Snow Clearing

[dhcomp]

As some of you may have read, I'm moving to snow country.

The house I rented has a pretty long driveway, but this late in the season, I'm going to roll the dice and not get a plow guy on contract.

Next season, I'd love to pick up a project truck or blazer, and use it as a plow truck.

Until then, i get to do it manually. I thought about a snow blower, but truthfully, i'd rather tough it out a bit, then put the money towards another truck.

So, if i want to go buy the first and last snow shovel I'll ever need.....what do i buy?

Going to try and get a set of decent insulated coveralls for the early morning shovel sessions. Suggestions for a good value in decent insulated coveralls? Never owned a pair, and won't be working in them daily.

Tips?

 

[blazinzuk]

If you have a long driveway and your gonna shovel it insulated coveralls are the last thing you need.

Get a shovel that you can handle big huge wide beasty when weighed down with snow weighs a whole lot more than you think. Your snow over there from what I have heard is usually moisture packed. Falling at warmer temps.

I have had 6" of snow on my sidewalk in the past I cleared with the shop vac blowing air out. Leaf blower would have been even faster.

So not a huge shovel but big enough you can push with it

 

[sweetk30]

the best shovel I have used hands down .

http://www.jmenterprises.com/

when it snows and I am not at home and don't have mine on hand to use I hate to use a regular unit anymore.

I have the pusher ( the snow grader ) for light stuff and then the shovel ( the snow plow ) for everyday needs. going on over 3 seasons now . best money I spent ever in my opinion.

 

[Blue85]

If you really need to move snow, there is no better "shovel" than the classic Yooper Scooper design: http://www.silverbear.biz/

Even a little kid can clear the driveway (which I have many memories of doing!)

Since I have a big yard now, I need a little tractor anyway. Since I already have a garden tractor, I picked up up a 45" blower attachment for $200 on Craigslist. It took minor fab to fit it to my tractor, but running it is awesome. I can throw snow on top of the garage if I want and clear the whole driveway in 2-3 passes down and back.

With plowing you have to have/make room to keep piling it up all winter. If you're thinking of shoveling, the driveway is probably too small to justify a tuck plow anyway.

 

[skunked]

As some of you may have read, I'm moving to snow country.

The house I rented has a pretty long driveway

Until then, i get to do it manually. I thought about a snow blower, but truthfully, i'd rather tough it out a bit, then put the money towards another truck.

Being that I lived in Tahoe and we still have a place on the West Shore I'm going to say this will change REAL quick

How big is the driveway? Ours is about 25' wide and maybe 70-80' deep, there is no way in hell I'll clear that with a shovel. Maybe a fresh 4-8" you can push out into the street but that's fairly rare in Tahoe as I'm sure you're aware. Working at the resorts and living at 8200' elevation I've shoveled my fair share of the white stuff.

The last fifteen years we've had a Honda Snow Blower on tracks and if needed I'll call the plow guy for a quick clear if it looks too deep or if I'm going to show up late and don't want to deal with it.

 

[dhcomp]

Yah, I'm sure I'll change my tune soon.

The fall back is that we'll both be driving awd cars with snow tires, and if it gets deep the Burb will come into service.

So, we'll see how it goes. Shovel will be the start, but I should keep an eye out for snow blower deals....

 

[blazinzuk]

That bimmer will make a good snow plow

 

[dhcomp]

I know enough about small motors, but don't know anything about snow blower sizing.

Any tips?

Driveway is about 1.5 lanes wide and about 100 ft long.

Minimum width and or hp recommended?

Are all the wheeled ones self propelled, or not?

 

[skunked]

Yah, I'm sure I'll change my tune soon.

The fall back is that we'll both be driving awd cars with snow tires, and if it gets deep the Burb will come into service.

So, we'll see how it goes. Shovel will be the start, but I should keep an eye out for snow blower deals....

I hope your driveway is flat.

We had times where we had to leave our cars elsewhere, down the street because of snowpack/ice I had to chain up the front of my GMT400 2dr Full Size blazer on multiple occasions. We had epic snowfall that year though, enough that our full size rigs disappeared in the overnight snowfall

 

[dhcomp]

I hope your driveway is flat.

