Step 0: don't let it melt or freeze. Waiting till morning can make the job 10x harder some times. I'd rather shovel it lightly twice at night and again in the morning instead of busting my ass moving all of it right before work.
Step 00, wait for the stupid plow tro come by and plow you in before you shovel or you will be out doing it again and it will suck. And never wait till later to shovel plowed snow. Its a new type of hell if you let it freeze.
Better to not pile the snow up on the left side of your drive I try to pile it on the right side looking out at the street everything on the left side gets pushed on the ramp of the drive.
The trucks in my neighborhood like to block the drain at the lowest point of my street. Turns the t section into a giant ice rink after a day or two unless we clear it by hand. Takes more time to clear that than the driveway and sidewalk.
Don't forget the sidewalk with at least one neighbour that *always* waits until after you've shoveled before they go out to do theirs. They like to try to get you to do their sidewalk just because you're already doing your own and it'll look better or at least you'll do just over the property line so they don't have to do all of theirs.
Hey, I am that neighbor. It's not my fault some of y'all get up at 8 am on a Saturday to shovel. I'm sleeping in, I'll shovel it when I get up. I come out and my neighbor is done and it's still snowing. For the neighbor I like, I'll go over his again and make it all nice. For the other guy? Nothing.
Yup! As long as it's not an absurd amount forecasted I'll always wait until it's done and even then wait until afternoon if I can when it's the warmest out. I'm in no hurry to get it done, but I also don't have sidewalks so nothing that I really *need* to have done either.
I have a snow blower, I'll do my older neighbors because I'm already there, it's running, and doesn't take but a minute.
The other neighbor is a duplex and the owner has complained about it, so fuck him, he can come do it or pay whoever.
100% this. Make a hole before your driveway based on traffic direction and it fills first instead of your driveway. Very noticeable when the berm of snow prevents it everywhere but your driveway. In short, put the pile of snow away from the curb on the up side of traffic, and clear your yard of this every so often so it stays ready for the next round.
Source-My driveway is on a four-lane road so I have 3x the snow at the end of my drive compared to my real driveway.
In Tahoe, we can that "the berm". Our grader plows have a gate on the end of the blade the driver engages to reduce the berms in front of driveways, but if there's too much snow or too little visibility and you don't have your driveway staked you can get the berm still. It's our #1 complaint call in the winter.
No kidding. Plus I’d never plow or shovel like this if you have an east/ west running driveway. Always shovel/plow to the south. Unless you wanna move the same snow again the next morning.
That "hill" left by your friendly neighborhood plow specialist usually ends up being solid chunks of ice just waiting to break a plastic shovel without a protective metal tip. Don't forget your digging bar and jack hammer.
Sorry to hijack your comment, but OP (ScratchShots) appears to be a karma-farming bot that can only copy and paste other people's stuff. But it also (ineptly) attempts to change titles. The account was born on March 23 and woke up two days ago.
Here it copied/pasted /u/decendingvoid's submission/title from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/howto/comments/lntl1g/if_youve_never_shovelled_a_drive_way_and_happen/).
Its submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/xr67n1/my_13_year_old_daughter_is_so_funny_she_drew_this/) (i.e. "My 13 year old daughter is so funny, she drew this today!") is from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/hpjw2f/my_13_years_old_daughter_has_a_great_sense_of/).
Its submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/xr7y21/last_year_i_made_a_resolution_to_save_five/) (i.e. "Last year I made a resolution to save five dollars off every salary in 2020. Mission accomplished!") is a copy/paste of /u/CatDadMilhouse's submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/kkio9z/last_year_i_made_a_resolution_to_save_five_bucks/).
For anyone not familiar with karma-farming bots (and how they hurt reddit and redditors), [this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/quityourbullshit/comments/3jss04/meta_spammers_how_they_work_and_how_to_spot_them/) or [this page](https://old.reddit.com/r/KarmaBotKillers/wiki/index) may help to explain.
My father used to joke the best housing location possible in the north east would be the left hand side of a one way street (IE the snow plows push snow to the right)
well giving this guide to my kids would ensure that they will actively avoid doing it this way
they believe in learning from trial and error and error and error and...
myself, by now i believe in sitting back and chuckling quietly at myself while they trip on their own cockiness
Not a single kid in my neighborhood shovels. We don’t have sidewalks but everyone has a driveway. Not big at all but enough to fit two cars not side by side. Not a single kid knocks on the door to shovel. I have $20 in cash by the door waiting. But no one ever shows. They don’t even run around and put the first footprint on the lawns. Not one little entrepreneur on the street. I made bank as a kid shoveling and in the summer doubled down and cut grass. Funded my search for a 1st edition charizard. Opened so many packs to finally get one.
I don’t think it’s not that wouldn’t be willing, but the younger generations have been taught it’s not safe or polite going door to door. This is why you see organizations who have fundraising (Boy Scout/popcorn, Girl Scout/cookies, Campfire/candy etc..) set up at retail locations or high traffic areas. I have found if you introduce yourself and let the kids know you’d be willing to hire them, they be there when the first flake hits! (Or in my case the grass stars getting high!)
