RE: buying before one marries. I married a Farmer's Daughter 20 years back and when we bought our first house, it was her that bought me my first love: An International Cub Cadet 129 ($800 at auction with a 42" deck AND a tiller) That Winter it became apparent to me that we needed a plowing tractor and so an International Cub Lo-boy was bought ($3000 with all the toys). When a friend no longer needed his nearly new Mitsubishi 472D...we got that ($5000) and then the front loader for it ($3000 installed) but it broke my heart to pull the 48" Belly mower off for the loader install, so we got a 48" finish mower ($800)to pull behind it to assuage my grief. Just a few years back...I talked her into a Cub 1517 (MTD) for around $1700 (sold regularly for $2200, I think, but I got a "deal"! I won't mention all the other toys, but we built a 3 bay garage last summer...

The point here is that one only makes one CRITICAL aquistion in life. Choose wisely.

hortsense,

Here, here brother.

Shermers

Ya, I made a previous "bad acquisition"... Oi. A little advice- never marry a self-loathing lesbian.

This one is unbelieveable. She encourages me to go hunting, doesn't mind my toys, and even sets aside compostables. A real sweetie, too.

I forgot to mention that she likes to hunt more than I do (tho I am a close second), her Dad owns 1000 acres of PA farm and mountain land and he has a butcher shop to boot. Oh, and the only slight hanging point is I have to buy her a rifle every time I get one...But hey, How many guys can say they bought the Mrs. a Ruger 77 for her 20th wedding anniversary? (I got the 300 Mag)

Update- That Cub has another electrical problem. I blew a 25A fuse, replaced it, then blew the new one on the first crank.

At what point to you demand a replacement tractor?

My suggestion would be first to ask nicely for a replacement tractor, and save the "demand" for later on. The dealer holds a pretty strong hand in this type situation. Some have been known to insist on warranty repairs ad infinitium if you fail the "attitude test".

(Sigh) Wheelhorse Classic!......................................................

OK I just couldn't resist throwing in my 2 cents regarding John Deere.

In our neck of the woods at least (and where antique tractor collectors converge), the phrase is 'Nothing runs like a Deer*, nothing stinks like a John' *cheezy grin*

Luv ya guys!
:D Cora

Ouch! Sorry to hear about the problems with a brand new lawn tractor.

I think you have three options.

1. Demand that the dealer repair all the broken things that should be covered for free under warranty and make the equipement as good as new.

2. Demand a brand new complete replacement tractor under a "lemon law" if it applies to expensive lawn tractors in your state.

3. Demand a complete refund and buy a different lawn tractor. You may have to hire an attorney to file suit to obtain the refund but that is your call depending on how the dealer responds to your demands.

Do this all in writing using formal letter style with dates and signatures on all correspondence which should be mailed to the dealer by certified mail.

Good luck. Sorry for your problems.

I think it's possible to get a bad unit from ANY manufacturer. In this case, I would be suspect of the dealer prep however. Could be wrong...

I am fortunate in that I was given a 12 year old (1995) Cub Cadet 1864 by my Sister. They purchased it new (I have the original purchase receipts, and every service/part receipt it ever had), all manuals, etc...

It cost $5200 when new in 1995.

It was used 2 years, then put into storage in a Climate Controlled Garage where it sat for the last 8+ years.

The only thing I had to do was the obvious stuff. I had to replace the battery, and I had to put a carb kit in it.

I'm here to tell you folks, 8+ year old gas is some FUNKY stuff :)

I also, as a preventitive drained the Hydro (it's got the heavy-duty Sustrand unit) and changed the Hydro filter, engine oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, etc...

It has the heavy-duty 48" GT 317 deck with outriggers. Power lift, power steering, etc...

It only has 135 hours on it.

This thing has kinda become a pet :) I have no use for it, but even used this tractor can still command $2k used, and that's for a well worn one and I wasn't turning it down as a free gift.

This thing is built like a TANK. It weighs almost 1000 pounds wet. It has heavy-duty framing, shaft-drive with CV Joints, 5 lug axles.

Just like any tractor that's ever been used, it has the small spots of rust on the deck in the usual places. That's it. The rest is pretty pristine.

It's my understanding that to get a tractor of this heft these days, you have to buy into the Cub 3000 range. That's the 5K plus range price wise I believe.

