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Rush to Repair Snowthrowers

WYOMING COUNTY – There’s a rush to get snowthrowers repaired right before the next winter storm. It’s the sound every snowthrower owner wants to hear, but right...

WYOMING COUNTY – There’s a rush to get snowthrowers repaired right before the next winter storm.

It’s the sound every snowthrower owner wants to hear, but right before another big winter storm, lots of these machines are stuck in the shop, ‘busted.’  It’s creating lots of work for mechanic Bruce Snyder at Gay’s True Value Hardware in Tunkhannock.

"Seven days a week, so, it’s hard as you see, we got all these, I’ve got more outside, just they keep coming in especially with the storms the way they’ve been going this year,” said Snyder.

Workers say this shop has repaired hundreds of snowthrowers this winter and have six right now waiting for parts.

"It’s been busier this year than it has in the last five years,” said Brian White of Gay’s True Value Hardware.

Most of the problems are with these carburetors.  Mechanics say fuel with ethanol is corroding the parts.

"The only thing we can really recommend is running high test at the pump and treating your fuel with some ethanol treatment, either Stabil brand, I recommend Star Tron brand,” said Snyder.

Business is just as busy at F & S Supply company in Dickson City, lots of snow throwers to fix, parts being bought and plows being installed.

“We’ve probably put on more plows this year than we have in the past couple years, it’s just been going crazy. Everybody wants a snow plow,” said mechanic Mike Barucky.

Once this plow is installed there are still about a dozen or more snowthrowers waiting on parts to be repaired

Michael Marhelski of Olyphant brought in one more snowthrower to add to the workload.

"A recall on a Toro Snow blower, getting ready for the big storm,” said Marhelski. “The carburetor’s leaking.”

But with parts hard to come by, he may be shoveling instead of snowthrowing when the storm hits.

"It could be a couple weeks, to just get a carburetor.  Just a simple carburetor,” said Barucky.

If you are looking to buy new, most places that sell snowthrowers only have a few on hand.  You may still have time to grab one before the snow starts to fall.

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