If you live in Michigan, then you know it gets cold, and often enough; you break out either a snowblower or shovel to do the deed of clearing the driveway. Using a snowblower isn’t exactly good for the environment — no matter which way you look at it — and using a shovel isn’t exactly an efficient use of human energy. So check out this hybrid of the two: man + machine.
A man named Craig recently wrote into Makezine and shared his story of his Human-powered snow plow:
The custom 3-wheel bike with sidecar was made years ago, a replica of a bike my childhood friend had. Last winter I added a snow plow accessory. Up to 1 inch of snow doesn’t make it worthwhile to fire up my big 8HP snowthrower. And shoveling my 90′ long driveway by hand can be too much. So my bike plow makes it easy to make a few runs up and down the driveway to make 2 or 3 piles that can then be easily hand shoveled off to the side. A lever pulls up or lets down the plow with a rope and pulley. Pulling the lever all the way back cantilevers the rope and pivot point so it locks in place. The plow blade is hinged with a bungee cord, so hitting a discrepancy in the road allows the blade to flop and give like a real plow. The bike can turn on a dime so raising the plow and returning up the adjacent path is quick and easy. I can do ‘reverse’ by pushing down on the front wheel with my foot to roll it backwards.Totally useless with larger snow falls, but the light ones make snow removal fun. (yes, my neighbors do think I’m odd)
[via Treehugger]