Experts advise early maintenance for snow blowers

AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s starting to get cold outside and soon enough we should be seeing snow.

There wasn’t a lot of snow last year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be this winter. And experts say now is the time to starting thinking about your snow removal plans.

Only 28 inches of snow fell in Springfield last year, but experts say to not forget that in an average winter here in western Massachusetts the average accumulation we see is 50 inches.
More than enough to make a snow blower a worthy investment. And if you already have one, now’s the time to make sure it’s running well.

Wade Rivest, Sales and Marketing Director at Taplin Equipment, told 22News, “If you’ve left old gas in it and you pull it, it might start it might not it’s gonna run real groggy, it’s gonna run real hot, you’re not gonna get the power that you need to so if you don’t take care of the machines it’s not gonna do what you got it to do.”

Having a snow blower might save you time and might save you pain in your back, but it won’t be worth anything without the proper prep. And just like any other piece of machinery the snow blower shouldn’t sit too long with you running it, so even before our first snowstorm experts say you should definitely test it out.

“Take it out, start it up and make sure everything works right,” Rivest adds. “Hopefully you stored it right last year with some fuel stabilizer and if you take care of it, it’ll last forever. Machines aren’t maintenance-free, you got to do your due diligence and taking care of your machine.”

And if you don’t have a snow blower yet, Taplin says to not wait until there’s a foot of snow in the forecast. It’s much easier to both purchase and get one serviced before winter begins.

Proper maintenance and storage is essential to keep your snow blower running like new for years to come.