It’s that time of year, time to play in the snow, have snowball fights, get your car warmed up an hour before you have to leave, scrape snow and ice off the windshield. . .okay, maybe it’s not all fun. Just so you’re ready, make sure you can separate fact from fiction when it comes to winter weather.

Here are some of the most popular myths about snow:

  1. Shoveling can give you a heart attack. It’s true that some people over age 55 should be careful about physical exertion if they aren’t in good shape. When it comes to shoveling, always try to push snow aside rather than lift it. If you have to lift, try to lift with your legs, not back. During this time of year, more back injuries are caused by lifting snow with a shovel.
  2. As long as you have snow or all-weather tires, you won’t have to worry about getting traction in the snow. What’s most important is the depth of the tread in your tires. How can you tell if your tires are too worn and unsafe? A good test is the penny trick. If you place a penny sideways in the tread, it’s deep enough if you can’t see Abraham Lincoln’s head—or just the top of it.
  3. Putting sand bags in your trunk is the best way to help distribute the weight more evenly and give you more traction. While it’s a helpful strategy, the most effective way to ensure you get the best traction on slippery roads is to inflate all of your tires with the correct amount of air pressure. Remember, you lose air pressure in cold weather.
  4. Using a snow blower takes less effort than shoveling. This is only true if you handle the snow blower properly. Try not to fight with it—you have to let it guide you, so it doesn’t require as much physical exertion.

Snow plowing, however, can take minutes to do what shoveling would take hours to do. Unless you’re an expert at plowing, using proper angle placement and windrowing strategies, it’s usually a good idea to call on a trusted company for snow plow services.

The Veron Company provides commercial snow plowing services. We have one of the largest fleets of snow control and removal vehicles in the area. We have front-end loaders, bobcats, backhoes, 6-wheel dumps, F550’s and, of course, snow blowers. Our equipment is so innovative it was featured in Lawn & Landscape magazine.

The Veron Company also provides other important, related services:

Roof Clearing. Do you know what an ice dam is? An ice dam occurs when you have a snow-covered roof. Heat from the highest level of the building causes snow on the roof to melt. When this happens, it forms pools of water that can get inside your house or place of business and cause great damage. In addition, heavy snow packed on your roof could cause very serious structural damage, if not collapse the entire roof! But roof clearing can be dangerous. That’s why you need professionals, like those at The Veron Company, who have the equipment necessary to take care of the roof snow quickly and easily.

Last but not least, we’ll clear walkways around your business to keep the property safe for everyone. And unlike some companies, we can also haul the snow away.

So ‘tis the season to enjoy the white stuff, while letting the professionals take care of the clearing, so you don’t have to!

The Veron Company is dedicated to providing a number of landscaping, snow removal, and other services. Keep checking our blog for more maintenance tips, and contact us today to let us go to work for you!

The Veron Company, services Marlborough, Massachusetts and surrounding areas, including Cape Cod since 1982.