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Removing snow with a simple shovel or scraper is convenient 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 instrument is this, and what kind it comes in, we will try to find out now.
Which snow shovels are mechanical tools?
Mechanical snow shovels have many popular names. Most often, the word “miracle” or “super” appears in the name of the inventory. The simple design of this snow removal equipment significantly reduces labor costs. This happens due to the fact that you don’t need to pick up snow with a shovel 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 or powered by a motor. Mechanical shovels are often referred to as electric snow blowers low power. In industry, this definition includes any equipment whose mechanism allows you to move bulk mass to another place.
If, in general, we characterize mechanical shovels, then tools with the following parameters can be assigned to this category:
- the equipment is characterized by a light weight of no more than 15 kg;
- the shovel moves due to the pushing efforts of a person, and a special mechanism collects and throws aside the snow;
- the tool is designed to work in small areas, for example, adjacent to a house or garage;
- Any person can operate a mechanical shovel without training or age restrictions, of course, except for small children;
The cost of any mechanical shovels is within 10 thousand rubles. Anything that costs more is reasonable to classify as a snow blower.
A variety of mechanical shovels
The snow shovel received this name due to a special mechanism that collects the cover, grinds it and throws it to the side. Most often it is a screw. Its appearance resembles a spiral of circular knives. In electric shovels, instead of an auger, a rotor with an impeller is sometimes installed. This technique is called differently: an air or vortex machine, a vacuum cleaner, etc. Most often, rotary shovels are found in homemade products, so we will not consider them. Regarding the screw tool, then it can be manual or powered by electricity.
Manual mechanical shovel
The appearance of a manual mechanical shovel resembles a scraper or tractor blade of reduced size. The auger is attached to the front. It usually has 2 or three turns of the spiral. The mechanism works quite simply.A man pushes the blade in front of him by the handle. The auger knives touch the hard surface and begin to rotate due to 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 at a maximum distance of up to 30 cm. This greatly limits the use of hand tools. It is convenient to use a blade to clear a path of any length, but narrow, for a maximum of 2-3 passes. This is due to the fact that after each cleared strip, snow accumulation thrown away by the auger remains on the side. This means that on the next pass the thickness of the cover increases. It will be more difficult to push it off with a blade, and the tool may not be able to take the third strip at all.
Mechanical shovel powered by electricity
Electric shovels help reduce labor costs when clearing snow. The device of the tool is simple. Inside the housing there is an electric motor connected through a gearbox to a screw. On top of the body there is a sleeve with a visor for throwing out 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 ejection occurs several meters to the side, which depends on the power of the electric motor.In addition, this parameter limits the grip width, which for most models is within 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. Electric motors with a power of 0.7 to 1.2 kW are usually installed on household tools. There are also more powerful electric shovels. Their weight exceeds 10 kg. Such snow blowers are equipped with a powerful motor of up to 2 kW and are characterized by a working width of up to 50 cm.
Household power shovels are similarly limited to small area applications. Their advantage is that they speed up and facilitate the snow removal process. 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 it is driven into a large snowdrift, release 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.
The instrument is also too tough for a caked or icy cover. The fact is that the screw is often made of plastic or rubber. Knives are more likely to rub off on the ice themselves than to chop it. Likewise, 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 runs on electricity. Water from wet snow can cause a short circuit in an electrical appliance.
Another limitation of electric shovels is their use only on flat, hard-surfaced terrain. The tool is ideal for cleaning asphalt sidewalks, concrete or tiled surfaces. It is better not to use an electric shovel on soil, gravel or simply uneven surfaces.The plastic auger will pick up stones and frozen ground, which will cause it to jam and subsequently break.
Choosing a mechanical shovel for home use
Before choosing a particular model of mechanical shovel, you need to find answers to a number of important questions:
- what volumes of work need to be performed;
- quality of snow typical for the region: wet or loose, often freezes, heavy snowfalls or rare precipitation are observed;
- If preference is given to an electric shovel, then you need to think about its storage location, who will work and maintain the tool, and whether it will be possible to carry it from home to the intended cleaning site.
It should be taken into account that an electric shovel can cope with the accumulation of loose snow up to 25 cm thick. A conventional auger tool will not handle a layer more than 15 cm thick.
Any type of mechanical shovel is designed to clear snow from an area of no more than 50 m22. This could be: a playground or path in front of the entrance door to a room, an entrance to a garage, a yard, a playground, or an area adjacent to the house. An electric shovel can be used to remove snow from a large flat roof of an industrial building or high-rise building.
If you need a tool to clean narrow paths, then a regular auger shovel will suffice. On a wider area, the snow will have to be moved many times, so it is better to use an electric shovel here, since the snow discharge increases to a distance of up to 5 m.
If the choice fell on an electric tool, then there is a choice: models powered by a battery or an outlet. The first type of electroshovel is convenient due to its mobility. However, the battery significantly increases the weight of the tool, so it is unreasonable to classify it as a mechanical shovel. Electric shovels powered by a power outlet are lightweight, but their activity is limited by the length of their carry.
It is important to pay attention to the quality of the wire from which the extension cord will be made. A plastic-braided cable will crack in the cold, and the fabric covering will become 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 dangerous. If desired, the child can work with a regular auger shovel.
Review of popular mechanical shovels
To summarize, let's look at models of mechanical shovels.
FORTE QI-JY-50
The manual auger tool from Forte is characterized by a working width of 56.8 cm. Snow is ejected to the right. The weight of snow removal equipment is no more than 3.82 kg. A manual auger blade is convenient to use for clearing snow from paths in hard-to-reach places and small areas.
Patriot Arctic
The mechanical auger model is characterized by a working width of 60 cm. The height of the blade 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 rotation 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 gripping width of the bucket is 34 cm. The maximum gripping thickness of the snow layer is 26 cm. Snow is thrown at a distance of 3 to 5 m. The auger knives are made of rubber. The sleeve visor rotates 180O. Unit weight – 10.7 kg.
