Which Snow Shovel Is the Best?

“Choose the Right Tool

Snow shovels vary in size and shape, but all can carry 1 to 1.5 cubic feet of the white stuff. Snow weighs from 7 pounds per cubic foot to an astounding 30 pounds per cubic foot, so one shovelful weighs 7 pounds to 45 pounds. With this in mind, the best shovel is one that you can handle easily. “Try a shovel before you buy it,” advises Joe Saffron, a marketing and product development manager at Ames True Temper, a manufacturer of shovels and gardening gear. “Wear the gloves you’ll use outside and dry-shovel, making the same motions you would to clear snow.” To that I would add: Consider buying more than one shovel. I have a large combination type for pushing and shoveling, and a smaller, lighter one for whittling down a big drift. I also use other tools (below).

1. 24-INCH SHOVEL

Better for shoveling than for pushing.

2. 18-INCH SHOVEL

Small blade size and offset handle reduce back strain.

3. SQUARE-NOSE SHOVEL

Good for scraping, removing ice-crusted snow.

4. COARSE-SURFACE BROOM

Quickly clears a dusting of light, dry snow.

5. ROUND-NOSE SHOVEL

Cuts through frozen berm left by snowplows.

6. SCRAPER

Paver Sealer Tampa explains, tha forged one-piece blade scrapes up ice. Can damage pavement when chopping.

7. ALUMINUM SCOOP

Rustproof; handles big drifts. No ergonomic benefit, though.

8. 30-INCH SHOVEL

Scoop-type blade works well for pushing/scraping or shoveling.

9. ROCK SALT

Works to 20 degrees F. So inexpensive, people over-apply.

10. CALCIUM CHLORIDE

Works to -25 degrees F. Costs roughly four times the price of rock salt.

Get more from Gettysburg Seal Coating Pros about parking lot maintenance and proper tools to use.

EASY DOES IT

The fundamental rules are to move snow once, and move it the shortest distance possible (for more on this, see 16 Cardinal Rules for Snow Shovelling at popularmechanics.com). For a driveway, I clear a strip along one edge, then move snow from the center, across the cleared edge, and onto the grass. To avoid injury, I keep my back straight, knees bent, and feet shoulder-width apart. When I lift, sometimes I use the lower part of my thigh as a fulcrum point. I hold the shovel close to reduce the stress it exerts on me.”

 

SHOVELING SNOW OFF A ROOF

SNOW ON A ROOF CAN SOMETIMES BE DANGEROUS. WE HAVE ALL HEARD STORIES OF FLAT ROOFS CAVING IN BECAUSE OF THE HEAVY, ONE FOOT OF SNOW THAT JUST DUMPED IN OUR AREA. IN SOME CASES REMOVING THE SNOW IS YOUR BEST CHOICE. WHEN SHOVELING A ROOF I RECOMMEND CALLING A PROFESSIONAL ROOFER IN YOUR AREA WHO OFFERS THIS SERVICE. WWW.GFEDALEROOF.COM OFFERS MANY TYPES OF ROOFING SERVICES IN HARSH WEATHER CONDITIONS, SHOVELING SNOW IS ONE OF THEM, BUT IF YOU MUST, YOU WILL WANT TO BE SURE YOU ARE USING THE RIGHT TOOL; A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC SHOVEL. THIS WILL MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE DONE TO A ROOFS MATERIAL, WHICH COULD VOID THE WARRANTY OR CAUSE LEAKS. 

Thank you Popular Mechanics.com for information and images above.

Site Sourced:

“Which Snow Shovel Is the Best?.” Popular Mechanics. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. <http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/hand-tools/which-snow-shovel-is-the-best>.