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How to use a snow pusher

Updated: 21.10.2026

You use a snow pusher when fresh snow is sitting on a flat path or drive and you would rather slide it than throw it. The aim is a clear strip before anyone walks the surface into ice. Push early, keep the blade moving, salt or grit for grip, and stop when the tool stalls. The [snow pusher comparison](/hub/garden-tools/snow-pusher) is where the listings sit if you do not own one yet. We used GOV.UK, the Met Office snow code, and council notes, not a lab trial of a brand. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Gravel and block paving have their own limits on the [driveway page](/hub/garden-tools/snow-pusher/sub/snow-pusher-driveway).

You use a snow pusher when fresh snow is sitting on a flat path or drive and you would rather slide it than throw it. The aim is a clear strip before anyone walks the surface into ice.

Our top picks

SnowPlow The SnowPlow 36 inch pusher

Best overall

SnowPlow The SnowPlow 36 inch pusher
5.5/10about £193.14
View offer
EarlyGrow EarlyGrow plastic pusher head

Best value

EarlyGrow EarlyGrow plastic pusher head
5.3/10about £11.95
View offer
Brewin Brewin SnowPro wheeled pusher

Alternative

Brewin Brewin SnowPro wheeled pusher
4.0/10about £142.50
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you start
  2. 2.The push
  3. 3.Salt, sand, and no water
  4. 4.When a pusher is the wrong motion

Before you start

Start when the snow is still loose. The Met Office snow code tells you to clear early, before feet and tyres pack it. A path that was an easy push at 7am is a crust by the school run, and a pusher is a poor tool for that crust. Aberdeenshire’s snow-warden notes, written for volunteers rather than as a product manual, add a warm-up before you take the tool out.

The push

Push. Do not throw. Hold the tool at a slight angle so snow slides off to one side, and keep the work below waist height. That is the Aberdeenshire note, and it matches the Health and Safety Executive’s handling point: keep the load close and do not twist. Using it like a shovel, scooping and turning to fling, spends the advantage. Take a path down the middle first, which is the Met Office pattern, so you and anyone else have one safe line.
SnowPlow The SnowPlow 36 inch pusher

Testsieger

SnowPlow The SnowPlow 36 inch pusher
5.5/10about £193.14
View offer

Salt, sand, and no water

Salt is for the ice you cannot push away, and the rates in public guidance do not match word for word. The Met Office snow code says about one tablespoon of table salt or dishwasher salt per square metre. Gloucestershire’s guide says a small handful for about one metre of surface, and it also says salt does not remove compacted ice. Do not average those into a third figure. Use the tablespoon when you are following the snow code on a square metre of path. Do not take salt from a roadside grit bin unless the council has said you may. Water stays off the path. GOV.UK says a careful clear is unlikely to lead to a claim, and Northern Ireland’s footway advice is on nidirect.

When a pusher is the wrong motion

Stop when the blade will not slide. Deep, wet, or packed snow is the point where a wide pusher becomes a heavy plate. The United States review files say so for the 36 inch SnowPlow and for the Brewin once the cover is past a few inches, and they say packed ice does not move. That is not a defect report you should turn into a return on its own. It is the wrong motion. Shorten the pass once. Call the council for the carriageway, and do not clear a roof you would have to walk on. A cracked blade is a Consumer Rights Act 2015 point for the retailer. The versus page is where you decide you needed a shovel as well.

Common questions

Do I push or throw?
You push. A snow pusher is built to slide snow aside in front of a wide blade, and the SnowPlow bullets say lifting or scooping is not the method. Throwing turns the same tool into a shovel with an awkward head, which is how people twist. Angle the blade slightly, keep it below waist height, and let the snow spill to the side.
When should I start?
Start while the snow is fresh, before it is walked or driven into a pad. The Met Office snow code is built around that early clear. Waiting until midday on a British pavement often means you are scraping a crust a pusher will not shift. If the forecast is a freeze and nothing has fallen yet, Gloucestershire’s guide talks about laying salt beforehand.
Can I pour hot water on the path?
No. GOV.UK tells you not to use water, because it can freeze and leave a worse surface than the snow you were trying to remove. Hot water feels effective for a few minutes and then becomes the black ice you were avoiding. Use the pusher on loose snow, then table salt in the snow-code amount, or sand or ash for grip.
How much salt, and may I use the grit bin?
The Met Office says about one tablespoon of table or dishwasher salt per square metre. Gloucestershire says a small handful for about one metre of surface, and that salt will not clear compacted ice. Keep those as two separate instructions. Do not take salt from a council grit bin unless that council has said residents may.
Where do I put the snow?
Put it on a verge or in a garden, which is Gloucestershire’s line, and do not block a drain or a gully. The Met Office says the same about drains, and it says not to block the way your neighbours walk. A tidy ridge along the kerb that dams the gutter will freeze into a lip overnight.
Will I be sued if someone slips later?
GOV.UK says you are unlikely to be sued if you cleared the snow carefully. That is not a statement that a claim is impossible, and it is not a reason to clear carelessly or to leave a wet path that refreezes. Northern Ireland publishes its own footway advice on nidirect.
What if the blade stalls after one metre?
Back the blade off and take a narrower strip. Wide pushers in the United States review files stall when the snow is deep or when the pile ahead of the blade gets too big. One full-width shove is the mistake. If a second, shorter pass still will not move, the snow is too packed for a pusher.

Related pages

Snow pusher buying guide

Snow pusher

Best snow pusher UK: a shaft, a wide blade, or skip

Snow pusher for a driveway: tarmac, blocks, or gravel

Snow pusher vs snow shovel: push, lift, or own both

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026. Retailer pages were checked on 20 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK — Clear snow from a road, path or cycleway (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  2. Met Office — Clearing paths and driveways (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  3. nidirect — Clearing ice and snow from footways (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  4. HSE — Good handling technique (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9 and 22 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  6. Tooled-Up — Snow clearing (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  7. ABIS — Recycled plastic snow pusher (retrieved 20.10.2026)
  8. Aberdeenshire Council — Volunteer snow warden training (retrieved 20.10.2026)