Varieties and purpose of car shovels
Of course, you can carry an ordinary garden shovel in the trunk, but still it is better to purchase one that will meet all the necessary requirements.
Design features
A typical shovel in a machine is approximately 80 cm long (unfolded). In this case, the length of the handle is 60 cm, so that it is comfortable to hold. Sometimes, for convenience, it is supplied with a handle.
Car shovel
Shovels in the car can be of various designs: folding, telescopic, collapsible. For cleaning the snow drift, the shovels have a kind of recess on the bayonet, and for digging soil and clay, there must be a pointed end.
Production materials
The most commonly used shovels are steel blades. But there are also established titanium counterparts. They are lighter than others. But the lightest material for making such shovels is plastic. Today's technology allows them to be made strong enough to be used on any terrain around machines. Metal cuttings are usually thinner than wood cuttings.
Why is it worth buying
Many city dwellers do not understand why there is a snow shovel in the city, because the roads here are already cleaned by public utilities. Everything is very simple. Imagine for a moment this situation: at night there was a heavy snowfall and your car, parked in an open parking lot near the house, was completely covered with snow. As expected, you need to get to work by car, along the way to have a wife and children in kindergarten or school. Utility workers will, at best, clear the sidewalk and main roads of the city. You will have to dig your car out of a snowdrift yourself! And this is where a snow shovel comes in handy. Its absence will mean only one thing - you will need to rake the snow with your own hands.
However, it is not enough just to have a shovel with you.
It is very important that with its help you can quickly and efficiently remove snow, and not fiddle around for several hours around the car. That is why information on how to choose a car snow shovel is relevant for every driver.
2 Advantages of folding car shovels
Today, the undisputed leaders are folding shovels - versatile small-sized products equipped with a removable or telescopic handle.
Their advantages include:
- compactness;
- light weight;
- ease of assembly and operation;
- versatility due to the possibility of completing with additional attachments.
Of course, a folding shovel with a telescopic handle is considered the most convenient and suitable even for a very small car, but we must warn you that this mechanism is quite fragile. It is best to give preference to models with metal handles, but their durability is also slightly lower than that of counterparts with solid cuttings.
2.1 DIY folding shovel
It often happens that at the most inopportune moment the shovel breaks down, and there is no time to search and buy a new one. A folding shovel can be made from improvised items literally within an hour. Although this device will not be as functional as a factory product, it can be a great temporary solution to the problem.
Measurements for making a folding blade
So, to create our own hand-held snow blower, we need:
- a rectangular fragment of a plywood sheet measuring 500 × 400 mm;
- a wooden block measuring 400 × 70 mm;
- several rectangular fragments of galvanized sheet metal or tin;
- stalk;
- self-tapping screws.
First, prepare a block. A through hole should be made in the center of the product to accommodate the cutting. It is better that it be slightly smaller for a better fit of the two components of the future shovel.
Next, an impromptu plywood bucket should be attached to the bar with self-tapping screws. In the place of its contact with the bar on both sides of the plywood sheet, strips of galvanized metal or tin should be placed - you should get the following pie: bar - galvanized / tin - plywood - galvanized / tin.
Such a design will be more durable, and self-tapping screws will ensure the reliability of the connection of its components. The handle at the point of attachment to the bar should be cut at an angle of 45 degrees, wrapped in galvanized or tinplate, placed in a previously prepared hole and secured with self-tapping screws. The homemade folding shovel is ready.
Features of choice
Mechanical and manual shovels with a snow auger differ. First of all, you must know exactly for what area of the site you will purchase this model.
Hand samples are handy when your home is on a small plot of land. In this situation, there is no need to spend a significant amount on the purchase of a mechanical tool. In a short period of time, you can clear the entire area of snow by pushing the shovel in front of you.
The surface of a hand-made shovel is smooth or serrated. It is convenient to remove fresh snow from a snow blower with a smooth working surface. Such a shovel will not work to remove accumulated snow. Model with teeth required.
Bucket sizes for shovels can vary in capacity. The larger its volume, the higher the price for the instrument will become.
Its advantages over manual construction are obvious. Snow removal can be carried out on significant areas. If the shovel is driven by a gasoline walk-behind tractor, then it becomes possible to clear large areas from snow.
When it comes to the electric model, the inconvenience in using it is expressed in the presence of a cord connected to the mains. Due to this nuance, the movement of the snow blower is limited, and you can work in the reach area to the source of electric current. Such shovels are incapable of clearing accumulated snow. They do not have the ability to cut the snow cover in layers.
Mechanical auger shovels gently remove snow cover, do not harm the roadway. By weight, they are up to 14-15 kg. Anyone can work with such equipment, there is no need for special skills.
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All snow removal tools do the same job. The existing screw knife captures and crushes the snow, then it is ejected through the discharge sleeve, as mentioned earlier. Depending on the size of your site, you can decide for yourself whether you will purchase a conventional hand auger shovel or a mechanical model.
The choice of adaptation is also influenced by the financial side of the issue. If you cannot afford to buy a power shovel, then a hand tool equipped with an auger will be much better than a conventional one. You don't have to bend over every time and lift heavy snow to throw it aside. You only need to move the unit in front of you.
When you decide to buy a mechanical model, you need to know exactly what kind of snow you are going to remove. An important role is played by the presence of a nearby power supply so that it is possible to pull the extension cord.
The human factor is also important in the selection of a snow shovel. You need to understand who will work with such a tool.It can be a grown man, an elderly person, or a schoolboy.
The quality of work of a shovel equipped with an auger is affected by the type of snow, its thickness and the air temperature outside during the period of operation.
Loose snow is best removed with a hand shovel model. In this case, there will be no adhesion in the area of the scraper. A plastic auger will do.
When it was frosty outside and the temperature rose, as a result, ice forms, then carrying out snow removal work using a manual shovel sample would not be an acceptable solution. In such a situation, do not use a plastic auger. Hard snow layers can only be removed with a mechanical tool. A steel knife will crush pieces of ice. Obviously, working with a mechanical shovel with auger is much easier and more reliable.
The service life of this type of device is much greater than the time of using a manual sample.
The disadvantage when using such shovels is the need for thorough cleaning after work. Among the positive aspects of using this tool, you can add the ability to transport shovels with auger in the trunk of your car, if the need arises. The tool does not take up much space.
In the next video, you will find a brief overview of the Forte QI-JY-50 mechanical snow shovel.