Dear Friends,
Today I want to discuss the most inconspicuous of all Snowblower Problems.... Yes, untreated gas is Number 1 and bad old motor oil is Number 2. But how many of you EVER thought that Number 3 was extremely Underinflated Tires!!!!
You might ask why I am in a knot about this and ready to have a Cow! Well, because it's such an insidious problem and I care about all of you! Let's face it, the great majority of you are males, over 50 like me and probably not in the greatest of shape.... that's Ok! What isn't is the fact that underinflated snowblower tires cause you to push 30% more than normal and that puts an extra huge stain on your heart! And worse, with today's higher nobby tires, it is most deceiving! I just returned from a tune-up/repair job and again the owner was a nice retiree who's tires were at 0 psi! (both) and he wasn't even aware of the danger lurking and possibly ready to take him and his blower to the big driveway in the sky! This is true of almost EVERY tune up/repair conducted!! If you think I am joking, consider this, in my city of Ottawa, Canada, one person a year suffers a heart attack from snowblowing!!! And I could bet you hands down his tires were likely like yours - Underinflated!!!
So get your pump out and your gardening knee rest and go pump your tires up. The proper PSI is listed right on the tire - usually - 12, 15 or 24 PSI. Add an extra 1 to 1.5 for the cold weather and SAVE your heart the extra work and possibly your last chore on this earth!
Today I want to discuss the most inconspicuous of all Snowblower Problems.... Yes, untreated gas is Number 1 and bad old motor oil is Number 2. But how many of you EVER thought that Number 3 was extremely Underinflated Tires!!!!
You might ask why I am in a knot about this and ready to have a Cow! Well, because it's such an insidious problem and I care about all of you! Let's face it, the great majority of you are males, over 50 like me and probably not in the greatest of shape.... that's Ok! What isn't is the fact that underinflated snowblower tires cause you to push 30% more than normal and that puts an extra huge stain on your heart! And worse, with today's higher nobby tires, it is most deceiving! I just returned from a tune-up/repair job and again the owner was a nice retiree who's tires were at 0 psi! (both) and he wasn't even aware of the danger lurking and possibly ready to take him and his blower to the big driveway in the sky! This is true of almost EVERY tune up/repair conducted!! If you think I am joking, consider this, in my city of Ottawa, Canada, one person a year suffers a heart attack from snowblowing!!! And I could bet you hands down his tires were likely like yours - Underinflated!!!
So get your pump out and your gardening knee rest and go pump your tires up. The proper PSI is listed right on the tire - usually - 12, 15 or 24 PSI. Add an extra 1 to 1.5 for the cold weather and SAVE your heart the extra work and possibly your last chore on this earth!