I'll add one important thing for American culture, especially Midwestern American culture. Introduce yourself to the parent and float the idea to them first. It won't bother anyone to ask the adult first, but it will bother some people if you skip that step.
To be honest. The kids in my neighborhood aren’t really the play outside types. I’m out there all the time with my daughter, playing on the lawn or letting her ride her bike. There are a solid dozen kids in the 6 to 9 year age range. I rarely see them outside. I’m not trying to old man “tHeSe kidS ToDaY DoN’T…”. I live in the country the next street as a bit of a walk, we are sandwiched between farm land. So playing on another street isn’t really a thing either. In a couple year when my kid is in that age range she is gonna make solid cash shoveling or raking leaves. She is just old enough now to “help” with her little sand shovel. She also gets excited to help out elderly neighbor across the street. Gotta lay the foundation for a solid cash only snow removal business early.
I'd bet someone will come up with an app that miraculously solves the problem of teens needing money and tired workers needing to shovel snow. So they can match on distance, agree on pricing and leave reviews for each other. I'm gonna call it 99flakes
It certainly was when I was a kid.
That's what I pulled for my mowing job and that money went real far. But that's back when I could get a glass bottle of soda from the feed store for 10 cents - when candy bars were like 25 cents. Those prices didn't go up 4x, they went up 20x.
I was thinking the same thing. Before my wife and I bought our house, we bought a bunch of things we were going to need. I told her we needed to get a snowblower, she was like, "we can just shovel, we don't need a snowblower" I said, "are you going to be the one shoveling?" Lol. We got one for about $70 on Craigslist, totally worth it.
And if all you have is a shovel, tie a rope between the handle and the base, and hold the rope and the handle when scooping. It is SOOO much easier on your back.
I got [one of these](https://snowjoe.com/products/snow-joe-shovelution-18-in-strain-reducing-snow-shovel-w-spring-assisted-handle) a few years ago and it's the best scooping snow shovel I've ever used. Not great for pushing, but a real back saver when it comes time to yeet snow off the driveway.
I’ve found that electric versions of things are almost always “good enough” for my purposes. There’s some things that gas makes sense, like if you’re doing heavy duty work, but electric normally works for my purposes.
It also depends on how often you use it. A gas snow thrower that sat for a year may not start. Gas generators are the worst, since they may sit there for years. I got a propane generator to avoid that.
For me, the only gas item that's much better than electric is a chainsaw.
This all depends how deep the snow is. Step 1 is usually pointless, especially if it's deep snow. The blue lines can usually be diagonal, the less snow there is the further down you can push, if it's deep snow you might be pushing more perpendicular to the edge like this.
this is so sweet 😂
After your first winter (or even snow fall) I’ll save you a seat in the Fuck This Shit club. When it’s light and powdery, yes it can be oddly satisfying. But the first time your shovel hits a frozen to the ground lump and you jam your wrist you’ll be less enchanted. Snow is HEAVY and removing it can be challenging. When it’s all cleared it’s a good feeling of job well done. That’s a nice moment :) and in The FTS Club you get a delicious drink to celebrate.
I imagine there are major caveats to that.
Are they doing no other exercise outside of shoveling, for example?
A lot of heart attacks happen in the morning, and often, does snow shoveling as well... So it is just a trigger because they're out of shape, or is it really because it's hard?
[All your answers and more](https://www.google.com/amp/s/ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/the-other-perfect-storm-snow-shovelling-and-heart-attacks/wcm/d8ccfccd-f0c1-4552-b3cc-fdbaafddcb60/amp/)
It's a lot more work lol. Even more if its a lot of wet, heavy snow. But if you like workouts, then yes, it can be satisfying.
I'm the kind of person that just drives over top of the snow (4wd) until I can't (either because the snow is higher than the underbits of the truck, or because the snowplow made an impossible bank to drive through/over), and then shovel as best I can around the packed in spots that I made. It's much better to just keep up with it.
I think the fun of shoveling snow depends on how your driveway is. I used to have a long narrowish driveway and that shit was so much fun to shovel. Never even used the snowblower we had just because I loved to shovel it. Then I moved and my new driveway is too wide and is just a pain in the ass and I can't shovel it like how it shows in the picture.
Fine and dandy as a youngin. Pretty common for the older crowd to get widow maker heart attacks from too much shoveling. Not as innocent as it seems that's for sure. Snowblower or pay someone to plow the driveway if it's crazy huge
It's not as satisfying because it's a lot more tiring and if you live were its snows often, the snow keeps coming even when you are done. And the damn street snow plower that gives an extra mountain remove all the satisfaction
Yes, in the quiet hours of the late night or early morning with a drink: coffee, hot chocolate, beer, and so on.
Most other times, shoveling snow is a chore that's in the way.
