Getting the snow blower ready before the first snowfall

Equipment · 8 min read

The whole job reduces to one move: start the machine this week, while the driveway is bare and a repair shop can still take it. A snow blower that sat untouched since March will tell you most of what it needs in a five minute test run. This guide runs that test first, then works through the wear parts and the one setting, skid shoe height, that changes depending on whether the driveway is paved or gravel.

The job in brief

• Difficulty: easy to moderate. Everything here is inspection, adjustment, and fluids. Carburetor work and gearbox work are shop jobs.
• Time: about an hour for a machine that starts and runs cleanly.
• Tools and materials: spark plug socket and feeler gauge, a piece of cardboard, a tire pressure gauge, engine oil if a change is due, fresh gasoline, fuel stabilizer if the fuel contains ethanol, and a set of shear pins matched to the model.
• Hire-a-pro line: if the ordered triage below ends with a machine that still will not run, stop there. November is when the repair gets done before the storm instead of after it.

Step 1: the five minute start test

1. Make the machine safe to touch. Before any inspection, disengage all control levers, stop the engine, and wait until the auger and impeller come to a complete stop. On a gas model, remove the spark plug boot and ground it against the engine so the machine cannot start by accident. On a cordless model, remove the batteries. Check: nothing on the machine can move or fire while hands are near it.
2. Look before starting. Walk around the unit for damage and loose bolts or screws, and check the fuel line, tank, cap, and fittings for cracks or leaks. Check: no fuel smell, no wet fittings, no fastener that turns by hand.
3. Start it outside. Reconnect the plug boot, roll the machine out of the garage, and start it. Let it run for several minutes, then test the drive, the auger, the chute controls, and the lights or heated grips if fitted. Check: the engine settles into a steady run, the auger engages and disengages on command, and the chute swings its full range.
4. Shut down and look again. After the test run, check underneath for fresh oil or fuel leaks and listen for unusual noises as the engine stops. Check: a dry floor under the machine and no new drips.

If it will not start: triage in this order

Work down the list and stop at the first fix that works. The order matters, because the most common cause is also the cheapest.

1. Fuel first. Gasoline degrades over months of inactivity, and a machine stored since spring is almost always sitting on old fuel. Drain or replace it with fresh gasoline. If the fresh fuel contains ethanol, add fuel stabilizer, which combats the moisture absorption and the varnish and gum formation that cause hard starting. Check: with fresh fuel, the engine fires or at least coughs. No change at all points further down the list.
2. Spark plug second. Remove the plug and inspect it for fouling, meaning carbon deposits or oil buildup, both of which cause misfires and hard starting. Check the gap with a feeler gauge against the manufacturer specification, typically 0.020 to 0.030 inches. A fouled plug is replaced, not cleaned and hoped for. Check: a clean, correctly gapped plug, or a new one in its place.
3. Battery models: charge and inspect. On a cordless machine, charge the batteries with the manufacturer approved charger only, and inspect each pack for cracks, swelling, or damaged terminals. Check: packs seated normally, no swelling, full charge indicated.
4. Then stop. Fresh fuel and a good plug cover the large majority of no-start causes a homeowner can fix at the curb. A machine that still refuses is telling you the fault is in the carburetor or beyond, and that is the hire-a-pro line from the summary. Book it now, in early November, not during the first storm.

Wear parts to inspect, plug still disconnected

• Belts. Inspect every belt for cracking, fraying, or glazing, and confirm the cable tension is right. A loose auger cable reduces throwing power even when the engine runs perfectly.
• Controls. Test the operator levers, including the power steering trigger, chute control, and speed selector, and confirm each one moves freely and returns.
• Shear pins. The shear pin is a deliberately weak bolt connecting the auger to the auger shaft, engineered to break if the auger hits a hard object, which protects the gearbox and auger shaft. Confirm the fitted pins are intact, and stock up on spares matched to the model. Never substitute an ordinary bolt: a bolt that does not break hands the impact to the gearbox instead. If the auger ever stops spinning while the engine runs, a broken shear pin is the likely cause.
• Safety labels. Maintain or replace worn safety and instruction labels so the warnings on the machine stay readable.

Set the skid shoes for your surface

Skid shoes raise the auger housing off the ground, and the right clearance depends on what is under the snow. On a paved driveway, set a gap of about 1/8 inch, close enough to clear down near the surface. On gravel, raise it to 1/2 inch or more, because a housing set at pavement height will pick up stones and throw them.

The adjustment itself is simple: slide a piece of cardboard under the shave plate, loosen the skid shoe hardware, let the shoes drop to the ground, retighten the hardware, and pull the cardboard out. One machine can need both settings across a single property, paved driveway and gravel lane, so set for the roughest surface the machine will clear, or reset when the surface changes.

Oil, fuel, and tires

Change the engine oil annually; on four-cycle engines use a synthetic 5W-30, and warm the engine briefly before draining so the old oil flows out completely. Dispose of used oil and old gasoline according to local disposal rules. Check tire pressure against the sidewall and the manual: snow blower tires generally run 15 to 20 PSI, and pressure falls by roughly 1 PSI for every 10°F the temperature drops, so a tire set correctly in a mild October garage is underinflated by January. Low pressure makes the machine pull to one side and drag its housing.

What success looks like

Success is a machine that starts on the first or second attempt in a November test, runs steadily for several minutes, engages its auger and drive on command, and shuts down over a dry patch of floor. The skid shoes match the surface it will clear, the tires sit at pressure, and a set of spare shear pins and the cleanout tool are stored with the machine. One last safety rule belongs here, because it applies all winter: if the chute clogs, shut the machine off, remove the key, wait for every moving part to stop, disconnect the plug wire or remove the batteries, and clear the clog with the supplied cleanout tool. Most snow blower injuries happen while people try to clear the chute or auger housing, and hands never go inside either one, even with the engine off.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the test until snow is falling. Every fault in this guide is cheap and calm to fix in November and miserable to fix mid-storm.
• Replacing a shear pin with a regular bolt. The pin is the fuse in the system. A stronger bolt does not upgrade the machine, it removes the protection.
• Setting skid shoes once for every surface. Pavement height on gravel throws stones. Gravel height on pavement leaves a packed layer that turns to ice.

, Tom Reilly, Home & DIY Writer