Are you ready for winter? Not me, again....

[gtaus]

I dont know anything about snowblowers. But if it wont fire up for you, a shot of starter fluid in the carb intake will get it running.

Thanks. I pretty much know all the tricks to "coax" a gas engine into starting including spraying some starter fluid down the carb and/or pouring some fresh gas directly into the spark plug hole after you remove the spark plug. I have to pour a bit of gas down the carb on my old wood chipper to get it running even in the summertime. But at least it starts and then runs fine. The snow blower is still pull starting fine in the garage, but as the temps drop and the (attached but unheated) garage gets below freezing, then I will need that electric starter or it's game over.

Don't know if I mentioned it or not, but I ended up ordering a new snow blower starter motor from Amazon and it should be here this Saturday. It's just a 5 minute swap out,, so I hope that will fix the starter issue. It pays to shop around and consider your options. I could have bought the snow blower starter motor locally for $130..00 I found the same starter on Amazon for $61.00. Both had a 1 year warranty, so I opted to save myself some money and wait the ~10 days for the starter to be shipped from Amazon.

Honestly, if my gas snow blower dies and needs to be replaced, I am seriously considering going with a battery operated snow blower. The battery operated 2 stage snow blowers are now about the same price as the gas snow blowers. The advantage of the gas mowers is their long run time compared to the battery operated snow blowers. But it appears that the new battery snow blowers now run long enough to do my driveway. That's all I need. So I might give up fighting with the gas engines and just get a snow blower with an electric motor on my next big purchase.

Almost all my gas outdoor and lawn maintenance equipment has been replaced with battery operated tools. I have had much better luck with the electric motors because they do not have carbs that get gunked up while sitting in the garage/shed when not being used for a good 6 months out of the year. I just put a fresh battery in my electric tools and they run, no issues.

 

[MandaRae]

Every year around this time I kick myself for not having better prepared for the winter months. Must be a personal failing. We got our first snowfall yesterday and it will be snowing on and off for the next 3 days. So, it appears that our snow will be here to stay until spring.

Here is a small list of things I should have taken care of before the first snowfall....

- I should have pulled out all the batteries from my riding lawn mowers and the golf cart. I can still do that, of course, but it will be colder now and I'll have to use a sled to carry the batteries back to the garage. Would have been easier to pull those batteries in warmer weather and use my gorilla cart with wheels to carry the batteries back to the garage.

- Failed to complete the raised beds I started. All the wood is cut up in the garage, but now it's just taking up space. Won't be able to place the raised beds in the yard until next spring. Probably have to pile up the cut wood outside and finish the project next spring.

- Need to clean out the garage car stall to get my car in out of the weather. I have been using that stall for DIY projects all summer. Got it half cleaned out yesterday, but should have started before the snowfall. Dear Wife has her stall cleared, year round. At least I know enough not to mess with her space.

- Snowblower needs a new electric starter. Should have tested it out a few weeks ago when I did not need it. The starter worked fine last year when I put it away, but I should have tested it before now. New starter now on order and expected to be delivered next Thursday. Hope me don't get too much snow till then.

- Should have moved my cement mixer compost sifter into a place for winter. As it was, heavy wet snow fell on the mixer and it fell over. No damage, but had to pick it up and slide it through the snow to get it stored away for the winter. Would have been a lot easier to do if I would have just rolled it on the grass instead of pushing/pulling through the snow.

I did manage to prepare a few things in time...

- I got the metal heater base for the chicken waterer plugged in and made sure it was working.

- I moved the snowblower from the shed into the garage, so even though the electric starter needs to be replaced, I call still pull start it as long as the garage stays warmer than outside.

- Got my portable propane heater and gas grill tanks ready to use in the garage in case I need to heat it up. Don't use that heater very much, but if the snowblower breaks down in the winter, I like to have a warmer garage to work in. My old hands don't like the cold anymore.

Oh well, just sending out a shout to those of you, like me, that put things off maybe a bit too long. Please share your winter prep experience/failings if you have any. Take care.

