We have been dealing with snow removal for the past 24 years and if properly equipped it is not as bad as portrayed by many. We have a compact tractor with a snow thrower attachment that makes the task go faster. Before the tractor we had a walk behind snow thrower to do our driveway which is 100 yards long. We still have a walk behind for those areas that that the tractor can't get to safely.
Rule number one is do not procrastinate when it comes to snow removal. In mountains procrastinating one day can make the job much harder. The wind blows frequently and the fresh snow will drift and can become quite deep. It is best to get on the task early and before the sun hits the snow. Then it can develop a crust that will become strong enough that the tractor can drive up on and get stuck.
Three or four inches of snow can be blown into two foot drifts. We once had a 72" snowfall that took us days to dig out from as opposed to a couple hours. Our driveway is gravel so we use the snow thrower one day and the next we blade the driveway down to remove as much snow as possible. The snow thrower is set to leave an inch of snow but often leaves more so the blade keeps the driveway even as shown in the above photo. I failed to keep it bladed down one year and ended up getting the tractor stuck in the driveway.
Another reason not to procrastinate is we can only do so much with the tractor and the rest has to be shoveled. It can take 2-3 days to shovel what can't be removed mechanically. We keep pushing the snow as far back as possible as if that is not done it creeps in and next thing you know you have a path to navigate in and then the higher you toss it - it just slides back down and the path gets slowly filled in. I spent the morning pushing it as far back as it could go with the blade of the tractor.
Having a system to remove the snow makes the task much easier. We get on average around 265" of snow a winter season so dealing with it properly makes life far less complicated. Having the right equipment and a workable system for removal just makes sense. Being outdoors and shoveling also is good exercise and keeps us healthy.
1 comment:
Here in NJ we have had two dustings of snow this winter. When we both worked, snow was a commuting problem. Once we retired we looked forward to just sitting at home watching the graceful snow fall. For several years we have had maybe one or two actual snowstorms. Oh,well...the best laid plans. I suppose it is good for those who are still working.
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