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From heavy-duty snow blowers to compact ice scrapers, there are a variety of tools that can help you remove snow around your home. Knowing which tools to use to tackle your snow-ridden yard may be difficult, so the This Old House Reviews team researched the best snow removal equipment on Amazon to help you make a well-informed purchase.
Here are our top recommendations.
Top 9 Snow Removal Equipment
- Snow Joe Telescoping Snow Broom and Ice Scraper
- The Snowcaster Bi-Directional Wheeled Snow Pusher
- Bully Tools Heavy-Duty Ice Scraper
- Harris Pet-Friendly Snow and Ice Melt
- PowerSmart Two-Stage Snow Blower
- Greenworks 12-Inch Corded Snow Shovel
- Goplus Sleigh Shovel
- SNOWPEELER Roof Rake
- Spot Spreader Hand Ice Spreader
Snow Joe Telescoping Snow Broom and Ice Scraper
The Snowcaster Bi-Directional Wheeled Snow Pusher
Bully Tools Heavy-Duty Ice Scraper
Harris Pet-Friendly Snow and Ice Melt
PowerSmart Two-Stage Snow Blower
Greenworks 12-Inch Corded Snow Shovel
Goplus Sleigh Shovel
SNOWPEELER Roof Rake
Spot Spreader Hand Ice Spreader
Types of Snow Removal Equipment
While all snow removal equipment is designed to clear snow, not all tools work the same way. Here’s what you can expect from various snow removal tools, including shovels, snow blowers, scrapers, and snow melts.
Shovels
A snow shovel is one of the most common winter weather tools because of its affordable price and ease of use. Snow shovels are available in a variety of designs, including sleighs, pushers, and electric-powered shovels, to fit the changing snow removal needs of homeowners.
Sleigh shovels are distinguished by their wide mouths that can scoop large amounts of snow. Most sleigh models have movable handles that adjust to the user’s preference and help prevent discomfort while working. While sleigh shovels remove more snow than traditional models, they’re typically less affordable and more difficult to control.
A push shovel is identified by its curved blade and is equipped with wheels for added mobility. Push shovels are great for homeowners who want to manually clear a large, snow-covered area.
Electric-powered shovels are heavy-duty tools that reduce the manual effort needed to clear snow and ice. For example, there are several models that each feature an 8-amp motor and a rotating plastic auger that can remove 300 pounds of snow per minute.
Snow Blowers
Most homeowner-focused snow blowers are divided into single- and two-stage models. Single-stage snow blowers use rubber or metal blades to take in snow from a covered surface and throw it out of its chute.
Two-stage snow blowers differ from single-stage models in that they incorporate a separate fan for discharging accumulation, allowing them to throw snow at greater distances. Additionally, two-stage models typically have larger clearing widths than their single-stage counterparts.
Snow Scrapers
Snow scrapers come in a variety of sizes to help homeowners chip away and remove ice from their vehicles, driveways, and roofs.
Most snow scrapers are designed to help homeowners remove ice and snow from their cars. Other scrapers help homeowners chip away at stuck-on driveway ice that snow shovels are unable to remove.
While not typically classified as scrapers, roof rakes are similar to traditional scrapers. Instead of removing snow and ice off of a vehicle or driveway, roof rakes help homeowners remove heavy layers of accumulation off of their roofs to prevent cave-ins and other damage.
Snow Melts
Snow melts prevent snow accumulation and eliminate the light snow and ice that covers your driveways, sidewalks, and walkways. While most snow melts come with scoops for distributing the mixture, spreaders have convenient holders that help you distribute ice melts evenly across your outdoor surfaces.
Snow Removal Equipment Accessories
Here are a few accessories that can work alongside your current tool arsenal to help remove snow accumulations around your home.
BackEZ Back-Saving Tool Handle Attachment
DuPont Teflon Snow and Ice Repellent
Carhartt Men’s Waterproof Insulated Gloves
Unigear Ice Grips
Frequently Asked Questions About Snow Removal Equipment
How do I use a roof rake to remove snow from my roof?
When removing snow accumulation from your roof, start from the edge of your roof and use your rake to pull snow down from the slope. As you work your way up to your roof, be sure to only remove snow down to a couple of inches to prevent damage to your shingles.
How do ice melts work?
Ice melts prevent snow and ice accumulation by lowering the freezing point of water. They attract moisture and generate heat to melt the ice that’s already formed. A quality ice melt should be applied before and during a snowstorm to help reduce the amount of winter accumulation.
What is the difference between a snow shovel and a snow pusher?
Snow shovels have a rectangular blade that needs to be angled during use to scrape ice and snow. A snow pusher typically has a narrower blade and is curved to efficiently cut through stuck-on ice and snow.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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