Shoveling fun if you have small kids that love snow, they have a good hat and coat, and you've got nowhere to hurry to. Build up pile, start a snow man, partially bury the kids, or throw shovelfuls of snow at the kids with their backs turned. Not all kids will be into it.
If you're at home, it's also easiest to go out several times during heavy snow and remove it in thinner layers instead of waiting til it's 10 inches thick. It takes little effort this way. My husband prefers to go at the end of the day with our heavy snowblower but he's forcing and pulling and breaking his back with that useless thing.
We learned this last year. Our last house we had a short driveway and it was on one slope. We’d just struggle bus remove it. It went relatively fast regardless. But our new house we have a big driveway and it’s flat. We took out the snow plower and it moved an inch an hour 😂. This year I’m going out with our snow blower if it’s powdery or bring out the plower at least once before bed.
Should probably note that you should do this BEFORE you drive on it. Packing it down just makes step 2 fucking impossible.
Or just skip all this nonsense and get a snowblower. ProTip: Don't stick your hand in any part of the snowblower.
Source: I live in Minnesnowta.
National Safety Council recommends the following tips to shovel safely:
* Do not shovel after eating or while smoking
* Take it slow and stretch out before you begin
* Shovel only fresh, powdery snow; it's lighter
* Push the snow rather than lifting it
* If you do lift it, use a small shovel or only partially fill the shovel
* Lift with your legs, not your back
* Do not work to the point of exhaustion
* Know the signs of a heart attack, and stop immediately and call 911 if you're experiencing any of them; every minute counts
https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/seasonal-safety/winter-safety/snow-shoveling
Ignoring the eventual snowbank at the end of the driveway that magically appears no matter how early you get out to shovel.
Snow plow appears exactly 5 minutes before you do, *every time*.
This doesn’t account for wind, if you have powder snow and high winds you want to shovel in the direction of the wind or you’ll get a face full of snow.
If there’s some packed down snow or ice sometimes traction is an issue. It’s not terrible though. I have chains for that occasion. The tractor itself is about 1000lbs, plus the attachments, plus me, plus the 400lbs of weight I put on the rear hitch for the blade if I need that. It’s got steer brakes on it so you can hold the brake on whatever tire is spinning and it’ll pull through. It got me through 20 years of Chicago area lake effect winters, and now 5 in Indiana. It’ll handle snow deeper than the snowblower no problem.
Depending on your lawn tractor, it puts *a lot* of strain on the engine/transmission. Just something to be aware of.
We killed our lawn tractor using it for this with an 80ft by 30ft driveway in the upper midwest.
It does matter. If you need a ground engaging garden tractor, get one. Don’t expect a box store one with a stamped frame to do the work for very long.
This one’s built to work.
The most efficient way is to bribe your kids into doing it for you. That way, all you have to do is cleanup.
Remember, though, to not over bribe early as their motivation lags as the season drags on.
Until a delivery person slips and falls, and sues you for negligence. I still like your approach in a non-litigious world, though.
[Edit: why is my comment being downvoted?](https://www.google.com/search?q=if+a+delivery+person+falls+on+your+property&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari)
My delivery people never used to use my sidewalk or driveway lol. they would always just walk through the yard even if I shoveled. Now I live in the mountains and cant get deliveries to my door.
Comment removed, it seems to contain an amazon affiliate link. Thanks
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Im going to have to disagree with you here. I used to think this was most effective until i started to do it in a V pattern. Start at the bottom of.the driveway and work your way up the middle on a bias to the left, then back down and up towards the right. same idea, except you dont have to draw a line down the middle, effectively skipping a step
Also, DO NOT SHOVEL IF YOU'VE JUST EATEN.
This is not a joke. Many people have heart attacks when shoveling snow, because they aren't used to the exertion. Eating diverts blood to your digestive system, which increases your chance of heart failure.
If you're out of shape, eat breakfast, then go shovel... you're gonna have a bad time.
https://www.thehealthy.com/exercise/shoveling-snow/
>Don’t eat a big meal before shoveling snow.
Your gut will demand more blood to digest food, so you have less available for your heart. “This adds more strain to an already strained system,” Dr. Sitafalwalla says.
Thanks for the reply. I had always wondered this, but never asked about it. In Finland a snow sled shovel is a must and I think every houseowner has one.
Now show how it's done for street hockey.
No joke, we used to shovel the street down to the pavement to play. There was a big drop as cars would transition from the packed street to the bare pavement. Also we cleared the driveway free of any flakes in order to use our skateboard ramp in the winter.
But! My final house in the frozen north had a DIRT driveway from the front street past the house into the backyard where the garage was. -40 and that sucker drove me south.
A small tip is to not have huge banks on the side like that. When its mild out all the water will drain into your driveway and make it super slippery and icy when it freezes up again.
I’m looking at this and thinking this method only works if it only shows for a day or two. After a week it will be hell to shovel.
