Invention Geek – Snowblower?

Question from Andrew T:
How long has the snow blower been around for? Was it an accident like the snow machine?
Thanks Geek!!
– Andrew

Hello Andrew. I have been extremely thankful lately for the invention of the snow blower.

The invention was not an accident at all. It was invented by a Canadian man, Arthur Sicard, who was frustrated by the difficulty of delivering his milk from the farm to the market in the snow. The idea behind the snow blower came from a treshing machine. He utilized the same rotating blades on the tresher to blow the snow.

In 1925, Sicard was able to built a working, road clearing, snow blower. The Sicard Snow Remover Snowblower had three different sections, a four-wheel drive truck chassis and truck motor, the snow scooping section, and the snow blower with two adjustable chutes and separate motor. This machine could clear and throw snow over 90 feet from the truck or it could be put into the back of the truck. Sicard founded Sicard Industries to produce his machine. By 1927, the snow remover was being used to remove snow in areas around Montreal.

On Feb 26, 1929, Sicard was granted US Patent 1,703,786 for a snow-removing machine. You can view the patent here.