I forget where I was going with all this, but in general I do believe you get what you pay for with these guys. You can't expect a $1500 box-store cub or JD to maintain a 2 acre lot effortlessly.

And again, I think this was more of a dealer-prep thing. It's a mechanical device and it has to be put together right in the first place.

Here's my pet:

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d50/pictureposter/Tractor/?start=#imgAnch6

If I were to buy a new Tractor I'd have no problem looking at Cub, but I know times have changed. I'd look REAL close before signing.

-Larry

"Maybe I will say buy what you want and leave me out of it?"

That's the smartest thing said in this whole thread

"Posted by bunnyman Thumb of MI (My Page) on Mon, Apr 24, 06 at 2:32

Probably not fair to show pics of my 10 year old 345 in response to a quality complaint concerning a new machine. Would also be fair to note that I used that 345 on a christmas tree farm and not just average homeowner use. The design flaw of carb/fuel and lots of plastic parts over a hot muffler was corrected on the new X485 you see behind the burned out engine. " Posted by bunnyman Thumb of MI
==========================================================

I dunno Bunnyman - Im sorry to see that nice machine like that. It does makes a strong statement and can be viewed as humorous if used in the right context. I found myself in a quandry - I laughed and felt bad at the same time.

However I have a 38 year old Cub that never went on fire, and has been abused and cant be killed. catching fire would actually put it out of its misery. Tractors arent suppose to catch fire under any circumstances. 10 years isnt old

As for the Cub 2500 series having a bent axle - thats real hard to do front or back axles. Get on the dealers case for that alone

Recently purchased a Cub Cadet LT1050 with 50" deck and triple bagging system. In any regard, out of about 9 trips out of the garage I have had a problem at least 5 times. There is a faulty spring that kept popping off. I guess the manufacturer recalled the spring because my tech says there is a new better tighter fit spring which we installed last fall. No problems after that. HOWEVER THE FIRST TIME OUT OF THE GARGE THIS SPRING THE WHOLE DAMN THING CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. Got off without getting burned but the fire spread to the leaves in the drainage ditch and if the fire department hadn't showed up in time I think we may have lost one of our neighbors houses...well the mower looks like freeway wreck. One of the firefighters offered to buy it for parts. My tech is telling me over $900.00 in damage. Figuring in the cost of the mower I'm figuring it cost me about 270.00 for each time I mowed my lawn with a Cub Cadet. Got some health problems and can't afford to fix it now. I'm really heartbroken over my Cub Cadet. It sure was a pretty looking thing and I used to keep it meticulously maintained. Every damn nut and bolt sparkled...now its a heap of garbage and $2500.00 DOWN THE DRAIN and I don't know what to do?...Broken hearted in Arkansas

Uh..... gee whiz. How about calling the agent who handles your homeowner's insurance for a start?

I am rather perplexed as to why you felt it necessary to search the archives and drag out this old thread instead of just starting a new one. No manufacturer makes a perfect product. Recalls on certain parts are routine for just about everything sold. Your spring issue falls into that category. According to you, the deficiency was corrected to your satisfaction.

Who knows what caused the fire under the hood of your tractor? Maybe mice built a nest near the exhaust and it caught fire. Perhaps it was an electrical problem, perhaps not. Without any investigation to determine the true cause, it's rather unfair to IMPLY some sort of wrongdoing by Cub.

I'll bet you wish you'd bought a John Deere.

LMAO at wheely boy's pic. Those babes must be revved up dang fast - they're hovering! Must be Flymo riders...

The Cub 2554 was (is?) on my wish list for an upgrade.

The only reason I don't have a Cub 2554 is my Craftsman 1993 GT6000 keeps running. Oh, yes, I have a hard time justifying spending $4K+ for a GT. And if I wanted a JD or Simplicity with the quality features the Cub has I'd have to pay over $6K, will not be doing that.

Deerslayer (or is it deereslayer?) great picture on the Hot JD, beats the ever popular broken frame that's been around this forum for years.