We had times where we had to leave our cars elsewhere, down the street because of snowpack/ice I had to chain up the front of my GMT400 2dr Full Size blazer on multiple occasions. We had epic snowfall that year though, enough that our full size rigs disappeared in the overnight snowfall

I'll be stoked if it snows like that. It will be a pain, but we need it.

Driveway is mostly flat.

 

[skunked]

I know enough about small motors, but don't know anything about snow blower sizing.

Any tips?

Driveway is about 1.5 lanes wide and about 100 ft long.

Minimum width and or hp recommended?

Are all the wheeled ones self propelled, or not?

self propelled is absolutely a necessity, most are btw.

You either have wheels or tracks, I like tracks better but you can get by with wheels and chains.

We have this Honda and the only thing that stops this is really big chunks of ice, stock up on sheer pins BTW

It's easy enough to use that my wife can run it if needed.

 

[skunked]

I'll be stoked if it snows like that. It will be a pain, but we need it.

I'm glad I didn't buy a pass this year, I already have four lift tickets I haven't used yet.

Pathetic.

 

[Blue85]

The fall back is that we'll both be driving awd cars with snow tires, and if it gets deep the Burb will come into service.
.

I've tried that plan and it fails IMO. You have to keep up with the snow unless you live somewhere that thaws every week. Every snowfall you will pack a little more down and it becomes ice. You build up big ruts in the driveway. After a while the garage doors won't close or you have a "drop" into the garage. When people come to visit they get stuck in the driveway or fall down. USPS or Fedex can get ticked and stop delivering packages, etc. On a gravel driveway, it helps to leave just a thin layer of ice all winter so you stop throwing stones. Other than that, you need some way to keep up with it.

 

[dhcomp]

I've tried that plan and it fails IMO. You have to keep up with the snow unless you live somewhere that thaws every week. Every snowfall you will pack a little more down and it becomes ice. You build up big ruts in the driveway. After a while the garage doors won't close or you have a "drop" into the garage. When people come to visit they get stuck in the driveway or fall down. USPS or Fedex can get ticked and stop delivering packages, etc. On a gravel driveway, it helps to leave just a thin layer of ice all winter so you stop throwing stones. Other than that, you need some way to keep up with it.

Again, I'm hoping we get enough snow to learn all those lessons.

Where I am, I'm in a bit of a pocket that doesn't get that much snow.

So, we'll see how it goes.

 

[MrSchaeferPants]

If you have a long driveway and your gonna shovel it insulated coveralls are the last thing you need.

Best advice right there!

If there's a shovel in your hand, you'll be stripping down to a long sleeve shirt in no time, with the sleeves pushed up.

 

[Stomis]

Buy a 24in blower with 5+ hp. Thats what we have and it moves 8+ inches no problem. I would recommend more hp than 5 btw. Ares is a little lacking on the road slush.

Btw the blower is interchangeable for a plow. The other way around not so much. Just something to consider.

 

[runamok151]

As far as shovels go, I prefer a flatter plastic shovel like the one below. I've shoveled my fair share of snow and I think the flatter square shovels are the best for all types of snow. Plastic doesn't let the snow stick to it like metal and as it wears down it just scrapes a new edge where the metal tends to curl up and cause problems getting under the snow. Mine is about 10 years old. It's worn down a couple inches but still cleans well.

I prefer a smaller single stage snow blower. They're easier to maneuver around cars and sidewalks and they won't get away from you; when you stop they stop. They're lighter, so you can just pick them up and throw them in the back of the truck or a trunk, no ramps needed. They use a lot less gas. And they'll really chew through some snow. My old 21" Murray will eat up snow faster than my dad's big John Deere blower.

It's when the snow starts getting over 10" that the little blowers start having some problems. If you see more than 10" of snow regularly, I'd get a self propelled 2-stage blower.

 

[diesel4me]

I've been battling 4-6 foot drifts since tuesday here--..so far the only effective weapons have been my plow truck and shovels....everything else has either broken,or proved too small to be of much use--even my pickup isn't able to move the snow,despite it being the powdery variety for once,which is a rarity here,its usually more like wet cement...

Snowblowers are useless here for the most part unless they are either 2 stage ones with high HP and auger openings,or single stage ones with sufficent RPMs to toss the wet stuff without clogging up instantly..

