Tips for choosing a snow plow

Every owner of a country house is familiar with the situation when after a lot of snow it is necessary to rake it for hours. Powerful snow blowers can be used for this purpose. But the purchase of such equipment for work at home is not advisable. For this, there are special devices. Below we will consider all types of snow removal equipment, as well as the criteria for its selection.

Before choosing the right device, it is recommended to understand the features of the work. It can be a thin layer of ice that has just formed, deep snowdrifts that have lain down for several days, or melted snow that is gradually turning into ice. To carry out these works, they resort to several options for inventory.

Please note that the amount of physical effort applied depends on the method of snow removal.

With their help, you can manually remove snow by throwing it to the sides for several meters. They are ideal if you are a small property owner. Cleaning large areas with such a shovel will take a lot of physical strength and time.

This device is similar to the previous one, but slightly wider. Thanks to the scraper, you can push the snow by pushing it back to the desired distance. The tool is suitable for work in flat areas with recent snow. You will not be able to remove ice or snow that has stayed for several days.

The main component is the vertical blade. The tool is vaguely similar to a scraper. It is presented in various variations and significantly increases work efficiency.

This unit specializes in breaking ice and removing stuck snow from flat areas, such as tiles. The tool is useless when working with freshly fallen, loose snow.

It is worth choosing a tool for cleaning snow depending on the purpose, namely:

• if you need to remove snow from the roof of a low house or garage, then you can do with a home mop;

• if your task is to clean the car, then it will be advisable to use brushes and rubberized blades; with their help, you can carefully remove the snow-covered mass without damaging the car body;

• snow that fell a few hours ago is easily removed with a broom or broom.

When cleaning the territory, special chemicals are also common. The snow can be sprinkled with salt or sand to give the shoe more traction. So, the ice will no longer slide, but after a while dirt will form in its place, which will need to be removed. For the same purposes, a huge number of different substances can be found on the market. They are very effective and do no harm to humans or the environment.

This tool is one of the most common snow removal tools. Of the features, it is possible to note the width of the canvas, high sides and a small mass. When choosing, always pay attention to the material from which the shovel is made. If you have allocated a small budget for the purchase, then opt for plastic products.Although galvanized iron and aluminum representatives are more efficient and durable, they are also more expensive.

These designs differ according to the following criteria:

• the material from which the canvas is made;
• holder type;
• dimensions and shape.

The most popular materials from which these devices are made are iron, aluminum, plastic and wood. Wooden options can be made with your own hands at home. They are also the cheapest of all models on the market. But they also have disadvantages such as:

• due to the constant exposure to moisture, the tree begins to rot, therefore, these representatives of shovels need constant drying;
• wooden shovels are not very durable and are not equipped with high sides.

Aluminum options are heavy and expensive, but can last much longer. These shovels are not afraid of moisture. Many country house owners recommend buying plastic shovels. They are lightweight and endowed with high strength at a low price. On the negative side, it can be noted that plastic options are not durable and break with slight impacts. Standard plastic shovels are vulnerable when working in temperatures below -25ºC. However, for a little overpayment, you can buy a composite plastic instrument.

If you are the owner of a large area, then snow removal with a shovel will be quite time consuming and will take several hours of your time. Here, it is desirable that the device has a large web width. This is why scrapers were created. This is a wide shovel with a U-shaped handle. The main and only purpose is snow removal by shearing. The work area is angled 180 degrees and has high bumpers both at the back and at the edges.

Removing snow with this unit is very similar to the work of a bulldozer. The device is capable of shifting snow to the sides, thereby clearing the passageway.

The engines are presented in several varieties.

• Standard option. It is a tool that is controlled by pushing the handle.

• With auger. This option is a design with a screw part, which is pre-installed in front of the engine. It is powered by rotation, thereby cleansing the cultivated area by throwing snow around the edges.

• Wheeled engines. One or two pairs of wheels are attached to their body, due to which the required effort from the operator is significantly reduced.

A distinctive feature of the unit is the presence of durable cutting blades. With their help, you can remove even the oldest snow and ice. Please note that under high pressure there is a possibility of damage to the area under the snow. The unit is a canvas that is mounted on a long handle. The handle is set so that the cutting edge is at an angle close to 180ºC. It is a very durable tool that is exactly 90 to 150 mm wide.

Ice removal occurs due to vertical translational movements, as a result of which the ice crumbles into small pieces and folds. Please note that the weight of the ice ax directly affects the difficulty of the job. The heavier the device, the weaker the impact is required. However, working with large-sized units requires a lot of physical effort. Ice axes come in different widths.Thick ice is easier to remove with a narrow blade, and weak ice is easily removed with large models of ice axes. Due to the wide blade, the working speed is increased.

How to make a snow scraper with your own hands, see below.