Snow removal questions

[leebee]

DH is having knee surgery on 12/9 and will be totally non-weight bearing for six weeks. All shoveling will be on me- and up here, that can mean moving a significant amount of snow! I am OK with shoveling, but the end of the driveway, where the plows block us in, is always a problem. Hiring a kid to shovel isn't an option, so I am considering purchasing either a snow blower or an electric shovel. First... the electric shovel is attractive because of the cost, but is this an efficient way to clear snow? What are the limitations of an electric shovel, and how do they compare with a snow blower?

If I go the snowblower route... electric or gas? What kinds of things should I be looking at when purchasing a snowblower? We've always shoveled our driveways, so I don't really know what's important to consider. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Squirlz]

I'm a little leery of the electric shovels. They don't look like they can handle much. I've had a Snapper single stage for 6 years but I'm getting an EGO cordless electric soon.

 

[piccolopat]

You didn't say where you live or how much snow you typically get. We have a gas snow blower but it is too big for me to comfortably handle. We also have an electric snow blower and an electric snow shovel. The electric snow blower does a great job on all but the deepest snow. When the bottom of our driveway gets plowed in, we can have a wall of snow 3' high by 5' deep across the width of the driveway. It won't handle that. It will handle clearing snow from the rest of the driveway and the walkway up to about 8 or 10" deep. I use the snow shovel for parts of the deck and the stairs, or when we only have a few inches I'll use it on the walkway. Both the electric snow blower and snow shovel are from Toro. The monster gas snow blower is from Ariens. The electric units don't have any exhaust and you don't have to store gas for them but you do need to be careful not to run over the cord while using them. You'll also be out of luck if snow brings power outage.

 

[lynxstch]

I have an electric snow shovel/blower, (Toro) and its fine for clearing up to maybe 4-5" of lightish snow. More than that and you find yourself lifting it up constantly to get to the higher spots. And if you have a long driveway, you have to make sure you have a really long extension cord, and as previous poster said, make sure you don't run over the cord, which isn't easy, since an extension cord sitting in cold snow gets stiff very quickly and doesn't want to move, lol. Your arm will be done before the snow is cleared. Been there done that. After we had that 3' of snow from one storm last winter , I've already arranged with my wood supply man to come and clear us out totally if we get more than a foot!

 

[Hikergirl]

I think its always a good idea to have a snow blower, gas powered. However if you live in an area that gets significant snow in the winter you would need a big one, especially for where the plow dumps the snow in front of your driveway.
The one we have is just too big for me so I don't use it.

What about finding someone to plow your driveway for you when it snows heavy, and then just shovel when it isn't? We have a couple guys that come around here that do that, they get paid when the come, they don't charge a set price for the whole winter.

 

[Klayfish]

Good luck to your husband!!! I had hip surgery in Feb 2014 and we were living near the Pocono mountains at the time. Of course, we had several snow storms within a week or 10 days after my surgery. I was non-weight bearing. I followed those orders, but frankly was being a typical stubborn "man of the house" and still helped out...hopped around and used things to support myself.

Anyway, I agree an electric shovel is good for a few inches of fluffy powder. Beyond that, it's useless. Gas snowblowers are big and heavy, be sure you're able to manage handling it. They're self propelled, but still quite a handful to maneuver. Electric ones will be less fussy to start, move, etc...but they may be less capable. Gas vs electric and single stage vs two stage will depend on where you live and how much snow you get.

 

[Bren's Mom]

We have a gas snow blower, and a fairly steep driveway, and I'm able to do our driveway alone even in a blizzard. (And often need to, because my DH is in public safety, so he's not home.) I can handle it, even though I'm not particularly tall or strong, even going uphill on the driveway. I'd hate to think of doing it alone with something less powerful than what we own. Hope that helps! (We are in CT.)

