Hello,
I own a 3.5hp snowblower that has many problems. One of which is the fact that it is so weak. I live in Canada so we get lots of snow, anyway, anytime we get anything above a moderate snowfall, it is extremely hard to clean the snow. My parents wont allow me to buy a used snowblower as they dont 'trust' used ones. I dont have enough money to buy a new one, so I was wondering is there anyway to modify the snowblower to give it more horsepower and/or torque. I would be willing to invest some money into this upgrade (not too much though).
Thanks
2007-12-16 08:26:10 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
3.5 Hp is very "wimpy" for a snowblower; I didn't even know they made them that small. I don't think there is anything "cheap" you can do to beef it up. Just check the compression of the engine to see if there is a blown head gasket or very worn piston rings/valves etc. If the engine needs any complicated re-build I would suggest you put the money torwards a better unit.
You say your parents don't trust a used unit, probably because if it was any good, the person would want to keep it. I would try to get one from somebody that is retiring and going to live in luxury in Florida, or some other nice warm place. They would be selling it because they don't need it any more so, it would be less likely that there would be a major problem with it.
Added:
Trying to hook up a bigger engine to the snowblower is going to be a hassle; trying to get everything to line up assuming you can get the engine to fit at all. If you can get it hooked up, you'll probably find the rest of the snowblower parts are too wimpy to handle the added power. Something will probably bust very soon.
They might sell some kind of special fuel, or fuel additive, that might get you some extra power out of the existing engine if it is in good condition.
2007-12-16 08:43:23 · answer #1 · answered by Flying Dragon 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Make sure you have fresh gas in it, a lot of problems with snow blowers is caused by gas that has been sitting around for a season or two
2007-12-16 10:51:36 · answer #2 · answered by pspencer1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look for a larger engine like on freecycle. Horizontal shaft engines are not that common anymore but you might find one.
2007-12-16 10:06:41 · answer #3 · answered by renpen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just slow down and make smaller rows. It can only do so much.
2007-12-16 09:17:55 · answer #4 · answered by big jack 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