Peter525839

My wife got an automatic car starter fitted two winters ago. I still have to run out and start up mine 5 mins before I leave . No windshield cracking problems and she uses it on snow and ice to make scraping much easier
even for the AC in summer What a great invention

WEBlue

Are these the same as what's called remote car starters?

We had a neighbour who had one, & the car beeped whenever it was activated. But does it leave the car unlocked while it does its warming or cooling thing, or can you re-lock the car during that process?

Beaverstate

I did not have a remote car starter, but i remember plugging in my radiator in the evening. Since it was a diesel the start up time in the AM was far quicker.

WEBlue

Awww...I remember diesel engines--we used to drive those in the UK.

But they can balk at starting up in the cold weather, so I'm just as glad to be dealing with petrol engines in this country. A neighbour here was telling us 20 years ago he used to plug in an electric blanket and tuck it round his engine on freezing nights to ensure a painless start-up the next morning.

We have got to clear those moving boxes out of our garage ASAP--it gets seriously cold here.

Xebedee

Dynamite.

Pulaski

Surely only in Idaho.

Pete H

I use a regular snow shovel with a bungee cord hooked onto the shovel part (one hand on the shovel handle and one hand on the bungee). I don't have to bend over and its faster than regular shoveling. It is also great for using as a trebuchet to win snow ball fights.

I use a snow blower when the going gets tough.

I was told the snow wovel is good but I have not tried it myself.

http://www.wovel.com/product_photos/1C_wovel_lg.jpg

AilsWallace

A wovel...oh dear god

WEBlue

Ha, this looks great in the video! Anybody tried one?

Hmm, does this mean you've tried one, AW? Or is this just an expression of your snow dread?

I've just forwarded this Wovel link to my husband, who threw his back out shovelling snow last winter...leaving me to finish shovelling the walkway all by myself ....

AilsWallace

Snow dread

SultanOfSwing

It's not that bad, really provided you're ready for it. A few degrees warmer air temps can turn it all into rain anyway.

But then that'll all freeze when it drops below 32 in anticipation for a run of days at or below 20F

Pulaski

I think they look unstable, and I am intrigued to know how much effort is required to keep the wheel upright, because wrestling with a very long shovel that has a wheel attached at it's midpoint looks like a lot of effort. I would have thought that a wovel with two wheels even just 6"-8" apart, with the shaft between, would be much easier to operate.

AdobePinon

Doesn't look much good for breaking ice. Also, the few times I choose to clear my driveway, I'm usually throwing the snow to the sides. Looks like that would be painful with the wovel.

WEBlue

Yes, good point about its stability! Especially in slippery snow & ice.

It seems that the wheel may be rubber, and they say you can adjust the lengths of handle & shovel pole for easier shovelling angles. It looks a somewhat complicated to put together though....
http://www.wovel.com/Images/File/Wovel_Instructions.pdf

Yes, the website sells an optional "wear strip" (plastic?) for the cutting edge that's meant to be replaceable. I do wonder how it would work on ice. But then I'd think snowblowers wouldn't work on ice either.

So no one here's bought one of these wovels, then? Gee, they've been around for at least 5 years or so, supposedly.

scrubbedexpat091

Your supposed to clear the snow...lol

I only lived in one place where the snow was bad, found it was cheaper to be fined by the city, and let them clear it...but the drive way was really an alleyway so not exactly the same.