 

[nkereina]

We live in Buffalo and don't know how people get by without a snowblower. It's well worth the investment, IMO, not only for the ease of removing the snow but also for the time. DH can usually clear our driveway in 15-20 minutes before work in the morning which is crucial. We have this one from Lowe's: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Troy-Bilt-...-Stage-Electric-Start-Gas-Snow-Blower/3255746

We bought it at the start of last season because our old one wasn't working as well (it was smaller and old, it was given to us). This one works very well, was middle of the road in terms of price, and handles great with all the snow we get here.

 

[Darcy03231]

We live in central NH and have 2 gas powered snow blowers. One really big one that I can't handle, and a smaller one that I can.

 

[sam_gordon]

It truly depends on how much snow you typically get. Does your DH think a snow blower/electric shovel would come in handy?

 

[yoopermom]

In this area a ton of guys snowplow for a side/cash job, so it would be cheaper to pay a guy to come and do this for me, if I knew it was going to be for a limited time. I hate that packed hard huge pile, and wouldn't want to tackle it myself, especially if I had to be to work. (I assume since you don't have a snow blower now, your DH does it without one normally, and will again in the future?)

Terri

 

[mickeyboat]

If any of your neighbors have someone come plow their driveways, see if that person could come clean out the end of your driveway (that is if you have a place to put the snow). I Then you would only have to handle the main part of your driveway. We have a friend who plows, and he does that for us all the time. DH asked him to plow the entire thing when he was out of town. It was worth it not to have to worry about not being able to get in and out of the driveway, when I was already handling so much on my own.

 

[TAX GUY]

What about finding someone to plow your driveway for you when it snows heavy, and then just shovel when it isn't? We have a couple guys that come around here that do that, they get paid when the come, they don't charge a set price for the whole winter.

I was going to suggest this. I do plowing and have several accounts where I only go if the snow is XX deep or as needed. Find someone that is willing to work with you and charge accordingly. My rates are based on the amount of snow that falls. As an example, the size of the driveway and the difficulty of it (can I push it all, do I have to back drag any, is there an easy area to push the snow, etc) will factor in. That rate will then cover a range of snow fall. Typically in 6" increments ($25 up to the first 6" then $25 for each 6" after - so up to a foot of snow would be $50 to plow). Some will charge based on how many times they come out, no matter how much or how little snow. If this is the only winter your husband will be limited, I'd think about hiring a plow guy for this year. Most snow blowers will run $500 for something small and underpowered and as much as a few thousand. Something decent to handle most storms should be in the range of $700-$1000. Using my figures above of $25/6", assuming you get 10 storms of 6" each (60" total is average around here), that's $300 to have someone else do it for you. Half the cost of a decent snow blower and ZERO effort.

 

[leebee]

We live outside of Bangor, ME, so we have a seasonal average snowfall of about 65"-70". In that horrific 2014-2015 season, we had about 140"!!! It sounds as if an electric snow shovel won't be adequate, so I guess we need to consider finding someone to do the shoveling, or getting a snowblower. There aren't any plow guys in our area; we live in-town on small lots, and there's no place to put the snow (except the street), so hiring someone to snow plow violates town code. I like the snowblower idea, myself; I am 60 and DH is fast approaching, so a snowblower makes sense, but it sounds pretty cost-prohibitive. I wouldn't have thought about needing to worry about being able to handle one, but that's a good consideration. Anything else I should keep in mind? Also, any reputable brands, or brands to avoid?

Maybe I'll just see if a neighbor can take a sweep across the end of the driveway, and I'll shovel the rest, although with the fall we are having (it's currently 52 degrees at 4pm) maybe we won't have any snow at all this winter!!

 

[nkereina]

We live outside of Bangor, ME, so we have a seasonal average snowfall of about 65"-70". In that horrific 2014-2015 season, we had about 140"!!! It sounds as if an electric snow shovel won't be adequate, so I guess we need to consider finding someone to do the shoveling, or getting a snowblower. There aren't any plow guys in our area; we live in-town on small lots, and there's no place to plow the snow TO (except the street), so hiring someone to snow plow violates town code. I like the snowblower idea, myself; I am 60 and DH is fast approaching, so a snowblower makes sense. I wouldn't have thought about needing to worry about being able to handle one, but that's a good consideration. Anything else I should keep in mind? Also, any reputable brands, or brands to avoid?