Well for starters I would be more worried about having my name, zip code, and email posted in the general public never mind a screen name then replacing a $2500 tractor

best of luck with the spam

"John R. Smith 72715(grpdragon@aol.com) "

deerslayer.. DROP AND ROLL.. DROP AND ROLL LOL

Is this one of those new zero turn tractors? I actually like the looks of it. Not that id spend $4500 for it now- ill wait. I kept asking my wife aboot if i bot it, would she be mad if i had it apart a few hrs after getting home with it and making a racing tractor from it, she just rolled her eyes.
Ive herd and seen alot aboot JD's and Cubs - Ive never owned neither brand, mostly because i cant justify spending a small fortune on one ( new or used). Ive had great luck with my low buck Murrays, Dynamarks and MTDs, considering they were non runners at purchase. I currently own 15 tractors of various makes and i think theyre the best thing since sliced bread, they start, they mow great, they arent expensive green or yellow n white , and easy to maintain - its all i need ( well 5 more would make an even 20 tho).
Kidd

I would like to add my endorsement to the posters complaint. We bought a new Cub Cadet lt1050 from the Tractor Store. It has been nothing but trouble from the start. I may have well taken that $2000 and threw it down a rat hole. It has 51 hours on at and now its running on one cylinder and the steering has quit. So far we are about $400 plus dollars into repairs and now this. Never again.

Well I dunno. I've had my 2554 for two full season now, going on 3 this year, and beyond a messed up head light it's been a true work horse. I'd recommend the Cub GTs any day. Sounds like you got a bad one or, as others have suggested, the dealer dumped it before delivery. Good luck - give us an update on what happens.

We heard back from Cub-Cadet service center today. And guess what? THEY WILL NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY. Surprise, surprise! The LT1050 had only 51 hours on it and still under warrantly but Cub Cadet says the FINE PRINT says they don't cover fire, wind, or flood damage. I for one feel a $2000.00 lawn tractor should not catch fire under any circumstances! I've been in contact with other dis-heartened Cub Cadet owners and in the initial stages putting together a class action lawsuit against LOWES who sold us this crap and CUB-CADET. Any parties interested in adding their names to this suit let me hear from you at: grpdragon@aol.com I'm as mad as hell over this. Cub-Cadet builds these things out of plastic over hot muffler and engine parts and then when they go up in flames, tuff luck?
Cub-Cadet has some responsibility here.

I take it your home owner's insurance turned down your claim? This once again cements in my mind the need for a cold 12 ounce fire extinguisher at all times while operating a mower.

That's a good point -- why don't you file a property damage claim under your homeowner's policy?

My CC warranty states "...has not been subject to...fire, water or damage because of other peril or natural disaster." If the mower itself caused the fire I would think it would be covered. There must be some mis-communication between the dealer and CC. I would try to contact CC directly before I hired a lawyer.

I haven't seen the CC warranty, but the "fire, wind or flood damage" exclusion would mean that the warranty doesn't cover you if your garage catches on fire and toasts the tractor. If the tractor catches on fire due to a manufacturing defect, the warranty would cover it.

If CC actually said this to you, then either (a) they didn't understand that the tractor caught on fire, or (b) they are trying to sell you a bill of goods, or (c) you're not telling us the whole story. I hope you still have the tractor because you'll need to have an expert examine it to determine the cause of the fire. You will have the burden of proving the cause of the fire.

After I looked at some commercial ZTR (Hustlers Fastrak and Scags tiger), ALL of the lawn tractors I have looked at, regardless of brand, seemed like products that I personally no longer wanted to own. They are not junk and haviong owned several , but now I just have no use for the lawn tractor format. They seem much better designed for the task of cutting a lawn and they can tow a lawn cart as well. Now I am just wanting the best ZTR I can get for the money.

... With a JD. By the time I got it home, it was dark. Next day, cut the grass. While cleaning off the tractor, I noticed several fairly large gouges in the deck ... rusted. Looking carefully, I found a number of smaller rusty scratches, and rust on the seat springs. And the stearing column ... inside the engine area ... was well rusted.

I called Lowes, and they sent me to JD - "it's warrentied and serviced by JD ... we just sell'um". JD pointed back at Lowes: "we just set 'um up ... what your describing is how Lowes handled the machine". So I went to Lowes, and they said bring it back in and they'd look at it, but if JD doesn't want to do anything, there's nothing they (Lowes) can do.

Now, I don't have a truck ... had to rent theirs ... so bringing back was not only a hassel, but at my expense! So I said if I bring it back, I'll be asking for my money back. And that's what I did ... and they gave me a hassel over taking it back because of the rust! Like that happened in less than 24 hours. Then they tried to talk me into another tractor. Ended up talking to the store manager, who gave my money back and also reimbusred me for the truck rental.

