Ready for Winter: A Thanksgiving Note and Snowthrower Tips from Al-Joe's

Every November, things change around our stores. The mowers move to the back, the snowthrowers come up front, and the conversations at the counter turn to holiday plans and who is hosting Thanksgiving this year.

Al-Joe's has been a family business since 1921. We have watched a lot of winters come and go in Butler County, and the thing we are most thankful for has never changed: the families and neighbors who walk through our doors in West Chester and Hamilton. Some of you have been coming in for decades. Some of you bought your first mower from us last spring. All of you are the reason we are still here.

So before the first real snow, here is a little help from our family to yours.

Get your snowthrower ready before the first storm

The most common call we get on the first snowy morning is "It won't start." A few minutes in the garage this month can save you that headache:

• Use canned ethanol-free fuel. Old pump gas goes stale and gums up your carburetor, the top reason machines won't start. Canned fuel from Aspen, TruFuel and Kawasaki stays fresh much longer. Drain last winter's gas and fill up with canned fuel, available at both our stores.
• Check the oil, spark plug and tire pressure.
• Look over the shear pins, scraper bar and belts for wear, and keep a couple of spare shear pins on hand.
• Run it for a few minutes now, not the morning the snow is already on the driveway.

Or let us do it for you. Our service techs can tune up your snowthrower so it starts on the first pull when the snow hits. Schedule snowthrower service.

Thinking about a new snowthrower?

If your old machine has given you its last good winter, here is a quick way to think about it:

• Single-stage machines are light and easy to store. They are great for paved driveways, sidewalks and lighter snowfalls.
• Two-stage machines are self-propelled and throw snow farther. They handle deeper, heavier snow, larger driveways and the pile the plow leaves at the end of the drive.
• Battery models start with a push of a button and need no gas or oil changes, which makes them a good fit for walks, patios and smaller driveways.

Not sure which is right for you? Stop in and talk to us. Bring your driveway measurements and we will walk you through the options, from brands like Ariens and Toro, side by side. You can also browse our snowthrowers online.

A little neighborly advice

Some of the best stories we hear at the counter are about neighbors helping neighbors: the person who clears the elderly couple's driveway next door, or the family that does the whole block before school. If you have a snowthrower and a few extra minutes this winter, it is one of the nicest gifts you can give. That is the kind of community we are proud to be part of.

From our family to yours

Thank you for shopping local, for trusting us with your equipment, and for letting us be a small part of your home and yard all year long. We hope your Thanksgiving is full of good food, good company and a driveway you do not have to shovel.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Al-Joe's.

West Chester: 9232 Princeton Glendale Rd · (513) 795-8955
Hamilton: 173 N Brookwood Ave · (513) 894-3291