RI might get its first snowfall of the season. How to stay safe with your snow blower.

If you haven’t already, go out to the garage, shed or barn and start your snow blower to make sure it works. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to know before the snowstorm that’s forecast to begin Saturday evening.

That’s advice from Merissa Siligato of the family-run All Outdoors Power Equipment, in Wakefield.

Fellow snow blower dealer Stephen Roy agreed, but took it one step further:

“Drive it around now,” said Roy, of Stephen Roy Power Equipment, in North Smithfield. Make sure you know how all the controls work, how the machine feels before you’re battling the elements. “Make sure it’s ready to go now, before the storm shows up.”

Make sure your yard and driveway are clear of obstacles

And, while you’re out checking whether the machine starts, take a walk around the driveway and yard, anywhere you’ll be removing snow, and check for objects that could get ingested into a snow blower and render it inoperable, Siligato said. That includes things like balls and other sports equipment, life jackets and pool accessories, Christmas decorations and their power cords, and newspapers, which, when frozen, can become a snow blower’s worst nightmare.

Make sure you have spare parts

Siligato and Roy both said to make sure you have enough shear pins. Two-stage snow blowers have two active sections: an augur, which picks up the snow and grinds it into smaller pieces, and the impeller, which then throws the snow out of the way. If the augur gets its maw on a foreign object it can’t process, the shear pin snaps, so the augur stops turning and won’t feed the object into the impeller. It’s then fairly simple to clear the obstruction and put in a new shear pin.

“Never stick your hand in there to unclog it,” said Roy. Siligato agreed, cautioning everyone to shut off their machine before remedying any problems.

Roy added that snow plows often pick up debris and deposit it at the end of driveways, which could jam the machine and cause a shear pin to snap.

They recommend having three or four spare shear pins.

Snow blower advice after the storm hits

While most of Rhode Island isn’t forecast to get more than 6 inches, bear in mind that snow should be cleared at least after every 6 inches of accumulation so it doesn’t overwhelm the machine, Siligato said.

Roy said that stones and other smaller objects can get picked up and thrown, so always make sure the blower is pointed away from people or breakable objects, such as windows.

And, remember that it’s not a race.

“Take your time,” said Roy. “Don’t be in a hurry.”

When’s the best time to buy a snow blower?

While it logistically makes sense to buy before a storm so that you have it to use, Siligato said it also make sense to make sure you get what you want.

With the first snow of the season, people who were caught without one often head to stores to buy one. And the selection will diminish.

Siligato said the machines she carries sell for anywhere from $750 to $2,000 — or more. Roy listed a range of $799 to $3,300.