I'm behind on everything. Still finishing the bigger coop and run. They are fine where they are but i wanted to swap everything before it snowed.
Toys everywhere still.
I need to get hay,
Need to shovel the mulch i to the run area.
Still need to move some of the feed cans around.
Lots of little things need to be done.
We need to move back to somewhere it doesn't snow

 

[gtaus]

I hear ya! We don't get as much snow as you do, but we can get walloped at times, often with heavy, wet snow. The coop itself can take just about anything, I think.

We do get lots of snow. My chicken coop was built to withstand our winter snow loads, but if I added a roof over my chicken run, and made it to withstand our snow loads, then it gets expensive to build in a hurry. When I first built my coop and run, I looked at the cost of building a roof over my chicken run and I could not afford it at that time.

An 8 foot 2X4 cost maybe $3.00 back then. I think that same 8 foot 2X4 now costs about $2,000.00!

I exaggerate, of course, but I know that the 4X8 foot OSB board I used on my coop went from about $6.00 a sheet to over $45.00 a sheet during the height of the COVID pandemic. I was going to throw together a project made of wood a year or so ago, and discovered that my costs were more than 3X as much. So I opted not to do the project. Hope our wood prices will come back down to "normal" and we can start to build things again.

Speaking of which, I built my new raised beds last spring out of galvanized metal sides to save on the price of wood. I prefer the look of wood over metal, but my new galvanized panel raised beds really worked out well. So that is what really matters. Maybe the metal will last longer than the wood anyway. Plus, I had enough scrap lumber laying behind the garage that I did not have to buy any wood to make the frames of the raised beds. So I cleaned up the wood pile and saved myself a big load of money at the same time.

 

[gtaus]

I'm behind on everything. Still finishing the bigger coop and run. They are fine where they are but i wanted to swap everything before it snowed.
Toys everywhere still.
I need to get hay,
Need to shovel the mulch i to the run area.
Still need to move some of the feed cans around.
Lots of little things need to be done.
We need to move back to somewhere it doesn't snow

I have lived most of my life in snow country, but when I was in the service, I was always stationed in places without snow in the winter. I find the pace of life in snow country a bit more hectic, as you are rushing to plant the garden early after the snow melts because you have such a short growing season, and then you have to hurry to get everything done before the snowfall in the winter. Too many times an unfinished chore gets snowed under and has to wait until spring before you can rethink getting it done.

I complain, but at the same time, I do enjoy a bit of snow in the winter and the passing of the seasons. I have lived in the tropics, and our seasons just went from hot and humid , to hot and rainy, and then back to just hot and humid. Being from Minnesota, I missed the snow, believe it or not.

 

[MandaRae]

I have lived most of my life in snow country, but when I was in the service, I was always stationed in places without snow in the winter. I find the pace of life in snow country a bit more hectic, as you are rushing to plant the garden early after the snow melts because you have such a short growing season, and then you have to hurry to get everything done before the snowfall in the winter. Too many times an unfinished chore gets snowed under and has to wait until spring before you can rethink getting it done.

I complain, but at the same time, I do enjoy a bit of snow in the winter and the passing of the seasons. I have lived in the tropics, and our seasons just went from hot and humid , to hot and rainy, and then back to just hot and humid. Being from Minnesota, I missed the snow, believe it or not.

Hubby and i spent 10yr in Florida and enjoyed it. We moved back to Pennsylvania when we had kids.
I don't mind a little snow but like you said the shorter growing season is frustrating. If it just snowed a little then I'd be okay but being snowed in for half the year is not ideal for those who enjoy being outside in the garden. Plus I'm limited on my poultry because they need to be cold hardy.

 

[gtaus]

Hubby and i spent 10yr in Florida and enjoyed it. We moved back to Pennsylvania when we had kids.
I don't mind a little snow but like you said the shorter growing season is frustrating. If it just snowed a little then I'd be okay but being snowed in for half the year is not ideal for those who enjoy being outside in the garden. Plus I'm limited on my poultry because they need to be cold hardy.

