In the snowy winter, the suburban area always looks festive and elegant, when the yard is covered with a snow-white carpet, and the trees and buildings are dressed in a sparkling outfit in the sun. But even this beauty should be maintained in proper form, so as not only to ensure safety and comfort, but to keep country paths, buildings and landscape design elements in their original form. Cleaning the area from snow is one of the main concerns of most owners of suburban areas in the winter. This work can be greatly facilitated if you thoroughly approach the choice of a tool for cleaning snow.
Snow shovel - an indispensable tool
Snow shovel - a convenient, lightweight and inexpensive "seasonal" tool with which you can successfully defeat the snow blockages in your area.
This common snow clearing tool is indispensable for clearing small areas: garden courtyards, walkways from the porch to the gate
There are more than a dozen varieties of "seasonal" shovels. But in any of the options the working part of the shovel is a trapezoidal or rectangular bucket, the edges of which are equipped with low sides. The capacity of the scoop depends on the height of the sides. Since a deep bucket filled with a portion of snow weighs quite a lot, when choosing a tool it is important to balance your strength, rather than chasing its large dimensions.
In addition to high strength and durability of the product, a number of stringent requirements are imposed on the bucket blade
Plywood shovels are the easiest and cheapest snow clearing tool. However, such shovels will not last long, since plywood under the action of moisture quickly soaks and begins to delaminate, and eventually decay altogether.
Shovels with a plastic bucket are the most popular and popular option. Due to the use of strong and frost-resistant plastics in the shovels for the production of shovels, modern products, despite their apparent fragility, are distinguished by their strength. The only drawback of a plastic tool is its low resistance to mechanical stress, since plastic scoops wear out over time.
Although metal shovels (aluminum, titanium, galvanized steel) are of a higher price, they also meet all expectations in terms of quality. Lightweight, strong and durable tools with balanced blades and comfortable handles are very convenient to use.
The edges for such shovels are made of durable plastic or metal. Shovels with plastic edges do not scratch the surface and therefore they can be used for cleaning snow from delicate coatings: garden parquet, plastic, stone or ceramic tiles.
To increase the strength and durability of the tool, the edges of the shovel buckets are equipped with a special edge, which simultaneously protects the working surface from breakage and at the same time acts as a kind of blade for snow layers
When choosing a tool, attention should be paid to its ergonomics. On sale you can find wooden, aluminum and plastic handles with a rubber coating, thanks to which hands do not slip off the handle during operation. Modern V-shaped and bent handles are convenient to use, they allow you to tightly hold the shovel.
Scrapers - “miracle shovels” for cleaning snowdrifts
Scrapers, like shovels, are a type of hand tool. These snow cleaning tools look like wide shovels equipped with low sides.
Scrapers are much more productive tools, since they can remove a layer of snow designed for several snow shovels at a time
If the shovel is used to tilt snow to the side, the scraper is designed to move and move small snow layers.
Scraper is very convenient to use. The tool bucket is reinforced with a metal edge, the aluminum handle of the product has a coating that provides a firm grip and reduces sliding of the hands. The ergonomic design grip eases the strain on the back and reduces muscle tension. To increase the sliding of the tool in the snow, the underside of the bucket blade is equipped with runners. On some models, instead of runners, small wheels are provided.
Scraper-drag is a tool that can be used simultaneously by two people.
Thanks to a convenient arcuate handle and a wide bucket, cleaning access roads or paths to the house and garage will take a minimum of time and will not be difficult
Recommendations for choosing a snow removal tool:
Snow blower - a serious assistant in work
When cleaning larger areas, you can not do without special equipment. Snowblowers operate on the principle of capturing snow masses by a rotating auger, then crushing them and then throwing them in a given direction through a special pipe.
On sale there are both electric and gasoline snowplows. The choice depends on the size of the territory and the scope of work. Electric cars are good for cleaning small areas.
Lightweight, inexpensive and fairly productive electric machines can clean a spacious patio of a standard area in a matter of minutes
The only drawback of electrical equipment is the limited power, which does not exceed 5 hp, as well as the presence of a cord, which in the process of moving around the site can get confused underfoot, interfering with work.
The gasoline analogue of snowplows is much more expensive, but at the same time it has a higher power of 5-15 hp, and also has a number of significant advantages, the main ones are:
- Independence from power supplies.
- The ability to remove fairly large amounts of snow.
- The ability to break even packed snow.
Gasoline snow blowers are designed more to clean vast plantations, snow drifts on which often reach impressive sizes.
Depending on the type of control, snowblowers can be self-propelled or non-self-propelled. Non-self-propelled snow removal equipment is controlled manually. Such machines are good for cleaning only not packed loose snow in small areas. Maneuverable, economical and affordable machines are the best option for owners of small plots. The main advantages of such machines are ease of use, maneuverability, high power and the ability to throw snow to the side up to 15 meters. When working with this technique, efforts must be made only to direct the machine in the right direction.
Self-propelled cars are indispensable in the fight against large-scale snow blockages, packed snowdrifts and ice
Self-propelled vehicles, in turn, are divided into tracked and wheeled. For domestic use, wheeled snow blowers are most often purchased. Machines, the design of which includes a caterpillar drive, have proven themselves in areas with complex terrain.
A good example of how easy it is to clean snow:
To make a functional car for clearing snow out of an ordinary ATV, it is enough to purchase attachments that are appropriate for its parameters.
An ordinary ATV can help with snow removal, during which many of us enjoy riding in the countryside during the warmer months
Recommendations for choosing a snow blower:
