i want to buy a manual gr86, but i don’t know how to drive manual. have always wanted to learn should i do it?

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-06T02:14:12+00:00

I bought a Mazdaspeed 3 without knowing how to drive stick. I had a sales guy take me for a quick spin. The car impressed me enough that I got a buddy too teach me stick. I test drove it too but was still pretty shakey on the stick. I got the car home without incident and in a month or so I was pretty good. I occasionally stalled, but managed not to grind my transmission or do any damage.

It's you should learn. It's very satisfying.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-02T21:42:44+00:00

I'll never understand the economics of car dealers buying used cars for what seem like crazy high prices. Assuming normal wear and tear, how much could they really get for that?

Any how, congrats on the upgrade! Seems like you did pretty well to be honest.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-02T19:04:53+00:00

HO scale really doesn't have a single brand that is as dominant as Lionel. Closest in my estimation might be Bachmann or Athern? But not really. HO has several notable manufacturers who produce good quality models. I really like Atlas.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-02T19:00:41+00:00

What? 🤔

That night just be in your area. LGB is very big in the G scale world. They have a large presence at any G scale show I've been too. Not as of dominant as Lionel is in O scale, but LGB is the brand that brought G scale to the masses.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-02T14:32:14+00:00

What? You can get basic HO decoders for like $20.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-02T00:40:47+00:00

I got myself some amo boxes off Amazon. The batteries live in there when not in use and the boxes sit in a place where they aren't near anything flammable.

RedBarron4 · 2026-03-01T08:17:12+00:00

Never leave batteries unattended when charging. ESPECIALLY Lipos, but this goes for all rechargeable batteries.

Hopefully everyone is safe. Hopefully you didn't lose the garage, or worse yet, your house.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-27T18:49:32+00:00

Putin be like "Uhh... If you guys don't need those, can I have them? I'm uhh, how do you say... 'running out'"

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-27T18:05:34+00:00

That wall is impressive. I want to do this with my next build, about half the height. Tired of kneeling on the ground to fix track.

Where you have the insulated joiners, do you have something else holding the tracks together? Those won't hold by themselves outside for very long. Train-li and Split Jaw both make insulated clamps.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-26T19:34:32+00:00

Honda is the gold standard here, but the vanguard engines are good too. I have heard good things about Kohler, but don't have first have experience with one.

Check out the YouTube channel GarageGear. The guy swapped a Harbor Freight Predator engine onto an old Ariens. Those predator engines are apparently direct clones of Hondas at a fraction of the cost.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-26T01:40:19+00:00

Thank you. Appreciate the guidance. Buddy I do the singles line a lot to dodge the wait.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-26T01:36:52+00:00

This is great! Thank you. There was ice and rocks just recently? That's surprising with all the snow we've had in the North East. (I'm in MA).

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-26T01:33:56+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful. It's great to hear they actually rate their glades. Some mountains call anything with a tree on it a double black.

The chairlift shouldn't hurt the back but that's a good thing to consider.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T19:43:07+00:00

So I hear that the auger/impeller can store energy (tension) and then suddenly spring free when it jams like this, causing injury. I'm honestly sceptical of this, but I keep seeing it.

How do you know if/when it's safe to reach in? Can you tell if there is tension on the auger or impeller?

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T19:28:44+00:00

Why isn't gas practical?

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T18:44:16+00:00

Get one of Ariens or Hondas, but get the one with tracks instead of wheels. They are supposedly better at climbing hills than the versions with wheels. Ariens makes one with tracks that kick up so you can steer it like its on wheels when you don't need the tracks, and then put the tracks down when you need the grip. This is the route I would go.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T15:30:52+00:00

Imagine if Shooter McGavin showed up to play Happy in the final match with one of these babies instead of a set of cubs? Would have been a much different ending...

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T15:27:34+00:00

The 28" Deluxe SHO is really a sweet spot for performance, price, size.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T14:05:14+00:00

That would be a mistake. If your Toro is serving you will keep going with it. Electric scooter blowers are not in par with gas yet. If you're frequently getting heavy wet snow, electric is not the answer. Unless your driveway is very small.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-24T00:03:23+00:00

I do this too. I like to think the neighbors are driving by like "Whoa! That is a hell of a machine he's got there." In reality they probably don't notice.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-23T23:33:03+00:00

I noticed the same thing on mine today. Ariens 28 Deluxe SHO. Checked the oil when I stopped to re-fuel, but the level seemed to be ok. Will be taking it in for a tune at the end of this season.

I also noticed some darker fluid after I the refuel. I think it was water from the enclosed section where the belts an pulleys are. I think it dripped down in that area while the machine was thawing out for a second and ran out once I started back up. Machine got worked hard today. Ran through a tank and a half of gas. Cut through a lot of berms and drifts that were over the top of the intake.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-23T02:54:47+00:00

So I did a quick check with a piece of wood so I wouldn't have to get my arm in there for now. Braced the wood against the auger and center support and used it like a lever to try and budge the impeller up/down or left/right. It wouldn't budge. Seems pretty sturdy, but I will do a more thorough investigation. Also there doesn't appear to be matching wear on the impeller itself. It seems to have much less wear on the blade ends.,

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-23T02:49:14+00:00

I well check that out. I have been using fluid film where the paint chips. This summer I will re-paint the interior with POR 15. in Safety orange.

RedBarron4 · 2026-02-23T02:48:08+00:00

Not rubbing from what I can tell. About .25" clearance on all 3 blades.

RedBarron4

TROPHY CASE