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It is convenient to remove snow with a simple shovel or scraper in a small area. It is difficult to clean a large area with this tool. In such a situation, it is better to have a mechanical snow shovel on hand, which reduces the labor intensity of the process several times. What kind of tool is this, and what kind it is, we will try to find out now.
What snow shovels are mechanical tools
There are many common names for mechanical snow shovels. Most often, the word “miracle” or “super” is found in the name of the inventory. The simple arrangement of this snowplow significantly reduces labor costs. This is due to the fact that a shovel does not need to collect snow and throw it to the side with your hands. The scraper is simply pushed in front of you. The built-in mechanism captures the snow layer and independently throws it to the side.
There are no clear definitions of whether any snow removal equipment belongs to mechanical shovels. It can be a hand tool and powered by a motor. Often, low-power electric snowplows are referred to as mechanical shovels. In industry, this definition includes any inventory, the mechanism of which allows you to move the bulk mass to another place.
If, in general, mechanical shovels are characterized, then tools with the following parameters can be attributed to this category:
- inventory is characterized by a light weight of not more than 15 kg;
- the shovel moves due to the pushing efforts of a person, and a special mechanism collects and throws snow aside;
- the tool is designed to work in small areas, for example, the adjacent area to a house or garage;
- any person is capable of operating a mechanical shovel without training and age restrictions, of course, except for small children;
The cost of any mechanical shovels is within 10 thousand rubles. Anything that costs more is reasonably categorized as a snow blower.
Variety of mechanical shovels
The snow shovel got its name due to a special mechanism that collects the cover, grinds it and throws it aside. Most often it is a screw. Its appearance resembles a spiral of circular knives. In electric shovels, a rotor with an impeller is sometimes installed instead of an auger. This technique is called differently: an air or vortex machine, a vacuum cleaner, etc. Most often, rotary shovels are found in home-made manufacture, so we will not consider them. As for the screw tool, it can be manual and powered by electricity.
Manual mechanical shovel
The appearance of a manual mechanical shovel resembles a scraper or a tractor blade of reduced dimensions. A screw is attached to the front. It usually has 2 or three turns of the helix. The mechanism works quite simply. The man pushes the blade in front of him by the handle. The auger blades touch the hard surface and start to rotate from the pushing movements. The spiral captures the snow and, pressing it against the blade, throws it to the side.
The rotating auger is capable of throwing snow to the side as much as possible at a distance of up to 30 cm. This greatly limits the use of hand tools. It is convenient to clean a path of any length with a blade, but narrow, for a maximum of 2-3 passes. This is due to the fact that after each cleared strip, snow accumulation discarded by the auger remains on the side. This means that the thickness of the cover increases on the next pass. It will already be more difficult to push it off with a blade, and the tool may not take the third lane at all.
Mechanical shovel powered by electricity
Electric shovels help reduce labor costs when cleaning snow. The device of the tool is simple. Inside the case there is an electric motor connected through a gearbox with an auger. On top of the body there is a sleeve with a visor for ejection of snow.
Most models only work in one mode. The electric shovel does not move by itself. It still needs to be pushed, but the auger rotating from the engine at high speeds allows you to remove snow faster. In addition, the emission occurs several meters to the side, which depends on the power of the electric motor. In addition, this parameter limits the width of the grip, which for most models is in the range of 20–30 cm.
The limitation of motor power is directly related to the weight of the electric shovel. The more efficient the engine, the greater its mass. On a household tool, electric motors with a power of 0,7 to 1,2 kW are usually installed. There are also more powerful electric shovels. Their weight exceeds 10 kg. Such snow blowers are equipped with a powerful motor up to 2 kW and are characterized by a working width of up to 50 cm.
Household electric shovels are similarly limited to small area applications. Their plus is in accelerating and facilitating the process of snow removal. The second important limitation is the characteristics of the snow cover. An electric shovel cannot cope with a layer thickness of more than 25 cm. The tool cannot remove snow in layers. If you drive it into a large snowdrift, the discharge through the outlet sleeve will become inaccessible. The electric shovel will not be able to advance, it will get stuck, and the snow from under the auger will fly in different directions.
