SteveB wrote:

"TD" wrote in message
...
HerHusband wrote in
:

We have a gravel driveway, roughly 150 feet long. It's about 12 feet
wide, except for a 20x30 area in front of the garage where we park and
turn around. It has a few curves, and slopes up towards the county
road. The county keeps the main road plowed, but just getting out of
our own driveway can be a real adventure.

I've traditionally gone out and shoveled the driveway clear when we've
had snow storms. It wasn't bad when I was younger, but as I get older
I realize I won't always be able to shovel snow for hours just to run
to town. So, I'm investigating other solutions that will be easier for
"an old guy" to manage. Unfortunately, staying home till the snow
passes won't be an option for many years to come.

The first option seems to be a snow thrower, but I don't really like
the thought of one more piece of equipment to maintain. We can have a
few really mild winters, followed by one or two really wild ones. So,
a gas snow blower could potentially sit unused for a couple of years,
just taking up lots of space. Fighting to start a small gas engine in
the cold doesn't sound much better than shoveling snow. And the $700
and up price tag seems high considering how often we might use it.

Considering the erratic nature of our storms, an electric model like
the Toro 1800 seems nice. No gas, no oil, no routine maintenance. I
already have 100' long heavy duty 12 gauge extension cords, and a
couple of electrical outlets along the drive. But, I hear they don't
work so well on gravel drives, or with wet deep snow. Still, the $300
price tag is easier to manage, and it wouldn't take up so much space
in the shed when we weren't using it.

I'm also considering some sort of snow melt system. I'm hoping to
install pavers and a drainage system in front of the garage this
summer anyway, so it seems like a good time to install a melt system
if I'm going to. But again, the costs for materials seems like it
would be rather expensive. Electric seems like it would be a lot less
maintenance (and we have low electric rates) than hydronic. But, both
systems seem to need some type of paved covering (concrete, asphalt,
pavers), which would further increase costs.

So, I'd like to hear how others deal with snow that falls erratically,
but can be a big problem when it does?

Thanks,

Anthony

My gas snow thrower has an electric start. In the small event of loss of
power it has a pull start.

Gravel in a gas thrower is a million laughs. 4th word in the post.

Steve

Actually, a snow blower will work just fine on a gravel driveway if you
know what you're doing. You have to get the first inch of snow packed
solid to cover the gravel and then start using the snow blower, ensuring
that the height adjusting skids are set properly.