Alright, let me tell you about what I was up to recently. My old snow shovel, the one I’ve had for years, started acting up. Well, not the whole shovel, but the bottom edge.
You know that plastic or sometimes metal strip right at the very bottom? The wear strip? Mine was completely shot. Totally worn down, cracked in a couple of places. Every time I tried to clear the driveway, it would scrape unevenly, leaving annoying little patches of snow behind. Plus, it just felt wrong, like dragging sandpaper across the concrete. It was driving me nuts.
So, I decided I had to fix it. Didn’t want to buy a whole new shovel just because of that little strip. Seemed wasteful. First step was figuring out what kind of strip I needed. I flipped the shovel over and took a good look.
Getting the Right Part
Measured the length of the old strip and noted how many screw holes it had. Seemed pretty standard. I ended up just ordering one online. Found a replacement that looked identical – same length, same number of holes. It wasn’t expensive, which was nice.
Waiting for it to arrive was the hardest part, especially with more snow possibly on the way. But it showed up in a couple of days.
Doing the Swap
Okay, time for the actual work. Wasn’t expecting it to be complicated. I gathered my tools, which really just meant my trusty screwdriver set. Found the right Phillips head bit.
- First, I had to get the old, busted strip off. The screws were a bit rusty, as you’d expect. Had to put some elbow grease into it, push down hard on the screwdriver so it wouldn’t strip the screw heads.
- One or two were particularly stubborn, but I eventually persuaded them all to come out.
- Pulled the old, chewed-up strip off. It basically crumbled in one spot. Glad I was replacing it.
- Before putting the new one on, I took a rag and wiped down the shovel blade edge where the strip sits. Got rid of any built-up grit and grime.
- Then I grabbed the new wear strip. Lined it up with the holes on the shovel blade. Thankfully, it was a perfect match.
- Started putting the screws back in. I used the old screws since they were still okay, just a bit rusty. Tightened them all down firmly, making sure the strip was snug against the shovel edge. Didn’t overtighten, just made sure it wasn’t going anywhere.
All Done
And that was pretty much it! Stood the shovel up and looked at the new wear strip. Looked solid, straight, and ready for action. Much better than the sad state it was in before.
Feels good to fix something yourself, you know? Saved a few bucks by not buying a whole new shovel, and it really didn’t take much time at all. Now, just gotta wait for the next snowfall to test it out properly. Should glide much smoother and clear the snow way better. Job done.