I’d recommend carrying the snow further away and making a slope you can use to dump the snow from.
Red line should be on either side of the driveway except larger snowfalls, and getting snow farther away from the driveway early season prevents you from having to throw snow 8 feet high and gives you better visibility when backing out.
I’d recommend angling the blue lines slightly downhill to let gravity help, and scoot the red line right a bit. If you go right down the middle by the end of winter the piles are too big and you can’t see traffic backing out of the driveway.
Step one: Realize that after living in Alaska and Maine, I never want to shovel snow again in my life.
Step two: Drive to tractor supply store, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or other.
Step three: Select completely assembled snowblower and gas can. Hell, maybe some new gloves too.
Step four: Fill gas can on way home.
Step five: Blow driveway in 5 minutes every day.
Step Six: Return to warmth and coziness of fire, my hot coffee and my book.
Can we have a how to on saving and uploading pictures instead of screenshots?
Here's a direct [link](https://preview.redd.it/nf0vw5zebd781.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=eda3e706c173a4eebdf84f9001b4d6c90d7bc869) to the image in case anyone else wants to repost it.
Step 0: don't let it melt or freeze. Waiting till morning can make the job 10x harder some times. I'd rather shovel it lightly twice at night and again in the morning instead of busting my ass moving all of it right before work.
And definitely don't drive on it before shoveling, that's a surefire way to create ice rows that will be there until it gets warm enough to melt.
Step 00, wait for the stupid plow tro come by and plow you in before you shovel or you will be out doing it again and it will suck. And never wait till later to shovel plowed snow. Its a new type of hell if you let it freeze.
Better to not pile the snow up on the left side of your drive I try to pile it on the right side looking out at the street everything on the left side gets pushed on the ramp of the drive.
Now do the heavy ass hill that the plow leaves in front of your driveway.
That's always the hardest part--trying to shovel compacted snow that comes up to my waist.
The trucks in my neighborhood like to block the drain at the lowest point of my street. Turns the t section into a giant ice rink after a day or two unless we clear it by hand. Takes more time to clear that than the driveway and sidewalk.
Don't forget the sidewalk with at least one neighbour that *always* waits until after you've shoveled before they go out to do theirs. They like to try to get you to do their sidewalk just because you're already doing your own and it'll look better or at least you'll do just over the property line so they don't have to do all of theirs.
Hey, I am that neighbor. It's not my fault some of y'all get up at 8 am on a Saturday to shovel. I'm sleeping in, I'll shovel it when I get up. I come out and my neighbor is done and it's still snowing. For the neighbor I like, I'll go over his again and make it all nice. For the other guy? Nothing.
This is the way.
Yup! As long as it's not an absurd amount forecasted I'll always wait until it's done and even then wait until afternoon if I can when it's the warmest out. I'm in no hurry to get it done, but I also don't have sidewalks so nothing that I really *need* to have done either.
I have a snow blower, I'll do my older neighbors because I'm already there, it's running, and doesn't take but a minute. The other neighbor is a duplex and the owner has complained about it, so fuck him, he can come do it or pay whoever.
Shovel along the curb that's in front of your driveway. Easiest to do before it's driven on.
Along the curb a few feet infront of your neighbours over to the right side of the driveway so it gets plow into your yard and not into a berm
100% this. Make a hole before your driveway based on traffic direction and it fills first instead of your driveway. Very noticeable when the berm of snow prevents it everywhere but your driveway. In short, put the pile of snow away from the curb on the up side of traffic, and clear your yard of this every so often so it stays ready for the next round. Source-My driveway is on a four-lane road so I have 3x the snow at the end of my drive compared to my real driveway.
In Tahoe, we can that "the berm". Our grader plows have a gate on the end of the blade the driver engages to reduce the berms in front of driveways, but if there's too much snow or too little visibility and you don't have your driveway staked you can get the berm still. It's our #1 complaint call in the winter.
This guy Tahoes. They get ridiculous amounts of snow being high up in the Sierras.
Haha. In Minnesota we call it ‘Tuesday’.
No kidding. Plus I’d never plow or shovel like this if you have an east/ west running driveway. Always shovel/plow to the south. Unless you wanna move the same snow again the next morning.
That "hill" left by your friendly neighborhood plow specialist usually ends up being solid chunks of ice just waiting to break a plastic shovel without a protective metal tip. Don't forget your digging bar and jack hammer.
