snow removal methods

There are a couple of people around here that have plows on their quad-runners. My father-in-law just loves to push snow as much as cut grass. He gave me a brand new snow blower with electric start, and said he is just having fun plowing snow at my place and to basically let him. He bought the snow blower the year before the plow.

SW

Lots of ways to waste a lot of time and money making snow removeall equipment. Lots of things that don't work, or work poorly.

Just buy a good snow blower. Get one that is big enough for the job and get a "cab" for it, or get a tractor mounted unit, again with a cab, if you have enough driveway etc to warrant it.

I have 150 feet of sidewalk on a corner lot and a driveway big enough to park 4 cars on. My current blower is a 4HP 22 inch dual stage track drive - a 6hp 26" would be a better size for the job, but the little feller does the job. (I do not have a "cab" so depending which way the wind is blowing, I can end up looking like a snowman in a hurry)

Or if you don't need one that passes DOT or air-care inspection.

Slide hammer? Bet it works, but ... hard on the joints? This is why the old tool was dropped onto the ice - no shock, at least not to the human.

Joe Gwinn

I used an alternate method, don't remove the snow and ice, Remove yourself. Mikek, from sunny Florida. :-)

I would suggest that is one were searching for a machine for snow and ice removal and didn't have a need for a tractor for other tasks, a Bobcat / skid steer with quick attach extra wide snow bucket and quick attach hydraulic powered snow blower it a better match for the task.

HF has/had an air powered scraper tool intended for ripping up floor tiles and the like that would probably work well on ice, perhaps with a modified blade.

More practical perhaps, but not nearly as much fun.

That is the best solution, move to where the snow and ice is relatively rare.

If it doesn't break when used on ice, this could be helpful. I doubt that HF claims that their air-powered scraper will work on hard ice.

Joe Gwinn

Well this is RCM so wasting time is okay, but building something that does not work is not okay. I would rather spend money on tools than a snow blower, but think I already have enough tools to build something. Something like Jim Wilkins front loader would be really good for the turn around in front of the garage. A conversion kit to turn a rototiller into a small plow would be good for the walkway. But for the driveway, well I am still thinking.

Dan

"Joseph Gwinn" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.giganews.com...

Actually this does work pretty good. No shock to speak of at all. Just put the chisel edge where you want the crack and tug on the bungee loop and let go. No impact to you at all. and controlable. Axes work too but they are actually more work than this thing. The guy came up with the design and he's no dummy. I watched it in action and he could get cracks about 2-3 feet long! Break up the ice and plow away the chunks, done. No sweat.... Let the force work for you....;>)) phil

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Dan

I use it to clear a large turn-around space in the front yard. Being a riding mower it doesn't tear up the turf like a skid-steer. It needs considerable room to back up and turn to dump, so it might not be a good idea for a long, narrow driveway. The prevailing wind keeps me from clearing that area with a snowblower.

jsw

As long as you didn't have a corner lot and needed the whole surface cleared. Was great for spot work, though. Dad did the shoveling, we kids -got- to chop the ice(such a treat!). The head wasn't that heavy and he'd drilled a hole at the end and stuck a rope loop for a grabber through it. Could be powered down on hard spots that way. None of the current items that folks have thrown up URLs on so far are exactly like it. Was probably 5-6" wide and had a tang and socket connection to the handle, tang being about 3/8" or so.

For long drives and such, a small tractor-mounted thrower is hard to beat, just depends on how much you have to move and how far. A small lawn tractor may do it, a 12 hp JD lawn tractor took care of a block long lot plus parking for many years. Getting it started in cold weather was sometimes a chore, though. And getting the thing attached and belted up wasn't a picnic, either, even before the snow started falling.

Stan

I definitey do the same, but blowing with the wind often means filling the neighbour's driveway, and blowing with the prevailing winds would soon have a pile too high to blow over in some spots. So you blow it more or less ahead of you and to one side, keeping the snow going more or less where you want it, and keeping 90% or more off of yourself. Still makes a snowman or icycle out of you in short order.

Snowblower on bobcat - the besat of both worlds!!! My brother has a snowblower mounted to the front of his ATV. Lawnmower goes on in its place in the summer

Buy a snowblower. Put in some overtime at work in the time you would have used to build the thing that won't work right anyhow, and spend the overtime money on the tools you want - you come out anead no matter which way you look at it (except you don't have a pile of useless junk taking up space in the shop when you are done)

Been there, done that, and burned holes all through the front of the "T" shirt.

It's worked relatively well for me ! Even with 2 snow storms since New Years , I've managed to put almost 400 miles on my Harley this year ... -- Snag "90 FLHTCU "Strider" '39 WLDD "PopCycle" BS 132/SENS/DOF

I could buy a snow blower, but where is the fun in that.

I really do not mind shoveling snow. Need to do something to get a little exercise in the winter. But doing the driveway by hand takes a while. My wife does not want to wait that long before she is able to go places. So it would be nice to be able to get the driveway clear in a couple of hours. That would get the driveway clear about the same time as the county gets the road clear.

Working overtime would mean having to get a job.

Dan