Snow is coming- finally!

[hodge]

I am so excited, I don't know what to do first. Turn the Kubota around so it is facing nose out, fuel it up, warm up the generator, fire up the snowblower, start the Kubota again just to hear it run, wash the truck so it's clean for the snow, or maybe I should get down to the barn and make some stabilizers.
We are expecting anywhere from 5 to 24 inches. I will be mortally disappointed if it's a frog's whisker less than 24".
It's funny how the National Weather Service worded it-
"* ACCUMULATIONS...MORE THAN 5 INCHES POSSIBLE...WITH THE POTENTIAL
FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA."

 

[dieseldude]

with the call for snow, I hope this time it's not just a 1 or 2 inch teaser. Lets see some real snow for a change. Not to mention the one who try to drive to fast thinking " it's only a little bit". 24 inches is a bit much for my liking, but 10 - 12 would be just fine and a perfect exceuse to turn the 4 wheel drive on in the truck.

 

[hodge]

The revised forecast is 10-15". We will probably get a dusting, the way that they have performed this Winter, and based on how excited I am.

 

[skeets]

I hear ya,, it wasnt even worth putting the plow on this year

 

[bosshogg]

I used to move snow for a living when I was in construction. Often times a 16 hour+ event running a loader, road grader, or pickup plow. I still cringe every time it snows and don't believe I will be ever happy to see the white stuff.

 

[birddogger]

It's funny how the National Weather Service worded it-
"* ACCUMULATIONS...MORE THAN 5 INCHES POSSIBLE...WITH THE POTENTIAL
FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA."

Eyup, keeps up like this and we might get some weather.

 

[hodge]

Eyup, keeps up like this and we might get some weather.

Somewhere.

 

[300zx]

Hodge, with the 54 degree weather down here today, I doubt if much is going to stick for us. They are predicting 3-6 inches. I heard my neighbor fire up his snow blower one night at 10 pm during our last snow. I called him later to see why he was working so late. I knew he had a new blower. He told me he was afraid it would melt by morning!! My kind of guy!

John in VA

 

[hodge]

Hodge, with the 54 degree weather down here today, I doubt if much is going to stick for us. They are predicting 3-6 inches. I heard my neighbor fire up his snow blower one night at 10 pm during our last snow. I called him later to see why he was working so late. I knew he had a new blower. He told me he was afraid it would melt by morning!! My kind of guy!

John in VA

I'm not that desperate, but I have cleared snow late at night, to manage it before getting too deep. I don't have any neighbors within a 1/4 mile, either.
As always, there are conflicting predictions, but if you average it all together, we might get 10 or 15 inches. I'm ready. I got two sets of stabilizers built today (caught up on orders), so if the power goes out (they are calling for the snow to be heavy, and for it to be windy), I don't have to worry about not finishing them up. The Kubota is fueled and ready, the snowblower is too, and the woodstove is cranked.
An interesting tidbit- I have read lots of posts about the advantages of ethanol-free gas, as well as those who say it makes no difference.
In the past, when I would go to start the snowblower for the first time of the season, I would have to work on the carburetor. I would take it apart and clean it, or it wouldn't start or run well. The last two seasons, I have run nothing but ethanol-free gas in all my small equipment. The snowblower hasn't run in almost a year, and it fired right up. And, it is running as good as it did when it was new- it NEVER did that with ethanol. I would have to run it on partial choke.
Don't flame me, but that was on year-old gas, too.

 

[300zx]

Hodge, my experience is the same on the gas. I just use ethanol free in all of my small engines and add Sta Bil for good measure. Others may have better experience, but this works for me. For some reason, it seems like gas evaporates out of the carb bowls faster than it used to, even with the 100% gas. If I let my Wheel Horse sit too long, it has to crank and crank to get enough fuel in the bowl before it will fire. It makes me want to put an electric fuel pump on it.

John

 

[hodge]

It's a little after 11, and we have almost 4". And, it is still getting cranked up. I think I will have something to post tomorrow about "What I did on my Kubota today".

 

[hodge]

The power is out, we have about 12" of very wet, heavy snow, and the Kubota did admirably pushing it. As heavy as it is, I didn't think I would be able to do much, but as always, Nemo went above and beyond. The driveway is clear, ready for the next layer. It is still putting it down, and not supposed to stop till sometime this evening.
I have decent turf tires on the tractor, and they did exceedingly well.

 

[dieseldude]

Just read through the post and have a question. Where is ethanol free gas avaible. I can't seem to come across any up here unless I just haven't paid much attention.

As far as this storm goes, so far its been a bust. After calling out of work this morning from seeing some ice and getting excited, nothing but wind and rain. Now the forecast say snow after 3 pm.

 

[hodge]

Just read through the post and have a question. Where is ethanol free gas avaible. I can't seem to come across any up here unless I just haven't paid much attention.

As far as this storm goes, so far its been a bust. After calling out of work this morning from seeing some ice and getting excited, nothing but wind and rain. Now the forecast say snow after 3 pm.

We have four places within 30 miles, two of them within 5, that carry ethanol-free gas. I guess that it would depend on whether a distributor carries it.
We have somewhere between 17 and 20 inches now, and it is very wet and heavy. I just cleaned things again, and had a rougher go round. It is drifting and packing. The Kubota did it, but got a workout. The snowblower (9 hp Husqvarna 27") will barely throw it. I'm glad that I've stayed ahead of it- if I had waited, we'd be stuck. I have a skidsteer, but I am having fuel problems, and am waiting for a part. What a time for that to be down.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I remember seeing on here before where a fellow member posted a link to a web site that would point out nation wide which gas stations sold ethanol free gas. I know when I looked there was nothing in my neck of the woods for a hundred miles or so.

 

[300zx]

Just read through the post and have a question. Where is ethanol free gas avaible. I can't seem to come across any up here unless I just haven't paid much attention.

Here is a link that lists the pure gas stations. If you zoom into the Md area, you can see the stations. Unfortunately, I don't see any in the Baltimore area.

http://pure-gas.org/extensions/map.html

John

 

[ipz2222]

There's 3 in my area, (sth Chatt) , that's not on that map. No telling how many more that I don't even know about.

 

[Burt]

Hodge:

Glad you got some snow to deal with. We had "decorator" snow here. Snowed all day yesterday and today, sunshine clear to the ground, blue sky and 53 degrees!

I wanted to tell you that your stabilizers are perfect!!! We cut down a 60 foot Ponderosa and I had sawed it into rounds. I was able to use the 3700SU to move them where I can split them.

Your stabilizers came in super handy when I hooked up the 3 point receiver hitch to our 4X8 utility trailer to haul out the branches and detritus to our burn area. We had to back the trailer up a few times. Instead of meandering about like it used to do with the chain stabilizers, it went where it should go and easily so.

Your stabilizers are perfect!!!

Have happy snow.

YOF,

Burt in Goldendale, WA