I do not think this is a brand or model specific issue. But if it is necessary to know, I have a Toro 1030, second season of use. The last time I used it this season the conditions where very wet. I came in from clearing snow and I was soaking wet. That is the first time that has happened to me. Apparently my equipment was wet as well. After the storm past the weather turned cold and my chute controls froze. It would not rotate and the deflector would not operate. After some time the weather warmed up and I could get out and do some troubleshooting. The cables started to free up on their own but I knew there was still water in them. I worked in as much WD-40 as I could. I put a lot in but hardly any came out because of how the cables were constructed. There is a boot on one side of the cable that are difficult to remove. So I know they will eventually freeze again. A summer repair project I guess.
I did quite a bit of research to find a long term solution and was not satisfied with what I found. So I thought I would ask here. There seems to be two schools of thought regarding prevention (of freezing). Prevention of freezing seems to me to be the only viable solution to this situation.
One school of thought to the prevention of freezing is to load the cable up with a lubricant. Silicone/Synthetic Oils/Fluid Film. Fluid Film seems to be the best choice for this. There are those who say they have gone years without freezing issues. I was prepared to follow suit and do the same. But the more I thought about it, the more I came away with the idea that water would find it's way in there again under the right conditions.
The other school of thought is to inject anti-freeze, ethylene glycol, into the cable. It would lubricate and has corrosion inhibitors. After much consideration, I am leaning in this direction. To me this seems to be the best solution to maintain reliable equipment.
So, my questions to the group/forum are:
To those that use Fluid Film, is it still reliable to prevent cable freezing in very wet conditions?
To those that use anti-freeze, has it's use caused any issues in the long term?
To everyone else, is there something else I should consider?
I did quite a bit of research to find a long term solution and was not satisfied with what I found. So I thought I would ask here. There seems to be two schools of thought regarding prevention (of freezing). Prevention of freezing seems to me to be the only viable solution to this situation.
One school of thought to the prevention of freezing is to load the cable up with a lubricant. Silicone/Synthetic Oils/Fluid Film. Fluid Film seems to be the best choice for this. There are those who say they have gone years without freezing issues. I was prepared to follow suit and do the same. But the more I thought about it, the more I came away with the idea that water would find it's way in there again under the right conditions.
The other school of thought is to inject anti-freeze, ethylene glycol, into the cable. It would lubricate and has corrosion inhibitors. After much consideration, I am leaning in this direction. To me this seems to be the best solution to maintain reliable equipment.
So, my questions to the group/forum are:
To those that use Fluid Film, is it still reliable to prevent cable freezing in very wet conditions?
To those that use anti-freeze, has it's use caused any issues in the long term?
To everyone else, is there something else I should consider?
