First, let me say that I am pretty adept at putting things together. When I first saw the box containing my Snow Wolf, I thought, "Gee, this seems like a pretty small box." That was because the Snow Wolf was in about a thousand pieces. Holy Crap, as Kay would say. Last night I took everything out, laid it out and looked at the directions. Or, what I will refer to as the so-called directions. Vague would be an understatement. Luckily, I had all the recommended tools - and a DVD. Saved! Not. Even the DVD was vague. I started at 7:30p and finally had the wheel together, with tread firmly (I hope) installed by 9p. By 10:30 I had the main pieces put together but not attached to the wheel. I opted for bed. After rising at 3:30a and beholding the overnight efforts of Mother Nature, I made some high octane coffee and finished the job. Ease of assembly: D- (With a degree in Mechanical Engineering? A+)
 |
| The Snow Wolf - In all its Glory at 5:00 AM |
This was a perfect day to road test the S-W. Here is what I beheld as the sun rose (somewhere):
 |
| Line of trees between front yard and barn. |
 |
| Back fenced area with hoophouses and hay feeder (after SnowWolfing) |
As with anything new, it takes some getting used to. This system is so different and "engineered" that it does take a while for us mere mortals to get the hang of it. Also, to be fair, not once in the riveting DVD action did one of the nicely dressed, perky S-W operators shovel anything but a nice, flat driveway. It was way easier to use than a regular shovel, but you can really only do large, wide swaths. I still had to hand shovel the decks and steps. This thing is BIG! It also seems to put some strain on one's arms, but that could be because this "one" hasn't learned how to use it correctly yet. Ease of Use: B+
Here are some more snowy pics for your entertainment - all of you sitting nice and snug by your wood stoves.
 |
| See stark contrast from previous post. |
 |
| Yes, those dark blobs are sheep! |
 |
| Chickie and Sage don't seem to mind the snow |
 |
| Winter camo. |
13 comments:
Well the pictures are beautiful actually! I swear you live in the snowiest region of the world!
Great review! Well -put together- review at least! If not the actual putting together! ha!
Just keep shoveling! You should be done around, what? MAY? ACK!
I'm not familiar with your new snow removal machine (!) at all, but am wondering where the snow goes? When working along a long stretch (any pathway) once the snow fills the shovel part, doesn't it spill up over the top and sides and fall right back into the path? Obviously, I need to hot-foot it out to rural NY state and get behind the wheel myself to understand the mechanics of it!
APG is right: The pictures are bee-yew-tiful!
APG - Yes, we always get more snow than my parents do north of us in VT! And once I go over the mountaint to work, no one believes me - until they notice that my car is the only one in the garage with the 6" white Mohawk.
Mama Pea - According to Barbie and Ken on the DVD, you have to do a sort of push-and-jerk-and-bounce which causes the snow in the shovel to go flying off (hopefully, not in the same pathway you just shoveled). I have been shoveling-and-dipping, which they say is "not" right. Pish, I say. Works for me.
Snow wolf huh, well maybe you need to teach your dark blobs there the art of snow removal. After all, they do a good job making the grass disappear. Why not snow? There has got to be a way we can get these animals to help out around the homestead. And when you figure it out, let me know how you did it.
Jane - I don't dare say "wolf" around the blobs. Yes, they are little eating machines, although the maze created by the bent birches threw them for a loop this morning.
Those are beautiful photos, Susan. You have a lot more snow than we do. I would say that if you are dreaming of a white Christmas, you're set!
Your snow pictures look like something out of Currier and Ives!! The assembled Snow Wolf is impressive too! Jeez, keep warm up there!
Quite a bit of snow you've got there already! I think MN is behind this year, but I'm not complaining because no snow sure makes it easier to work on the almost-farm! I think it would have been fabulous to have been there with you, in person, during the assembly of the S-W. :)
Curious - did the snow stick in the shovel? I had that problem with my push shovel (though I don't have a big wheel on mine!) A neighbor and MI local suggested I spray the shovel with WD-40 first to make it slide out. I was wondering if cooking oil might be a little more environmentally friendly?? (Though I'm probably overthinking the whole thing, a chronic problem for me!)
I'm finally catching up on all your happenings! These frosty photos are beautiful! I had to laugh at you plying Sylvie with wine to rearrange, I too, have a love of moving stuff around and when I go into someone's house it's hard to not tell them how their space could "work better" if they did this or that, it's a disease really, and no wine is needed for folks like us to dive in, we love it LOL!! You have been very busy, love all the photos you have been posting, looks great!
The photos are really great. I enjoyed seeing them. Hope your snow shovel gets easier as you get use to it.
Your Snow Wolf was featured in the Portland Press Herald as the thing to have!
Post a Comment