OK, so we've had this fantastic snowstorm... in fact, it's still dumping buckets and buckets of beautiful cold fluffy snow all over New England. The roads are icy and nasty, so it's really better just to stay indoors watching TV, drinking hot chocolate and playing games... BUT, some of us have to work, celebrate anniversaries, finish Christmas shopping. That leads me to the lesson learned this week.
Kendon is a stickler for getting the snow off the driveway and NOT driving on it (can't be packing it onto the driveway now, can we?) So Saturday morning we went out to shovel the walk and use the snow blower on the driveway. We had stuff to do. Ever heard of shear bolts aka shear pins??? Anyone? Well, they are a necessary part to have in order to have a functioning snow blower. Without them, the auger won't turn, the machine won't blow snow which will result in having to MANUALLY REMOVE THE SNOW (aka shovel it yourself, buddy!) Suffice it to say our shear bolts were gone. And we didn't have any extras!!! DUMB MOVE, I tell you!!
Now remember that we can't drive on the driveway while the snow is on it... three hours later and several hundreds of pounds of snow, and thousands of shovel loads later, the driveway was sort of clear (understand, it hadn't stopped snowing). Kendon and I drove to Home Depot, got some shear bolts, headed out to run errands, celebrated our 19th anniversary by going out to dinner, and came home.
Fast Forward to Sunday morning... we'll just pop in the shear bolts, clear the snow off the driveway (sort of, still snowing folks) and be on our way. I wonder how much pressure it takes to get these shear bolts in... this leads me to my "lessons learned the hard way":
1. It's a good idea to know what shear bolts are, when they are missing, and how they should fit in the snow machine. This little bit of education can save you several hours of hammering, cussing, and frustration trying to get the jammed shear pin out of the appropriate place on the snowblower...
2. You shouldn't have to hammer in shear bolts. They may take a little tap, but if you have to apply more than just a little tap, you HAVE THE WRONG SIZE AND SHOULD STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!
3. Don't assume that the guy from Home Depot knows what the hell he is talking about... chances are, he doesn't have a clue and will tell you what you want to hear so he can move on to the next customer. Don't trust said HD guy, even when you provide appropriate model and serial number AND he uses the computer to look up the lot number for the parts. He's clueless.
4. When you finally get that shear pin out and replace it with the RIGHT ones, it's okay to celebrate, do a dance of joy, hug, kiss, and THEN go out and clear off the driveway.
And last but not least, in fact, the most important lesson learned...
5. It's probably a very good idea to check said snow machine BEFORE the worst snowfall of the season hits New England. Making sure said snow blower works properly will alleviate several hours of frustration, several trips to Home Depot, and hours of back breaking labor. Oh ya, and one last thing... always keep several extra shear pins on hand so you can replace immediately when needed.
Kendon is a stickler for getting the snow off the driveway and NOT driving on it (can't be packing it onto the driveway now, can we?) So Saturday morning we went out to shovel the walk and use the snow blower on the driveway. We had stuff to do. Ever heard of shear bolts aka shear pins??? Anyone? Well, they are a necessary part to have in order to have a functioning snow blower. Without them, the auger won't turn, the machine won't blow snow which will result in having to MANUALLY REMOVE THE SNOW (aka shovel it yourself, buddy!) Suffice it to say our shear bolts were gone. And we didn't have any extras!!! DUMB MOVE, I tell you!!
Now remember that we can't drive on the driveway while the snow is on it... three hours later and several hundreds of pounds of snow, and thousands of shovel loads later, the driveway was sort of clear (understand, it hadn't stopped snowing). Kendon and I drove to Home Depot, got some shear bolts, headed out to run errands, celebrated our 19th anniversary by going out to dinner, and came home.
Fast Forward to Sunday morning... we'll just pop in the shear bolts, clear the snow off the driveway (sort of, still snowing folks) and be on our way. I wonder how much pressure it takes to get these shear bolts in... this leads me to my "lessons learned the hard way":
1. It's a good idea to know what shear bolts are, when they are missing, and how they should fit in the snow machine. This little bit of education can save you several hours of hammering, cussing, and frustration trying to get the jammed shear pin out of the appropriate place on the snowblower...
2. You shouldn't have to hammer in shear bolts. They may take a little tap, but if you have to apply more than just a little tap, you HAVE THE WRONG SIZE AND SHOULD STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!
3. Don't assume that the guy from Home Depot knows what the hell he is talking about... chances are, he doesn't have a clue and will tell you what you want to hear so he can move on to the next customer. Don't trust said HD guy, even when you provide appropriate model and serial number AND he uses the computer to look up the lot number for the parts. He's clueless.
4. When you finally get that shear pin out and replace it with the RIGHT ones, it's okay to celebrate, do a dance of joy, hug, kiss, and THEN go out and clear off the driveway.
And last but not least, in fact, the most important lesson learned...
5. It's probably a very good idea to check said snow machine BEFORE the worst snowfall of the season hits New England. Making sure said snow blower works properly will alleviate several hours of frustration, several trips to Home Depot, and hours of back breaking labor. Oh ya, and one last thing... always keep several extra shear pins on hand so you can replace immediately when needed.
3 comments:
Awww...I'm sorry. Our snowblower had been inoperable since the middle of last winter. Turns out, it's the same bolt problem. I can't get to our shed to find out what model snowblower we have, so we've been shoveling too. Our driveway is nothing like yours though. :) Glad it finally stopped!
And Happy Anniversary!
First...Happy Anniversary! I can just say that I am glad we don't get snow. That sounds terrible. I would agree though...never trust the HD guys. They have led us astray many times.
It's all good... learned something and did A LOT of exercise both on Saturday and again on Sunday...ox in the mire thing, remember?!
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