RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Since last winter we have purchased several snow-removal tools: a wovel, an electric snowblower and a roof rake. The real goal was to PREVENT any snow from falling this year, but that was not to be! :tongue_smilie: Our driveway is about 5000 square feet and I have used the wovel twice previously to clear about 3 inches each time. However, the snow last night was about 8-9 inches of WET snow, so I decided to try the snowblower. It was a no-go. After a couple of minutes, the blower chute got clogged by the wet snow. I cleaned it out, but it clogged quickly thereafter. So I went back to the wovel. It was definitely harder to do than with the lighter snow, but MUCH easier than shoveling with a regular shovel. I was able to clear 3500 cubic feet of snow in about 2.5 hours! I think anything beyond this amount of snow will require the tractor, but the wovel is MUCH easier on the driveway and I certainly can use the exercise! (Not to worry: MomsintheGarden stuck her head out a couple of times and yelled "Still alive, baby?" :lol:) Anyone else woveling today? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 It sounds like you won't need to go to the gym today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 It sounds like you won't need to go to the gym today!Nor could I: I can only get to the end of the driveway! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Rana Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 A wovel, huh? Our driveway is big enough to hold 8 cars, not sure how many square feet that amounts to. DH did it mostly with the snow-blower [a smaller, electric one], but there were many clogs. I went behind with the shovel to scrape what the blower left [we need a new blade for it]. But boy it was heavy snow! I might have to look into this wovel thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Neat idea, but there's no way that would cut it around here. Our driveway is 400 feet long and has a big turn-around area. Son just blew 8" of wet snow while I shoveled the deck and sidewalk. Without our big Husqvarna, we'd be socked in until spring. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Neat idea, but there's no way that would cut it around here. Our driveway is 400 feet long and has a big turn-around area. Son just blew 8" of wet snow while I shoveled the deck and sidewalk. Without our big Husqvarna, we'd be socked in until spring. :tongue_smilie:Where's Tarzan when you need him? :glare: Ours is 450 feet long with a big turnaround. Yeah, I use the tractor if there is a LOT of snow. Edited January 27, 2011 by RegGuheert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Where's Tarzan when you need him? :glare: Tarzan is at a business conference in Florida all week. How nice for him, right? (she says, gritting her teeth.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Tarzan is at a business conference in Florida all week. How nice for him, right? (she says, gritting her teeth.)Reg once departed for overseas two hours before 33 inches of snow started falling. I was gone for two weeks. When I returned 18 inches of snow remained and the driveway was still not plowed. I was not overly popular around here at that time... ;) Later I discovered pictures of the children STANDING on the minivan shoveling it off with the aluminum shovel. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So how high are the snowbanks along your driveway? (The wovel intrigues me. We get a lot of snow so I'm wondering if this thing can throw the snow high enough.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 An electric snowblower? Really? You need one of these if you're going to be doing any serious snow removal. Come up here to my neck of the woods. I'll let you try mine out after the next blizzard. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 I would say 2.5 feet is about the limit, which I was approaching when I got to the flair near the road today. The wovel CAN throw snow quite high but the thing is that throwing snow FORWARD is the only reasonable way to empty the shovel. As a result, you need to be moving forward as you push the handle down. If the snow piles are too vertical beside the driveway then you cannot push the wovel to the edge AND throw the snow forward in a single move. If you try to clear parallel to the edge of the driveway, then you are throwing slightly to the side, which isn't easy to do, particularly if there is a wall of snow there. All that said, I will say that after I posted this thread I shoveled the rather small amount of snow that the plows sprayed on my driveway using a normal shovel. (Actually, it is one of the nice shovels with a bend in the handle.) My back was feeling a little sore after just a couple of minutes. There is a BIG difference in the amount of snow I can move with the wovel compared with using a shovel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 An electric snowblower? Really? You need one of these if you're going to be doing any serious snow removal. Come up here to my neck of the woods. I'll let you try mine out after the next blizzard. :D Yeah, my neighbor was using one attached to his lawn tractor today. He looked like he was getting along pretty well. But we have no place to store something like that and I can't stand purchasing equipment with gasoline engines. The gas always seems to go bad after sitting around all year making them hard to start just when you need them. The two exceptions for us are the Honda generator and the Troy-bilt for our garden, but I can tell you I would have bought an electric tiller if there was such a thing. We have the tractor for big snows but there is always some damage to the driveway when I use that. Agreed the electric snowblower has turned out to be a toy. The wovel, however, actually can clear snow pretty fast, so it meets the need well. I think we'll be selling the snowblower soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 My snow blower has been useless this winter. After the first snow, it was still parked at the back of the garage. Hubby out of state, so there it sat. After the second snow, snow blower was now positioned at the front of the garage. Easy access. But, hubby was out of state again and I didn't know how to start it:tongue_smilie:. Yesterday's snow. Snow blower is in easy access position. I can start it. I did start it! It stopped. OUT OF GAS! I give up. I need a wovel too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I think anything beyond this amount of snow will require the tractor, but the wovel is MUCH easier on the driveway and I certainly can use the exercise! (Not to worry: MomsintheGarden stuck her head out a couple of times and yelled "Still alive, baby?" :lol:) Hey - I came out and brought you a drink, too. That's got to count for something. You need one of these if you're going to be doing any serious snow removal. Come up here to my neck of the woods. I'll let you try mine out after the next blizzard. :D Aack! No he doesn't, tyvm! Later I discovered pictures of the children STANDING on the minivan shoveling it off with the aluminum shovel. :001_huh:I thought you had forgotten that!:blush: You did a great job, Reg! Now we can go skating tonight. You need the exercise, right?:) Love, GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 We spent time with at my BIL's house while our power was out earlier and he was shoveling his drive when we got there. It was really interesting to note that his neighbors that started working around the same time with snowblowers took longer to finish their drives. BTW, BIL is only and average guy, not an athlete. I guess those snowblowers are not all they are advertised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 It took my dh 6 hours (including the 2 mile walk at the end) to get home from work last night-a 20 minute drive normally) and there was much shoveling and digging here today. But this made me LOLOL: I think anything beyond this amount of snow will require the tractor, but the wovel is MUCH easier on the driveway and I certainly can use the exercise! (Not to worry: MomsintheGarden stuck her head out a couple of times and yelled "Still alive, baby?" ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 I would say 2.5 feet is about the limit, which I was approaching when I got to the flair near the road today. That won't work here. Too bad it looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 After this latest snowstorm we've decided we need a 4X4 pickup with a plow attachment. Dh has been alternately plowing with a lawn tractor and using a snow blower until midnight 2 days in a row and we STILL can't get all the way down the driveway! Did somebody say Florida??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 After this latest snowstorm we've decided we need a 4X4 pickup with a plow attachment. Dh has been alternately plowing with a lawn tractor and using a snow blower until midnight 2 days in a row and we STILL can't get all the way down the driveway! Did somebody say Florida??? We are thinking of getting all weather tyres and a plough for ours. Our snow falls are usually 8" or less. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 No, but it's old and it's being expected to do a whole lot more than it was made to do. The plow has been welded several times and dh has it rigged temporarily right now. (I have to admit that one of the reasons it keeps failing is that the kids roll these humongous snowballs that turn to ice and get covered by the next snowfall. When the plow hits them... well, let's just say that dh is NOT happy.) ETA: Our lawn tractor's wheels are fitted with snow chains. The thing isn't worth beans without the chains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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