# Concrete driveway to grass?



## baz5 (Oct 21, 2015)

Hello

I'm a new snow blower owner (74 Ariens) and still learning. What's the easiest way for me to do my driveway, then do the side of my house to the back, which is grass? Do you have to adjust the (forget the name) on the sides? Or do you just kinda lift the front end up so it doesn't scrape? Or what's the easiest way?

Thanks


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

baz5 said:


> Hello
> 
> I'm a new snow blower owner (74 Ariens) and still learning. What's the easiest way for me to do my driveway, then do the side of my house to the back, which is grass? Do you have to adjust the (forget the name) on the sides? Or do you just kinda lift the front end up so it doesn't scrape? Or what's the easiest way?
> 
> Thanks


I don't do nothing.
But I make sure that the last cut on my grass is lower then I normally do before the snows come, so I don't tear up the grass.
The skids will sort of ride on top of the snow, but I don't worry about marks on my lawn, to tell you the truth I don't think I ever tore up the grass either.


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## CO Snow (Dec 8, 2011)

I agree with Ed. My Ariens Deluxe 28 does fine on both without adjustments.


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## Big Ed (Feb 10, 2013)

Just make sure there is nothing in your path under the snow, rocks, tree limbs, newspapers, garden hose, lawn ornaments, lawn edging, gutters, gutter plates, etc.....whatever.

I have a map made of obstacles to avoid in my yard.
I just review it at the start of the season, eventually you get to know where not to go.

Dam squirrels are on their own.:smiley-whacky017:


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## ehonda (Jan 17, 2015)

i do my driveway with my two stage scraper bar set pretty close to the ground (the width of a paint can stirring stick). No matter how short i mow my grass, I think my augers would be chewing up the grass.

for you guys that make no adjustments going from concrete to grass, how high up is your scraper bar set?

and OP, the things you need to adjust are called the skid shoes.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

It doesn't tear the grass up a whole lot. I do try to push down on the handles to keep the front end skimming a little high. Any damage to the grass is usually gone by the first or second cutting in the spring anyway.


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## ehonda (Jan 17, 2015)

is it true you should try to keep the grass covered in at least a little bit of snow, so as not to "awaken" the grass from a dormant state before it actually gets warm?


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## GoBlowSnow (Sep 4, 2015)

No it is not true.


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## ELaw (Feb 4, 2015)

I'm with the others here... I have to clear a portion of our yard for our dogs, and the only "special" thing I do is take a right turn halfway down the driveway onto the grass. Every now and then it'll chew up a high spot a little, but the lawn recovers quickly in the spring.

Re keeping the grass covered with snow, early last spring the snow-covered grass definitely looked healthier than the grass that got uncovered. The uncovered grass was mostly yellow and the covered grass was mostly green. But after a couple of weeks the difference disappeared, and there don't seem to be any long-term effects.


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## Shryp (Jan 1, 2011)

ELaw said:


> I'm with the others here... I have to clear a portion of our yard for our dogs, and the only "special" thing I do is take a right turn halfway down the driveway onto the grass. Every now and then it'll chew up a high spot a little, but the lawn recovers quickly in the spring.
> 
> Re keeping the grass covered with snow, early last spring the snow-covered grass definitely looked healthier than the grass that got uncovered. The uncovered grass was mostly yellow and the covered grass was mostly green. But after a couple of weeks the difference disappeared, and there don't seem to be any long-term effects.


Exactly the same here on both points.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Instead of a map if I had something in my way or close leading out to the barn they are stored in I'd just have a few extra reflective markers that I use to outline the driveway to mark them. I have them to outline the garden at the end of my parking/turnaround area and the coupler end of the boat trailer as it's close to the parking area too.


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

ehonda said:


> is it true you should try to keep the grass covered in at least a little bit of snow, so as not to "awaken" the grass from a dormant state before it actually gets warm?


absolute myth..

if its cold enough for actual snow to exist in a non-liquid state, its plenty cold enough to keep grass dormant..snow cover or not.

scot


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

ELaw said:


> Re keeping the grass covered with snow, early last spring the snow-covered grass definitely looked healthier than the grass that got uncovered. The uncovered grass was mostly yellow and the covered grass was mostly green. But after a couple of weeks the difference disappeared, and there don't seem to be any long-term effects.


Two things that likely caused that..one, or the other, or perhaps both together:

1. the areas covered with snow had more water in the spring, resulting in healthier grass in the spring.

2. the areas covered with snow had better insulation from bitterly cold air, it was kept warmer overall over the winter, resulting in healthier grass in the spring.

It seems counter-intuitive to think that something buried in snow would be *warmer* than something not buried in snow!  but that is absolutely the case much of a typical winter..
If its 10 degrees below zero F outside (negative 23 C) its significantly warmer under the snow! 

so yeah, it might be _slightly_ better for the grass to be covered in snow..but the grass wont die outright either way, and as Elaw observed, both areas of grass rebounded and appeared the same after a few weeks..So its not a huge deal either way. clear the snow, don't clear it, your grass will be fine! 

Scot


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

I have a two family home and to put it bluntly, it is a real SOAB to clear. 100' long driveway from the street to the left garage door with about 38' from the cellar door on the left rear corner of the house back to the right garage door. Than I have two bigger spaces behind the house for extra parking or for the first floor. Basically, it is a BIG "L" shaped piece to clear. Unfortunately for me, there is not a lot of area to put the snow so I have to pile it up right at the property line and work my way back on to the driveway. This is about 11' of grass to my next door neighbor. Going back towards the rear property line, I clear back about 15' off of the driveway on to the grass. It doesn't look like 15' because after each storm I keep coming back closer and closer to the driveway. It is either done with the thrower or a shovel. Yes there is some rubbing of the lawn and sometimes a little scraping up of the lawn, but off the grass is really done by feeling the machine and how you have to hold and work the machine. Weather there is a little snow cover left on the grass depends on the type of snow you get. I find it better to try and get it cleared off down to the grass as much as possible, because when the next storms comes, it is usually slippery when trying to walk over if there is snow left. 

In the spring I can see the difference in the color of the lawn, but that all goes away as time goes by. There is absolutely no reason for concern about this.

At least this is how it works at my home.


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