How to Store Your Snowblower

Is something starting to look a little out of place in the driveway?

We’re all feeling it, right? This early Spring has us all anxiously holding our breath for the next storm.

If you’re ready to close the books on Winter and looking to put away your snowblower, follow these couple of simple maintenance steps to save you hundreds of dollars in costly repairs.

1️⃣ Add Fuel Stabilizer (before filling up your snowblower): This prevents gas from breaking down and turning to gunk that will clog the machine. It absorbs moisture before gasoline has a chance to breakdown, so it will stay fresh longer between uses

2️⃣ Drain the Fuel: Even if stabilized, always drain the take to avoid corrosion or cracking fuel lines

3️⃣ Seal & Protect Your Engine: Remove the spark plug, pour a little oil into the combustion chamber, and pull the cord a couple of times to lubricate the cylinder wall and piston. Replace and continue pulling until you feel resistance on the cord, which will indicate the chamber is sealed

4️⃣ Wipe down and lubricate: Although yes, snowblowers are designed to get wet, salt stains can lead to corrosion, so a warm, wet cloth wipe-down is just what your machine needs before it can be covered up and safely stored.

Snowplow vs. Tractor

Think you need a big loader to handle a big snowstorm?  

Think again.  

Yes, we love pulling out the big guys, but tractors are an awesome option for most property snow removal needs. 

What’s the advantage? We were hoping you’d ask:

➤ Better Fuel Efficiency 
➤ Higher Ground Speed
➤ Greater Visibility 
➤ All the attachment options - think blowers, salters, blades, pushers 

Each tool has its place. By using the best tools and vehicles for the job we save time and that saves you money 👌

DIY De-Icing Techniques

You might be feeling stuck today if you don’t have salt by your door to get rid of that dangerous, icy coat. 

Although Salt is an effective and surefire way to prevent slipping on our icy sidewalks, there are a variety of alternatives for de-icing your walkways you can use. 

De-Icing Alternatives: 

🧊Sand: Sand absorbs sunlight, warming the ground around it and adds traction to keep you upright 

🧊Kitty Litter: Although not a melting material, kitty litter is great traction and can be applied to ice or snow to create a non-slip surface.  

🧊Alright, ready for some alternatives from your kitchen?  Vinegar and Coffee Grinds

We know, we know, a little funky.  The citric acid in vinegar can help melt snow and ice although it might take a couple of applications.  Coffee grinds work like sand and can absorb sunlight while providing a non-slip surface. 

Winter Road Safety

Many of our team members are hardy, Vermont-tested, Ice-driving, snow-plowing experts, but we know that driving on less than dry clear roads can be nerve-wracking. 

The top safety tips from our Winter Road Experts? 

➤ Slow Down: … And let’s repeat that again for the people in the back.  Ease on and off the breaks and don’t accelerate quickly. In Vermont, ya gotta take a few lessons from the Tortoise and the Hare in Winter time.  

➤ Give Extra Distance to the car in front of you: Defensive driving is your best friend.  We can’t trust everybody on the road.  If the car in front of you slides or slams on their brakes, you still need time to safely avoid them

➤ Nix the Cruise Control: Keep a steady focus on the drive and stay in touch with the conditions,

➤ Check your tires: Even if you have winters on, check your tread and tire pressure routinely to make sure they can handle the roads 

➤ Clean your Vehicle: Dust your vehicle off before you drive.  This affects not just your ability to see but also the car behind you.  Snow or ice flying off your vehicle can hit the care behind you and cause an accident

➤ Don’t Panic: Maybe the most important tip of all, don’t panic! Take it slow, put on relaxing music, and breathe easily.  When people get into their car feeling nervous or try to jerk and suddenly avoid an accident, that’s when things go wrong.  

Keep your body relaxed, vehicle clean, and a light touch on both the gas and brake this winter, and you and your vehicle will navigate Vermont’s Winter Weather just fine 👌

Our Pinnacle Property Experts never skimp on their attention to safety - hats off to our crew for being trusting and reliable drivers out there 👏👏

Ready to Plow

Have you heard the famous saying? 

“Fool me once, shame on you. 
Fool me twice, shame on me. 
Fool me 92,748 times, you are a weatherman.” 

Despite all our best efforts, predicting what weather we’re going to have can be a fool’s game, but we have some pretty solid guidelines to help our snow removal team stay on top of it. 

Snow that gets too deep or sits too long can become near impossible to handle and makes removal incredibly difficult, so if snow accumulation is predicted to be greater than 1” we always plan on plowing. 

If a storm is brewing, Pinnacle first coordinates the team to make sure all of our clients will have safe and easy access to their properties and driveways. 

We know it’s critical to plow during “off hours” so that our trucks and team members will have cleared the way for your morning commute. 

This means, our snow removal team heads out at 3 am with coffee in hand to beat the rush hour and take advantage of clearer roads. 

Although some might find this a bit daunting, our team prides itself on doing whatever it takes for our clients to have safe access to their vehicles and take on whatever the day brings. 

Great work team - thanks for inspiring us with your attitude and commitment!