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Snow blowers?

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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For us northern folks ... what's the horsepower of the snow blower you use?

Mine is 5 hp, with a 24" width. Works great on light fluffy stuff, up to about 18" deep. I can do the 300 foot driveway and parking area in less than two hours.

B U T ...

State snow plows clear the highway during the snow storms, and leave little gifts like this, right at the driveway apron:




The massive pile of heavy wet snow left at the end of the driveway is way more than my blower can handle; I have to break off chunks and shovel it into the blower. Last time I tried clearing that area, I got weak, sweaty, shaky, nauseous, heart racing, and had to stagger in and lie down for an hour, then went back to finish the job Not fun.

Neighborhood kids "don't like outdoor work". Guys with plows on their pickups don't do gravel drives like mine.

So what equipment do you guys use to clear that "Mount Everest" you have on the driveway after a big storm has passed?

Thanks.
Tom M.​
 
No answer, We have a neighbour who comes and does our driveway. However in separate but related news, over the years I have done a surprising number of funerals for people who were clearing snow. It boggles my mind the insistence in continuing to do life-threatening chores long after common sense suggests that there are better alternatives.
 
ah, but there's the rub! What are the alternatives when there's no one else willing to do the work?

So, for the guys here who actually do the work themselves, what equipment do you use?

Thanks.
Tom M.
 
Being blessed to live in an area that does not suffer that problem I have not had to deal with it but while working up north I can see the issue.

Would a garden tractor with a blade make any headway on the mess?

Tip/bribe the snow plow driver to miss your drive way.

David
 
Been a lot of years ago now; but faced with a similar problem, I rented a small Bob Cat skid steer with a bucket on it. Wasn't cheap, ISTR I paid $75 for 4 hours (probably twice that today), but it was worth it!

It didn't have heat or even a cab; but was easy to operate with heavy gloves on.
 
Thanks gentlemen. Seems the first problem would be getting over the snow pile to be able to drive to the rental place to get the bobcat!

Lawn tractor with blade does no good; snow pack way too solid. Driveway snow is no problem, but the stuff pushed off the highway is full of chemicals which soften the snow, then let it freeze solid.

Hoping someone here actually uses a snow blower to clear the "DOT Gift" deposited at the apron.
 
That doesn't sound like something a snow blower could handle. More of a job for a blade or scoop.
 
Had that problem yesterday at one of my apartments, snow blower wouldn't budge it. Started running over it with my F150 to knock it down for cars, was not totally successful. If I had a long driveway at home and this were a regular occurrence, it would be all the excuse I need to buy a Ford 8N with a loader and a blade. My neighbor has an ATV with a blade, he loves pushing snow with it and neighbors love him, he plows most of the neighborhood, pushes the snow into large piles. Around here ATVs are legal for street use also. Another neighbor about a block away uses a large JD lawn tractor with attachments and takes care of his area. I think he is a retired farmer/rancher, just can't get away from the green. They seem able to move snowplow deposited snow.
 
Still use a shovel and if hard enough, break it with the back end of an axe. I pushed it all out in the street one time, Village plow came by and stopped, looked at me then gingerly pushed it aside, then backed up and cleared the end of my driveway. They have been pretty thoughtful since.
 
NutmegCT said:
ah, but there's the rub! What are the alternatives when there's no one else willing to do the work?

So, for the guys here who actually do the work themselves, what equipment do you use?

Thanks.
Tom M.
Click to expand...

Our neighbor has a small tractor (a real tractor, not a glorified lawn mower) with a shovel attachment on the front. Seems a used tractor with a shovel would be better for that task than any snow plow I can think of.
 
I use my John Deere with a snow blade. It's OK unless it gets really deep. For a heavy snow it is a challenge and I think a snowblower may be best.
IMG_3718.jpg


When it's really bad, I break out the "big plow".....
Snow Plow specialweb.jpg
 
Note to doc: This is a "read only" thread :cool:
 
I also struggle with the snow pack at the street with my 5.5hp blower. Saw this "snow gate" and thought it was a pretty neat way to keep driveway entrances free.

 
I've got a 28" Ariens (Deluxe 28 SHO) that hasn't had any trouble with the plow berm at the end of my driveway. I'm on a smaller residential street so the berm is not as bad as it could be, but I've not had any trouble cutting through it with this blower. I liked this model as it's not huge (my driveway is 3 cars wide by about 35' long) but it had a larger engine to handle deeper, nastier snow. If the snow is particularly deep or heavy it's down to the slowest forward speed, but it chugs through no problem.

It's a huge upgrade from my previous blower, a hand-me-down from my father-in-law that he bought in 1985. Heck, I used that one for 11 years at my last house, but it made it one storm at our new place and was replaced with something bigger. Cut driveway clearing time in half.
 
Thanks again. That YT video of the "driveway blocker" is a great idea. Won't work on our state plow trucks (plow is in front, not at side), but it sure must make a lot of homeowners happy.

I'm wondering if some sort of "snow chisel" might exist. Hold the chisel vertical, pound on it with a sledge hammer, break pile into smaller pieces I can lift and toss to the side.

My 300 foot driveway is actually no problem with my 5hp blower now; it's just the gol' dern pile at the apron that may push me into the Great Beyond!

Raise your hand.jpeg

A few years ago I tried blocking the snow with a picnic table turned on its side. Bad idea. The table got frozen into the snow, and I had to break it apart (the snow pile *and* the table) to clear the driveway. Not good.

Tom M.
 
I guess I'm kind of a wuss -- I have an electric snowblower. It's an 18-inch, 15-amp unit. But it works nicely clearing my driveway and sidewalks.

The best thing I found was a telescoping brush to clear off my cars that sit in the driveway. Shoveling / clearing doesn't really bother me, but I hate cleaning off the cars. I also discovered the joy of knocking snow off the roof of the temporary structure that houses the Plymouth. You go inside and bang on the roof of the structure with a broom, which causes all the snow to slide off.
 
SaxMan said:
I guess I'm kind of a wuss -- I have an electric snowblower. It's an 18-inch, 15-amp unit. But it works nicely clearing my driveway and sidewalks.
Click to expand...

Wuss? Nah, but very lucky. If you can clear a long driveway with an electric blower, you've got the battle almost won.

Here an electric might clear 4 to 6 inches depth ... but that's about it.

Had about 12" heavy wet snow last night, just ending now. Tree branches now breaking and power/cell/cable going off and on. Waiting for sunrise to start my snowblower/shovel attack on Snowmageddon.
 
I just did mine
 
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