Snow plow assembly adapted for mounting on a vehicle and method of using the same

Claim 1

A method of plowing snow from a snow covered driveway terminating at one end at a garage and at the other end at a road, the junction of the driveway and the road having an upstream corner and a downstream corner, comprising the steps: providing a vehicle having a front blade mounted on the front of said vehicle and adapted to push snow out of the path of said vehicle when said vehicle is travelling in a forward direction; means for mounting said front blade on the front of said vehicle; means for altering the position of said front blade and for maintaining said front blade in a selected position relative to said vehicle; a rear blade mounted on the rear of said vehicle and adapted to pull snow from behind said vehicle when said vehicle is travelling in a forward direction; means for mounting said rear blade on the rear of said vehicle; means for selectively altering the position of said rear blade and for maintaining said rear blade in a selected position relative to said vehicle; means for rendering said first blade position altering means inoperative when said rear blade position altering means is operative and for rendering said rear blade position altering means inoperative when said front blade position altering means is operative; and a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid wherein said front blade position altering means and said rear blade position altering means are each in fluid communication with said pressure source and are each operative in response to said pressurized hydraulic fluid and wherein said rendering means comprises a switch for selectively diverting said pressurized fluid between said front blade position altering means and said rear blade position altering means; backing said vehicle in a rearward direction along the driveway toward the garage while said front blade and said rear blade are each in a relatively raised position substantially above the snow on the driveway; stopping said vehicle near the garage; lowering said rear blade by said rendering means such that said rear blade depends into the snow on the driveway; driving said vehicle in a forward direction along the driveway toward the road such that said rear blade pulls snow from behind said vehicle; steering said vehicle onto the road; raising said rear blade by said rendering means such that the snow pulled by said rear blade is deposited at the end of the driveway near the road and forms a snow pile; moving said vehicle such that the front of said vehicle substantially faces the snow pile; lowering said front blade by said rendering means such that said front blade is substantially adjacent to the ground; and driving said vehicle in a forward direction toward the snow pile such that said front blade pushes snow in the snow pile toward the downstream corner of the junction between the driveway and the road.

Claim 2

A method of plowing snow from a snow covered driveway terminating at one end at a garage and at the other end at a road, the junction of the driveway and the road having an upstream corner and a downstream corner, comprising the steps: providing a vehicle having a front blade mounted on the front of said vehicle and adapted to push snow out of the path of said vehicle when said vehicle is travelling in a forward direction; means for mounting said front blade on the front of said vehicle; means for altering the position of said front blade and for maintaining said front blade in a selected position relative to said vehicle; a rear blade mounted on the rear of said vehicle and adapted to pull snow from behind said vehicle when said vehicle is travelling in a forward direction; means for mounting said rear blade on the rear of said vehicle; means for selectively altering the position of said rear blade and for maintaining said rear blade in a selected position relative to said vehicle; means for rendering said first blade position altering means inoperative when said rear blade position altering means is operative and for rendering said rear blade position altering means inoperative when said front blade position altering means is operative; and a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid wherein said front blade position altering means and said rear blade position altering means are each in fluid communication with said pressure source and are each operative in response to said pressurized hydraulic fluid and wherein said rendering means comprises a switch for selectively diverting said pressurized fluid between said front blade position altering means and said rear blade position altering means; backing said vehicle in a rearward direction along the driveway toward the garage while said front blade and said rear blade are each in a relatively raised position substantially above the snow on the driveway; stopping said vehicle near the garage; lowering said rear blade by said rendering means such that said rear blade depends into the snow on the driveway; driving said vehicle in a forward direction along the driveway toward the road such that said rear blade pulls snow from behind said vehicle; steering said vehicle onto the road; raising said rear blade by said rendering means such that the snow pulled by said rear blade is deposited at the end of the driveway near the road and forms a snow pile; moving said vehicle such that the front of said vehicle substantially faces the snow pile; lowering said front blade by said rendering means such that said front blade is substantially adjacent to the ground; and driving said vehicle in a forward direction toward the snow pile such that said front blade pushes snow in the snow pile toward the downstream corner of the junction between the driveway and the road.