Net-net, my learning on this was, you can't beat buying something like this from a dealer who can service the equipment themselves. I'm sure plenty of folks have good experiences with Lowes and HD tractors from LD and Cub, but I'd rather pay a little more and have the peace of mind that comes from buying from a local dealer who knows how to set up and maintain the equipment, and can provide service as years go by.

The Deere you bought from Lowes was unpacked, put together, checked over and fully serviced by a local dealer. The problem here is that the local dealer has no control over how that tractor is looked after once it leaves his hands. If the big box employees put deep scratches into it while moving it inside and outside each day so that it is on display, then that is Lowes issue, not Deeres, not the dealers.

The Lowes manager did the right thing by refunding you the money. That's what should have been done at the outset. The alternative would have been to offer you a discount and you just keep the machine. That's likely what they will do with it at this point anyway.

As for price, most dealers sell LA models for the same price that the big box stores do because they have to compete for your business.

The problem was cause by Lowes and how they handled the tractor. Not JD's problem. The point is that Lowes can't do anything about it ... fix it that is ... unless they are willing to send the machine back to JD for repairs at their (Lowes) expense ... which they were not willing to do. The only alternative they have is to sell it at a discount.

A dealer, on the other hand, probably would have taken better care of the machine in the first place, so there would have been no problem to begin with.

Makes you wonder .. if any other issues arose that were more mechanical in nature ... what you might expect to fall under the Deere warrenty ... if the question of how the machine was maintained while under Lowes or HD care would come into play. For example, the rusty steering column ... supposed a steering issue developed 6 months down the line, and when JD looked at it, they attributed the root cause to Lowes leaving the tractor outside in the rain for a few months, which lead to rust or electical damage. If they refused to fix it under warrenty, then it goes back to being a Lowes issue ... What is Lowes going to do at that point? We've aleady established that they can't do the repair. Maybe they'll do what they tried to do with me, say you caused the problem. Maybe they'll give you a Lowes gift card ... What are the odds that I'm paying JD for the repair at the end of the day?

For the same price, for me at least, buying from the dealer seemed a safer bet. Although I ended up with an X300, so the experience did end up costing me more....

Spoke with insurance company. Had them take a look at the CC warranty. They said they would pay the claim if I want to submit it to them under our homeowners. They further added I could "bet" the State Farm attorneys would more than likely pursue this claim with Cub Cadet and she felt somewhat confident they would more than likely win this claim against Cub Cadet. Problem is I would have to wait a year or longer to recover my $1,000.00 deductible. THIS SHOULDN'T BE NECESSARY. This is no small unreputable company. (AT least I thought not?) Lowes is following up with Cub Cadet and I'm hoping these people do the right thing. My goodness. This was a damn brand new machine. And yes the mower is intact (of course with severe fire damage) and delivered to our local Cub Cadet service center. We have not touched the thing other than to help load it on a flatbed trailer to deliver to the service center. AT OUR EXPENSE. The fire in my opinion started either from the wiring harness or the muffler as that is where most of the damage is done. Still have repair estimates at over $1200.00 or more and the service center said it'll never run the same again. What a real pain in the rump this is...J

A warning BEFORE you file a cliam with your homeowner's insurance... they will probably pay you for the CC (less your deductable) and then either raise your homeowner's rates OR cancel your policy OR refuse to renew your policy at it's yearly renewel date. That is getting to be more and more common for people who make small claims on their homeowner's insurance.

I had a similar situation and while my insurance company told me on the front side that "they" would go after the offending company in reality a few thousand dollar claim is too small for them to bother with. They paid me and then raised my rates at the next policy renewel date.

IMO, your BEST bet is to deal with Cub Cadet directly and by registered mail. Politely and adamantly explain to them that the fire was caused BY a defect in your CC tractor and that the damage to your CC tractor was NOT the result of a fire from an outside cause. Also, don't let Lowe's off the hook. Contact their home office and let them know that if you have to file a complaint with the state and the feds and then take them to smail claims court you will be naming Lowe's along with Cub Cadet as defendants. In most states corporations have to be represented by council (rather than the store manager) in small claims court. It'll cost them many times the amount you are seeking to just show up in small claims court to defend the corporation.

You can also file a complaint with the FTC Consumer Protection Division along with your State Attorney General's Office. They don't take fires caused by consumer goods lightly.

justalurker,
I can understand beginning a lawsuit against MTD over this burnt tractor but where is the cause of action against Lowe's? They didn't make or build the tractor, service the tractor or touch the tractor in any meaningful way that would give rise to negligence on their part. All they did was sell a product that has a warranty.