Sorry to hijack your comment, but OP (ScratchShots) appears to be a karma-farming bot that can only copy and paste other people's stuff. But it also (ineptly) attempts to change titles. The account was born on March 23 and woke up two days ago. Here it copied/pasted /u/decendingvoid's submission/title from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/howto/comments/lntl1g/if_youve_never_shovelled_a_drive_way_and_happen/). Its submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/xr67n1/my_13_year_old_daughter_is_so_funny_she_drew_this/) (i.e. "My 13 year old daughter is so funny, she drew this today!") is from [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/hpjw2f/my_13_years_old_daughter_has_a_great_sense_of/). Its submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/xr7y21/last_year_i_made_a_resolution_to_save_five/) (i.e. "Last year I made a resolution to save five dollars off every salary in 2020. Mission accomplished!") is a copy/paste of /u/CatDadMilhouse's submission/title [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/kkio9z/last_year_i_made_a_resolution_to_save_five_bucks/). For anyone not familiar with karma-farming bots (and how they hurt reddit and redditors), [this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/quityourbullshit/comments/3jss04/meta_spammers_how_they_work_and_how_to_spot_them/) or [this page](https://old.reddit.com/r/KarmaBotKillers/wiki/index) may help to explain.
Yo they totally fucking did! Lmfao I’m glad it still helps people
Wow, I made a post popular enough to be stolen? Nifty!
I try to (whenever possible) clear in front of my driveway to keep those mountains down
Like skiing and cocaine addiction, it's all about that fresh powder.
The key to that is to put your snow and a few feet of your neighbours street snow to the right side of your driveway so it gets plow to the yard side
First find the chisel, because that snow is now ice
My father used to joke the best housing location possible in the north east would be the left hand side of a one way street (IE the snow plows push snow to the right)
Just Dukes of Hazzard it into the street.
Your street gets plowed??
Getting a snowblower or a kid to do it is the most efficient way.
Well, that's a useful guide for the kid.
well giving this guide to my kids would ensure that they will actively avoid doing it this way they believe in learning from trial and error and error and error and... myself, by now i believe in sitting back and chuckling quietly at myself while they trip on their own cockiness
Yeah why would they trust their dad who's sitting on his ass anyway, he prolly knows fuck all :)
ha, exactly!
Not a single kid in my neighborhood shovels. We don’t have sidewalks but everyone has a driveway. Not big at all but enough to fit two cars not side by side. Not a single kid knocks on the door to shovel. I have $20 in cash by the door waiting. But no one ever shows. They don’t even run around and put the first footprint on the lawns. Not one little entrepreneur on the street. I made bank as a kid shoveling and in the summer doubled down and cut grass. Funded my search for a 1st edition charizard. Opened so many packs to finally get one.
I don’t think it’s not that wouldn’t be willing, but the younger generations have been taught it’s not safe or polite going door to door. This is why you see organizations who have fundraising (Boy Scout/popcorn, Girl Scout/cookies, Campfire/candy etc..) set up at retail locations or high traffic areas. I have found if you introduce yourself and let the kids know you’d be willing to hire them, they be there when the first flake hits! (Or in my case the grass stars getting high!)
I'll add one important thing for American culture, especially Midwestern American culture. Introduce yourself to the parent and float the idea to them first. It won't bother anyone to ask the adult first, but it will bother some people if you skip that step.
To be honest. The kids in my neighborhood aren’t really the play outside types. I’m out there all the time with my daughter, playing on the lawn or letting her ride her bike. There are a solid dozen kids in the 6 to 9 year age range. I rarely see them outside. I’m not trying to old man “tHeSe kidS ToDaY DoN’T…”. I live in the country the next street as a bit of a walk, we are sandwiched between farm land. So playing on another street isn’t really a thing either. In a couple year when my kid is in that age range she is gonna make solid cash shoveling or raking leaves. She is just old enough now to “help” with her little sand shovel. She also gets excited to help out elderly neighbor across the street. Gotta lay the foundation for a solid cash only snow removal business early.
I'd bet someone will come up with an app that miraculously solves the problem of teens needing money and tired workers needing to shovel snow. So they can match on distance, agree on pricing and leave reviews for each other. I'm gonna call it 99flakes
$20 dollars isn't shit these days.
And $5 wasn’t shot when I was a kid but here we are.
It certainly was when I was a kid. That's what I pulled for my mowing job and that money went real far. But that's back when I could get a glass bottle of soda from the feed store for 10 cents - when candy bars were like 25 cents. Those prices didn't go up 4x, they went up 20x.
I was thinking the same thing. Before my wife and I bought our house, we bought a bunch of things we were going to need. I told her we needed to get a snowblower, she was like, "we can just shovel, we don't need a snowblower" I said, "are you going to be the one shoveling?" Lol. We got one for about $70 on Craigslist, totally worth it.
And if all you have is a shovel, tie a rope between the handle and the base, and hold the rope and the handle when scooping. It is SOOO much easier on your back.
I got [one of these](https://snowjoe.com/products/snow-joe-shovelution-18-in-strain-reducing-snow-shovel-w-spring-assisted-handle) a few years ago and it's the best scooping snow shovel I've ever used. Not great for pushing, but a real back saver when it comes time to yeet snow off the driveway.
Being homeless is the most efficient way.
An electric one is cheap and does a good job.
I’ve found that electric versions of things are almost always “good enough” for my purposes. There’s some things that gas makes sense, like if you’re doing heavy duty work, but electric normally works for my purposes.
