How to Take Care of Your Snow Thrower
If you have a large yard and there’s a lot of snow, your snow thrower is your best friend. It saves you time and effort, and makes clearing snow effortless. But for your snow thrower to effectively clear all the snow, year after year, it needs a little love from time to time.
How to service your snow thrower
To service or repair your snow thrower, always disconnect the battery and remove the spark plug cable from the spark plug. When servicing the snow thrower at home, always follow the instructions in the snow thrower’s manual.
Feeling unsure? Contact a specialist workshop for help or advice.
Oil changing
As a rule, the first oil change should take place after 5 hours of operation. After that, you will only need to change the oil every 50 hours of operation, or annually before seasonal storage. It is important that you only use oil that is suitable for your snow thrower and which has the recommended viscosity. You can find out which oil to use in the snow thrower’s manual.
To check if you need to top up the motor oil, you can use the dipstick located in the motor. It has maximum and minimum markings that you should follow.
Cleaning your snow thrower
Keeping your snow thrower clean by regularly wiping it down is critical to minimising wear as well as the need for servicing. It can therefore be a good idea to wash and dry your snow thrower after each demanding snow clearing, especially if the snow is salty.
Just be sure to use the right cleaning supplies – and do not use your hands to clean screws or ejector tubes.
How to store your snow thrower
When winter is over and it’s time to store your snow thrower for the season, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Drain the fuel system before seasonal storage.
- Fill up with fresh fuel when winter comes again. When storing the snow thrower over the summer, it is better to not fill up the petrol since petrol is a perishable product. Alternatively, 4-stroke alkylate petrol can be used as it has a longer shelf life.
- Remove the battery and charge the batteries once every two months, even if not in use.
- Wash the snow thrower thoroughly.
- Lubricate moving parts and apply grease to the grease nipples.
- Treat metal parts with anti-corrosion greases.
- Paint sheet metal parts where the paint has come off. Find the right touch-up paint here.
- Inflate the tyres.
- Store the snow thrower on a pallet or similar.