The first big snowfall of the year is a terrible time to discover your snow blower will not start. I learned that the hard way, standing in my driveway in boots and pajamas, yanking a dead cord while the snow piled up around me.

Now I do thirty minutes of prep in the fall, and the thing fires up first pull every time.

The five things to check

• Fresh gas or a full charge. Old gas goes stale and gums up the carburetor, so drain last season’s fuel and add fresh with stabilizer.
• Oil level. Top it off or change it if it is dirty.
• The spark plug. A $4 plug fixes most no-start problems.
• The auger and chute. Clear out any debris so ice cannot jam them.
• Skid shoes and scraper bar. Make sure they are not worn down to nothing.

Do a dry run before the storm

Start it up once in the fall and let it run for a few minutes. You are listening for rough idling and checking that the drive and auger both engage. Finding a problem in October beats finding one in a blizzard.

One habit that saved me: keep a spare shear pin or two in the shed. They are cheap, and the auger pins snap exactly when you need the machine most.

It is boring maintenance, but the first storm always comes. This year I will be the one drinking coffee and watching the neighbors wrestle their machines, not the one doing the wrestling.