Do you shovel, plow, pay for plowing or use a snow blower when it snows?

[RE2Boys]

Usually push the snow to one side, then use the snow blower to throw it off the driveway. The lifting is the hard part. Also use the blower for what the street plows leave at the end of the driveway. My snowblower starts on the first pull. Try to push every couple of inches, pushed three times in last two days. Three lanes by 50 ft. Got the blower for my 60th birthday after a particularly brutal winter for snow, think we had about 140 inches that year.

[6miths]

I shovel although years ago I did go in with my next door neighbor on a snowblower. He has been ER for 15 years and is great with small engines so he keeps it at his place. I seldom get the chance to use it as he has usually blown out most of my drive before I get up or get home if I am working overnight. I have a bunch of sidewalks that the blower can't get at so I get my exercise there. I much prefer mowing the grass but any exercise is welcome in the winter.

[rbmrtn]

Snow it pretty much a freak event and usually is gone in a day. I don't recall seeing a snow blower, snow shovel or anything in stores. Things just come to a complete halt when it does happen.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbstack Do you shovel, plow, pay for plowing or use a snow blower when it snows? Currently I pay for plowing but I’m seriously thinking of purchasing a snow blower. I’m guessing the pay back would be 3-4 years and it could also be used for the walkways.

Yes, yes and yes. I shovel our deck, stairways and entryway. We have a plow guy who does the driveway, parking area and our private road. We have a tight property and there are some places he can't cover with the plow and I snowblow those areas and our walkways.

It sounds like a lot but it isn't too bad - took a little over an hour today for 12" of sugar snow. Good exercise.

Bought a good Craftsman 28" snowblower about 10 years ago and have had very little trouble with it. Broke a drive belt once and break a few shear pins a year. Plug it into the 110 outlet, prime it, choke it, full throttle, press the starter button, unplug it and I'm off to the races.

[cranberryjoe]

I have a Honda snowblower I bought in 1991 or 92, still running well. Never been in the shop. The only maintenance I do is change the oil every couple of years and lube some of the moving parts when they start sticking. It's self-propelled but it's still a workout to guide it up and down my steep driveway, 100 feet or so. I also shovel the deck, a nice workout too.

[davemartin88]

I clear the 1.2 mile gravel road that runs from the closest paved roads to our house. Climbs in elevation about 300 feet total over the length of the road. This year, I've already had to plow twice. I have a Bobcat with a snow blade and a heated cab. I usually plow one strip going down the hill to the main road, then one trip back up and call it good. There are only 3 houses on the road including ours so don't worry about clearing the entire width unless it looks like it is going to be a really big storm.

This is the first year with a heated cab- boy is that nice!

[frank]

29 inch snowblower. 360 feet of sidewalk and two driveways. only way to go except when it get a couple inches of ice underneath and I have to get the neigbor to scrape the ice off. pita any way you look at it. going south is looking better every year, but at 67, I have a hard time changing my ways.

[Fishingmn]

I have a 20 year old Murray 2 stage snow blower. In the Twin Cities it's really not practical to shovel every snowfall. I use the snow blower even on a couple inches - I just run the speed at 3-4 vs. the 1-2 setting on big snows. My driveway is short but 3+ cars wide so having the snow thrown a long distance is helpful.

[DayDreaming]

I have a 200' driveway + turnaround area. Mostly I shovel it by hand.

Except for the rare times we get a really big snowfall, like 10+ inches - then I'd get someone to plow. But in times like that, the plowers are so busy servicing their regular customers, and I might have to wait a day or 2 for them to get to me.

Last year I broke down and bought my first snow thrower. I plan on using it only for snow over 5 or 6" deep. Less than that and I'll probably still shovel it by hand. So far, I've only used the show thrower once - but nice to know it's there for times I really do need it.

[scrabbler1]

I live in a large co-apartment complex so we have paid staff who do the snow removal as part of their regular duties. I live over one my building's entrances so when it snows I can hear the sound of the shovels scraping against the sidewalks as they clear the snow (while I am inside my nice, warm apartment). They also make sure the parking lots and ramps to the parking garages are cleared and salted so we can get out of the complex. Their salaries come from my monthly maintenance payments so you can surely say I pay them to do this work.

[MikeD]

We live in the middle of nowhere on ten acres of oak trees. We have a 400 ft gravel driveway. I use my Bobcat with a 5 ft plow to plow our driveway.

