My $15 Yard Sale Snowblower

[Hedgemaster]

:D


Last week, while mowing at one of my regular stops, my client told me to look through the garage to see if there was anything I wanted, as she was setting up for a garage sale the next day. "There's a Lawnboy mower in there", she said.
I looked, and it was in like-new condition for only $100, but I wasn't really interested.

Then I saw it - in a dark corner... with a strip of masking tape on the handle...

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2442.jpg

$15?!!! :eek: "Does the snowblower run?", I asked. "I think it needs a tune-up or something", she replied, and offered to let me start it up.
"Woo-Hoo", I thought when I saw the "50:1" label on the cap. I grabbed my can from the truck and poured some in. I primed it, set the choke, and pulled a few times - nothing. :(

:o Ooops. Forgot to turn the key to the "on" position...
(click)
(Pull) Sputter...
(Pull) Sputter...
(Pull) Brrrrrrup-upp-upp-upp-upp...

:D Can I come back tomorrow to pick it up?


I called and arranged to go get it and brought it home today!

MTD 21" single stage with 11" clearing height.
139cc two stroke 50:1 mix

Not sure how old it is, but the decal on the Tecumseh engine says something about "meeting California 2006 something or other", so I'm assuming it's no older than that.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2435.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2436.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2448.jpg


She told me that "everyone wanted that snowblower!" LOL.
"Sorry, it's already sold - it's written on the tag", she would reply. haha! Hedgemaster FINALLY catches a break. I NEVER run across deals like that.

Heck, even if it doesn't run that well, I'm only out $15. I may take it to my dealer and have the shop guys look at it to see if it needs the paddles replaced and see what it would cost to have them check the engine over.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2439.jpg

It's "electric start", but I didn't get the cord. I don't understand the need for it anyway, as it's incredibly easy to pull start as it is.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2440.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2441.jpg



Here's the bottom and the paddles...

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2437.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2438.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2446.jpg


The underside. I did note a small amount of fuel seeping out. Not enough to "drip", but I may need to figure out if it needs a gasket or something replaced.

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2443.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2445.jpg

http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy309/IntegrityLawnCare/Lawn%20Care/Equipment/Snowblower%20Single%20Stage%20MTD/IMAG2444.jpg


I ran it for about 15 minutes in the back yard today. No issues other than a bit of "smoke smell". The auger starts up when the bar is engaged and it doesn't seem to slow down the engine. The chute control works smoothly and although the "skid plate/scraper/whateverit'scalled" is a bit mangled, it's apparently reversible and can be switched to the "unused side".

Anyone have some snow so I can take it for a test run? :)

[brian'slawncare]

WOW!! What a deal! congrats!

[Hedgemaster]

WOW!! What a deal! congrats!

Seriously. I can recoup my investment in the first pass of a driveway. LOL!

[nickeckes]

an electric start does not need a special cord. . . it takes a normal ext. cord. .

[Hedgemaster]

an electric start does not need a special cord. . . it takes a normal ext. cord. .


Ahhh... that's right. I was thinking of the electric start mowers that have the "recharger" cord.

My two stage blower has electric start. I tried it once just to make sure it worked and never used it again.

[Steve]

Congratulations! What is that bolted to the blades? How does that help the functionality of the snow blower?

[Hedgemaster]

Congratulations! What is that bolted to the blades? How does that help the functionality of the snow blower?

Those are the "paddles". They're made of some sort of reinforced rubber material... sort of like a fan belt.
They are meant to come in direct contact with the sidewalk/driveway surface, unlike larger two-stage snowblowers that have metal augers that do not touch the ground. That's why these smaller, single stage blowers can clear all the way to the pavement. (although I can get pretty close with my two stage as well)

I just don't know if they have any life left in them. They look well worn, but I don't have any experience with them, so I don't know when they need to be replaced.

[Steve]

Ahhh ok very interesting. Well it will be neat to experiment with it this winter!

I found a pictures of some new paddles but it is difficult to tell the level of wear on them. Also, how much that wear would effect it's functionality.

[Hedgemaster]

Heh. I drug it out so I could run it (let it idle) while I mowed my lawn today and when I engaged the auger lever (to show my wife how it works) the cable must have broken or slipped off. :(

I am also noting that it puts out more white smoke than it should. I don't know what that means, but I'll need to determine if is worth repairing.

[Steve]

Did you check the oil level before and after running it? Maybe it is burning oil.

