Need Help Selecting A Couple High Quality Snow Shovels

[LED_Thrift]

I'm now ready for night duty using Eneloop batteries in a ProPoly 4AA Led.

 

[Kremer]

I have one of these snowplow shovels that pushes and curls the snow off to the side. It is fantastic in snow 4" or under. I can clear the sidewalks with one pass down and back.

big snow gets too heavy and I have to get out the blower for that.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Some snow removal information:

http://nsidc.org/snow/shovel.html

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

I have one of these snowplow shovels that pushes and curls the snow off to the side. It is fantastic in snow 4" or under. I can clear the sidewalks with one pass down and back.

big snow gets too heavy and I have to get out the blower for that.

I looked into buying one of those, but decided not to because of the high price. How well does it actually work? I figured that after you pushed the snow off to the side, you would still have to lift it up and throw it into the your yard, yes/no?

I just a bought a Manplow from a guy on the 'bay selling demo units in like-new shape. No affiliation with seller other than he is a really nice guy and they are cheaper than retail. I looked at all my options, and based on the reviews, country of origin, price, and estimated longevity, I went wih the Manplow. I will post my thoughts on it once it arrives and after the next snow...

http://www.manplow.com/

Any thoughts on this yet? The manplow is a better version of the 36" Garrant pusher that I have. The reason it is better is because it has the angled edge on the bottom that causes it to slide over the snow instead of being pushed down into the snow (which is how the one I have sometimes works).
I'll most likely pick one of these up after the winter this year, because they have a discount then.

 

[LuxLuthor]

I'm now ready for night duty using Eneloop batteries in a ProPoly 4AA Led.

ROFL! I love it!

 

[Kremer]

I looked into buying one of those, but decided not to because of the high price. How well does it actually work? I figured that after you pushed the snow off to the side, you would still have to lift it up and throw it into the your yard, yes/no?

sort of, when I get to the side of the driveway I use it in sort of a side to side sweeping motion, lifting at the end to get up and over the grass. With just a couple inches I can clear the driveway with this thing as fast as my neighbor does his with his 24" blower. It's not for deep snow though, since you have to move the same snow a couple times as you go back and forth.

 

[Pellidon]

Around here those are grain scoops or manure scoops, depending on usage. Great for snow if you can handle the shorter handle.

Lasts much longer than a snow shovel. They make those with wimpy joints where the head meets the business end. At least all of mine were secured with a minute sheet metal screw.

+1 on the bent handle. I'd just drill through the joint and use a long #6 machine screw and nut to hold it together.

My first snow when I moved was shoveled with a reflector from a dead shop flourescent light. Too lazy to trek back to the old house and get the shovel that was there.

Well my snow shovel is titanium and I do have a light mount on it:

And my snow shovel has never seen snow and I have no idea if it is any good with snow. It works great with beach sand though. 😱

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Any thoughts on this yet? The manplow is a better version of the 36" Garrant pusher that I have. The reason it is better is because it has the angled edge on the bottom that causes it to slide over the snow instead of being pushed down into the snow (which is how the one I have sometimes works).
I'll most likely pick one of these up after the winter this year, because they have a discount then.

It arrived last week, and the construction quality looks to be top-notch. I have not assembled it yet, and it has yet to snow. Today is supposed to be a notable transition now that the low has departed, and more typical cool weather is inbound.

I'll post once I get to try it "in the field," A.K.A. "in the driveway." 🙂

 

[Niteowl]

........My first snow when I moved was shoveled with a reflector from a dead shop flourescent light.

The first time I had to clear snow after we moved into our current house, I had to use a piece of plywood. I was just hoping my neighbors wouldn't see me. Fortunately it around midnight and I don't think anyone saw the FNG caught with his pants down.

I now have an array of shovels at my disposal depending on the conditions.

24", 30" and 36" pushers, and a 20" scoop that stays in my truck unless needed for home duty. I had a grain shovel with a plastic blade that broke last year and have yet to replace it. I miss it dearly. If it's a bad snowfall, I have a 24" Toro blower to annoy the neighbors with at night after work.

My 30" pusher is aluminum and made by Yo-Ho and has a steel wear strip I've replaced once already. The 36" has a poly blade and is also made by Yo-Ho. It's mainly for 3" or less. I didn't pay anywhere near MSRP for those.

I like LED_thrift's contraption. I'll have to keep an eye out for an old frame to make my own.

Friday night and talkin' snow shovels........ I'm getting old.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

It arrived last week, and the construction quality looks to be top-notch. I have not assembled it yet, and it has yet to snow. Today is supposed to be a notable transition now that the low has departed, and more typical cool weather is inbound.

I'll post once I get to try it "in the field," A.K.A. "in the driveway." 🙂

Well, *that* was unexpected! Literally two hours after posting this, the lower Hudson Valley got hit with snow that seemed to suddenly appear out of the blue. When I got home, I practically raced to assemble the Manplow. It took me about twenty frustrating minutes to put it together, only because:

1) There was only one person, me
2) I was really excited and jumpy

Once I got it together, I went outside for a test run. It works pretty well at just collecting the snow and pushing it aside. The only downside as far as I can tell is that it leaves a thin film which has now frozen over. However, this is similar to the thin film regular snow shovels leave. It is 7:12 A.M. and five degrees F / -15 C right now, and I am sure there is black ice. However, once the sun hits, that usually goes away.

