I AM SICK OF ICE

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You'll notice that it's the individuals that don't shovel that always say that a machine isn't necessary.
Those little electric shovels aren't worth a damn. IMHO, Anything less than 5HP is wasting your time. Once you use one you'll never want to be without it.
Why doesn't someone develop a snowblower that also acts as a generator??? That way if an ICE storm knocks the power out, you can still have some electricity in the house without two things with motors sitting in the garage.

 
Why doesn't someone develop a snowblower that also acts as a generator??? That way if an ICE storm knocks the power out, you can still have some electricity in the house without two things with motors sitting in the garage.
a horizontal shaft motor is a horizontal shaft motor. Just setup a generator connected to the house power supply and then move the motor from one machine to another. Why not use your car as a generator? It sits in the garage too. Then there's the lawn mower and the leaf blower (I have a 3.5HP walk behind one), you get the picture. How about a lawn tractor with a power take-off? they'd all work.

 
maybe I have early onset althiemers, but I enjoy shoveling. It is good excersize, I see the neighbors, the driveway is all clear and orderly when it is done. And proper management of the snow piles makes a nice starting area for sledding.

 
I'm pretty sure you can set up both a generator and a snow blower on a Gravely. Suckers can flat mow some grass, too.

 
maybe I have early onset althiemers, but I enjoy shoveling. It is good excersize, I see the neighbors, the driveway is all clear and orderly when it is done. And proper management of the snow piles makes a nice starting area for sledding.
Snowblowing will provide all of the above without so much "excercise".

If shoveling is done at a leisurely pace and at one's convenience, I might tend to agree with you. However, snowstorms happen when they want to, and I don't necessarily feel like a good "workout" before I can get to the office or immediately upon my arrival home. Often times, I'll blow the neighborhood (got a couple of neighbors who never made the investment).

 
maybe I have early onset althiemers, but I enjoy shoveling. It is good excersize, I see the neighbors, the driveway is all clear and orderly when it is done. And proper management of the snow piles makes a nice starting area for sledding.
Cement, I happen to agree with you, but we only get on average about 2" at a time here. Maybe once a year we get a 6 incher, and once every 10 years we get 12"+.

If it's the weekend (which this year all our snow seems to hit on the weekends) then I scoop the driveway, go over to the neighbor's house and sit and drink a beer. My wife says we're stupid because it's cold outside and we're sitting out there drinking cold beer. What she doesn't realize is that you work up a sweat scooping the driveway and that cold beer really hits the spot.

 
Yeah, it's going up to the mid-seventies here. Of course, this time last week, we were in the teens and twenties. No wonder I have a cold.

 
I did a little cost benefit analysis for the wife last night. I bill out at $80/hour, and over the past 2 days I have spent about 6 hours shoveling, shoveling again, and yes, re-shoveling (I don't have a big lot either...only about 7,000sf). They sell a moderate sized snowblower at thre local big box for about $350, so I showed that it would be more effecient to have the snowblower. We shall see!

Cement: I agree about the satisfaction thing, but I agree with MA_PE regarding the snowblower vs. shoveling thing. I have neighbors on either side of me that refuse to shovel, and so the sidewalk goes like this: covered in about 2 feet of snow, clear, easy walkway, covered in about 2 feet of snow. Being the anal engineer, it drives me nuts!

MA_PE: I used my FIL's on Christmas Day to clear his driveway...I'm hooked!

 
I did a little cost benefit analysis for the wife last night.
I have done a few of those for my wife as well, especially when her and my family believe that I should serve as Tech Support for ALL of thier !@#$%^&* computer needs. :brickwall: :brickwall:

As we speak, I am putting together a summary sheet of spending, paying bills, etc. Notice I said SUMMARY - my detailed sheet fits on 11 x 17 but I have found that just makes her eyes spin.

This should be fun discussion, especially the spending part! :smileyballs: <_<

JR

 
MA_PE, is that a Hemi on that snowblower? If so, where can I get me one?

 
After getting back to back 12" storms last year, I bought a snowblower - just a single stage gas powered. It pulls itself along pretty well when there isn't a lot of snow - sometimes is does need a push through the snowbank - sure beats shoveling.. But my driveway is only 5' long x 34' wide (due to new garage). I just didn't want to move the snowbank by hand the plow makes.

Our warm weather here recently has sure made a lot of glare ice everywhere - they keep predicting snow is coming but it hasn't yet.

 
Snowing again :mad: ! I have not shoveled since last Sunday, and now the snow is starting to pile up. My local Big Box hardware store no longer has snowblowers in stock...and I think that is :BS: . At least I'll get to play in the snow this weekend (lots of skiing).

 
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