[Hedgemaster]

Did you check the oil level before and after running it? Maybe it is burning oil.

It's a two cycle. 50:1

;)

[MountainViewGreenskeeper]

It's a two cycle. 50:1

;)

clean carb see if issue persists.

[Ducke]

Hedge
I had an identical thrower to that Mine was a Toro but everything was exactly the same a twin to yours.
It worked great for years then one day dead ans a nit. no nothing so I took it to a dealer to have a look they came back with a worn out starter $250.00 labour included and a shot carburetor $300.00 labour included. I can buy a new one for $300.00-$400.00 so why repair it .
I hung on to it for years but finally trashed it. So my advice is to keep your eyes open for a parts machine and to take very good care to clean and maintain the thrower. Their great when they work but expensive when their broke.

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Nice find! I don't deal with snow here in FL but if I did I would be jealous. lol

[Steve]

WOW $300 for carb work? It could blow all the white smoke it wanted then :)

[Hedgemaster]

Finally taking this puppy to the shop tomorrow to have it looked at.

I took the side cover off to check the cable for the auger. I had hoped it just popped off, but I think the cable snapped inside the shielding, so it's gonna need a cable for starters.

Hoping they can solve the white smoke issue and that they don't tell me it HAS to have new paddles. I'm sure they are worn, but as long as it functions, I don't feel like paying $100 to have a set installed.

[Hedgemaster]

Bring on the snow. :cool:

I picked it up from the shop today.
They "flushed the system", cleaned the carb, and installed a new clutch cable for the auger control. The note on the order said that the paddles were functional.

$70 + initial $15 purchase price = an $85 snowblower that I needed for the light stuff.


I'm ready.
Single stage blower... check!
Two stage blower... check!
http://www.gopherforum.com/showthread.php?t=12655&highlight=snowthrower
Salt... check! (four 50lb bags on hand)
Potassium chloride... check! (three 50 lb bags on hand)
Shovels... check! Waxed and ready!
Boots... check! Three pair in the rotation
Gloves, coat, hat, thermos... check! check! check! check!

All I'm missing now is the snow.

[Steve]

This is exciting!

How do you feel your marketing or snow removal has changed from your previous year? Have you done anything different to attract customers that you wished you did last year?

[Hedgemaster]

Well, since we had a little snow today I decided to try it out.
I wasn't very impressed.

The snow we have is light, fluffy snow - not the wet stuff.
We only got an inch or so, and with the high winds, some spots are a little deeper than others.


It only throws snow about 6-8 feet. Is that normal?
I was wondering if the distance it throws is related to how worn down the paddles are.

Just wondering if I'm wrong in thinking it should throw snow further than that since it doesn't seem like it would do much good if it can't even put the snow to the side of a driveway as you go lengthwise. Do you have to start in the middle and throw to the right, then do the other half and throw to the left?

I've never used one, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be expecting here.

[Ducke]

Well, since we had a little snow today I decided to try it out.
I wasn't very impressed.

The snow we have is light, fluffy snow - not the wet stuff.
We only got an inch or so, and with the high winds, some spots are a little deeper than others.


It only throws snow about 6-8 feet. Is that normal?
I was wondering if the distance it throws is related to how worn down the paddles are.

Just wondering if I'm wrong in thinking it should throw snow further than that since it doesn't seem like it would do much good if it can't even put the snow to the side of a driveway as you go lengthwise. Do you have to start in the middle and throw to the right, then do the other half and throw to the left?

I've never used one, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be expecting here.

There not really made to do driveways there more of a sidewalk and deck type machine. Mine was the same way only barely threw snow out of its own path. Where I found it worked good was on decks, Saved my back having to throw snow over the rail.

[Hedgemaster]

We got about 2-3" of wet snow this evening, so I asked my neighbor if I could try out the blower again on his driveway. (mine is gravel)

As before, it puked up some snow and then it seemed to throw it a bit further if there was enough of it to bite into, but nothing that would allow me to throw across a one car wide drive.

To me, that seems ridiculous. Are single stage blowers really THAT crappy at throwing snow?



Oh, and the auger cable popped again. Yay.
Not sure if I should put any more into this, or just cut my losses and move on. I'm not buying a new one unless it's at the end of the season on clearance or something. I'll just have to use a shovel, or hope the snow is deep enough to use my 2-stage machine.
This is why I hate to buy anything used.