I give it a big thumbs up, but I'd really like to test it in heavier accumulations of say, five to six or even eight inches before rendering any judgments final.

 

[Lite_me]

Here's something worth looking at. It's an Ames True Temper SnoBoss. A brother and another friend each have one. They tell me they work pretty well. I'd consider it sort of a hybrid. A cross between a shovel & a pusher. It seems to work well for both tasks.

I looked at my friends. It's lighter than it looks. It's actually very light. I like that when using it as a shovel. Although it's not shown in the pic, there's steel edge on the scoop. (disregard, I found another pic.) It's not like a blade, but rolled over the edge. That hinders it's ability to get 'right down to the concrete', if that's preferred. It's no scrapper as sold, but it appears that after extended use, the steel may wear away exposing an edge.

Even though I have 4 snow shovels, all different, I think I'm gonna pick one of these up. It is said they're sold at Lowe's, Home Depot and better tool dealers. My Home Depot did not stock them, and my nearest Lowe's is out of stock and I was told they're not going to order anymore this season. :duh2: :thinking: I know where there's still a couple left tho. They should be found for ~ $36.

Link to full size pic (that does not show the steel edge)

Link to short YouTube video demonstrating use.

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

Looks pretty damn nice! It appears to be a rebadged garrant model, since they have the exact same shovel on their website in another color. Garrant makes the best snow shovels in the world (imo), so this should be a high quality shovel.

I was at my local Lowe's the other day, and didn't see any of these or I would have picked one up.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I seldom have much snow to move around here, but we do get iced up, like last week. My go to shovel is my Dad's old antique squared off garden spade. Nothing better for chopping through the ice. Only problem is it only takes about a foot wide bite.

Geoff

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Manplow Update:

Well, I got a chance to try my new Manplow, and I am extremely pleased with the result! Here's the rundown:

Pros:

-absolutely no lifting
-absolutely no lower back pain
-you get to push as much snow as you can physically handle all at once; when you have "enough" (your strength limit) you just push it to where you want it, and go back for more
-you can both push and pull to get under cars/other tight spaces
-that mound which the plow pushes up at the foot of the driveway is history: you get a nice start, and ram into the snowbank
-installation instructions included with only minor typos
(not translation errors; most likely "forgot to proofread errors")
-nuts, bolts and wrench included

Cons:

-because the wearstrip (wear-chunk is more like it) is some sort of plastic and not metal, you will not see bare driveway. This does not concern me, because the little teeny bit that is left smoothed over will disappear quickly in the sun tomorrow.
-assembly can be a pain in the you-know-what. I would recommend having another person assist you in putting it together
-cost: it is not cheap; the 36" model which I have is running $89 on sale
-the replacement edge is $29

My Take:

This thing is awesome. You can plow right through deep snow if you are strong enough, or, if upper body strength isn't your strong point, take it a bit at a time. I do wish the edge was a bit sharper so that it could get a little closer, but I would say the difference is between a razor and an electric shaver, or a crewcut and a manually shaved head.

As Craig always says on his site, it's made in America for those folks who care about the country of origin of a product.

I am going to bed tonight looking forward to *not* having to clear my driveway in the morning. 🙂

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 @11:41 P.M.
/after a day of snow and wind (the wind is roaring quite loudly outside my bedroom window)

LEDAdd1ct

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

Thanks for the review.

I have only one question.

When you are pushing, does it feel like your are pushing the shovel down into the ground, or does it slide forward easily? I have a 36" pusher, and this is my only complaint. Thanks

 

[Lite_me]

Ok, I'm loaded for bear now... er, I mean snow. Bring on Old Man Winter... Oh wait, that's a different thread.

I picked up the True Temper SnoBoss, (center) last one they had, but haven't had any snow yet to really test er' out. All indications are tho, that this thing will have its purpose. Those lower handles are gonna be nice when you need to lift/move some snow. The handle affords you that two-handed approach when pushing. That's nice too. With the rolled-over scraper edge, I doubt that it will 'get right down to the surface' but it should do just fine however. That's what that Silver pusher is for anyway. That one will scrape up even packed snow that was driven over. (on concrete) I'm real happy with that one.

Sorry for the poor cellphone pic but that's what I already had that I shared via phone.

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

Nice collection. Where did you get the snoboss?

 

[Lite_me]

Lowe's. There are three in my immediate area. Two were sold out, and I got the last one at the third. Two stores told me they're not ordering any more winter stuff. They're already ordering and setting up for spring. :huh: It came up on their screen as a Penguin Snow Boss, but it's actually spelled SnoBoss on the tag and when searching online. You might call ahead if you have a ways to go, just to check availability.

I'm actually looking forward to trying it out. Weird huh? Just call me Lux Jr. I guess. 😗 😀

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Thanks for the review.

I have only one question.

When you are pushing, does it feel like your are pushing the shovel down into the ground, or does it slide forward easily? I have a 36" pusher, and this is my only complaint. Thanks

I would have to say it slides forward pretty easily. My driveway is in fair to poor condition, so it did/does hang up on those spots where there is chipping/chunks of pavement missing, but with snow on the ground it only got stuck occasionally.

 

[CLHC]

Since this thread was like some two years ago, and winter's around the corner. . .Here's the two "simple" shovels I have:

Here's from last year's (2010) unusual snow fall in November.