Snow Shoveling Alternatives (Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth: insurance, house, school)

[MtnFlyer]

I was noticing threads starting about snow shoveling and it brings back to mind a question I've had for years that I've never really gotten anyone to answer. I've heard many people who have moved down to the south complain about having had to shovel snow. I know some people use snow blowers, but I've heard compalints about them as well when they freeze up and have to be cleared. That brings to me to my question.

Why aren't personal plow devices more commonly used? I hear people cite the cost or that they just don't have enough to clear, or I don't have a place to store it, but it doesn't seem to make sense to me, so maybe some of you can make me understand.

I have a pretty good size lot as do most of my neighbors. Everyone here has a riding mower/garden tractor. Those who don't water probably have to mow every other week at least for about 5-7 months a year. It's not that my lot is so big that I couldn't mow it with a push mower, but it'd take an hour and a half or so. That being the case, a riding mower is worth it. One of my neighbors has a ATV/4 Wheeler with a pull behind mower for which I've seen some really cool V Plows. Most people park them in a storage building in the back yard. If they don't have one, then they just park it around back and cover it with a canvas tarp.

Seeing that people in northern areas have to clear their property access every morning for months out of the year instead of 1.5 hours every other week, why don't people seem to use a blade on the front of a 4 Wheeler or garden tractor? It just seems that it'd be worth the investment.

[WannaComeHome]

Good question. I know my dad had an old tractor that he put a plow blade on and sometimes cleared the driveway with it - mind you, first you had to clear a path to get OVER to the tractor... and he also had a snowblower in the garage.

It seemed that trying to hitch up the tractor was more trouble than he necessarily wanted to do much, and the snow blower was only good for small areas and I guess not the entire driveway (we had a 300ft driveway). Mostly, we had someone come plow us out early in the morning so we kids could get off to school (few of those sissy snow days for us) and he could get to work.

[MtnFlyer]

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

It seemed that trying to hitch up the tractor was more trouble than he necessarily wanted to do much

I guess if you had to hitch up a blade it'd be a bit of a pain. i was actually talking about something much smaller for clearing a typical driveway and sidewalks. Something like this, although I've seen them with V blades as well:

[buck naked]

well - easy enough to answer - most of us don't have one of those....^


we get deep, heavy snow - my snowblower handles it well - it's never jammed (knock on wood). It chews into the depth quite easily and displaces the snow to the banks. Pushing wet, heavy snow could be a little bit harder.

[jthibodeau]

Wow! That's one sharp machine! What's one of those babies going for? $10....$12K maybe? Although it's a beautiful machine, it seems to be a costly toy just to plow the that 75 foot driveway.

What? You say you can use it as a four wheeler during the summer too? Don't forget the trailer, hitch and insurance payment then. And, of course....be careful where you ride. Most places are illegal to ride an ATV.

All kidding aside. I would suspect that most would find that a bit too expensive to plow snow. The plow is a little small and the 4 wheeler really isn't meant for that type of work, although I'm sure it could handle 6 to 8 inches if it isn't too wet, frozen or just plain heavy. And, I doubt it could open up a mail box sitting buried in a recently placed 4 foot snowbank deposited by the town/city/state plow.

Another draw back is that as the winter goes along, those original snow banks are frozen solid. If you didn't plan for that situation, that machine won't push them back.

In all reality, that decked out 8 horse power snow blower with the electric start maybe a bit slower but the finished job won't have to be redone at a later date because the original snow is out of the way. And, it's most likely less than a grand, takes up less space and is actually made to do that specific job.

In my case, I have a driveway over 500 feet long. I need all the tools. Plow, snow blower, shovels, dynamite.....what ever works. Each tool is made for a specific purpose and, the easier snow removal job, the better. And, let's see.... 93 Toyota with plow (off road only, no insurance, registration, headlights, etc.)$1200.00, snow blower $650.00, shovel $15.00, no heart attack.....priceless!

Am I really thinking about snow here already?.....oh, yuck.

Everyone one have a great day.....

[GregW]

Equipment needed for snow - all wheel drive car, good boots, patience.

The Lord givith, the Lord takith away. Spring will arrive soon enough.

[JFRRACING]

here's an idea, move south where you don't need one ha ha ha ha

[MtnFlyer]

Originally Posted by jthibodeau

All kidding aside. I would suspect that most would find that a bit too expensive to plow snow. The plow is a little small and the 4 wheeler really isn't meant for that type of work, although I'm sure it could handle 6 to 8 inches if it isn't too wet, frozen or just plain heavy. And, I doubt it could open up a mail box sitting buried in a recently placed 4 foot snowbank deposited by the town/city/state plow.

Thanks for the reply. You confirmed one of my suspicions in that the banks may be too high and wet for machines like that to work. Actually I don't have a four wheeler for mowing my lawn, but my neighbor does. I had actually thought more along the lines of a garden tractor which if you lived inside the city might work well for the sidewalk and short driveway. I'm still not sure why people in lesser snow areas don't use the riding mower blade instead of shoveling.

I'm guessing in NH a front loader may be more in order.

[sgthoskins]

I have a 9hp snow blower that works just fine for my 150' long driveway.

[Yankeehombre]

When finished using your snow blower is off make chute is clear of any wet snow that could freeze up + shear the pin on the auger which most people don't realize is there to prevent damage to the mechanical parts in th event of a freeze up or hitting a rock under snow. You will notice there is a bolt mounted through the main auger shaft on each side. Be sure you find a replacement labeled for your brand snowblower. Often if there is wet snow built up you can clear it up by blasting through some dry snow to clear the wet stuff out.

As for alternatives to snowblowing, April and May are good cures. If you don't have allot of room to overrun your driveway, to pile snow, walks trill have to be cleared, if you don't want a wet mess tracked into your house after every storm. Start snowblowing season by removing an extra swath on each side of your driveway .It narrows as winter wears on + snow banks will become frozen. Public Service will send you a nice letter thanking you for keeping a path for your electric meter reader clear. Your fuel oil delivery person will also appreciate a clear path to your oil fill.

Most good hardware stores carry shear pins for major brands of Snow blowers, in their nut + bolt departments. You should stock up on at least 2 of them for winter because they disappear from the stores fast, and at a time when it is most difficult to get to the store because people don't think of early. Typically they have 2 shear pins on auger right, left. NEVER replace a standard shear pin with a standard bolt, correct ones are engineered with leaded steel with a groove to assure they prevent damage to the mechanical parts by shearing off at the right time, and the right place. Typically they are a soft steel 1/4" bolt with a groove cut in them to make sure they will break of the auger is trying to munch up something more substantial than snow, like your kids skate board.

Try to avoid running the snowblower through water to avoid slush accumulation, plus it can cause the drive mechanism to stop working, some drives require friction to operate and will stop propelling the snowblower in any direction, which is a bummer thawing the snowblower is the only effective cure for this, once froze-up. As mentioned blasting through some dry snow will clear the chute.

Always make sure you're chute is clear when you stow it. A couple of years ago a guy from Rolinsford lost several fingers clearing his snowblower chute, with it still running(not operating, mind you), just by leaving the engine running!)Fosters.com - Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME