My thinking is that you want tracks on an inclined driveway; primarily due to the possibility of ice patches under the snow. I've been in a couple of "hairy" situations after falling on my fairly steep driveway while shoveling. Not only did I fall (yeeeeouch), but I actually slid towards the end of the driveway. Only the snowbank at the end of my driveway, prevented me from sliding out into oncoming traffic. My eyes were as big as saucers on that one.
I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to have a running snowblower following me down that slope.
I'm going to invest in a pair of spiked overshoes this season.
http://yahoo.shoptoit.ca/shop/product--productId_6880209.html
When I first moved into this place, my car once slid completely sideways on the icy slope, even though I was crawling down the driveway, feathering the brakes all the way. After that experience, I bought bags of sand, which I store in a heated area, otherwise it'll turn into a solid frozen mass.
As for tracked snowblowers being hard to turn, well, I guess that depends on the machine, and technique. On my Honda HS1132TC, I can squeeze the bucket-raising lever on the right-side handle, which raises the bucket a few inches off the ground. Then, I can apply a bit of lift under the handles, which puts all of the machines' weight on the front of the tracks. The middle and back of the tracks are completely off the ground in that instance, allowing me to easily turn the machine. I can literally lift and tilt the machine with one finger.
Thanks for the tip on turning! I am going to try your method. I just purchased a new track drive yamaha, and I have been tilting it up, but I didn't try lifting it forward before turning! I will try this next time out.
