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Second hand |
Considerations for choosing a second hand machine. Be
sure to read the engine section.
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| Older machines |
Late 60's through 80's
machines can be fantastic. These machines were usually very well built
with heavy quality metal, excellent paint and parts are still
available. Ariens and Toro made bulldogs during the early years and
many are around in excellent shape.
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| The older machines in general do not throw as
far as new machines but throw well enough to clear large areas.
Their attack on piles is generally better than newer machines which have
lighter intake housings. See Distance on the front page. |
| The older machines have
wear and the engines can't toss like they did new but still can get the
job done for most people. If the compression is still high an older
snowblower will work all most as well as a new machine. There are
lots of 70's 5 to 10 horse power Ariens and Toro machines that can toss 15
to 20 feet (average not peak conditions). The new machines of the
same size will toss 20 to 30 feet (average not peak conditions). The newer
machines have lighter intake housings and don't go into a big pile as well
as the older snowblowers but certainly work fine. The newer machines
have taller chute which help in directing the output and distance a little better than
the older shorter chute. If you don't have fussy requirements for
your clearing area then an older snowblower will work fine and get the job
done at a very low cost. |
| The older blowers will rattle and shake a bit
more but still work fine. The noise is usually loose controls,
handle grips and chute. On many of these machines tightening bolts
and linkage fittings will quite down the rattling. |
| The ergonomics are better on the newer
machines but for many it would not be a big deal. Most of the new
snowblowers have a top dash and locate the chute turning control
there. Most older snowblowers have lower side handle. For your
area it might not make any difference to you. You may have long runs
without much turning and chute direction changes but for some a top control
is wonderful. |
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| Engine condition |
Engine compression is key to power and torque for
munching and tossing the snow. Determining compression is just about
impossible for most people when checking out a snowblower.
YOU CANT TELL ENGINE
CONDITION BY LISTENING OR PULLING THE STARTER ROPE. Engines have too much compression to pull start. Makers incorporate
a compression release mechanism to make pulling possible. Because of
that pulling the rope will not tell you how strong an engine
is.
Determining engine health:
- A way to rough guess the compressions is to hand turn the
motor in reverse into a compression stroke. If the motor springs
back out of the compression the engine will have ok compression. The
idea being the engine did not leak air while under compression and had
enough umph to push to the piston down. But this can only be done
with the pull start removed or the belt cover removed. On some
machines the resistance from the belts make it impossible to turn the
engine by hand. This is a good test but impractical when looking at
a snowblower.
- Compression testing. Useful but not 100% conclusive because of
compression release. A high reading over 100 psi is a good
reading. A low reading is a concern but not a knockout because
of compression release. There are different types of compression
release and how they function influences readings. A reading lower
than 45 is a knockout. A reading between very high and 45 is
iffy but not a knockout.
- Compression testing is done by pulling the rope pull through about
four cycles of compression. The reading adds up on the
compression dial. That gives you a rough approximation of the actual
compression. The electric start can be used to turn the engine
through several cycles.
- Leakdown testing. Too much to explain but the best test.
Generally a fixed amount pressure is put in through the spark
plug. The amount of air lost through the cylinder rings, valves,
and head gasket is recorded on a second dial. That reading is a
percentage of loss compared to the pressure input. A good point
about this test is that while air is sourced the excaping air can be
heard through the muffler (exhaust valve leak), the carburetor (intake
valve leak), the head area (head gasket leak), and at the oil fill
plug (ring leak).
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| YOU CAN'T TELL ENGINE CONDITION BY THE SOUND
OF THE MOTOR. An engine that pushes oil, has valve problems, or worn rings will sound
just like a strong motor. |
| Second hand machines are worn. They have lost some of their
initial compression ability. That can be ok. They won't toss
like a new machine but even very old motors will get the job done and toss
well. It just won't be peak distance. |
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Engine compression is a
big deal. If the rings or valves are overly worn the machine many
not toss far, smoke from the muffler, and push oil drops from the
breather. Without a compression test there's no reliable way to check
compression and trusting what the seller says about the machine
important.
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When checking out a snowblower try it by blowing snow but that's not
usually possible. Here's a few things to do:
- Start the engine by the pull rope not the electric start. It
should start within three pulls. Try the electric start
second.
- Look for white smoke from the muffler which indicates oil
burning. Black smoke indicates too much fuel which will foul plugs
and cause hard starting. White smoke indicates oil being
burnt. Black or white smoke on startup is ok but should clear up
quickly. If white smoke is noticeable pass on the machine. If black
smoke then it will probably need a tuneup shortly.
- Look for oil drips around the motor or oil drops sputtering from the
breather tube at the side of the engine. Oil drops coming out the breather tube kills any
consideration of that motor.
- Hunting a little is not a major concern as many snowblowers have a minor
hunt and still run very well pushing snow. If the hunt goes
away at full throttle or very minor it's not a major concern.
Hunting usually indicates a gas starved condition and has several
causes.
- Drive the snowblower around with the augers
engaged. They can rattle and shake quite a bit which is ok.
Toro chutes are very loose and rattle like crazy but fine when throwing
snow.
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| Intake housing condition |
Inside is likely to be
fairly rough looking. Snowblower blades and scrapers pickup rocks
and gravel which scraps the inside and blades. A few year old
machine is very likely to have quite a bit of scrapes and missing
paint. Given the wet and road salt there will be rust in the bucket
and impeller area. This is fairly normal. If the snowblower
was a quality build then the metal will be solid although have surface
rust. Bang the bucket to test the condition of the
metal.
