Snowblower VS good old fashioned Shovel

That's a very good tip, as here in Ireland, we rarely get enough snow to use a snowblower. If we should happen to get a couple of inches of snow, the country grounds to a halt and householders clear their driveways using a shovel. I must remind my husband to warm up in the future, although with the climate change, maybe we have seen the last of snow.

ha ha I guess it would be bad to admit that we do have a competition when we are shoveling. LOL I have a lot of kids and they are very competitive with each other. But I am outside with them and make them hand the shovel to someone else if they look like they are getting hot or tired. That is some great advice. But...I have to ask. Does a snow blower work if there is ice due to the freezing rain before the snow?

Many of the people in this part of town don't own snowblowers but those that do will transport them to the wealthier side of town to make money... The majority of snow removal is done by shoveling and there are quite a few guys and gals that make money by doing so for the people that do it for themselves... It hasn't snowed significantly here in this part of The Northeast for a couple of years now bit the last time it did... I was shoveling the sidewalk for one of clients who has been devastated by arthritis, and she couldn't do it for herself... The were cars that had been plowed in and trapped by the City snow crews and people needed to get their cars dug out of the snow so that they could get to work... I made about $120.00 in about two hours (WOO-HOO!) and the extra money came in handy what with all the ointments, linements and Peppermint Schnapps, I had to buy, because I had warmed up properly, but had overly exerted myself! :) Your advice is excellent and timely: Prepare for your expected workload. Excercise your whole body regularly, and eat properly. Have plenty of water available, even in the Winter and drink it whether you are feeling thirsty or not... Most people are surprised that de-hydration and it's serious consequences can occur, even in Winter,and it is best to avoid trouble even if your body is not sending signals... As I write this, the sky outside is a clear blue and the Sun is shining. The temp is about 38 degrees and there are snow flurries (?)... Crazy, crazy, Climate...

Normally I do not embrace technology just for the sake of doing so. However in this case I say despite the noise...use the snow blower and then finish up with the shovel for a neat appearance. Exercise is good, people just are not in good shape like in the olden days so this may be a good thing after all.

yes well a snowblower is a machine and therefore will work a lot faster and clear the snow away so that you can get through the snow, but using a shovel is manual and will take longer to clean the path, but it is an extremely good exercise but for any excercise that you are going to do you have to warm up first, and take it easy you are not in a race.

I had not realized that people suffer heart attacks from shovelling snow because of not warming up first. I will make sure that my family takes heed of this suggestion if we have to shovel much more snow this winter. I wish that we had a snowblower. It would make life a lot easier! LOL ^_^ But you're right, shovelling snow is a really good form of exercise! ^_^

If I had a bigger driveway than I would prefer a snowblower as it is easy to use and takes less effort and is quicker than shoveling snow with a standard shovel. Yes, shoveling can be deadly if people do not know how to shovel properly and take breaks while doing it. People do not bend their knees enough when shoveling and put a lot of stress on their hearts and backs.

You have a point there. That sounds like a great idea, I'll keep that in mind for next time.

i hate shoveling snow, but i have no choice, but if we get a good 5 inches of the heavy wet snow, I am sore for 2 days after. I hurt in muscles I never knew i had. it stinks

I've always had to shovel. When I lived in Colorado as a teen, we would get feets (I don't think that's a word, sorry) of snow at one time. I'd be out there with my dad and sister shoveling all day long. Our neighbor had a snow-blower and would help out once he got his driveway done and the sidewalk to our house. Now that I've moved back here, we don't get as much snow. Every couple years we'll get over a foot, but normally it's just a few inches and there's no need to shovel it. The few times we HAVE gotten a good snowstorm it's shovelling for me. I try not to push myself and if my husband is doing it I have to keep a good eye on him. He'll try to get it all done in 10 minutes and I don't need to have to worry about finishing up the shoveling so we can get the car out to take him to the hospital! A snowblower is kinda out of the question for us, we have a gravel driveway and that just wont work.

I think that snow blower will get the job done faster. Also it depends on the person. The older people should use the snowblower because it will cause less strain. Also doesn't have to take the whole with a elderly shoveling there drive way inching a long (no offense my wonderful elderly people, we all still love you). With a person in there teen and 20's they should shovel because we should get lazy. With the people that are 30's and above this is your choice because you could have health condition or something that might hurt you if you deside to use a shovel but if you are healthy and you think you want to take the time then be all means!

yes there is many good point point and there is some bad point is also there .....using a snowblower will clear a path quite fast..

good explanation about both

i would go for the shovel.my friends get tired but i actually love it.if you ask me it is a lot of fun.and ofcourse my parents payme for doing the work

I vote snowblower even though I have never used one and actually find shoveling snow to be a good time filler and exercise...the reason being is a live in a palce where when we get snow we get a lot and the shoveling never ends and I get blisters all over my hands and I want to keep my hands nice and smooth

Very good advice! I really wish I could still use a shovel, but health problems keep me from being able to do that type of physical work..and I don't have a blower, so I usually just put on my boots and plod right through it!

Shoveling snow is considered one of the most dangerous outdoor winter activities there is, as you said there are countless cases where people have suffered heart attacks from this, myself I do both, shovel and snow blow, depending on the weight of the snow, if it is heavy and wet I use the blower, if light and powdery I shovel it, but never for more than 10 minutes at a time, I always take a break every ten minutes to rest myself, or if I feel it is draining me to much I retrieve the blower.

well i find if i have to shovel it will be with a snow blower for sure. 3 heart attacks will do that to a person i guess. besides doctor tells me not to try and shovel snow. so like a good patient i listen to him...lol

If you live in an area where it snows a lot, you may find yourself raking snow off your roof. In a well designed house, this is rarely necessary. Not all houses, however, are well-designed for snow. Some houses have porches with flat roofs that collect snow. The porch is an addition to the house and is an afterthought. Other houses have shallow-pitched roofs that are not sleep enough to cause the accumulated snow to slide off naturally. In the case of the house I live in, the house is positioned just below a hill that stops the wind. The wind stops there, deposits the snow, and it makes accumulates in huge drifts that are out of proportion to the size of the actual storm. 1. Buy a snow rake. This is the first step. Typically, snow rakes are sold at the hardware store in snow country. Snow rakes come in kits which you assemble youself. 2. Buy more than one snow rake if your roof is a long way from the ground. Buying mre than one kit allows you to assemble two kits together to make a snow rake that is a extra long. Here you have to be careful. Since you are now exceeding the design specification of the rake, you must handle your snow rake very carefully heing sure not to stress it or flex it too much. When i make two kits into one long kit, I replace the fasteners with nuts and bolts that I buy at the same hardware store. Kits are designed to be easy to put together. In some cases, the fasteners that hold the parts together are made out of plastics. I don't trust these plastic parts and I'm afraid of orpharing the rake on the roof while I'm left on the ground holding the handle. That's why I replace these plastics parts. 3. Build a path around the house so that you can walk on top of the snow. I consider this to be an essential step. One half hour of building paths through the snow so that you can walk on top of it will save you lots of trudging through deep snow and falling into holes. You don't want to be falling into holes. This really slows you down. Trust me on this one. I know. How do I build a path? I wak through the snow taking little tiny baby steps retracing my steps many times. I walk forwards. I walk sideways. I cover the same ground over and over again.

Shoveling snow causes people to have heart attacks esp when you are older, it's to hard on your body. i used to shovel snow a lot,I liked doing it, but over the years it got harder to do it, so now we have a snowblower.