ARRGH!!$499 for a snow-blower and i gotta pay someone to plow my driveway

[unblock]

shelled out $499 for a snow blower last year.
now it barely tosses snow. more than a handful of snow brings the auger to a complete stop.

so i took it apart and found the drive belt almost vaporized.

naturally, home depot carries the PRODUCT, but not the PART. i can order the replacement part and fix it easily enough, but that doesn't help me much THIS storm.

we're expecting 10 inches, plus another 2-4 tomorrow. moderately long drive, and a corner lot (so twice as much sidewalk as most).

i don't mind it in terms of the exercise or effort, but i do in terms of time. that would probably take me all day.

[Blue Gardener]

1. Order an extra belt

Just in case.

[shesemsmom]

2. Doesn't tit just figure

you have my sympathy. I hope you can find someone to plow. I would have paid any price last month to get a plow to come. I ended up shoveling 5 striaght hours and that was just to get the cars out. I paid a kid to come 2 days later to do the rest and the walk. Good luck

[unblock]

4. i actually turned someone away earlier today

and said, not likely, i got a snow blower!

fortunately i kept his flyer, "just in case".

[shesemsmom]

7. good for you

you can not get a kid to shovel. my daughters boy friend did it for us, of course for a fee. But if I were a kid and this snow was falling and I had a shovel I'd have 2 pockets full of money. Gees..these kids. I know lots of people right here in this neighborhood who are not able to shovel, me included but I did it anyway and paid for it for days. I even went out every hour the first day and tried to stay on it but lost it at midnight. the worst was still coming I can't tell you how many kids walked by me and never offered to help even for a fee. The boyfriend would have come sooner but his car was broke down and he flat couldn't get here.

[unblock]

8. our neighborhood has NO teens

plenty of young couples, couples with kids up to maybe 8 years old, and a empty-nesters, but NObody with teens.

it's all a new development, less than 4 years old, maybe that's got something to do with it....

[uncle ray]

3. is the belt still in one piece?

you should be able to take it to a bearing supply house, auto parts, or hardware store and get a replacement.

[unblock]

6. barely. it's almost threadbare in one spot

i'm amazed it worked at all.

i got the part number and everything, so finding a replacement isn't really a problem, once i can dig the cars out and everything.

it's just annoying that that won't help me for what may well turn out to be the one major snowfall of the season.

[B Calm]

5. Take the damn belt off and go down to a local hardware

store and find a replacement..