It’s been snowing polar bears and white rhinos this year. Heading towards a meter in depth, my back and arms are tiring of shoveling the sidewalk and driveway, and the steps make any snow blower unworkable. A combination snow plow and snow shovel would make life easier. Depending on the location one could clear snow to both sides or push it ahead and lift it out of the way.
As seen in the drawing below, the plow-shovel would have four main parts: a handle connected to a curved, shield-shaped middle section supporting and just behind two curved side sections. Hinged at the bottom, the side sections could be angled into a plow or straightened to a shovel with the middle section filling the resulting gap. The parts would be attached with strong but simple fasteners to glide and snap into place for either mode.-- FarmerJohn, Feb 27 2005 (?) drawing http://www.geocitie...ie/snowshovel.html?seen from the front, side and above [FarmerJohn, Feb 27 2005] The above illustration https://web.archive...nie/snowshovel.html[+] [notexactly, Mar 14 2019] Transformers. Shovels in disguise. [+]-- Blumster, Feb 27 2005 Not much time to think this out but I like the dragging rectangle that a tractor can pull to keep gravel filling lane holes in the summer. Propose your shovel be dragged instead of pushed as well but I guess there's no traction. Robowinch it.-- mensmaximus, Feb 27 2005 I recall the day I wished there was a pneumatic jack attached to my shovel, just to kick it up a notch.-- reensure, Feb 28 2005 Nice drawing. +-- DesertFox, Feb 28 2005 Gets my (+) and I like the design but it's going to have to be fairly heavy to make the three overlapping parts, which make up the tip in plow mode, strong enough to keep from getting bent on concrete and ice.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 28 2005 Hey FarmerJohn happy 3rd anniversary, of halfbaking!
just happened to be on his profile page and saw it.-- dentworth, Mar 01 2005 Why, thank you kindly, [dentworth]-- FarmerJohn, Mar 01 2005 If the plow's good, and the shovel's good, then OK, but keep them as separate tools. It would be cheaper to have 2 tools than one combined like this. Less moving parts (none), no fasteners, less weight.-- sophocles, Mar 01 2005 How is it cheaper to have two things than one thing? This could be made as cheaply as a shovel.-- waugsqueke, Mar 02 2005 Yeah, cheaper. Just look at the price of 2 shovels (no moving parts, simple) with one manual edge-trimmer (more material, moving parts). Also, over the life of the tools, much cheaper, as the moving parts get wear, rust, etc. much faster.
But hey, it's a neat idea, and just half-baked. Just what I'm looking for here.-- sophocles, Mar 03 2005 random, halfbakery