The condensed history and ongoing saga of my junk is here.
In the beginning, there was a couple of problems with winter life at the Hill.
Here is Mrs. and the big cat pretending to shovel out after I'd already, you know... shoveled out. Her fresh tire tracks/toasty warm ride evidence exhibits #1&2. :bs:
Next exhibit: lookit them piles, all hand stacked. Yowza.
Now get out all yer fingers and toes and multiply those by the 100 yards between that cozy little scene and the road that the town clears...
The final problem was that the neighbor was trying to hack away at the uphill long run with his farm tractor, no chains, and an extremely long plow mount that often resulted in his front wheels waving 'goodbye' to Sir Isaac and him having a hand half extended to the Reaper.
Now I dunno if all that convinced you, :icon_whistling: but it did convince Mrs. and I was given the Green Light to pull the trigger on a better solution.
We fell in love over the internet, courtesy Yahoo auctions.
Profile pic:
Looked good to me... freshly serviced including new cats. 'A' in the model designation indicating diesel power, 'E' indicating full electronic chute control.
I immediately had it strapped to a pallet and on its way here.
The cats, also affectionately known as the 'yard rats', are not mine to command. Of course I get the cat food bill, but there is a mutual trust and understanding, and having proven themselves time and again faithful companions and guardians of the Hill they are welcome to patrol at will and with positive results; strays and other vagrants have fled, rodents eliminated.
To quote Commander Spock: "Admiral, if we were to assume these whales were ours to do with as we pleased, we would be as guilty as those who caused their extinction.".
Big cat has been hauled off to the vet a few times for biting off a little more than he could chew/stupid, the little black one is smart enough to stay out of trouble.
Inspecting rice paddies, during a walk together on a fine early summer day.
What a feeling I would have with 3 ft of wet snow and just blowing it some far away, real power there. Wish I had one. But I still have no snow this year.
There was a lot of snow when it arrived, so much so that I didn't get a picture right away, but it was delivered exactly as described. Started right up, and used Mr. H.'s ramps to drive it down off the kei truck once it was cut free of the shipping pallet (had to pick it up at the trucking freight depot, way across the valley). Went right to work, a few days later everything was cleared up enough to play.
A path cleared for the gas man:
Hydraulic tilt and roll prevents damage to the grass.
Hitting the north side road for the first time...
...ever, tricky little run to try with a tractor, and a steep fall if you go off.
Evidence of blown snow conspicuous by its absence, far far away, aye.
By now I was getting familiar with the layout of the bridge.
From left to right: throttle, track drive engage, U-control hydro drive control (left side forward speed, right, reverse), twin tank-style steering levers (pull back on the side you want to turn toward), two joysticks: upper chute rotation and discharge angle; lower auger height and tilt. Far right: auger engage. The red clip behind/under the steering levers is a safety clip you can hook to yer duds, if it pulls off and shorts together everything stops and the little light there comes on.
Also found that the muffler is a great place to dry and warm gloves, in between runs.
I am going into depression when I see all the great snow you have. The rain we got in the last week we could of had over 2 ft of fun love in snow. Keep the pictures coming
Our dearly departed little black cat also managed (for the most part) to avoid damage. I attributed it partly to her astounding agility and partly to her equal parts entertaining/amazing tree climbing/descending ability.
Nice machine you have there. I could never justify it where I live. Perhaps a house hunt is in order.
Arrrrr... well it can be a fun blessing, or an evil curse. The Call to clear the runway often comes at unusual hours at the Hill, and by 'unusual' I mean the dark early hours between midnight and dawn. Thank goodness for insulated coveralls and whiskey. Purely medicinal of course...
To know that I'd be prepared for those little pre-dawn emergencies I inspected and tidied the engine compartment once I got some time to see, the only real problem I found was that the return line from the injector to the tank was seeping, so I fixed that. New line, and a sleeve to prevent the chafing that caused the problem in the first place.
We fell in love over the internet, courtesy Yahoo auctions.
Profile pic:
Looked good to me... freshly serviced including new cats. 'A' in the model designation indicating diesel power, 'E' indicating full electronic chute control.
I immediately had it strapped to a pallet and on its way here.
That machine needs a little trailer, with a seat, large snow wheels, heated cab, and a beverage warmer (optional) so you can ride along in comfort while doing the job. Looks like its big enough to tow it behind, maybe also a small car.
Yanmar Ronin,
Could you provide (or link us to) the pertinent specs of the machine?
uuhhhh....preferably in English............
You know .....displacement, hp, operating rpm, weight, cost in USD if purchased new, yadda yadda yadda, etc., etc.
Fascinating machines........
What would really be THE KICKER.....if you could a video of the monster operating! If one exists, please provide the mesmerized, assembled multitudes, the details.
I assume you have a shed or covered area to store the beast?
I can't imagine it being uncovered in your local environment.
That Yanmar is one serious machine, nice to see it being put too good use in the Japan Alps.
Here in the New York City suburbs we have no snow on the horizon. In fact this upcoming Sunday they are predicting a possible record high of 62°F.
That Yanmar is one serious machine, nice to see it being put too good use in the Japan Alps.
Here in the New York City suburbs we have no snow on the horizon. In fact this upcoming Sunday they are predicting a possible record high of 62°F.
Really ? WOW, I thought it was weird to wonder if I should mow the grass tomorrow!!! Who woulda thunk it?.... LOL I can't ever remember green grass in December. I feel bad for my ski resorts......
Auger diameter: 420mm (16.5") Impeller diameter: 340mm (13.25")
Chute rotation: L120*/R120* (really sounds cool when it's shooting at max past your ear)
Clearing capacity: 60 tons/hr
Throwing distance: >15m (>50ft)
_________________________________
She hibernates through the summer in the shed, kept ready for duty on the line during snow season. Probably got enough scrap house bits now to erect a small temporary lean-to or something, thinking on it. Someday, garage.
In the meantime she has a personalized jacket.
Haven't ever been able to find a price when new, but a current similar size/spec model will set you back about $10k. About a hundred pounds lighter too, suspect they're not *quite* what they used to be, despite all the fancy lights.
'Heated cab' lol... that'd be something. :wavetowel2:
Snowblower vacations hmm... moot point right now anyhow we got 50* and rain too. I'll get a video when the temps drop and the flakes fly.
Hey everyone I am from Australia (no snow at all there where I live) and we recently have bought a house in Niseko, Japan. Some of the lightest and best snow in the world 😛 (not this season 😞 )
My mum and me are looking to spend up to 700,000 -950,000 yen (6 - 8.5k USD)
what is the best brand...
A forum community dedicated to Snowblower owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about brands, maintenance, reviews, troubleshooting, repairs, accessories, classifieds, and more!
