Now Snow in BH, but.... (Bar Harbor: living in, price, shop)

[Zarathu]

We got 8 inches in Strasburg PA, but lucky for me None in Bar Harbor I have two snowblowers. One wouldn't start. The other one woudn't move, and started very very hard. I just bought the one that did start from them on September 18. So before the tech guys where I just bought the big one got started on something else, I took it in to them. Clearly they didn't believe me. So they tried to start it. Its a TORO, it should start right up. It wouldn't start very well. Finally they got it started after flooding it twice.


Then they couldn't get it to move forward or backward. And then they couldn't get the auger to move. I could tell that the older one was very very not happy with the younger one who certified it to be sellable. So we'll see, but I'm glad we had this early snow here, because if I'd gotten it to Maine and it didn't work at all I would have but up Shat Creek without a paddle.

[Submariner]

When living in Ct, I bought the BIGGEST snow-blower that the Toro dealer carried.

It worked fine for 2 years in Ct moving snow.

After moving to Maine, our first couple years there was not enough snow to need a snow-blower. But then when we finally did get snow, it was far too much and too deep for that model of snow-blower to handle.

So we sold it.

[inthetrees]

Last year when we got up here we bought a really old used toro from someone for 200 bucks. It lasted nearly the whole year, ended up getting the drive plowed once in early march by a neighbor.

This year i got a brand new ariens. I went with the ariens because it seemed like a good brand, it was a decent price and it has a cast iron gearcase and 3 year warranty. I dont really know much about engines and really wanted something reliable. The old toro was on its last legs and was impossible to easily change shear pins, from the web i gathered that toro claims you never need to change them, however i find many reports of people having to.

Ive been in New England since 2005 now, and I cant remember any years you wouldnt need a snowblower here. Unless you really like shoveling or have a small driveway/live in a city/on the coast. But we got a long driveway and I got a bad back.

[Zarathu]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

When living in Ct, I bought the BIGGEST snow-blower that the Toro dealer carried.

It worked fine for 2 years in Ct moving snow.

After moving to Maine, our first couple years there was not enough snow to need a snow-blower. But then when we finally did get snow, it was far too much and too deep for that model of snow-blower to handle.

So we sold it.

How big was it? Mine is 28 inches wide, and 22 iches high in the throat, and has a 13 horse power engine. But it will do more than that if necessary. I know this because I have an old simplicity that is only 15 inches wide and 12 inches high, and I regularly plowed through 4 feeot drifts with it. It just took a little longer to know the snow down.

[Zarathu]

Originally Posted by Zarathu

Then they couldn't get it to move forward or backward. And then they couldn't get the auger to move. I could tell that the older one was very very not happy with the younger one who certified it to be sellable. So we'll see, but I'm glad we had this early snow here, because if I'd gotten it to Maine and it didn't work at all I would have but up Shat Creek without a paddle.

Turned out that someone had pulled the pin on the wheels so they could move it around the shop, and there was not enough gas in it to get it started easily. Onc e the pin was put back in both the auger and the wheels moved right away. They forgot that they did this.

Ours is one of those that can be lowered down so that it doesn't ride up on really deep snow.