It snowed here today. Between 3 and 4" of about the lightest stuff I’ve ever seen. The weathermen were guessing that 25" of this snow would make 1" of rain. I was sitting at work, dreading the fact that I’d have to go home and shovel all of this before I could get into the driveway. For some reason my mind wandered through all the tools we have in the garage, and settled on the leafblower. LEAFBLOWER! Whee.
So after I got home, I dug the leafblower out from under all the winter tools, and strung out the extension cord. I’ll be dipped, you can use a leafblower on the snow! It was kind of slow, so I called the experiment a success and put it away. Meanwhile, several of my neighbors had driven by, and to me, they seem to have slowed down to gawk at what the crazy lady with a lit alligator in the front yard was doing now.
I wonder how many of them went home to tell their family about the silly thing they saw, and how many went home to try it themselves.
Tastes Like Chocolate, do they get much snow in your location - “slightly north of center”? I wouldn’t say they’re standard-issue where I live (Alberta, Canada), but I know a few people who have them. My former neighbor had a really powerful one which he’d sometimes use to do all the sidewalks on the block (just for fun! he was retired and had spare time, I guess).
I’ve used my leaf blower on snow. The problem is it has to be really light and powdery snow. When it’s that light, I find it easier to shovel, or, if there’s not much of it, use a push broom.
One of my neighbors has terminal OCD. He blows his leaves every single day of the year, even when nobody else can see any leaves. With a gas-powered blower and a gas mask. He doesn’t blow the snow, but if a leaf happens to fall on it, he’ll blow the one leaf.
Of course a leaf blower isn’t in contact with the snow. A snowblower as a screwblade that will get into crusty snow that has accumulated over days or weeks. A snow blower is closer lawn mower than to a leaf blower.
I’m in Minnesota, Waenara, and we get more then our fair share of snow. Enough so that most homeowners I know have snowblowers. Leafblowers are just too underpowered most of the time.
kunilou, this is about the lightest snow I’ve ever seen. But by the time you stacked 3 to 4" of it on the driveway, the leafblower just didn’t work. About half of the snow went forward, and the other half went up/out/sideways. With the houselights behind me, I must have been creating a glowing cloud of white, as seen by those driving by.
Besides the leafblower, I’ve thought of the lawn mower, a flame thrower a shopvac, air compressor, and best yet the power washer. I think the power washer would work, but then you have to sand and salt everything, or open an ice rink for the neighborhood. The easiest is to stay ahead of the falling snow ant drive the car back and forth every few hours to keep it packed down. I have considered a lawn roller as an alternative to the car. I suppose a stone boat behind the tractor would work too.
I have nothing to add to this thread other than to point out that I have my windows open, and I’m trying to decide if I should change into shorts before I walk over to the store.
I have lived in a snowy climate all my life. I never understood the point of keeping the driveway clear of snow. I guess if you are going to get over a foot of it, then you will need to clear it, but anything less, I just pretend it’s not there and drive right through it. Everything seems to work out just fine for me. Am I missing something?
I do try to keep the sidewalk clear for the kids to walk to school.