I'm on my 2nd Winter season with my Chinese knock-off's -- did not realize the real deal was patented, but at roughly 1/2 the cost, they were certainly affordable. They work great, but they do not scrape the surface of my blacktop driveway very clean. I've got an inch, or more, of snow/ice melting, today. Been driving on it for a couple of weeks, now.
I love moving piles of snow with my FEL -- it's a blast! The County road turns 90-degrees, where my driveway meets it; the plow driver leaves me a 2-4 foot high pile of compressed snow/ice to clear, to get out of my driveway. The FEL clears it, easy-peasy, with the edge skis. In years past, I had to remove that wall with my walk-behind blower, slowly chewing it up, bit-by-bit. Now, the FEL just scoops it up, and lets me dump it in the ditch, easy and fast. Even though my edge skis don't scrape down to the pavement, they make such quick, easy work of moving massive amounts of snow, that I don't mind too much.
I buy 50# bags of Chicken Grit, and apply it liberally atop the surface ice. When the Sun comes out, the dark Chicken Grit absorbs heat and melts the ice almost like it was salt. No matter the temperature in tropical Southern Minnesota, the Chicken Grit bites into the snow and ice, when any rubber tires roll over it. I really like Chicken Grit better than sand, any day of the year. Cheers!
