Quote:
Originally Posted by InglewoodFan
Having never owned or even used one, I have a couple of snowblower questions - Is there a minimum accumulation for them to work well? If I get a skiff I am guessing I am still shovelling/sweeping.
- How do they work on uneven/non-concrete surfaces? I have an interlocking brick patio that is a bit uneven and a big wooden deck that I am wondering if I could keep cleared.
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If a hand shovel can do it, then this likely can too.
Think of a reel lawn mower, but motorized. I believe there is a scraper bit that keeps the rubber or steel blades from hitting hard surfaces directly as much as possible. Minor uneven ground should be fine as this is typical of sidewalks and driveways etc.
I often use the thrower an inch or two past the concrete onto the grass. It barely pulls any grass unless I accidentally point a little downwards. My sidewalk and driveway has some height differences of 1/4" to 1/2" and I've never snagged it with the blades.
Personally, the snow thrower is an addition to my snow clearing method. It does not replace all my other options. I use combinations of snow thrower, snow shovel (no metal), leaf blower (over 400 CFM, 200 or below seemed useless) and square shaped spade shovel.
I use snow thrower 10-15 feet of passing with a shovel would be too heavy to lift (save my shoulders and back).
Plastic shovel is easier and faster if I can easily shuffle board snow towards the edge with low walking. Metal edge/aluminum snag on the concrete and doesn't shuffle easily. I'll occasionally use the leaf blower in this case as well if the snow isn't wet and I do like using the leaf blower to clear a car parked outside. Sometimes I'll shovel first and use the leaf blower for that final polish so that the salt doesn't immediately start dissolving on a thin layer of powder.
Square spade shovel for ice and compacted snow. I love the steel spade better than the chipper because the shovel aspect allows me to throw the ice away after breaking it and the shovel is typically wider than the chipper. It's especially useful on stuff that has been stepped on or driven on. It's also the only way to dig someone who has driven onto an ice bank. Small aluminum and plastic shovels are useless to keep in a car IMO. I've snapped them or hurt my hands using them. Square spade has always been great to break icy layers and occasionally dig down to the asphalt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nufy
I tell my kids that they should be doing that every year (in a safe location) to understand how their vehicle reacts to snow ice etc...
I still do it in my truck for LOL's. (When its safe...not on Deerfoot at 7 am...)
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I don't do donuts, but I'll do 180s so that I don't have to 3 point turn and less likely to get stuck on a snow bank with no momentum. We aren't supposed to shovel snow to the road, but people do that all the time anyways.
On many first drives, I'll also go to speed then slam on the brakes in a residential area to see what the increase to stopping distance is. Obviously I make sure no one is around, especially behind me. My parents and wife get mad at me for this. I don't get it. Why the hell would you not want to know your stopping distance on the main roads? Why would you want to spend 200M to slow down to a stop vs 50M?
People are #######s and cut you off in this weather. They're also idiots who don't realize that they can stop easily with their winters, but that the vehicle behind might not be able to do so, especially if they have cut them off. It's something you want to know so that you can have an idea whether an evasive maneuver makes more sense than hope you come up short playing car curling.
