Stiction is an old motorcycle term that better defines what you're taking about. Full size and industrial equipment just overcomes stiction with horsepower torque, and mass.

Experienced small equipment operators always wax their blades and blowers. Makes the snow just curl off the blade and keep augers and chutes on blowers clear.

I use the old standard, Turtle Paste Wax, when I mount my blower in the fall and it lasts all winter. We're not talking about real high feed speed or incredible snow volume with LT and GT snow removal so a good wax job should last a season.

When I had a blade a good wax allowed a little more speed when plowing and the snow literally ran off the blade even wet heavy stuff, but a snow blower dramatically outperformed the blade so I made the move.

With a waxed blower as long as there's enough snow to feed the auger the second stage and chute stay clear and the snow travels quite a ways so you don't have to move it again like you might with a blade..

Thanks lurker,

When I lived in "snow country," upstate NY, Oswego, had a big snow blower but only about a 40' driveway. So moved a lot of snow, thanks to the "lake effect" from Lake Ontario, but never had to get into the finer subtleties of snow blowing. Other, than learned it was critical to take it into somewhere above freezing to let the water, ice, etc. melt.

Did some googling and discovered that waxing is popular, but also just spraying down the blade with "Pam" or silicone spray seems more so. Since the tractor is in an unheated barn, will save the waxing till it warms up. Did spray with silicone and it did seem to help today.

Anybody remember some years back when "Pam" was the perfect solution to keep grass from sticking in a mower deck? I think Sears even sold a rebranded version in the L&G section?

Thanks again,

Ev

I've found that spraying, whether Pam, silicone, or a specialty product, IS short lived and requires repeated applications, but anything is better than a dry blade.

I've seen winters up there in Norwich and Oneonta. Impressive and just as much a PITA as the snow @ 7k ft in the Rockies.

I've got a 150 ft gravel driveway that goes uphill and often drifts more than halfway up the garage door.

I use Turtle wax Spray and just spray it on and do not wipe it down. Helps a lot and only spray it a couple times a year. My tractor is in a heated garage which makes sticking of snow worse - a cold blade works better than a warm one.

I have a 42 inch double stage blower on the front of my Simplicity Conquest, it handles the heavy stuff just fine.