proper snow blower operation

joshl

Dear Sirs

Can anyone tell me why my snow blower cannot clear snow on a gravel drive like it does on a hard surface like concrete or asphalt , or what am I doing wrong?

I have just been greatful to have the depth of snow gone and not have to
always dig our cars out just to get out of the driveway

But a friend says that a snow blower can remove the snow or is this just a case of they have never lived at a residence that had a drive that was not hard like asphalt or concrete

If I am doing this wrong I sure would like to know and I do like it very much when I am wrong and it is to my advantage and am instructed with correction

joshl

Bondo

Ayuh,... The Skids on each side at the bottom, 'n the cutting edge at the rear bottom is adjustable for cutting depth...
But,...
I caution against trying to clean the driveway All the way down to the stone, as you'll end up throwing stones through Windows, with the snow....

If you want a perfectly cleaned driveway,... have it Paved 1st....

joshl

Dear sirs

I had / have the skids ( on the sides ) adjusted to 3/4 of an inch as was instructed by a local blower repair shop and you do this by setting the blower blade ( located at bottom of the auger barrel ) on a piece of 3/4 inch thick plywood and, let the skids on the side fall down to the garage floor then tighten them down to stay in place and still caught a few stones, but I understand not as many had it been set down for a asphalt drive.

After a couple of inches of snow had fallen and the base had some depth to it then I was only picking up snow.

This happens like this every year after I get a snow base for the blower to work on then I am only throwing snow until that base gets there I pick-up a "few" stones and have to be careful of whats coming out of the shoot .


joshl

Bondo

Ayuh,... That sounds like the driveway I grew up with,....

So what's the Question,..??

joshl

jasoninct

you are using your snow blower properly. Adjusting the machine so the blade is 3/4 inch above the shoes is a good idea so that the snowblower does not injest stones and damage itself, throw rocks through windows or make a mess all over the lawn.

If you don't mind cleaning stones off the lawn you can put some up pressure on the handle bars which will push the shoes into the driveway and the blade closer to the stone surface. Doing this requires some attention be paid. 1 when you hear stones going through the snowblower, ease up on the handlebars so the blade isn't as close to the ground. 2 never point the chute of the snowblower at anything you don't want stones thrown at, the snowblower can throw stones twice as far as the snow.

If you are worried about the layer of snow left over after snowblowing the driveway spread some sand on the snow. The sand will provide traction for cars and people, the dark color of the sand will be warmed by the sun and help the snow melt faster. When the snow melts the sand will settle to the driveway surface and will slowly settle into the stone helping to stabilize the stones. Never use salt or ice melt on a stone driveway, it will turn it into mud as the soil under the stone thaws.

Next snow storm see if your friend can come over and see for themself the challenge you face. Maybe it will help them understand that your driveway is cleaned as best you can do it with out shooting the stones all over the lawn.

AllanJ

There is only one major issue at hand, picking up stones.

Even a smooth asphalt driveway might have an occasional piece of debris on it so a snowblower user still has to be careful not to aim the chute at persons or windows.

You will usually get a gravel driveway efficiently cleared leaving about an inch of snow behind, and that is usually satisfactory to drive over.

There is a minor issue that a snowblower is likely to be more difficult to push and the front may bob up and down as it moves along on a gravel driveway. If this happens (the shoes dig into the gravel) you may have to set the height even higher to minimize picking up stones.

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