Snow Pusher vs Snow Shovel: Which Is Easier on Your Back?

Choose a snow pusher if:

• You clear a flat, paved driveway or wide walk.
• Snow usually arrives a few inches at a time, or you can clear during a long storm.
• Lifting bothers your back, shoulders or knees.
• You want to move snow quickly in long, straight lanes.

Choose a snow shovel if:

• You clear steps, stoops, tight paths between cars or around a mailbox.
• Storms are deep or wet and a wide blade gets too heavy.
• You need to throw snow up onto banks late in the season.
• You break up the heavy windrow the plow leaves at the curb.

Heavier than it looks, and the difference between storms is huge. Fresh, dry powder can weigh around 5 pounds per cubic foot, while wet, settled snow can weigh around 20 pounds per cubic foot or more. An 18 by 12-inch shovel blade loaded 6 inches deep holds about 0.75 cubic foot, so each lift weighs under 4 pounds in powder and about 15 pounds in wet snow. Clearing a two-car driveway means hundreds of those lifts.

That is the case for a pusher: sliding snow along the pavement takes far less force than lifting the same weight. It is also why a 36-inch pusher becomes hard work in wet snow, since you are moving a much bigger load in every stroke. Push shorter distances, take half-width bites, or switch to the shovel when the snow is wet.

For people who shovel often, yes. The Snow Joe Shovelution ($59.97) adds a spring-assist second handle that acts as a fulcrum, giving the lower hand leverage so you bend less on each lift. The Garant Yukon uses a curved aluminum handle for the same goal.

Wheeled pushers go further. The Snowcaster 30SNC rides on wheels with an angled, bi-directional blade that windrows snow to the side, so nothing is lifted at all. It is the closest a manual tool gets to a snow blower for people who cannot lift. For packed snow and thin ice on concrete, a steel-bladed pusher like the Garant Nordic NSP24D scrapes better than plastic.

Use the pusher for the bulk and the shovel for the finish. Start in the middle of the driveway and push snow in straight lanes toward the nearer edge, overlapping each lane slightly. Use the shovel to lift the snow at the edges onto the bank and to clear steps and the plow windrow. During a long storm, clear every few inches rather than waiting for the total; two light pushes are far easier than one heavy lift. Finish with ice melt spread evenly with a tool like the Chapin SaltPro spreader. If you have pets, a chloride-free product such as Safe Paw is gentler on paws.