This is me on the 1987 model year Bobcat which we bought new and made payments on for three years. It still has the original tires which cost $400.00 each to replace. The tires are bald but not cracked or leaky because we keep the Bobcat in our closed up barn. I have to use chains when I plow.

I love my Bobcat.

Mike D.

[MikeD]

I forgot this in my last post:

[the ole Sarge]

I shovel until it is over 2 inches in a falling. Then I use a snow blower. I have had my blower (Troy Built 5.5 horse, 24 inch throw) for about 9 years now. It paid for itself with in 4 years (I figured 40 a plowing and he DID not do walks ONLY Drive Way). 3 - 5 times a year. The Troy Built ran about $700 with extended warranty back in 2004.

[Koogie]

Shovel. But I've found most years (this week was no exception) that if you wait during the first snow fall or two the neighbors come and blow it out with their snowblowers.

You old guys love using your toys when the first flakes hit the ground... )

[Theduckguru]

Included in my HOA fees.

[martyb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the ole Sarge I shovel until it is over 2 inches in a falling. Then I use a snow blower. I have had my blower (Troy Built 5.5 horse, 24 inch throw) for about 9 years now. It paid for itself with in 4 years (I figured 40 a plowing and he DID not do walks ONLY Drive Way). 3 - 5 times a year. The Troy Built ran about $700 with extended warranty back in 2004.

Hey ole Sarge, I lived just north of you for a little while, up in Janesville, WI. Used to drive down to Rockford regularly to eat, shop & other stuff. We ate at the Red Lobster and Dockside. Also used to visit a small music store there to try out guitars. This was in '08-'09. I worked for the fed govt. in Janesville & a couple of times temporarily in Beloit. Anyhow...just wanted to say hello since you sparked my memory. I don't miss the snow or cold, but I do miss some things about your part of the country.

[misanman]

I use the John Deere snowblower that I bought in 1983. A while back I was thinking I was due for a new one but when I dug out the receipt and realized I'd had this one for 30 years I decided to keep it. Still starts on 1st or 2nd pull.

[jollystomper]

We have a 200 foot paved driveway but I (along with any sons who happen to be at home) will shovel it. As others have said I view it as good exercise, and since I can't get to the gym on snow days, shoveling becomes my workout. I just take my time and take breaks. I have a small electric snowblower that works very well up to about 10 inches of snow.

Now that we have an empty nest I am debating getting a more powerful snowblower. Or trying what worked about 20 years ago...

We had a major snowstorm in the Mid-Atlantic area, around 2 feet. My oldest sons where under 10 so we were making slow going shoveling. We come inside for a break and DW says she'll take a turn and goes out in her hot pink snowsuit . 20 minutes later she is back inside and comes down into the basement where I am thawing out.

"Tired or cold?" I asked her.
"No, its all done" she said smiling.
"You're kidding"
"Go out at take a look"

So I go out - and our driveway is completely cleared!

What happened? DW decided to start at the bottom and work her way up. In a few minutes someone driving a plow passed by, saw her, took pity on her out there by herself, and plowed our driveway... and refused to accept any compensation.

Our joke since then has been, whenever we get a lot of snow I'm going to send her out by herself to shovel, wearing that snow suit, and hope the same thing happens.

[6miths]

This past weekend we had about a 18 inches of very powdery light snow and after initially shoveling about a foot away I tried something that I had seen them doing during the Eagles-Lions snow bowl to keep the lines clear the week before - and at the time I thought that it was a novel, and a bit crazy way to clear snow.... I fired up my trusty Stihl leaf blower and went at the snow a couple of times as it continued to fall during the day. What a great idea! Cleans right down to the sideway/driveway/deck. Obviously keeping the wind behind oneself is a good idea but it worked great. On the cars too. I'm sure those driving by thought I was crazy but I'll bet that I'll start to see others doing it. Thanks to the field crew at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia.

[davemartin88]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeD This is me on the 1987 model year Bobcat which we bought new and made payments on for three years. It still has the original tires which cost $400.00 each to replace. The tires are bald but not cracked or leaky because we keep the Bobcat in our closed up barn. I have to use chains when I plow. Mike D.

On the Bobcat I replaced a few months ago, the tires were beyond bald and were filled with hard foam some years ago- they didn't leak air but the foam was starting to wear out. Replacing the tires would have tripled the value of that machine.