Oh, I understand. I lived in Santa Barbara, CA for 2 years. It was beautiful weather out there year round. But I was in a small 2 bedroom apartment with no ability to raise animals or garden. It was nice in CA, but I still prefer the freedom I have on my lake property here in northern Minnesota even if I spend half the year under snow and ice. My chickens have to be cold hardy, but at least I can have a backyard flock where I now live.

 

[DukesDucks]

We do get lots of snow. My chicken coop was built to withstand our winter snow loads, but if I added a roof over my chicken run, and made it to withstand our snow loads, then it gets expensive to build in a hurry. When I first built my coop and run, I looked at the cost of building a roof over my chicken run and I could not afford it at that time.

I also get lots of heavy snow. I was able to build a fairly inexpensive roof over my run by using thick plastic/pcs plumbing piping. The sides are 6 ft high, and the top 12 ft to give a good slope. One end is attached to the run, so I only used two 12ft 2x4s - one in center, one at other end. Covered it with large tarp. Most of the snow slides off. I do use a roof rake occasionally. Only problems have been in the spring with those free/thaw days making sure there is no ice build up.

 

[DukesDucks]

--Garage cleaned out for vehicles. Never has been before; why start now?

Oh don't do that. Imagine you are stuck somewhere in freezing temperatures. All those wrappers could be insulation. You might even find a few stray French fries to sustain yourself. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

 

[DukesDucks]

oopps just realized you meant cleaning out the garage for vehicles - not cleaning out vehicles. Of course my vehicle is sparkling - no wrappers or cups- no dog hair - no shavings - no duck chow.... Again sticking to my story.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Every year around this time I kick myself for not having better prepared for the winter months. Must be a personal failing. We got our first snowfall yesterday and it will be snowing on and off for the next 3 days. So, it appears that our snow will be here to stay until spring.

Here is a small list of things I should have taken care of before the first snowfall....

- I should have pulled out all the batteries from my riding lawn mowers and the golf cart. I can still do that, of course, but it will be colder now and I'll have to use a sled to carry the batteries back to the garage. Would have been easier to pull those batteries in warmer weather and use my gorilla cart with wheels to carry the batteries back to the garage.

- Failed to complete the raised beds I started. All the wood is cut up in the garage, but now it's just taking up space. Won't be able to place the raised beds in the yard until next spring. Probably have to pile up the cut wood outside and finish the project next spring.

- Need to clean out the garage car stall to get my car in out of the weather. I have been using that stall for DIY projects all summer. Got it half cleaned out yesterday, but should have started before the snowfall. Dear Wife has her stall cleared, year round. At least I know enough not to mess with her space.

- Snowblower needs a new electric starter. Should have tested it out a few weeks ago when I did not need it. The starter worked fine last year when I put it away, but I should have tested it before now. New starter now on order and expected to be delivered next Thursday. Hope me don't get too much snow till then.

- Should have moved my cement mixer compost sifter into a place for winter. As it was, heavy wet snow fell on the mixer and it fell over. No damage, but had to pick it up and slide it through the snow to get it stored away for the winter. Would have been a lot easier to do if I would have just rolled it on the grass instead of pushing/pulling through the snow.

I did manage to prepare a few things in time...

- I got the metal heater base for the chicken waterer plugged in and made sure it was working.

- I moved the snowblower from the shed into the garage, so even though the electric starter needs to be replaced, I call still pull start it as long as the garage stays warmer than outside.

- Got my portable propane heater and gas grill tanks ready to use in the garage in case I need to heat it up. Don't use that heater very much, but if the snowblower breaks down in the winter, I like to have a warmer garage to work in. My old hands don't like the cold anymore.

Oh well, just sending out a shout to those of you, like me, that put things off maybe a bit too long. Please share your winter prep experience/failings if you have any. Take care.

I have put off lawn and patio chores till tomorrow! Only nice day left till next spring. My list is way too long to accomplish. !!Compost on garden, leaves mowed to start new compost mix, cushions off chairs, chairs stored out of sun, spray buffalo grass in dormancy. leaf blow other areas besides lawn, sweep leaves off of patio. Good news is the chooks tank heater got here and hopefully their water won't freeze like last year.