel between the two).

--Joe
 

HoosierMark

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Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
1,441
Location
Southeast IN
I have apartments and on one side is a parking lot full of cars and the other side 10 feet away is the building with numerous windows. I set my blower to just move the snow 5 feet off the sidewalk towards the building at a limited angle. Every now and then I pick up a rock and here it ping off the brick or the windows. But so far so good, at the angle it has not broken anything yet. Sounds to me like it depends on how far you can throw the snow and how much you have to throw. I assume you only have a single stage thrower so you may need to do the part near where it opens up first and then throw it on the cleared part and then move it again. Not very fun but it may be the only way. I also plow with an s-10 and sometimes need to plow and leave a few inches of snow and then replow it down to the pavement due to the wetness of the snow and depth. But since I only plow for myself, it is not a big deal or reason to upgrade to a bigger plow set up. Thats how I do it. Also used an atv with plow for awhile, not bad but the blower and s-10 are the best for me in SE Indiana.
 
OP
E

edcantu9

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
607
Location
Southeastern Iowa
I have apartments and on one side is a parking lot full of cars and the other side 10 feet away is the building with numerous windows. I set my blower to just move the snow 5 feet off the sidewalk towards the building at a limited angle. Every now and then I pick up a rock and here it ping off the brick or the windows. But so far so good, at the angle it has not broken anything yet. Sounds to me like it depends on how far you can throw the snow and how much you have to throw. I assume you only have a single stage thrower so you may need to do the part near where it opens up first and then throw it on the cleared part and then move it again. Not very fun but it may be the only way. I also plow with an s-10 and sometimes need to plow and leave a few inches of snow and then replow it down to the pavement due to the wetness of the snow and depth. But since I only plow for myself, it is not a big deal or reason to upgrade to a bigger plow set up. Thats how I do it. Also used an atv with plow for awhile, not bad but the blower and s-10 are the best for me in SE Indiana.

I have a dual stage thrower! Would you still recommend doing the way you stated?
 

HoosierMark

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Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Messages
1,441
Location
Southeast IN
If you can throw it far enough ahead of you or at a slight angle to get it off the drive, it seems like it would work. I think after the first snow fall, you will have worked out a plan of how to clean it the easiest way. Wait till the wind is blowing it back in your face, not fun at all! Ski googles and ski mask become your best friends!
 

koditten

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Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
5,528
Location
Midland, Michigan
Aim it forward. The "blown" snow is compacted and does not take up as much volume as the original, so you are able to move it forward quite abit.

How about a location? Snow in Ohio is much different than the snow in Northern Michigan or Minnisota.
 

wasfuzz

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Joined
Nov 16, 2010
Messages
755
Location
Mn
Why did the snow man get excited?




He heard the snowblower was coming!!


Thank you - I'll be here all week, don't forget to tip the waitstaff!
 
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Gary S

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Dec 27, 2008
Messages
2,972
Location
Bismarck, ND
My neighbor picked up a 8hp snowblower with a blown engine for free. He then bought a 12hp engine for it. He redid the pulleys and gearing to double the speed of the blower. Now he just blows the snow over the top of his house and into the backyard.

MORE POWER!!!

I hate to think what this will do to the life of his bearings and other moving parts.
 

RECox286

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Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
1,399
Location
South Joisey (yeah, that is part of the USA)
Me ? I would go snow blowing at 2am, aim at the neighbors'

house, and hope that pleading the 5th would be acceptable

as an alibi.

Uncle Bob



Won't yer machine blow straight ahead ? (Good luck with

yer C'man machine. I've not had such good luck with any

of their yardcare power stuff.)
 

skulldrinker

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Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
1,171
Location
Bolingbrook, IL
It's only water blow half on his then switch and blow the other half on yours. Just don't point it at windows in case there's a ice ball or frozen newspaper about to shoot out. I don't aim at the neighbors bushes or flower garden either. Everywhere else is fair game.
 

malibu101

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Joined
Jul 1, 2005
Messages
3,908
Location
Walnutport PA
I have about a 12' wide space next to my garage where I park my daily driver. On the other side is a row of tall bushes so I have no choice but to blow the snow straight ahead, on to, and across the alley into my neighbors yard. I have no place to put it. Bad design by original owner or builder.
Yes, he is totally cool with it. We party and help each other out all the time. I could not ask to live across from a better guy.

It is not too bad at all with a half decent blower.
Since I must shoot this space in one direction only the wind can be my friend or foe depending on the direction it's blowing.

Look at it this way- You have a blower. No matter what the hassle, it beats hand shoveling the whole thing. :)
I used to pick up a shovelfull, walk it across the alley, dump it, walk back get another, over, and over, and over, and over, ............
I LOVE my blower. ;)
 

CARS

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Joined
Jan 19, 2011
Messages
535
Location
New Ulm, MN
It's only water blow half on his then switch and blow the other half on yours.

True, but unlike in IL, MN snow stays where you put it for 4 months so you do need to think ahead. Eventually you run out of room for the snow where you first put it and it's too late to blow it somewhere else.

To the OP, you do what you got to do. Sometimes you do need to blow it a couple times to get it where you want it, sometimes into the wind. Bundle up and if you have to, put on a snowmobile helmet. Don't laugh, it really helps.
 

Dave in Mass

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Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
635
Location
Massachusetts
It's only water blow half on his then switch and blow the other half on yours. Just don't point it at windows in case there's a ice ball or frozen newspaper about to shoot out. I don't aim at the neighbors bushes or flower garden either. Everywhere else is fair game.

Your blower can shoot out a frozen newspaper? Holy ****, that must be a powerful blower.

In my old house I was surrounded by older people and single guys, I am one of those guys whol actually likes blowing snow and being outside so a Saturday storm would be great for me since I wouldnt have to get to work. I would be outside all day.

I would blow out 5 out of the 6 small driveways on my dead end street. The 6th guy had a plow business and basically plowed his whole yard so he could park all their cars. No garages on that street.

But there was one single guy who wouldn't pick up his newspapers and man, when those would get stuck in between the augers and the second stage, you could not get them out to save your life.... At one time, I had to burn the paper out with a torch before I could make any headway at all. I talked to him and asked him to make sure he picked up his papers but sure enough a few storms later, I hit another one.. Wasn't as bad but that was the last time I did his driveway.

As for the OP, I second using your directional chute to move things ahead of you. I don't go exaclty straight as you would eventually have a pile in front of you your blower couldnt get through... Just few degrees off would let me get it done.... I have to still do this now not for building or car clearance but because I always have a prevailing wind that seems to blow snow back in my face if I am not on top of the discharge chute direction.

Have fun.
 

Hencini

Well-known member
Joined
May 26, 2013
Messages
338
I had a similar situation at my last house. I did the straight ahead method and even with my little single stage blower, it worked on all but the wettest Wisconsin snowfalls.
 

James_B

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Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
674
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada (started in Brisbane, Australi
Speaking of ****, you should see how far mine will launch dog turds! A few made it clear across the backyard into the neighbors yard! :rocker:
Any snow blower with the right sized motor (many have motors that are too small - you need at least 1/2 ft lb torque per inch width) has a pretty impressive launch capability ... though you do need to have an ample supply of replacement shear pins. I have heard from one of my wife's previous co-workers that they do a remarkable job of launching the company issued Blackberry that you've accidentally dropped.

Set mine loose a few years ago in the "horse yard" of our previous house with a velcro strap holding in the dead-man clutch lever.



 
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