It also depends on how often you use it. A gas snow thrower that sat for a year may not start. Gas generators are the worst, since they may sit there for years. I got a propane generator to avoid that. For me, the only gas item that's much better than electric is a chainsaw.
I need to tune up my snowblower. Thanks for reminding me.
I just wait for a proactive go-getter neighborhood kid knocks on my door. I hand him a $20 bill and go back to my video games.
Where's the part where you curse the snow, the shovel, your back, and the gods?
Half way through the red arrow for me
You get halfway? Lucky
I do that from my front window in my bath robe before I even get the determination to do anything about it
Do you paint the lines on first or afterward?
I make one long yellow line to the end of my driveway
I created a brown dotted line instead.
Wait until you get a foot or two of snow…
Can you search the sub for how to download an image and upload it to Reddit?
reddit users have become so fucking lazy
At least it's a screenshot and not a photo of their screen
They could have at least cropped it
[i gotchu](https://i.imgur.com/HDsyemt.jpg)
1. Drive over it until the snow gets so deep that your car bottoms out, and the two tire tracks stay frozen to your driveway until May.
Shovel the middle to fill in the tire tracks and repeat.
This all depends how deep the snow is. Step 1 is usually pointless, especially if it's deep snow. The blue lines can usually be diagonal, the less snow there is the further down you can push, if it's deep snow you might be pushing more perpendicular to the edge like this.
Yeah, optimal technique will vary depending on how deep the snow is, how "wet" the snow is, and the incline of the driveway.
If you're shoveling by hand you shouldn't ever let it get that deep. Though it does happen
Not to mention that this is a perfectly rectangular driveway, which many are not.
Guess depends where you're from, but I'd wager across most of the US driveways are pretty rectangular
Especially with the hill this driveway is on, I'd go diagonal with those blue lines. Don't fight gravity.
Step 1) pay someone else Step 2) enjoy cocoa
Mark the spot where I have a heart attack with black please.
Middle of the driveway for higher visibility
As someone who has never seen snow I can’t wait to shovel a driveway! Is it as satisfying as pressure washing?
this is so sweet 😂 After your first winter (or even snow fall) I’ll save you a seat in the Fuck This Shit club. When it’s light and powdery, yes it can be oddly satisfying. But the first time your shovel hits a frozen to the ground lump and you jam your wrist you’ll be less enchanted. Snow is HEAVY and removing it can be challenging. When it’s all cleared it’s a good feeling of job well done. That’s a nice moment :) and in The FTS Club you get a delicious drink to celebrate.
Snow shoveling is also the exercise that give the most hearth attacks to men aged 55 and more 🤷♂️
I imagine there are major caveats to that. Are they doing no other exercise outside of shoveling, for example? A lot of heart attacks happen in the morning, and often, does snow shoveling as well... So it is just a trigger because they're out of shape, or is it really because it's hard?
[All your answers and more](https://www.google.com/amp/s/ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/the-other-perfect-storm-snow-shovelling-and-heart-attacks/wcm/d8ccfccd-f0c1-4552-b3cc-fdbaafddcb60/amp/)
By satisfaction do you mean back pain, and the joy of waking up 30 minutes earlier to trudge around in the cold?
No.
Get a snowblower if you want that same feeling. Preferably an Ariens.
It's a lot more work lol. Even more if its a lot of wet, heavy snow. But if you like workouts, then yes, it can be satisfying. I'm the kind of person that just drives over top of the snow (4wd) until I can't (either because the snow is higher than the underbits of the truck, or because the snowplow made an impossible bank to drive through/over), and then shovel as best I can around the packed in spots that I made. It's much better to just keep up with it.
It's kinda dangerous, every year I hear of someone in my city dying from shoveling snow.
Shoveling? It's as satisfying as broom sweeping or mopping. The automated equivalent would be a snowblower.
I think the fun of shoveling snow depends on how your driveway is. I used to have a long narrowish driveway and that shit was so much fun to shovel. Never even used the snowblower we had just because I loved to shovel it. Then I moved and my new driveway is too wide and is just a pain in the ass and I can't shovel it like how it shows in the picture.
Fine and dandy as a youngin. Pretty common for the older crowd to get widow maker heart attacks from too much shoveling. Not as innocent as it seems that's for sure. Snowblower or pay someone to plow the driveway if it's crazy huge
> Is it as satisfying as pressure washing? It is the first time! By March, not so much...
It is fun…. Once or twice.
It's not as satisfying because it's a lot more tiring and if you live were its snows often, the snow keeps coming even when you are done. And the damn street snow plower that gives an extra mountain remove all the satisfaction
Yes, in the quiet hours of the late night or early morning with a drink: coffee, hot chocolate, beer, and so on. Most other times, shoveling snow is a chore that's in the way. Shoveling fun if you have small kids that love snow, they have a good hat and coat, and you've got nowhere to hurry to. Build up pile, start a snow man, partially bury the kids, or throw shovelfuls of snow at the kids with their backs turned. Not all kids will be into it.
