Anyone have an electric snowblower? (Boston: find a job, income, upkeep)

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by robr2

Go by any tire shop and ask them how much to dispose of the tires. I’m guessing $5 each. Or find a Portagee looking to make a planter.

I know I can dispose them for 2$ each at my town recycling center, and my recycling center is kind of on the way to work. The problem is simply load them in the car and spend an extra 20 min to drop them there.
I am just being lazy pretty much.

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by robr2

Go by any tire shop and ask them how much to dispose of the tires. I’m guessing $5 each. Or find a Portagee looking to make a planter.

Is that supposed to be funny?

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I know I can dispose them for 2$ each at my town recycling center, and my recycling center is kind of on the way to work. The problem is simply load them in the car and spend an extra 20 min to drop them there.
I am just being lazy pretty much.

My town gives you a card when you get your sticker to dispose of two tires. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with the other two. Dump them by the side of the road, I guess. I just pay the disposal fee at the tire shop like everyone else. It’s already hard enough to keep the garage from filling with debris.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

What is the perceived required service of a gas powered machine that folks are so eager to avoid?

I’ve had my machine 3 years now (plus another blower befire this one) and year end maintainance takes me maybe 1 hr tops. For the oil change, I usually tilt the machine, open the drain plug over a pan and then walk away. A couple days later I’ll come back, close the drain and top it off with oil. I’ll spend a few mins greasing some of the zerk fittings, lube some other points, wipe the machine down and I’m done. I usually drain the gas or run the machine down to til it stalls, and that’s it. Maybe a spark plug in a few years, and maybe a belt.

My previous machine was 10+ years old and I never touched a belt. Now, I can handle engine repairs myself, but my neighbor had a mobile snowblower repair service swing by his house earlier this season. The guy carted the machine to his box truck with lift gate and serviced it on site.

I’m not against electric tech at all. I want to see the tech mature, but I just don’t think we are there yet with regards to snowblowers for any more than a light dusting. It just doesn’t seem like a good trade off to spend extra time outside struggling on a cold winter day, just to avoid a couple hours of service on a warmer day of your choosing.

I'm a fairly handy guy and among my friends I'm probably the one who is the handiest. This being said, I've never worked on my own car (aside from doing some car stereo work back in college) and I've never worked on small engines. I can't remember the last time I was in an auto parts store and I was probably there to buy some car wash soap. Plus, I have little kids who go in/out of my garage regularly. Plus, I don't have much free time already.

Basically, the last thing I want to do is spend my time changing the oil on my snowblower or maintaining it in any way. If the Ego batteries lasted 10 years instead of 3-5, I would be all over that snowblower.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

I'm a fairly handy guy and among my friends I'm probably the one who is the handiest. This being said, I've never worked on my own car (aside from doing some car stereo work back in college) and I've never worked on small engines. I can't remember the last time I was in an auto parts store and I was probably there to buy some car wash soap. Plus, I have little kids who go in/out of my garage regularly. Plus, I don't have much free time already.

Basically, the last thing I want to do is spend my time changing the oil on my snowblower or maintaining it in any way. If the Ego batteries lasted 10 years instead of 3-5, I would be all over that snowblower.

Depends on how your calculating your time/productivity. A shovel has very low maintenance (and is greener), but also very high operation labor

Changing the oil on a sunny April day sure beats struggling with a street berm on an 18f evening, or moving at a snails pace ... that's my my labor priority, anyway.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Depends on how your calculating your time/productivity. A shovel has very low maintenance (and is greener), but also very high operation labor

Changing the oil on a sunny April day sure beats struggling with a street berm on an 18f evening, or moving at a snails pace ... that's my my labor priority, anyway.

For things like oil changes, plugs, and the blade on a lawn mower, it's quicker to do the work myself than haul the thing to a local lawnmower repair guy. I had the dealer pull the welcome mat out of my Toro years ago. That's a mistake you only make once (I hope) and it wasn't coming out with a good hard yank.

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by Shrewsburried

Changing the oil on a sunny April day sure beats struggling with a street berm on an 18f evening, or moving at a snails pace ... that's my my labor priority, anyway.

That's how I look at it. Get me back into my warm house ASAP please.

And if you don't want to get your hands dirty there are mobile services, such as this. https://www.mobileses.com/

[robr2]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

Is that supposed to be funny?

More self deprecating. Most of my old Portuguese uncles made them:



At one time there were as common as Virgin Mary statues in a niche in Somerville.

[robr2]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I know I can dispose them for 2$ each at my town recycling center, and my recycling center is kind of on the way to work. The problem is simply load them in the car and spend an extra 20 min to drop them there.

I am just being lazy pretty much.

At least you're honest.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by robr2

More self deprecating. Most of my old Portuguese uncles made them:



At one time there were as common as Virgin Mary statues in a niche in Somerville.

Just don't grow stuff you are going to eat, those are really not food grade. BTW, a lot of work went into the center one, that stuff is hard to bend!