If you sue someone and you cannot prove that they have contributed to or directly caused the damage, then you run a huge risk of having legal costs assessed against you because the lawsuit is without merit, frivolous and vexatious. Those costs could easily rise to an amount greater than the replacement cost of this tractor.

As someone already pointed out, the OP will have to hire a legitimate expert to examine this tractor and then testify first-hand in court that the fire happened a certain way but the OP played no part in that fire taking place.

That's a tough one and it won't come cheap either. If quantities of grass surrounded the exhaust system, dried out, caught fire and then caused other flammable parts of the tractor to burn, then MTD is off the hook. If I was MTD's solicitor, the first question I would ask the OP's expert witness is this. "Sir, if dead grass was allowed to accumulate around the exhaust system and the hot exhaust caused that grass to ignite, could that have been the root cause of the fire? Were you able to rule out dead grass as the cause? Is it possible that any dead grass that was there to cause the fire was totally consumed by the resulting fire and therefore no traces could be found?

If the expert says yes to questions 1 and 3 and/or no to question 2, then the OP just lost his case.

Here in America we sue anyone remotely connected to the case who has deep pockets. Might as well sue the oil company that made the gas while your at it.

Castoff,

Of course, every comment in this thread (and most all threads anywhere) are based solely on the OP's account of the happenings and situation. We're only getting one side of the story and all responses have to be based on that fact.

Poster's often have their own bread to butter and that's how they see their situation.

As passthegravy already said "If CC actually said this to you, then either (a) they didn't understand that the tractor caught on fire, or (b) they are trying to sell you a bill of goods, or (c) you're not telling us the whole story".

That said, it seemed to me that the OP was sure that Cub Cadet was disallowing the fire damage becuase of the specific wording of the warranty. As I understood the OP's post, that wording did not specifically say "fire damage of any cause". Surely if the tractor caught fire all by itself with no outside assitance, intended or accidental, then the damage should be covered under warranty.

If Lowe's was not accurately relaying the circumstances of the fire to Cub Cadet and that caused the claim to be denied then Lowe's is at fault and their actions have caused the OP a financial loss.

My recommendation for the OP to contact Cub Cadet directly by registered mail was to for him/her to make the point on the record with Cub Cadet that in the OP's opinion that the fire was caused by a defect in the tractor.

If I were the manufacturer and a claim was made that spontaneous fire damge was caused by my product, I'd want to make a detailed inspection of the product to make sure it wasn't.

I don't disagree with anything you have in your last post, jal.

The question then arises as to whether the OP can PROVE to the satisfaction of the court that Lowes failed to convey the material facts to MTD about the true cause of the fire.

Like you, I too think that the OP should pursue MTD. The way to do it is to take as many photos as possible to show the fire damage from different perspectives. He needs to use a flash or light this engine compartment to make sure the photos are crystal clear.

The second step is to take the complete tractor to a bona fide Cub Cadet dealer. Explain to the TRAINED mechanic exactly what happened and have him do a thorough examination of the machine. If he finds a manufacturing fault that led to the fire, then the OP now has the dealer in his corner.

If the dealer is doing his job, he will cut through the red tape and get his area rep on the phone and arange for him/her to stop by the dealership to view the tractor and the damage. The mechanic can speak with the rep directly and explain his findings as well as give him a list of all the replacement parts needed to restore the tractor back to the way it was prior to the fire.

If the area rep is satisfied, then the warrantee claim should be honoured and the OP will get a running tractor back. If it turns out that the tractor is right-off, (which I doubt), then the OP needs to understand that he will be expected to anti up some dough because he did get the use of the machine for X number of months and that usage does have a value.

After all, if this fire never happened and he just wanted to sell the tractor, he would only get whatever the going rate is for that year, model, make and condition. This is a time for calm. Leave out the threats of lawsuits because the company doesn't care. The burden of proof is up to the OP and companies like MTD keep big lawfirms on an annual retainer for just such nuisance suits like this one would be.

Here again, is an important reason why people should buy these tractors from a dealer and not some big-box store that has no clue what they are selling and no means to back it up. Now, the OP is going to have to try and get a dealer to help him with his problem. A good dealer will do so. Bad dealers will just jerk him around.