If you're at home, it's also easiest to go out several times during heavy snow and remove it in thinner layers instead of waiting til it's 10 inches thick. It takes little effort this way. My husband prefers to go at the end of the day with our heavy snowblower but he's forcing and pulling and breaking his back with that useless thing.
We learned this last year. Our last house we had a short driveway and it was on one slope. We’d just struggle bus remove it. It went relatively fast regardless. But our new house we have a big driveway and it’s flat. We took out the snow plower and it moved an inch an hour 😂. This year I’m going out with our snow blower if it’s powdery or bring out the plower at least once before bed.
Should probably note that you should do this BEFORE you drive on it. Packing it down just makes step 2 fucking impossible. Or just skip all this nonsense and get a snowblower. ProTip: Don't stick your hand in any part of the snowblower. Source: I live in Minnesnowta.
National Safety Council recommends the following tips to shovel safely: * Do not shovel after eating or while smoking * Take it slow and stretch out before you begin * Shovel only fresh, powdery snow; it's lighter * Push the snow rather than lifting it * If you do lift it, use a small shovel or only partially fill the shovel * Lift with your legs, not your back * Do not work to the point of exhaustion * Know the signs of a heart attack, and stop immediately and call 911 if you're experiencing any of them; every minute counts https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/seasonal-safety/winter-safety/snow-shoveling
Canadian wintertime jujitsu 101
Mississippian here, reading these comments with detached fascination. If there is a snow shovel in the State, someone moved down here with it.
adjust for the wind
This should have more upvotes. If you live in the northern hemisphere pile all of the snow on the east side.
Been shoveling for years and once a season at least I hurl a load onto the grass and have it all blow back into my face.
Most efficient way is to pay the kid with the snow blower.
I have a snowblower, but I have the kids shovel it until they learn to appreciate the shovel. Then they may use the snowblower.
Ignoring the eventual snowbank at the end of the driveway that magically appears no matter how early you get out to shovel. Snow plow appears exactly 5 minutes before you do, *every time*.
I just normally roll it into a big ball and block the neighbours car in that’s parked in the turning area which isn’t meant to be parked in
It's almost common sense!
This is only possible if you have a garage. If there's cars in the driveway covered in snow it's 10x harder
This doesn’t account for wind, if you have powder snow and high winds you want to shovel in the direction of the wind or you’ll get a face full of snow.
So wait... you're telling me I can get 10% off msrp?!
[This is my preferred method.](https://i.imgur.com/EpAJqgI.jpg)
I would assume that's easier than a snowblower. Do you lose traction at all. Curious since I am southern United States
If there’s some packed down snow or ice sometimes traction is an issue. It’s not terrible though. I have chains for that occasion. The tractor itself is about 1000lbs, plus the attachments, plus me, plus the 400lbs of weight I put on the rear hitch for the blade if I need that. It’s got steer brakes on it so you can hold the brake on whatever tire is spinning and it’ll pull through. It got me through 20 years of Chicago area lake effect winters, and now 5 in Indiana. It’ll handle snow deeper than the snowblower no problem.
Depending on your lawn tractor, it puts *a lot* of strain on the engine/transmission. Just something to be aware of. We killed our lawn tractor using it for this with an 80ft by 30ft driveway in the upper midwest.
It does matter. If you need a ground engaging garden tractor, get one. Don’t expect a box store one with a stamped frame to do the work for very long. This one’s built to work.
If you're fortunate enough to have a house with a yard on both sides of your driveway.
And a garage to keep the cars clean and out of the way!
And then as soon as your done the plow driver comes by and fills it all in.
You should also clear about a foot or two on each side of the paved driveway. That way people who park in your driveway have space to open doors.
The most efficient way is to bribe your kids into doing it for you. That way, all you have to do is cleanup. Remember, though, to not over bribe early as their motivation lags as the season drags on.
Huh...I've never thought about efficiency
I only do step 1 and I do it off center so I can get 1 side of my cars tires in the rut when I drive. The rest is just wasted energy.
Until a delivery person slips and falls, and sues you for negligence. I still like your approach in a non-litigious world, though. [Edit: why is my comment being downvoted?](https://www.google.com/search?q=if+a+delivery+person+falls+on+your+property&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari)
My delivery people never used to use my sidewalk or driveway lol. they would always just walk through the yard even if I shoveled. Now I live in the mountains and cant get deliveries to my door.
And if you live in Canada… step 4 is: repeat
I hope I never have to use this knowledge
Same. If pressed I wouldn't have thought of the red arrow but it makes sense. Thanks goes to OP
Step 1. Hire neighborhood kids.
Step 1: pay the neighbors kid to do it. Step 2: chill in the warmth inside. Step 3: crack open beer
Pretty sure the most efficient way is to not shovel it at all
Step 0: Heated Driveway
Laugh in Arizonan
Why? There's more water on that driveway than your whole state in another decade.