Older Ariens and Toro machines have gotten lots
of scrapes over the years and look rough but the paint and metal on the
older machines was quality. Often the looks will be rough but the
snowblower in fine shape. For MTD, Craftsman & lesser
machines the metal can be an issue. |
| Impeller condition |
Most impeller blades and
its support bracket will have significant paint loss which is expected.
The impeller housing will also be heavily scratched and with paint
loss. As long as the metal is solid, scratches and surface rust is
not a big deal. |
| Auger gearbox |
The augerbox is a
critical component of the machine. It transfers power from the
impeller drive to the auger blade axle. There are gears inside the
auger gearbox; a worm drive and a helical gear. It's not possible to fully
determine the condition of the auger gearbox without opening it but a general
idea can be gotten as follows. Stick your hand into the chute and
push the impeller in one direction while holding and auger blade with the
other. You can feel the auger blade move while turning the
impeller. Do that in one direction then turn the impeller in the
other direction. The auger blade will move with the impeller.
You can get a feel for the slop in the gears by going back and
forth. There will be some slop which is expected but generally not
more than 1/8th of a turn on the impeller. Stay away from any
machine which has more than 1/2 turn on the impeller before the blades
turn. Actually less than 1/2 is a consideration for concern but it
becomes very subjective with the machine and the feel. If the slop
is very free at 1/4 to 1/2 then a concern. |
| Rust |
Expected in an older
snowblower and not an issue unless rusted enough to degrade strength. Augers
and the scraper blade pick up rocks and debris which will scratch the
auger blades, intake housing and impeller and its housing. Over time
the paint will wear away and rust although quality machines are around
with bare shiny metal without rust. Bang on a rusted snowblower to
see if the metal is degraded by the rust. Rust can be neutralized
with rust inhibitors and painted over with a rust inhibiting paint like
Rustoleum. |
| Skids |
Skids are the
"shoes" that attach to the lower sides of the intake
housing. The front of the machine rides on the two skids. They
are replaceable and are meant to take the brunt of the weight of the
machine. They wear away over time and get replaced. If they
wear away the front of the machine will then ride on the scraper blade and
or auger blades. The scraper blade is replaceable and a heavy bar so
can take some wear/abuse but not the auger blades. When the auger
blades scrap the ground it's barely noticeable because of the shaking of
the machine. When they hit the ground the resistance will put great
resistance force on the auger drive gearbox prematurely wearing away the
internal gears. Repairing an auger gearbox is very expensive and
when faced with this expense most people junk their snowblower. A
machine with skids which are completely worn away is a machine to stay
away from. On machine with worn skids you can feel the auger blade
tips which will have a right angle burr on the tips to either side which
are sharp enough to cut your fingers. Stay away from any machine
which has auger blade tips which have been worn in this way. |
| Auger blades |
Auger blades on a second
had machine usually have rust spots and is ok. The paint may be
bubble up from rust underneath which is also ok. As long as the
metal under the rust is ok which is generally is then there is nothing to
worry about. If the blades have curled over leading edges that
indicates the blades directly contacted the ground and could be a
problem The blades hitting the round causes big back pressure on the
auger gearbox. See auger gearbox. |
| Chute cranks |
On older machines the
chute cranks are generally under the handle bars and to the side.
Newer machines have dash mounted cranks which are more convenient.
It's not a big deal but for an area with a lot of chute adjustment a dash
mount is nice. Some of the older machines have dash cranks and they
were generally better machines like Arines, Bolens, Snapper, Jacobson and
others. |
| Handle bar controls |
One of the biggest
differences between older machines and new machines is the latching of the
auger clutch lever with the drive lever. That keeps the auger blades
engaged while one hand is on the drive clutch lever. That frees up
one hand to move the chute control. This is a nice feature in newer
machines versus older machine. It's not a critical item but a
convenience. Without it you have to let off the auger drive lever to
change the chute position. You'll be driving into snow but not
throwing it. For a small snowfall that will not make a difference
but for a big storm it will. You have to stop and adjust the
chute. Depending on your area if you want to make chute adjustments
while moving the latching control is nice. For some clearing areas
the feature is not a big deal. You just have to take a small pause
in throwing while you make a crank adjustment. Like any feature just
how important it is has to be viewed against how useful it is.
You're only out there for several times per season and living without this
or other features is not an overall big deal. |
| Size and features |
Keep in mind total use
per season. You're only out there a few times a season. Living
with a smaller snowblower without features like auger clutch locking,
differential, hand warmers and other features is not a big
deal. It make take a bit longer to get the job done a bit
inconvenient but you're not shoveling and getting the job done. Just
how important various features is subjective and a personal
decision. If you are in Canada or in the lake effect area of the
Great Lakes then you want them all but in Eastern Massachusetts they are
not so essential. |
| Prior use |
How big is the owners
driveway and how long did he have the machine? Some people have a
tiny driveway, have owned the machine since new and have always stored it
inside. A used machine in good condition is a great find. The chances are
high the compression will be fine and the blower in excellent shape.
Many of the older blowers will outlast new ones.
Buying a snowblower from the Mass coast versus
New Hampshire. A 10 year old snowblower from Quincy will have seen
half the use of a blower from southern New Hampshire of the same
age. |
