Very few people enjoy clearing snow. For most adults snow does not hold the allure it did when you were a kid and looked forward to a snow day. No, as an adult you need to go to work and that means that you will need to get yourself dug out. Chances are you have a snow shovel around and we hope that you have a snow blower that you purchased at Bill’s Outdoor Power Equipment to make your snow clearing easier. What about some other tools that can be used to make clearing snow easier on you?
Snow Shovels
Using the right snow shovel can make all the difference. Of course there is a good reason that you got a snow blower from Bill’s and we hope that it is making snow clearing easier (and maybe funner!) but you still may need the shovel for some things. Some shovels are better for pushing and some are better for lifting and using the right one can make this part much easier.
S-handled shovels are better for lifting snow while straight handled shovels are better for pushing it. S-handled shovels distribute the weight differently making it easier on you (and your back) but this also makes it harder to push snow. There are also some very unique shovels out there, like an attachment for your wheelbarrow or snow shovels on wheels. Your standard shovel is no longer the only option.
For The Driveway
Do you need to clear a large amount of snow quickly? Or do you have a dirt or gravel driveway (remember snow blowers do not work on dirt or gravel)? How are you going to clear your driveway? Of course you can pay someone to do it for you or you can do it yourself.
Did you know that there are kits that can allow you to attach a plow to your ATV or your lawn tractor? Some assembly is required but this can allow you to clear snow quickly and in about as much comfort as you can be in on a cold winter’s day. It sure beats shoveling your driveway out! Just remember to use winter blend gas for your lawn tractor.
For Your Roof
Getting your snowblower onto your roof is not easy to do and is generally not recommended. So how can you clear the snow off of your roof other than waiting for it to melt? There are lots of tools out there that allow you to clear snow off of your roof and they’re called snow rakes or roof rakes.
Snow rakes make clearing snow off of your roof easier, reducing the weight on your roof and the amount of melt water coming off of it. Also by clearing your downspouts you reduce the weight on them and make drainage of your roof easier too. Less weight on your roof and spouts means less stress and a longer lasting roof.
Ice
No one wants ice on their property. It is easy to slip and fall on it and it takes a lot of effort to clear. Some snow blowers can be used to clear ice but in a lot of cases you are going to have to get down and dirty to clear it. You will need an ice scraper, both for your car and your property.
Chances are you already have an ice scraper for your car. Sidewalk scrapers can be purchased to break up ice using a sharp edge and downward force and can be very effective. Break up ice quickly and shovel it out of the way to clear the way.
Melting
When everything is clear the last thing that you want to have happen is to have the melted water refreeze meaning that you have to do it all over again the next day. That is where a salt spreader comes in handy. You will need some sort of de-icing material and a spreader. If you have a seed spreader for your home, you have the required equipment. Just fill the spreader with salt and cover what needs to be covered. It may not prevent all ice from forming but it will make your property safer for everyone.
Many lawn tractors also have attachments that can speed up salt spreading. These can be either an attached piece or a drag-behind piece. If you have a plow attachment this can make clearing snow a breeze. You might even start to look forward to the snow.
For many of you reading this a snow shovel and snowblower is all the equipment that you need to clear your property when snow falls. That is great and at Bill’s Outdoor Power Equipment we are happy for you but not everyone is so lucky. When snow falls it needs to be removed quickly. You have to get to work and most municipalities require it to be removed lest a fine be levied. Some extra equipment can help to make that easier and help to get the most out of your property while you are at it.