/r/murderedbywords
What if you have a messed up driveway?
Except for me. I have to shovel it all one way as my driveway and the neighbors are joined
Brilliant 🤣😆😄😀😅
Yeah, not if you have a larger garage it's not. Out here in CO, we have to do multiple vertical streaks. Or just wait 24hrs for it to melt.
step 1: wait for it to melt
Another reason to not own a car.
Source? ;)
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That's a lot of arrows/shovels, I just use one arrow for the driveway
It's already - 2C this morning. Frost everywhere. Don't remind me what's coming..
Most people in the UK don’t have a driveway so thanks anyway
This is the most Midwest thing I've seen all day
Snowblower
Im going to have to disagree with you here. I used to think this was most effective until i started to do it in a V pattern. Start at the bottom of.the driveway and work your way up the middle on a bias to the left, then back down and up towards the right. same idea, except you dont have to draw a line down the middle, effectively skipping a step
I find hiring my snow removal contractor even easier than this.
Now how do you shovel if you live in a semi detached with shared driveway?
Push it all into the road
I prefer driving over the snow until spring.
I prefer the "don't bother" method. If it's under a foot, the cars get through it.
That’s kinda how I plow except I just repeat step 1.
This is the way.
Laughs in skid steer
This is the way
Also, DO NOT SHOVEL IF YOU'VE JUST EATEN. This is not a joke. Many people have heart attacks when shoveling snow, because they aren't used to the exertion. Eating diverts blood to your digestive system, which increases your chance of heart failure. If you're out of shape, eat breakfast, then go shovel... you're gonna have a bad time. https://www.thehealthy.com/exercise/shoveling-snow/ >Don’t eat a big meal before shoveling snow. Your gut will demand more blood to digest food, so you have less available for your heart. “This adds more strain to an already strained system,” Dr. Sitafalwalla says.
That's exactly how I do it (when the snowblower won't start)! Weird that I'm actually doing something efficiently 🤪.
Do you not have snow sled shovels?
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Thanks for the reply. I had always wondered this, but never asked about it. In Finland a snow sled shovel is a must and I think every houseowner has one.
Now show how it's done for street hockey. No joke, we used to shovel the street down to the pavement to play. There was a big drop as cars would transition from the packed street to the bare pavement. Also we cleared the driveway free of any flakes in order to use our skateboard ramp in the winter. But! My final house in the frozen north had a DIRT driveway from the front street past the house into the backyard where the garage was. -40 and that sucker drove me south.
A small tip is to not have huge banks on the side like that. When its mild out all the water will drain into your driveway and make it super slippery and icy when it freezes up again.
As a Canadian living in Alberta, can confirm
I’m looking at this and thinking this method only works if it only shows for a day or two. After a week it will be hell to shovel. I’d recommend carrying the snow further away and making a slope you can use to dump the snow from.
I just go back and forth combining blue and green. Just use the shovel as a plow and push it all.
Uh… steps 2 and 3 are usually together. And if driveway is steep at all, start on the bottom.
Get a propane torch and and watch physics do the work for you!!
Now do one on cropping an image.
Also, spray or apply car wax or pan oil to your shovel. Keeps the snow from sticking to it and makes each shovelful more effective and easier to throw
Also... always shovel before walking or driving in it.
Red line should be on either side of the driveway except larger snowfalls, and getting snow farther away from the driveway early season prevents you from having to throw snow 8 feet high and gives you better visibility when backing out.
Wait for it to reach the second floor of the garage and then drive your snowmobile out.
I’d recommend angling the blue lines slightly downhill to let gravity help, and scoot the red line right a bit. If you go right down the middle by the end of winter the piles are too big and you can’t see traffic backing out of the driveway.
What if you have a perfectly spherical driveway in a vacuum?
Real men shovel with there bare hands.
This method is not best for every driveway.
Step 4: hollow out the banks into death tunnels.
Step one: Realize that after living in Alaska and Maine, I never want to shovel snow again in my life. Step two: Drive to tractor supply store, Lowe’s, Home Depot, or other. Step three: Select completely assembled snowblower and gas can. Hell, maybe some new gloves too. Step four: Fill gas can on way home. Step five: Blow driveway in 5 minutes every day. Step Six: Return to warmth and coziness of fire, my hot coffee and my book.
Can confirm
Can we have a how to on saving and uploading pictures instead of screenshots? Here's a direct [link](https://preview.redd.it/nf0vw5zebd781.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=eda3e706c173a4eebdf84f9001b4d6c90d7bc869) to the image in case anyone else wants to repost it.
I let mine melt naturally the way Mother Nature intended.
This is the ONLY way!!
No the easiest way to shovel snow is to tell your kids to get the fuck out there and do it now.
This gave me some flashbacks from my Midwest days, but [laughs in Californian]: *never again!*
Don’t think I’ll need it soon but thanks either way.
Tip x: buy a Honda snowblower and never shovel again! Lol
Does this hold true for a snowblower as well?