A caked or icy cover is also too tough for the instrument. The fact is that the auger is often made of plastic or rubber. Knives would rather rub against the ice than cut it. Wet snow cannot be removed with an electric shovel. It will stick in the sleeve and on the auger. It is also important to remember that the tool is powered by electricity. Water from wet snow can cause a short circuit in an electrical appliance.
Another limitation of electroshovels is their use only on flat, hard-surfaced terrain. The tool is ideal for cleaning asphalt pavements, concrete or tiled surfaces. It is better not to work with an electroshovel on the ground, gravel or just an uneven surface. The plastic auger will grab rocks and frozen ground, causing it to jam and break.
Choosing a mechanical shovel for home use
Before giving preference to a particular model of a mechanical shovel, you need to find answers to a number of important questions:
- how much work is to be done;
- snow quality characteristic of the region: wet or loose, often freezes, there are heavy snowfalls or rare precipitation;
- if preference is given to an electroshovel, then you need to think about its storage location, who will work and maintain the tool, and whether it will be possible to stretch the carrying from home to the intended cleaning site.
It should be noted that the electric shovel is able to cope with the accumulation of loose snow up to 25 cm thick. A conventional auger tool will not take a layer more than 15 cm thick.
Any type of mechanical shovel is designed to clear the area from snow with an area of not more than 50 m2. It can be: a playground or a path in front of the entrance door to the room, an entrance to the garage, a courtyard, a playground, an area adjacent to the house. An electroshovel can be used to remove snow from a large flat roof of an industrial building or high-rise building.
If the tool is needed to clean narrow paths, then a conventional auger shovel will suffice. On a wider area, the snow will have to be shifted many times, so it is better to use an electric shovel here, since the snow ejection increases to a distance of up to 5 m.
If the choice fell on an electric tool, then there is a choice: battery-powered models or sockets. The first type of electroshovel is convenient due to mobility. However, the battery significantly increases the mass of the tool, so it is unreasonable to attribute it to the category of mechanical shovels. Powered shovels are lightweight, but their performance is limited by the length of the carry.
It is important to pay attention to the quality of the wire from which the extension cord will be made. The cable in the plastic braid will crack in the cold, and the fabric coating is saturated with water. It is optimal to use a wire with a rubber or silicone protective layer. Children should not be trusted with power tools. This is traumatic. If desired, the child can work with an ordinary auger shovel.
Overview of popular mechanical shovels
As a summary, let’s look at models of mechanical shovels.
FORTE QI-YY-50
The Forte hand auger has a working width of 56,8 cm. Snow is thrown to the right. The mass of snow removal equipment is not more than 3,82 kg. A manual auger blade is convenient to use for clearing snow from paths in hard-to-reach places and in small areas.
Patriot Arctic
The mechanical auger model is characterized by a working width of 60 cm. The blade height is 12 cm. The auger is metal, but only copes with loose snow. Tool weight – 3,3 kg. The folding handle and compact dimensions allow the blade to be transported in the trunk of a car.
The video provides an overview of a mechanical shovel:
HYUNDAI S 400
The maneuverable electric shovel is characterized by a working width of 40 cm, while the height of the snow layer can reach 25 cm. The range of snow ejection through the sleeve is from 1 to 8 m. The unit is equipped with a 2 kW electric motor with an overheating protection system. There is one screw speed. For ease of movement, small wheels are installed on the frame.
BauMaster STE-3431X
The compact electric shovel is powered by a 1,3 kW motor. The bucket grip width is 34 cm. The maximum grip on the thickness of the snow layer is 26 cm. Snow is ejected at a distance of 3 to 5 m. The auger knives are made of rubber. Sleeve visor rotates 180о. Unit weight – 10,7 kg.