While snowing hard can remind us of all the Christmas stories and Valentines’ romantics, sold on our skin wakes us up. Winter survival has always been one of the greatest challenges to humankind. Though now we rarely have to fight the natural forces for our lives, our struggle for comfort in winter is still on. Luckily, we have invented lots of specialized inventory. Some of it was reviewed by the experts from bumpercroptimes.com.
One of the most basic problems when it’s snowing is to simply make way through the snowdrifts. Skis and dog teams may be fun when used for recreation, but in our everyday life, urban or rural, we’d prefer something more practical.
Some believe now that in some 15-20 years, the only snow for us to see will be the eponymous Canadian MC, with another version of the evergreen Informer (for zoomers, it’s Con Calma). We think, though, that one day this white frozen water returns rather like Jon Snow.
So, how does one make paths through the snow? There are several options, from manual (or rather pedal) to most mechanized and electrified. Let’s see them through.
Trampling Down
It’s one of the most obvious ways when you have nothing but your feet (in some good footwear). It’s simple, as you only need to tread on the snow until it gets solid and unshrinkable. And in a way, it solves the eternal problem of which snowblower to choose in a battle of blower 2 stage vs 3 stage. But it’s harder work than it might seem. You don’t just walk through the snow if your mission is to make a path. In addition, it’s extremely slow, as it takes a lot of trampling at any given spot. So, it’s only good if you need to make your way to your garage to get a better tool from there.
A Good Old Shovel
We couldn’t skip this option, as it still has its supporters; if your yard is not that large, you can do your morning exercises with a shovel, making paths in the snowdrifts. It’s physically easier than trampling, as the shovel goes ahead of the user. In addition, it burns calories.
The problem is that, as pleasing as this job can get, it doesn’t have to. It doesn’t snow according to your schedule: it does when it does. In addition, it’s just too much work if your territory is larger than the yard in front of your house. Ours definitely is.
So, a shovel is good when you have little work to do and don’t mind some sweating. But for larger territories and more work, there are more advanced devices.
A Snow Thrower
If you happen to live up north, you have certainly seen powerful snow throwers nibbling through old iced layers and throwing it away shredded and soft. These machines (also known as snow blowers, though it’s not technically correct) are of great use both on city streets and in the countryside. And yes, along with industrial giants, there are smaller versions for home use. They can be found along with traditional lawn mowers and hedge trimmers, say, at bumpercroptimes.com.
Home snow throwers are quite affordable and easy to use. They are initially optimized for working in the cold, so they combine familiar ICE (pun unintended) and electric starter system. If it won’t start, it just takes plugging a snow blower to an electric socket. As for its size, it’s usually optimized for one human to operate it easily, and it doesn’t take extreme muscular power.
Buying a Snow Thrower in 2020: Is It Reasonable?
Does it make sense to purchase a snow blower for your yard, given that this winter was not quite cold, and the following ones may be even warmer? There are various reasons, both pro and contra.
First, global warming, despite all the media fears, is quite a slow process, with its peaks and valleys. The next winter doesn’t have to be warmer than this one. In fact, chances are it turns out colder and snowier.
Second: a snow blower saves your time now, not in ten or twenty years. Piercing the snowdrifts with it may be more or less fun than manual work, but it’s undoubtedly faster. It depends on heaviness on your snow and requirements to the paths to choose a snow blower, but if you live in a cold climate and have enough snow last winter, you’ll probably make use of it in 2021.
Third: a snow blower is really fun to use. When you make a road ahead of you out of the snow wild, especially if someone is following, you feel like the leader wolf from the famous photo. Isn’t that precious?
In fact, there is only one reason not to purchase a snow thrower in case you can afford it: it’s a highly specialized machine, and in the not-so-snowy winter, it’s just no use. Of course, one can always invent some alternative applications, but these methods bring more views on YouTube than practical meaning.
If we only consider removing snow, though, it may have more applications — say, winter lawn or field care. It takes soft snow to protect the ground from cold, and a snow thrower does the work of shredding it perfectly. Select the exact model according to the size of the site to process.
To Blow or Not to Blow?
If you’re ready to invest in your household, farm, or whatever you use your land for, and snowy winters just happen there, it’s better to have a snow thrower ready in your garage. It’s better to have it idle for some warm winter than have it lacking for some cold.
It’s a question of choice for small grounds: a big shovel or a small blower. If it’s acres, though, it’s a matter of power. Three-stage throwers are better when it comes to old solid snow, with their advanced shredding system, but they are more expensive as well.
