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Yes, this is what it claims to be. A V8 powered Snow Blower - specifically a
Chevy big block V8 putting out 412hp and 430lb/ft of torque.
Here's the text of the article as I received it:
For the man with everything - the V8 snowblower
December 1, 2005 If you're tired of anemic, one-lung snowblowers with their
slipping drive belts, you might consider Kai Grundt's V8 snow blower which
raises the bar on the traditional snow blower in every respect. With
electric start, electric block heater, antifreeze heater and eight
cylinders, it has no drive belts to freeze up and you'll never get bored
with the job as the 454 cubic inch big block Chevrolet V8 produces 412
horsepower, 430 foot pounds of torque and can throw snow 50 feet at just
3500 rpm. Nor will you get cold as the machine has been ingeniously designed
to route the engine coolant through the handle bars, with the rear mounted,
enclosed radiator keeping the operator nice and cozy.
The first point to make is that this is not a V8 grafted on a traditional
snow blower carriage but a purpose-built unit crafted around a motor of this
magnitude. It functions very much like a traditional blower by way of
operator input and feedback and offers effortless safe operation.
Maneuvering the massive beastie (it has a total wet weight of 912lbs) is a
snack thanks to the hydraulic-drive 4WD skid steer on independent walking
beams which offers a zero turning radius. It's also as fast as you like,
with an infinitely adjustable speed range on the drive wheels via dash
mounted flow control. At the opposite end of the scale, it has more than
enough torque to pull your car out of the ditch before the hydraulic motors
stall!
Adding to the well-balanced feel of the unit, just 15 pounds of down force
on the handlebars will lift the auger blade off the ground in order to climb
stairs/walkways for ease of snow removal. Safety has and continues to be
paramount with spring return to centre "fail safe" type directional controls
with emergency stop and tether cords.
Safety is one of the key theme, with a flashing blue light (as required by
law in many areas) being the least of the safety features. No-one will fail
to hear you with those twin throaty exhausts, which come standard with 92
decibels at the controls, though if the rhumba of a V8 exhaust is music to
your ears, you can obviously go much louder. Even at the standard baffling,
hearing protection is strongly suggested.
The powerful yard machine lights and a dashboard with backlit gauges
complete the package to ease the burden of this normally reviled task
The custom 42 inch, two stage auger has a Chevrolet 10 bolt truck
differential with spool and a centrifugal auger clutch with shear pin
protection, further adding to the image of this "automotive theme blower."
As each unit is custom-built, optional extras for the snowblower are both
diverse and outrageous as the base unit - there is unlimited auger choices
from single to multi stage designs and various motor combinations to suit
the religious preferences of the customer (Chevy, Dodge Hemi, Ford) and such
exotica as a V-10 or a diesel engine or remote starting can be accommodated.
And if, after a while, you feel you've outgrown the 400 horses, this
particular engine is well catered for in the performance modification area,
with Lunati camshaft, Milodon Gear drive, Holley and Edelbrock components to
name a few, and there's always the fuel injection option too, if you feel
you need to throw the snow out of the county or ensure your seat in the
"neighborhood blower blingster hall of fame."
Here's some photos of this beast in action. They were with the article I was
sent.
NOTE: I found lots of sites that were re-printing this article, but I could
not locate an original source to credit for the article text and photos. It's a
great little article, and whoever wrote it deserves credit, so if that's you,
please tell me so I can update this page and give you the credit you so richly
deserve for bringing a smile to the faces of men around the world.
NOTE #2: Previous versions of this page had some text from me that claimed it
was a Chevy small block, which did not match the text of the article I was
forwarded, so I've fixed my error to ID this as a Chevy big block the same as
the article.
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