My dad has had an Ariens snow blower for 35 years. You pay more for it up front, but with the proper maintenance, it runs like a tank. They average about 120" of a snow per season where he lives, so it gets lots of use!

 

[TAX GUY]

We live outside of Bangor, ME, so we have a seasonal average snowfall of about 65"-70". In that horrific 2014-2015 season, we had about 140"!!! It sounds as if an electric snow shovel won't be adequate, so I guess we need to consider finding someone to do the shoveling, or getting a snowblower. There aren't any plow guys in our area; we live in-town on small lots, and there's no place to plow the snow TO (except the street), so hiring someone to snow plow violates town code. I like the snowblower idea, myself; I am 60 and DH is fast approaching, so a snowblower makes sense. I wouldn't have thought about needing to worry about being able to handle one, but that's a good consideration. Anything else I should keep in mind? Also, any reputable brands, or brands to avoid?

Personally, I have an older Yard Machines (cheap) that has done well for me. It's not fancy and got the job done (still does). Mind you, there were some big storms that I had to really man handle it to get the job done. I would suggest at least a two stage. Try to find one that has a light on it too as well as a "joy stick" chute adjustment. That should make it a little easier to use. I'm also a believer in have more power than needed, just in case of the ONE time you'll need it. Stay away from the big box stores if you can. While prices may be a little better, service and customer support typically isn't there after the sale.

 

[bcla]

What is this "snow" you speak of?

 

[low-key]

Also you could pay the young neighbor kids to take of it, or pay a plow driver to take care of it

 

[kimblebee]

I have never heard of an electric shovel and I live in 'Winterpeg'. I can't think of any part of shovelling that can be motorized. It's all manual labour..

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We live outside of Bangor, ME, so we have a seasonal average snowfall of about 65"-70". In that horrific 2014-2015 season, we had about 140"!!! It sounds as if an electric snow shovel won't be adequate, so I guess we need to consider finding someone to do the shoveling, or getting a snowblower. There aren't any plow guys in our area; we live in-town on small lots, and there's no place to put the snow (except the street), so hiring someone to snow plow violates town code. I like the snowblower idea, myself; I am 60 and DH is fast approaching, so a snowblower makes sense, but it sounds pretty cost-prohibitive. I wouldn't have thought about needing to worry about being able to handle one, but that's a good consideration. Anything else I should keep in mind? Also, any reputable brands, or brands to avoid?

Maybe I'll just see if a neighbor can take a sweep across the end of the driveway, and I'll shovel the rest, although with the fall we are having (it's currently 52 degrees at 4pm) maybe we won't have any snow at all this winter!!

We have a battery operated snow blower. It's works fine for around the 5 to 6 inch snow fall max and isn't the best nor the worst when it comes to wet snow just takes a little longer. They have a hybrid model of ours that is corded but also has a battery. Ours is Snow Joe brand..I can't remember if father in law's is a Troy-bilt or Honda.

We have a long full 3 car driveway and the battery doesn't last all the way through but the lack of maintainence and our conditions it works fine. For those really bad snows (that are rare for us) my father in law has a gas powered one that works better for the bad snow.

In my area we average around 19 inches per year (though it varies from year to year)..last year we had the 3rd mildest winter in record. I wouldn't suggest battery operated in your conditions. You need a powerful one for all that snow you get. You might check out Consumer Reports for at least some guidance.

No matter what you get it may not work all the time. If you have say a cold snow where it solidifies after the plow has come through it will be hard no matter what to get it removed without some big effort. Wet snow will be heavy too for shovels and a general comment I saw when looking at snow blowers is the throwing power of the blower can suffer with wet snow.