# Can a Honda or any 2-stage tackle this EOD problem?



## colorado_jeff (Dec 10, 2015)

Inevitably even when I shovel the drive and part of the street the snow plows will come, I will have to go out of town and some freeze thaw will slowly turn this to 3-inches of hardpack snow/ice. Can anything chop this up? It is the shady side of the street and can take weeks to melt or I break my back with a dirt shovel chipping.

I just bought a single stage HS720 which is great for the drive and the walk but this is as big a problem. I have a few more days to return it to HD and splurge on a 2-stage.

Thanks...Jeff


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## db9938 (Nov 17, 2013)

Short answer, no. I am unsure of any machine, other than a self-propelled plow, that would move that out of your way, if it is solidified. As a slush, after the the plow, what you have should handle it.


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## Yanmar Ronin (Jan 31, 2015)

I recommend some bags of a fine-grained calcium based snow melting compound and a lawn fertilizer spreader. Got a couple of spots like that near the end of the drive, works good.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Ice chipper and or snow melt and a shovel would be safer once you start to get it to break up. The ice chunks are hard on a machine and can jam the auger or impeller.

You need to get it up before it freezes or let it go till spring when it thaws.


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## uberT (Dec 29, 2013)




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## 43128 (Feb 14, 2014)

Propane Torch

my answer involves fire


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Jack Hammer


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## SB83 (Dec 15, 2015)

As someone who generally believes that any proper outdoor tool needs to have an engine attached to it, I'd go with ice melt and a heavy steel snow pusher shovel like those made by Garant. Skip the aluminum, poly or steel edged versions, I'm talking about the heavy steel 24" pushers. You won't see them in the chain stores but you can buy them online. These are incredibly good at removing ice once the ice melt has done its work in breaking the bond to the pavement. If you've never used one, you'll be amazed at how the extra weight and rigidity lets you pry/wedge up large chunks of ice and frozen snow.


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## cprstn54 (Feb 19, 2014)

Front tine roto-tiller -- if you already have one, so long as it is only snow-crete and not solid ice.

If the snow a little softer, I like putting my hs928TAS auger in full-down position, and I move the speed lever between full forward and full reverse, repeatedly bashing the auger it into the snow dam until I break through. Kind of like rocking your car out of a rut. This is one of the nice feature of hydraulic drive, IMHO.

Ken C


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

You might consider paying a neighbor kid when your out of town........ 

Once it has sat long enough it's going to be "fun" and frozen. either go with chemical solution or hit it with one of those propane weed burners and go at it with a shovel. Having somebody get at it before it comes to that is the best bet.


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## mobiledynamics (Nov 21, 2014)

Steel Pusher ain't going to cut it.

Ice melt is nice, but there is probably residual salt in the snow from the plows already if not on the blacktop runoff.

Ice chopper and then any shovel to chuck it is the way to go.
Ice chopper can only do so much tough, ideally large mounds of EOD frozen overnight is fine. But your pics show straight up snow hardpack, driven over X time, and the longer it get's driven over and the frozen, the more the problem compounds.

Best to get to the EOD multiple times before it get's driven over...


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## sscotsman (Dec 8, 2010)

If its at the end of the driveway, like in the first photo in this thread, I would just leave it. (unless people need to walk there..but in my situation, they dont..) but sometimes I get patches further up toward the house where our cars have hard-packed "lines" where they ran over the snow, before I got the snowblower out..those can turn into "tire tracks of ice" after a few days..so I use one of these:










to scrape them up into small ice chunks, (that scraper gets right under them very easily) then use the snow shovel to herd the chunks off to the yard on the side of the driveway..IMO, there is no good solution to that problem that involves a snowblower..the snowblower just isnt the right tool for that job.

Scot


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## colorado_jeff (Dec 10, 2015)

Thanks all...afraid that was the case.


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## YSHSfan (Jun 25, 2014)

sscotsman said:


>


I use one of them at my house and we also use a few at the shop.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

If it's not that bad I'd just leave it and drive over it. Maybe on a sunny day try to smooth it out a bit if it's bumpy but there's a lot of winter left to spend much time out there breaking your back on it.


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## nZone (Feb 19, 2015)

That's like an inch of ice. There is no need for snowblower. Do nothing and let it thaw naturally or throw some ice melt granules.


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## bad69cat (Nov 30, 2015)

hsblowersfan said:


> I use one of them at my house and we also use a few at the shop.


 
I'm allergic to those! :wavetowel2:


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## Flexin (Oct 24, 2015)

sscotsman said:


> If its at the end of the driveway, like in the first photo in this thread, I would just leave it. (unless people need to walk there..but in my situation, they dont..) but sometimes I get patches further up toward the house where our cars have hard-packed "lines" where they ran over the snow, before I got the snowblower out..those can turn into "tire tracks of ice" after a few days..so I use one of these:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is the proper tool right there. Some salt can get it started but isn't needed unless you want it done now. If you get a warm day, go chip away at it. Then do it again on the next warm day. 

You can also just pound the salt to it and wait.

Other option is, wait till spring.

James


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## SnowG (Dec 5, 2014)

SB83 said:


> As someone who generally believes that any proper outdoor tool needs to have an engine attached to it, I'd go with ice melt and a heavy steel snow pusher shovel like those made by Garant. Skip the aluminum, poly or steel edged versions, I'm talking about the heavy steel 24" pushers. You won't see them in the chain stores but you can buy them online. These are incredibly good at removing ice once the ice melt has done its work in breaking the bond to the pavement. If you've never used one, you'll be amazed at how the extra weight and rigidity lets you pry/wedge up large chunks of ice and frozen snow.


I have one of those. It's a workout, even without the snow/ice. But they are effective after the salt has done its work. 

I also have a wide plastic pusher shovel that's great for light snows that are a little too much to leave and not enough for the 2-stage. I shovel it into lanes then go over the linear lane piles -- takes only a couple of passes with the 2-stage to get rid of it.


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## AesonVirus (Aug 24, 2015)

This is what I use as well. It sucks when the whole **** driveway is covered but it definitely does the job. I have a long, steep driveway that gets little sun.
When needed, I toss down some ice melt, wait a bit and then get to chopping.


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