Snow shovels come in all sizes and shapes for all snowfall depths and for all personal scooping needs. A few years ago, while purchasing a new snow scoop, I had narrowed my choice to two models. One was a lightweight metal one with a slightly bent handle. The other one was a lightweight plastic one having a straight handle with no hand grip at its end. As I compared the two, a nearby store clerk who had been watching me suddenly yelled, "Take the lighter one! It won't wear you down as much." I did. He was right!
Scoop description.
Several lightweight pusher models exist today. They weight about three-pounds each. Their 10 by 20-inch metal or plastic blades are shaped like miniature snow-plows with their upper rims curved forward. This curvature allows the snow being removed to roll forward as the scoop is pushed in the same direction. Recent models might be called pushers instead of scoops or shovels.
Push-scooping technique.
Hold the scoop handle with both hands at a 30-to-45-degree angle to the ground, and then place the blade all the way down to the surface being cleared. Push the scoop forward with a fairly hard thrust to make a two-to-four-foot-long swath of removed snow.
With a little practice, anyone can slowly step forward or backward in a slightly bent-forward position while methodically clearing side-by-side or front-to-front swaths of snow with one of these scoops. Since the scoop is lightweight, this snow-removing technique can be done without breathing hard or getting too tired, unless the snow is extremely wet, which does not happen often in cold weather. This technique can be adapted to removing snow from decks, porches, driveways, pathways, and walkways without harming their surfaces.
Will it work for the deeper snowfalls?
The push-scoop also works for removing the deeper snowfalls with a bit more effort. That is, one can lift and heave scoopfuls of snow with it the same as with any typical snow shovel. However, each lifted scoopful is heavier in comparison to the push-removed swath. This extra weight makes the scooping task harder to do under any circumstances. Therefore, for the deeper snow depths of four-inches or greater, give consideration to one of the lightweight snow-blowers as an easy way to clear this snow away. To learn more about snow scoops, see these sites.