I have 4 old Sears Suburban tractors,one with a plow that only has a 6 HP Briggs I threw on it hastily,another with a 42" Haban snowblower,that has a 12 HP Tecumseh cast iron engine..the other two are almost identical to that one,vintage 1967-68,one is a '70...

I also have an old Craftsman 3 stage snowblower ,that had a 8 HP engine,but it blew the rod thru the block--I put a 5 HP Tecumseh off an Ariens on it--its impressive looking with its "drift bar" (the "third stage")--but in reality its not powerful enough..it really needs at least 8 HP..

Like I said,ALL of the things I tried were practically useless against the monster "Blizzard" we just had..I broke the angling mechanism on one tractors plow,which is no longer available,the one with the snowblower shredded 3 belts in 30 minutes ($20+ bucks each)..after wasting half a day trying to get the tractor running by adding an electric fuel pump and other parts borrowed off the one I mow with...


the shovel is my last resort,having a bad spine and am limited as far as how much I can use one..but its the one thing that works when all else fails..

My favorite shovel so far is an old aluminum "coal scoop" one,that I added a stainless steel edge too,when its edge got all worn and battered...its light,can hold a good sized chunk of snow,and the shorter handle seems well suited to my height --I never liked those "bent handle" shovels...or plastic ones either--yes they shed snow good,but the get brittle in the cold and are of no use if you need to chop a bit of ice...

If you have a long driveway,I'd buy a truck with an old Fisher Speedcast plow,belt driven pump,thats all I've had for over 25 years and they give very little trouble...the Fisher will bash thru deep wet snow better than a Myers or Western blade,that just flop over and bust springs often..

I'd also get the largest HP two stage snowblower for doing walkways and as a back up unit...be aware if your physically challenged,they'll be a struggle to use,if one gets hung up or needs to be dragged back to the garage,you may not be up to the task...

Those little 2 stroke "power shovels" seem to work well for some people..I have one,but it hasn't been out of the shed or started in at least 5 years--its not self propelled and I found it to be a real pain to use ..

I'm about ready to sell all my small engine powered "toys" and maybe even my plow trucks,and upgrade to a 4x4 tractor with a loader or a skid steer...we have been getting too many 2-3 foot storms here lately,anything smaller than that in your arsenal,your just pissing in the wind..it used to be just a "once in a while" event to get that much snow,and you could get by with the usual "tinkertoy" snow removal items...not any more..

If we could "plow with the storm" it wouldn't be so bad--but these Nor'easters have 60+ mph winds and you cant see a dam thing,especially at night,if you try staying up all night in the truck,hoping to stay ahead of the accumulation...we got over 20" here in less than 8 hours,even the DPW crews had all they could do to move it fast enough,before the only thing that could move it was a bucket loader or bulldozer..it is more like a hurricane with snow than a typical snowfall..

 

[skunked]

As far as shovels go, I prefer a flatter plastic shovel like the one below. I've shoveled my fair share of snow and I think the flatter square shovels are the best for all types of snow. Plastic doesn't let the snow stick to it like metal and as it wears down it just scrapes a new edge where the metal tends to curl up and cause problems getting under the snow. Mine is about 10 years old. It's worn down a couple inches but still cleans well.

I prefer a smaller single stage snow blower. They're easier to maneuver around cars and sidewalks and they won't get away from you; when you stop they stop. They're lighter, so you can just pick them up and throw them in the back of the truck or a trunk, no ramps needed. They use a lot less gas. And they'll really chew through some snow. My old 21" Murray will eat up snow faster than my dad's big John Deere blower.

It's when the snow starts getting over 10" that the little blowers start having some problems. If you see more than 10" of snow regularly, I'd get a self propelled 2-stage blower.

I like the one you posted and I also have one of these for digging. I have to dig out the propane tank and a couple other areas.

 

[diesel4me]

I like the one you posted and I also have one of these for digging. I have to dig out the propane tank and a couple other areas.

That's exactly like the "Coal Scoop" I was describing...thanks ,now I dont have to look for a photo of one!...
I "grease" mine well with paste Butchers Wax before using it,it makes the snow slip off nicely with no sticking...Pam cooking spray works good too...

I find a long handled square "dirt" shovel to be best for clearing steps off,especially in deep wet snow..they are heavy,but the long handle makes the steps easier to reach...