Storing snowblower outside

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andy t

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I am thinking of buying a gas powered snowblower. Since we don't have a garage, it will have to be stored outside. I am planning on getting a heavy duty cover for it. Would it function OK with that kind of storage? anything else I should know?
What are good places besides big box stores to get a snowblower on the North Shore.

Thanks!
 
Put a heavy cover over with ventilation around the bottom. Keep the gas topped off so condensation doesn't form, and keep everything oiled/greased.

Best place to buy a snowblower is either Craigslist or from a local shop's used selection. You can get a machine for $200-400 that's the same quality as a new one that costs $1500.
 
Mine sat outside all summer as we had sold our old house and our new one was being built. Started on the first pull last weekend. No cover on it. It's an Ariens. I did notice some minor corrosion here and there.
 
Covered with a tarp should be fine but you might also want to store it up off the ground, a pallet would be great. If we get a warm spell followed by a hard freeze you could find the snow blower frozen hard to the ground.
 
Use Sea-Foam fuel additive religiously and you will never have carb or fuel problem.
 
A few drops of oil in the cylinder via the spark plug hole and a gas stabilizer worked for me before I got a garage. I would also start each winter season with a new spark plug.
 
For a couple hundred you can buy one of those plastic mini sheds that may be more convenient. A guy at work found a free wooden shipping crate that fit.

Maestranzi Bros is a huge Ariens dealer off 128 in Beverly. Don's Power Equipment on Route 1 in Peabody sells them, if they find you worthy....

There are several different grades. Contrary to popular belief the ones sold at HD are identical, but final assembly quality is variable and they don't service. And while they theoretically sell the Pro series, never seen one there.

Many of their lines have electric start, which can help when it is very cold. I used a tarp at one point, but found a motorcycle cover worked better.

They have an online selector.
 
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As mentioned head over to Mestranzi's in Beverly. Look at the Simplicity snow blowers. They have most models opened up so you can see what you're paying for. Ariens are nice but not built to the same standards as Simplicity. That said my fathers Ariens bought there about 15 years ago is still running like new.
 
As others say, keep it covered but somewhat open on the sides. If you have it sealed up too tight, you create a greenhouse (warm humid air) in the spring fall and summer.
 
I keep mine stored under a tarp next to my house for the winter because my shed is too far away from my driveway and walkways. Never had a problem with it like that, its an Ariens. The rest of the year I keep it in a garage at work.
 
natf said:
Covered with a tarp should be fine but you might also want to store it up off the ground, a pallet would be great. If we get a warm spell followed by a hard freeze you could find the snow blower frozen hard to the ground.
Click to expand...

northny said:
Make sure muffler is cold before putting cover on. Ask me how I know.
Click to expand...

Hell yes, to both of these things that I've also done [sad]


If you can find a motorcycle or grill cover that will fit, it is less likely to piss you off at some point this winter.
 
Either outside with a tarp or in a shed, it will see the same temperature swings and the same risk of mice. If you store it outside, just try to put it on a piece of wood or something, just to keep it out of the wet/dirt.

Mice like to nest inside the gearbox, and their pee is very corrossive. I had to replace a lot of parts that rusted out. It's good to pull the cover off every year and clean/oil everything up good.
 
Just bought a new Ariens to replace one I bought 20 years ago. They are the way to go.

I do like electric start. Most of the time is starts right up, but when it does not it'll piss you off pulling the damn thing over and over.

Gasoline is your enemy. Use the products listed (I use Stabil). Do not, under any circumstances, leave gas in it all summer. I run mine until dry and then use the electric start to burn up any fuel that might be left in the carb.

Buying from Home Depot is not the way to go IMHO. They don't provide service. The authorized service centers do prioritize their customers over Home Depot customers for service. Plus there's some hoops you have to jump through to get the service authorized. Pay the man up front for peace of mind.
 
Mine sits oitside year round, has for years. I use a grill cover and it works fine. As for mice, in the summer I occasional blow it off withmy blower otherwise I just spray it with wd40 and its fine.

Sent from the blind
 
shiprec13 said:
As mentioned head over to Mestranzi's in Beverly. Look at the Simplicity snow blowers. They have most models opened up so you can see what you're paying for. Ariens are nice but not built to the same standards as Simplicity. That said my fathers Ariens bought there about 15 years ago is still running like new.
Click to expand...
Simplicity "Signature Pro" models are Simplicity designs. All the other models are Murray designs. Nothing wrong with that: Murray was a Canadian company that made Craftsman back when they were good.

Ariens has greatly expanded their product line and their Pro models compete very effectively with Simplicity even though B&S now owns them [Simplicity]. They also make hydrostatics nd track drive machines. Toro makes good machines as well but the challenger to Ariens most people consider to be Honda, who has both wheel and track machines with hydrostatic trans.
 
garandman said:
Simplicity "Signature Pro" models are Simplicity designs. All the other models are Murray designs. Nothing wrong with that: Murray was a Canadian company that made Craftsman back when they were good.

Ariens has greatly expanded their product line and their Pro models compete very effectively with Simplicity even though B&S now owns them [Simplicity]. They also make hydrostatics nd track drive machines. Toro makes good machines as well but the challenger to Ariens most people consider to be Honda, who has both wheel and track machines with hydrostatic trans.
Click to expand...

I loved the Honda products but they were much more expensive. Given 20 years of faithful service from my old Ariens I didn't see the value in the extra cost of Honda.

YMMV...
 
richc said:
Gasoline is your enemy. Use the products listed (I use Stabil). Do not, under any circumstances, leave gas in it all summer. I run mine until dry and then use the electric start to burn up any fuel that might be left in the carb.
.
Click to expand...

I leave gas in mine all the time, (Ariens 824 Classic) maybe it helps that I hit it with a shot of Stabil and run it for 5 minutes at the end of the season... seems to keep the carb from getting gunked.

-Mike
 
I bought my ariens from snowblowersdirect.com. Great company, and info to compare all the different types. Definitely reccomend them if you want to buy new. If not craigslist is your best bet. As for storing outside, top off with fuel and add some seafoam. Like others have said get a good cover with some ventilation.
 
One other thing: Store it with the back end higher than the front so that when the snow inside it melts, it will drain out and not freeze the impeller. This happened to me one year and it was a b**ch to get all the ice away from the impeller.
-mike
 
mikey98e said:
One other thing: Store it with the back end higher than the front so that when the snow inside it melts, it will drain out and not freeze the impeller. This happened to me one year and it was a b**ch to get all the ice away from the impeller.
-mike
Click to expand...

Fire up a tea kettle and pour that boiling water down there.... the heat will melt things pretty quickly.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
I leave gas in mine all the time, (Ariens 824 Classic) maybe it helps that I hit it with a shot of Stabil and run it for 5 minutes at the end of the season... seems to keep the carb from getting gunked.

-Mike
Click to expand...

+1. Always leave gas in it in the summer (treated with Stabil). And it's not Ariens, it is a big box store's model which serves me perfect for more than 10 years. I am aware of the 'dislike' here to big box store, but many cases this is not true, the products are good and much cheaper.
 
Lock it up an make sure it's not visible from the road. My dad had one stolen before. It was set pretty far back in their driveway under a tarp. I forget if it was locked or not. Our neighbor saw some people come by in a van like his and loaded it right up.
 


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