Alaskan's Journal

[thistlebloom]

Yes, they are pretty spendy. Ours is a walk behind but it does a great job. I can't imagine preferring to shovel. We have a blade on a quad and it does good until there's nowhere left to push snow.Then the blower takes over. There are areas around here that the blower can't do, and those I shovel.
Our neighbor also has a tractor blower, but he only uses that if he can't push or dump any higher with the loader.

 

[Alaskan]

Our drive is about a 1/4 mile, then we also plow the neighbor driveway that is a church and some rentals.. and is another 1/4 mile.

So the walk behind is really good for the paths around the church... but isn't that great of a help at our house...

Our kids would rather slog through the snow to the coops than have to snowblow paths.

 

[Baymule]

I'm sure glad that my weather problems will be gone in a week. I just don't think I could clear snow all danged winter!

 

[Alaskan]

I'm sure glad that my weather problems will be gone in a week. I just don't think I could clear snow all danged winter!

Yeah. 9 months is a wee bit long to shovel

 

[thistlebloom]

I like winter and I like snow, and I even like shoveling (not enough to go all crazy about it, an hour a day is good) but nine months of it would give me a deluxe case of cabin fever.

 

[Alaskan]

On hour of shoveling... that is us barely getting started.

Took me an hour yesterday just to clear up one corner of the driveway with the snow plow.

Of course... that was a bit "special"

Blasted people living on the last driveway turn before the main road haven't been shoveling their parking spot well... so their cars keep inching forward into the driveway.

It was bad enough that I could no longer plow the corner and from their house to the main road was getting narrow since I can't push the snow properly.

Anyway... called them, told them I needed their cars out of the way so I could do the area... they got rid of one, but the second one they parked in the parking lot of the house that is where the driveway meets the main road... and again... with the nose of the car into the driveway!

No reason to park like that... except full on complete ignorance of physics.

But my phone had died... so I couldn't call or text to tell them to move it.

I did get the driveway corner by their house... just took longer... and I didn't get the stretch from their house to the main road as nice as I wanted... and took an hour.

I tried telling them by text that they need to get their cars further off the road... but I am pretty annoyed by it all... had trouble thinking of a nice way to ask... so I think I erred on the other side of the coin... so soft that they will not know what I need.

I am going to ask spouse to try to write something nice... polite... but clear... so they get their blasted cars further off the driveway.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yes, too nice. Be direct!!! Move both cars totally away!!!!!!!! Then I can plow it.

 

[Bruce]

We've only had to use it a couple of times this year, but it's not March yet.

Yeah feast or famine here this year. I have a blower on the garden tractor, used it maybe twice in December. Had to use it 3 times in 5 days a week or so back. More snow tomorrow, then more on Tuesday. Not sure how much to expect.

horrid bear to use though, since you had to twist around and drive in reverse to use it

Yep, that is one good reason NOT to have a rear blower on a tractor. Especially the older one gets. Green Works Tractors (YouTube) showed a front facing 3 point blower on a recent video. At least where he was using it driving over the snow then peeling it back up worked fine. I'm really not clearing enough area to put a blower on the real tractor and while it is less comfortable to use and definitely limited on slopes of any sort, the GT is much more maneuverable so more appropriate for my use. I'd think differently if I had a quarter mile long driveway.

 

[thistlebloom]

I agree with @Mini Horses on being direct. Just cut to the chase!
"Sorry your driveway was not cleared. Your cars are in the way".

Yeah, one hour a day of shoveling would be the ideal. Things seldom work out ideally. Haven't shoveled anything for weeks now, but there are days when it's an 8 hour gig doing all the clearing. Still, I am not lining up to trade snow levels, lol.

 

[Alaskan]

I just agreed to one more kid....

Should be fine.....

But....