Get The Snowblower Ready

[RaceFan]

It's gettin about time to put the lawn mower up for winter and get the snowblower ready. Some of you may have already read about this snowblower a few years back,but I still think it's pretty cool:




For the man with everything - the V8 snowblower
If you're tired of anemic, one-lung snowblowers with their slipping drive belts, you might consider Kai Grundt's V8 snow blower which raises the bar on the traditional snow blower in every respect. With electric start, electric block heater, antifreeze heater and eight cylinders, it has no drive belts to freeze up and you'll never get bored with the job as the 454 cubic inch big block Chevrolet V8 produces 412 horsepower, 430 foot pounds of torque and can throw snow 50 feet at just 3500 rpm. Nor will you get cold as the machine has been ingeniously designed to route the engine coolant through the handle bars, with the rear mounted, enclosed radiator keeping the operator nice and cozy.

The first point to make is that this is not a V8 grafted on a traditional snow blower carriage but a purpose-built unit crafted around a motor of this magnitude. It functions very much like a traditional blower by way of operator input and feedback and offers effortless safe operation.

Maneuvering the massive beastie (it has a total wet weight of 912lbs) is a snack thanks to the hydraulic-drive 4WD skid steer on independent walking beams which offers a zero turning radius. It's also as fast as you like, with an infinitely adjustable speed range on the drive wheels via dash mounted flow control. At the opposite end of the scale, it has more than enough torque to pull your car out of the ditch before the hydraulic motors stall!

Adding to the well-balanced feel of the unit, just 15 pounds of down force on the handlebars will lift the auger blade off the ground in order to climb stairs/walkways for ease of snow removal. Safety has and continues to be paramount with spring return to centre "fail safe" type directional controls with emergency stop and tether cords.

Safety is one of the key theme, with a flashing blue light (as required by law in many areas) being the least of the safety features. No-one will fail to hear you with those twin throaty exhausts, which come standard with 92 decibels at the controls, though if the rhumba of a V8 exhaust is music to your ears, you can obviously go much louder. Even at the standard baffling, hearing protection is strongly suggested.

The powerful yard machine lights and a dashboard with backlit gauges complete the package to ease the burden of this normally reviled task

The custom 42 inch, two stage auger has a Chevrolet 10 bolt truck differential with spool and a centrifugal auger clutch with shear pin protection, further adding to the image of this "automotive theme blower." As each unit is custom-built, optional extras for the snowblower are both diverse and outrageous as the base unit - there is unlimited auger choices from single to multi stage designs and various motor combinations to suit the religious preferences of the customer (Chevy, Dodge Hemi, Ford) and such exotica as a V-10 or a diesel engine or remote starting can be accommodated.

And if, after a while, you feel you've outgrown the 400 horses, this particular engine is well catered for in the performance modification area, with Lunati camshaft, Milodon Gear drive, Holley and Edelbrock components to name a few, and there's always the fuel injection option too, if you feel you need to throw the snow out of the county or ensure your seat in the "neighborhood blower blingster hall of fame."

[Night Owl]

Would love to wake up and find that in my driveway!
I would hate to see the price tag though!

[matt_s]

Would love to wake up and find that in my driveway!
I would hate to see the price tag though!

I can't imagine what would be running through my head if somebody fired that bad boy up at some unholy early our of morning to clear the drive to get to work. All I have to say is if it is as loud as I bet it would be, they'd better do my drive too.

[JohnBoy44]

It's gettin about time to put the lawn mower up for winter and get the snowblower ready. Some of you may have already read about this snowblower a few years back,but I still think it's pretty cool:

"

that's totally as gay as a gladiator movie.

[HoosierHelen]

that's totally as gay as a gladiator movie.

I admit, I wouldn't want to make room in my garage for that monster, however, if I had a neighbor who owned one...I'd be frequently donating homemade breads and cookies in hopes he would remember me when the "Big One" comes.

[Mrs.Slotz]

I admit, I wouldn't want to make room in my garage for that monster, however, if I had a neighbor who owned one...I'd be frequently donating homemade breads and cookies in hopes he would remember me when the "Big One" comes.

And i would be behind Helen offering some Hot Chocolate!

[JohnBoy44]

I admit, I wouldn't want to make room in my garage for that monster, however, if I had a neighbor who owned one...I'd be frequently donating homemade breads and cookies in hopes he would remember me when the "Big One" comes.

it wouldn't move any more snow than a regular snow blower though.

[Mrs.Slotz]

it wouldn't move any more snow than a regular snow blower though.

Why not? It looks like it would.

[JohnBoy44]

Why not? It looks like it would.

because the feed / throw mechanism is designed to be used with a smaller motor.
You need a snowblower about 4 times scale to utilize the bigger motor.

[Mrs.Slotz]

because the feed / throw mechanism is designed to be used with a smaller motor.
You need a snowblower about 4 times scale to utilize the bigger motor.

So, this snow blower is just all beauty and no brains.

[matt_s]

So, this snow blower is just all beauty and no brains.

I think he is saying that it is more brawn than function.

Even though the motor has the strength to power a much larger throwing mechanism, there is a limit to how much snow a mechanism of the size that is mounted could actually throw and there is also a limit to how much snow would actually fit through the feed at one time. Both of these limits are well under what the motor could handle. So, while it looks impressive, the same amount of work as is actually being performed could be handled by a much less "impressive" machine.

This is a Tim Taylor snowblower. Bigger isn't always better.