Snow shovel
A snow shovel (also often referred to as a snow shovel , especially in northern German-speaking countries ) is a special, wide shovel for the purpose of clearing snow , especially from smaller areas such as sidewalks , garage exits, parking lots and forecourt as well as ice surfaces. The public sector also uses snow shovels, for example to clear pedestrian connections to protective paths and the furnished tram stops.
Larger areas such as trams or public spaces, on the other hand, are cleared of snow with more effective clearing means, such as snow plows or snow blowers . There are also small snow plows specially designed for clearing - mostly public - sidewalks.
Especially in areas where large amounts of snow are more common, there are other means of clearing for private snow removal, such as the snow tub , which allows much larger amounts of snow to be cleared to the side without having to lift the snow.
species
Snow shovels are made of lightweight material to make the job easier. The handle is usually made of break-proof hardwood, the shield is usually provided with a bottom edge made of more resistant metal because of its wear resistance .
Historically, until around 1960, snow shovels were made of black painted sheet iron with a single transverse bead. It was only with the development of waterproof glues that plywood snow shovels appeared.
There are differences in the nature of the shield. It is traditionally made of plywood that is glued to be waterproof . Newer and cheaper variants are snow shovels with aluminum or plastic shields . Since 2009, snow shovels with steel blades have been available in places , which are characterized by higher load capacity.
Because the aluminum blades usually do not have an additional bottom edge made of hard metal, the edge wears out more quickly, which reduces the thoroughness of the clearance. The advantage is the high resilience, for example through wet snow.
Snow shovels with plastic shields in turn have the disadvantage that they can be deformed very easily, which means that they give way quickly in wet snow or other types of compacted snow. In dry powder snow, on the other hand, they are very suitable for shoveling away the snow due to the shape of the frame. In very severe frost, the plastic material tends to become brittle.
Snow shovels with hardwood blades are good for any snow removal activity. Due to their robustness and the bottom edge made of hard metal (which sets them apart from the plastic shield shovel and the fast-wearing aluminum) and the resulting lower wear, they are best suited for simply pushing aside all kinds of snow. However, even such shovels can break if they are excessively loaded with heavy wet snow, the wetness of which additionally affects the wooden shield in the long run.
As an avalanche shovel , slightly smaller and with a foldable or telescopic handle, the snow shovel, together with the avalanche transceiver , is part of the standard safety equipment for anyone who is out and about in the mountains with skis , snowboards or snowshoes away from the secured ski slopes .
See also
- Snow tub (snow witch)
