Last Thursday the 8th, I had a doctors appointment in a nearby town and Stacy went with me for this appointment. We left and got into the town a little early to do some shopping and Stacy also wanted to go to our area Sears store. As we live in a primarily rural area, it is a smaller store nothing like the big Sears department stores we used to visit back in California in the mall. Being a rural store they stock large appliances as well as home work equipment like movers and snow machines and tools.
While we were at Sears I wanted to look at the selection of snow throwers and was talking with Stacy about maybe getting one next fall for next winter because our snowplow of our Polaris quad has limitations when it is wet heavy snow it really can't move it well and starts to bog down or just gets stuck in the slush even with all wheel drive and chains. A snow thrower could work through that as well as getting closer to places and areas around the house I can't get to with the plow for concerns of hitting something with the blade.
It turned out to be Sears mid-season sale on snow equipment so as we checked out the models in the store the salesperson was talking with Stacy about the only unit that was out in front of the store chained up. A 45 inch wide intake model, self propelled with a 420cc engine, this snow blower with wide dual tires on each side is the top of the line Sears unit.
We all walked out and took a look, turned out it had been bought for a person, used part of one day, then returned because it was "too much" for that person to handle and control. We looked and talked but I thought Stacy was just making conversation until he walked away for a moment and she said "what do you think?". I said, what? "Would that work for us and what you were saying about the heavy snow?" I said I'm pretty sure it would do everything I'd need it to do and then some! Are you serious?
So she asked the salesperson what would the price be since it was used. He said he couldn't make that price so he'd have to wait for the manager to come in about 10 am. As I had to be at the doctor at 10 am we agreed to come back by after I was done with my check up. So we left and talked as we went to the doctors office about 15 minutes away. I still thought there was no way the price would come down enough to make it affordable so we agreed on a plan 'B' unit that we'd get if the other was still way to much.
I was pretty pleased actually that we'd be actually getting something I've been wanting to help out with our annual work of keeping access available to and from our place for us as well as UPS and mail services and heaven forbid, any emergency vehicles that needed to get on our property.
When we got back to the store it was being shown to some other people and we went inside and Trevor, the sales person, took us to the manager.
We said we were interested depending on the price and they got the serial numbers and went into the back to calculate the price. It came back being a great price, only a few hundred over the cost of the plan "B" unit and a thousand dollars less than the normal price. So it was sold and we bought it. Got it loaded in our truck and took it home and tried it out Friday night after work. Saturday was really working with it and it works great!
Below are 2 photos, both of Stacy giving the blower a try yesterday, Sunday the 11th. I used it quite a bit on Saturday and it had snowed about an inch overnight so we thought we'd go again and clean things up as well as take some more time getting used to it.
Other than this news it has been just winter in the North. The predicted rapid melt didn't happen but there are still predictions of rain by next Friday after a week of 20s at night and 30s in the daytime.
Till next time, Tad.
While we were at Sears I wanted to look at the selection of snow throwers and was talking with Stacy about maybe getting one next fall for next winter because our snowplow of our Polaris quad has limitations when it is wet heavy snow it really can't move it well and starts to bog down or just gets stuck in the slush even with all wheel drive and chains. A snow thrower could work through that as well as getting closer to places and areas around the house I can't get to with the plow for concerns of hitting something with the blade.
It turned out to be Sears mid-season sale on snow equipment so as we checked out the models in the store the salesperson was talking with Stacy about the only unit that was out in front of the store chained up. A 45 inch wide intake model, self propelled with a 420cc engine, this snow blower with wide dual tires on each side is the top of the line Sears unit.
We all walked out and took a look, turned out it had been bought for a person, used part of one day, then returned because it was "too much" for that person to handle and control. We looked and talked but I thought Stacy was just making conversation until he walked away for a moment and she said "what do you think?". I said, what? "Would that work for us and what you were saying about the heavy snow?" I said I'm pretty sure it would do everything I'd need it to do and then some! Are you serious?
So she asked the salesperson what would the price be since it was used. He said he couldn't make that price so he'd have to wait for the manager to come in about 10 am. As I had to be at the doctor at 10 am we agreed to come back by after I was done with my check up. So we left and talked as we went to the doctors office about 15 minutes away. I still thought there was no way the price would come down enough to make it affordable so we agreed on a plan 'B' unit that we'd get if the other was still way to much.
I was pretty pleased actually that we'd be actually getting something I've been wanting to help out with our annual work of keeping access available to and from our place for us as well as UPS and mail services and heaven forbid, any emergency vehicles that needed to get on our property.
When we got back to the store it was being shown to some other people and we went inside and Trevor, the sales person, took us to the manager.
We said we were interested depending on the price and they got the serial numbers and went into the back to calculate the price. It came back being a great price, only a few hundred over the cost of the plan "B" unit and a thousand dollars less than the normal price. So it was sold and we bought it. Got it loaded in our truck and took it home and tried it out Friday night after work. Saturday was really working with it and it works great!
Below are 2 photos, both of Stacy giving the blower a try yesterday, Sunday the 11th. I used it quite a bit on Saturday and it had snowed about an inch overnight so we thought we'd go again and clean things up as well as take some more time getting used to it.
Above, Stacy had backed it up and was trying it going forward in a different speed.
2 speeds back and 6 speeds forward.
Below, after working around the house a bit Stacy went out front to clean up the driveway going out and back in. While she can use it, the machine can be cumbersome. It was quite a workout Saturday and Sunday for me too. But I am very happy that we have gotten some machines that help make winter more easy to live with here in North Idaho.
Till next time, Tad.
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