Snowblower Safety Tips

• First and foremost, one of the best snowblower safety tips is to never reach in with your hands to try to fix a jam. Even if your snowblower is turned off, there could be something lodged in there creating built up tension that can release when the jam is removed. Read more about fixing snowblower jams. And of course, in any situation, keep your hands and feet away from any moving parts.
• Never leave a running snowblower unattended. If you're snowblower is turned on, you should always be right behind it.
• A snowblower safety tip for single stage snowblowers is to never operate them on a gravel or rocky surface. A single stage snowblower can pick up and launch small rocks making it dangerous for people and property nearby.
• Don't try to cover too much ground too quickly when using your snow thrower. Take your time, relax and get the job done. Your snow thrower will function more efficiently in this manner and you'll avoid any problems.
• If you use an electric snowblower, an important snowblower safety tip is to make sure your cord is completely intact without any rips or tears. Also make sure you keep an eye on where the cord is, so you avoid tripping over it or getting it stuck in an awkward position.
• As temping as it may be, don't try to make any personal modifications to your snowblower that remove the essential safety features your model may have installed!
• Try to check your snowblower frequently for any damages, worn parts and so on. Replacement snowblower parts are usually cheap, but working with a damaged snowblower can ruin more expensive pieces, can cause frustration and can be potentially hazardous.
• Always refuel your snowblower while it's off. Don't leave the engine running and then try to fill it up. This holds true for any repairs or inspections as well, and it's one of the most crucial snowblower safety tips I can tell you, always have the engine off before doing any kind of work on your snowblower. You should even disconnect the spark plug before making repairs.
• Supervise a child or teenager using a snowblower for the first time, and if possible, always supervise them. Even if they are responsible and have used a snow thrower many times over, it's easier or a teen to lose focus or lose control of a heavy machine.
• Consider using ear plugs when using a large or heavy duty snowblower. The decibel level from snowblower engines can get quite loud and can be damaging.
• Stay moving in a forward motion, pushing your snowblower along. Of course, many snowblowers today have reverse functions and different speeds. But an important snowblower safety tip is to only push your snowblower forward at a comfortable pace while the machine is in a forward gear.
• It might seem pointless, but make sure to read your owner's manual! There will be important usage instructions and guides, and it's always good to know and understand your machine.

There are other snowblower safety tips to consider and many of them involve using common sense. Of course you never want to operate a snowblower if you're drunk or if you're very tired. You want to be able to be mentally alert, have quick reaction time and strong physical control. If you have any other snowblower safety tips that you've picked up along the way, please share with the rest of us!

Why do snowblower jams occur?

A snowblower can jam for several reasons, but it's basically either a jam in the auger or a jam in the discharge chute. A jam can sneak up on you if the snow is particularly wet or icy, if you were moving very quickly through an area or if your auger isn't properly breaking all of the chunks down into smaller pieces. Additionally it's possible that other objects can get lodged in the machinery, such as rocks, frozen mud or grass and so on.

So how do I fix the snow blower jam?

First you want to make sure to turn the snowblower off. Please note, that just because the snowblower is turned off, it's not safe to just stick your hand in there and start moving things around! Even NHL player Joe Sakic can attest to that, as he injured himself recently doing just that and has to miss 3 months of the season!

What happens is that when your snowblower has a jam, the blades or paddles on the auger can get twisted up and basically stuck in the position. It's the elements causing the jam that are keeping the auger stuck in that fashion, so if you remove those ice or snow chunks, then guess what, the blades will return to their normal position at full speed! Clearly that's a situation you need to steer clear of.

So instead of just reaching your hand in there and hoping nothing goes wrong during your snowblower repairs, you should use either the shaft of a shovel or other garden tool, or a long and skinny stick that's lying around. Begin prodding and breaking down any large ice chunks or any clumps of wet snow or foreign materials. If you didn't notice anything jammed there, or the jam wasn't completely cleared, then simply do the same thing to the chute to see if you can free anything up.

There you go, you just fixed a snow blower jam, you didn't lose a finger and your back and ready for action! But what if that didn't fix your problem and your snowblower still is struggling?

You may need replacement parts for a snowblower

Sometimes your snowblower won't be jammed but it will break down. Additionally, a worn down or broken part can lead to frequent jams, and overtaxing a snowblower when jammed can lead to breaking parts.

But most snowblower replacement parts are cheap enough to purchase and easy enough to install. Be sure to browse our listing of our parts snowblowers that can match almost any make, model or brand of snowblower.