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Driveway Snow Scraper

Picture a windshield wiper for the driveway.
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Inspired by sanman's Winch-Drawn Snow-Removal Tarp, this is a long, rubber squeegee like thing that runs the length of the driveway on one side. There are two motors on either side of the driveway that pull it from one side to the other via cables scraping the snow with it.

This wouldn't' require resetting, you'd just pull it from one side to the other as it scraped the snow off the driveway and piled it up on the side, then the next day, or whenever, you'd just pull it back to the other side, scraping the snow into another pile.

The snow being scooped into two piles would reduce the size of those piles as well.

Now unlike a windshield wiper, the "blade" would be wedge shaped so that the weight of the snow would push it down making it scrape deeper and more effectively unlike the windshield wiper that relies on the pressure of a spring to push it down.

A mobile version of this might be used for roads and runways as well.

I suppose a smaller articulated version of this with a shorter blade could be used as well, the two motor units just roll down the driveway after clearing a swath of maybe 5 feet at a time requiring much less powerful motors. Job would still get done, just would take a little while longer.

It would have wheels under it so the only friction would be at the leading edge where it's scooping the snow.

The hight would be whatever proves practical because if it was too much to pull the entire load, you could just go back and forth taking layers from underneath until the job was done. I expect in actual application you're need to get some serious horsepower to do the entire driveway at once. This allows you to spread the task out without having a pretty hefty horsepower motor that it might take to move thousands of pounds of snow at once.

ADDENDUM: If you're doing the moving unit deal where it moves down the driveway, the blade would be angled to push the snow towards the street, changing the angle as it moves back and forth. Once it gets to the street, the angle just changes to perpendicular to the driveway so it pushes it to the side.

doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2022

Or... https://www.thesnowbot.com/
There are options already available (blower, not scraper...). [neutrinos_shadow, Feb 10 2022]

[link]






       Could do whatever works best. The idea is to break up the job in practical little bits so you could have it run every hour or so, or once in the morning, to whatever works with the size and power of the system.   

       I don't believe in living in snow myself, my daughter left her beautiful beach adjacent California town to go to college in a place that has snow storms. The real solution to snow in your driveway is buying a driveway in California on the coast.   

       And not to brag, but despite going to college at 16 because high school was "A pointless waste of time." she's just a notch below magna cum laude, the top 3% of her class.   

       (disengage obnoxious proud dad bragging that nobody could care less about)   

       But when she gets her PHD, I won't be able to do so much as buy a donut without bragging about her to the person behind the counter.
doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2022
  

       Yea, I think that's the good part of this, that it's scalable.   

       Could mount it permanently, maybe in a container in two trenches along the length of the driveway. Don't imagine it would be particularly attractive of only bringing it up during the winter might be a sales feature.   

       Keep in mind, it will need to be pretty well attached to the ground on ether side. It's still pulling a lot of weight.   

       Hmm, actually it wouldn't, you could just have a solid member between the two units keeping the motor from pulling itself into the driveway.   

       Disregard the permanent mounting thing. You could just store this in the garage during the summer. The member that's the width of the driveway between the two units would be collapsable for ease of storage.
doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2022
  

       Love it [+]
21 Quest, Feb 10 2022
  

       Love it [+]
21 Quest, Feb 10 2022
  

       Wonder if gas powered might be better.   

       Plus just realized you don’t need two motors, just one with a mechanical linkage between the sides through that separation member that stretches across the driveway.
doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2022
  

       [a1] yeah, I realise it's a different mechanism. I thought it was worth adding a link showing current tech. I've edited the description to be a bit less blah.
neutrinos_shadow, Feb 10 2022
  

       //glazed with ice//
Is that not the plan? Muhahaha..!
neutrinos_shadow, Feb 11 2022
  

       I could use one now. I, just like 21Quest, love this twice as much as usual.
blissmiss, Feb 12 2022
  
      
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