Hopefully, he will tell us how he made out and what course of action he pursued.

Posted by wally2q L40, Ontario (My Page) on Sat, Apr 22, 06 at 21:15

*Go green...

\*A green lemon makes sense. rite \`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\` Posted by markmgm ne OH (My Page) on Sat, Apr 22, 06 at 21:42 I thought Craftsman mowers were the only one to have problems?

Nope they all do.
````````````````````````````
'standard' was the great Cub models of 1980 which cost $2K back then, you're going to quickly recognize that their $2K models on sale today ARE junk . . . . since $2K doesn't buy much anymore
Posted by don21

Same goes for any label 2000 tractor. \`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`\`

Even Bently makes a lemon once in a blue moon, but CC has a habbitt of making one everytime roles out of the warehouse. Sort of like would ya buy a new VW or opt for a totally restored 67 Beetle for 1/3 the price.

Posted by yalevahere 7b/VA (My Page) on Sun, Apr 23, 06 at 11:44

Don21,
The 2554 is a $4000 tractor
=========================
My CC GT2554 was $5050 with a tiller front blade 54'' deck ag tires and weights.

lb59 you are a financial genius.

lb59 you are a financial genius.
Posted by steve2ski

I asked the dealer how much he wanted for the CC gt2554 with the mower, tiller and a front blade. HE said $5050 and I bought it so how does that make me a financial genius?

I purchased my Cub in 1999. GOt a 2135 for yard work and a snow thrower attachment for the drive in the winter. First two years were great. After that, nickle and dime issues, VERY POOR reliability, electrical wiring issues, stearing parts broke, in 2006 the engine died with 234 hours on it (we think a valve rod bent) It was the most unreliable piece of equipment I have ever owned (and it was $4,300 for the setup in 1999) Service from the dealer was 'ok' but they had big International Harvester (or whatever they're called now) equipment to work on, so my cub was of little importance, profit wise. I understand that these are made by MTD and not IH like they were in the 80's. MTD makes mediocre equipment at best and the Cub Cadet is a testimony to that decline in quality. It's like what happened to the US auto industry in the late 70's and early 80's. Focus is all about profit and nothing about quality and it's all overseas.

I have since replaced it with a Simplicity (out of Washington state, I believe.) So far I'm VERY pleased with the quality and attention to details. Under 5 minutes to drop the mower deck AND remove the bagger. And 2 wheel traction is a nice plus when climbing uneven terrain.

I'll never buy another MTD product again. Make sure you know what you're getting

Simplicity-Try Wisconsin

MY cub is crap too!!!! Bought a I1050 zero turn and it has been nothing but a pain in the ass. It only has 72 hours on it and it has been back to the dealer and spent more time there then in my garage. The rear wheel constantly locks up, blows oil like a sieve, and has now it won't even start. Tried replacing the battery but no joy. In short this mower sucks.

You guys and your new machines crack me up. Why are you paying anything, let alone $2,000-$4,000, for these new junkers? I bought a cub cadet 149 for $250, changed the engine oil and hydro oil/filter and been cutting grass with it ever since.

I purchased a new cub cadet 54 inch Zero turn this spring 2021. Peice of crap with no dealer support. except sorry sucker. My advice. Try other brands

My Cub Cadet 2X snowblower wont start after only one use (I used it once two years ago as there hasnt been much snow in NJ the past few years). i checked the carbeurator and it was fine. the gas and oil are new. i called Cub Cadet and they said the warranty has run out.

This thing is brand spanking new and doesnt work after one use. this is BS.

So you checked the carb, in what way? Letting it sit for two years without any maintenance is probably the problem without question.

Your carb may be gummed up, jets plugged up or float stuck. You could even have rusted parts if any steel was used in the carb even if you drained the gas completely out. Moisture can still condense in the tank and collect in the carb float bowl.

The first spring after you got and used the snowblower you should have treated a FULL tank of new gas with stabilizer and maybe added some Seafoam, and then let it run a few minutes before parking it. During the next fall you should have started it to make sure it ran. Then you need to repeat the process every year even it you didn't use it.

You can drain the gas tank and then run any gas out of the carburetor, or use Sta-Bil storage fuel stabilizer and/or seafoam which I prefer for storage with a full tank of gas to reduce the chance of condensation in the tank. 70% of the repairs preformed at small engine shops in the early spring and early winter are due to moisture in the fuel system.