Your snow shovel will perform better

and you will like it more

if it's sized to suit you.

See the fellow in the picture above? The top of the handle on his shovel comes just to the top of his forehead. That's just the right size. He added a piece of hardwood dowel and extended the length of his shovel, and now his back feels better and his snow gets shovelled faster.

This is a very easy Instructable. If you have the right size of dowel on hand it will take only 5 - 10 minutes to complete. Once you have used the modified shovel you will wonder how you got along without it.

(Note: this Instructable is especially helpful for taller people.)

Step 1:

Start with a good shovel. This one was purchased at Canadian Tire especially for this Instructable. The blade size is about 17" x 13" - but a blade that is a couple of inches narrower will work fine and will take lighter scoops of snow. This one has a plastic blade with a bit of curve, but it's not a full snow scoop. (Scoops are for pushing snow, not shovelling.)

Also required:

a piece of dowel that's the right size to fit the shovel shaft
a wood screw for attaching the handle

Step 2:

Remove the D handle.

Insert the dowel and fasten it with a wood screw.

Reattach the D handle on the end of the dowel. Size it so top of the D handle comes to the top of your forehead - perfect size for you!

Step 3:

Done!

This is a comparison picture of the custom snow shovel mod (you can see the length of dowel that has been added), and an unmodified, stock snow shovel. You will be surprised at the performance advantage of a shovel that is properly sized for you. And what's more, with this modification the shovel shovels - and it pushes!

Step 4:

Apologies to the Instructables community: when I first published this instructable I specified that the total length should bring the top of the handle even to the shoveller's nose. I have since found further performance advantage when the handle goes to the top of the forehead, and have amended the Instructable accordingly.