The 6 Best Roof Rakes for Snow (2026)

The best roof rake for one-story shingle roofs where the snow piles up is the Avalanche! 500, a wheeled head and slide that sends the snow down a 12 foot plastic runway instead of making you pull every load. It is the slide half of the combo Bob Vila's tester chose as his best overall after a week of storms in Montana, and he backed it for places where the snow piles up. If you get a few inches at a time, either type works, so the USA Handy Tools 20 foot rake with Shingle Saver rollers is the one to buy: a classic aluminum blade rake, the type the Minnesota ice dam contractor we read chose on price and durability, with 20 feet of pole, and the least costly of our six picks.

Then check one number before you buy: the height of your eaves. We worked out how far past the gutter every rake on this page can reach, at most, from a safe distance on the ground. On a one-story house even the shortest pole here gets about 6 feet past the gutter at most, which is about what the guides say to clear. On a two-story house a 15.5 or 16 foot pole gets less than a foot past the gutter even at best. Two makers on this list say their rake works on a two-story house and Bob Vila says roof rakes are for single-story homes only, so the reach table below shows you what a pole can do. This page is part of our guide to snow removal tools, which covers the shovels, blowers and ice melt for the ground below.

Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It does not change what we recommend or what you pay. Availability was checked on Amazon on September 22, 2026 and can change; we do not print prices because they move, so every "Check price" link shows today's.

Best roof rakes at a glance

Read the reach column carefully. Some makers quote the pole and some quote a "reach" that already adds your own height: EZ Smart's user guide says "16 feet (21 feet reach)", and Snow Joe states a handle that "extends to 21 feet, with a total overhead reach of 27 feet". Compare poles with poles.

How we chose these

We did not test any of these rakes. We read the three roundups on this search whose authors did: Bob Vila (one tester, eight rakes, a shingle roof, a metal roof, a shed and a camper in Montana), Family Handyman (five picks, last updated in 2024) and Kiser Construction, a Minnesota ice dam contractor that bought and tried three. We added CNET's how-to, written by an owner who rakes after every storm. Then we pulled the live Amazon listing and stock status for every model we link, and the maker's own page or manual for four of our six picks: Avalanche! (Marshalltown), SnowPeeler (PolarMade), Extreme Max and EZ Smart, plus roofrake.com's spec table for the USA Handy Tools rake. Leanaco's Amazon listing is the only spec source we found for it.

Several of the testers' picks are out of stock on Amazon today: the Garant both Bob Vila and Family Handyman chose, the Avalanche! SnowRake Deluxe 20, and the Avalanche! Big Rig. We list those under "Also considered", with the reason each missed, rather than make them picks you cannot buy on Amazon today; their links may show them unavailable. The picks are chosen by roof and by reach. The SnowPeeler Premium is named by two testers as the exact model, the Avalanche! 500 was tested inside the Combo, and where a tester's finding is about a type of rake rather than our model, the pick section says so.

The best roof rakes, by roof

1. Avalanche! 500 Roof Snow Removal System: best overall

Check price. The Avalanche! 500 is not a rake in the usual sense. The head is an open frame on wheels with a plastic slide behind it: you push the frame up under the snow, the snow rides down the slide, and it drops off the edge of the roof. The listing gives the numbers: four fiberglass handle sections that make a 15.5 foot pole, a slide 17 inches wide and 12 feet long, and 1.5 inch wheels that keep the slide gliding over asphalt shingles. Marshalltown, which sells the Avalanche! line, says the 500 is designed to remove snow from most asphalt shingled roofs.

Bob Vila's tester, Zach Lazzari, made the Avalanche! Combo his best overall. The Combo is this 500 head packaged with Avalanche's Deluxe rake head, and he wrote that the head with wheels and a slide should handle most users' needs, keeping the rake head for stubborn ice and big chunks. He notes that the slide gives the snow a path over the gutters, and he liked that the fiberglass poles are nowhere near as cold in the hand as metal ones. He called the Combo a great investment for anyone who rakes regularly, especially where the snow piles up. Why the 500 and not the Combo? The Combo package did not come up in any of our Amazon searches, and the Deluxe 20 rake sold on its own is out of stock there (see Also considered), so the 500 is the part of it you can buy on Amazon today. On our reach table its 15.5 foot pole gets about 6 feet past a one-story gutter at most. If you want more, Avalanche sells a handle extension kit of two 4 foot fiberglass poles that the listing says fits the 500, the 750 and the Combo, for up to 8 feet more.

Where it loses: Bob Vila's two complaints about the Combo were that it weighs more than most rakes in his test (he lists the Combo package at 10.8 pounds) and that adding and removing sections slows the job, and he notes you may need to take your gloves off to press the locking buttons. His tester also says shoppers in places with less snow can find lighter-duty options. The slide design has doubters. CNET's author has never used one and suspects it suits powder best. Kiser's crew, testing a different wheeled slide rake from GoPlus, worried that the slide and wheels might not last, noted reviews saying it may not be effective past 12 inches of snow, and suggests breaking out a standard rake for snow that deep. And 15.5 feet is the shortest pole among our picks.

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2. USA Handy Tools 20 Foot Deluxe Roof Rake with Shingle Saver Rollers: best classic blade rake

Check price. This is the roof rake most people picture: a wide aluminum blade on a long aluminum pole that you hook over the snow and pull toward you. roofrake.com sells it as the Deluxe rake "by USA Handy Tools formerly Garelick", and its spec table gives a 24 by 7 inch blade, a 20 foot pole in 4 sections and a weight of 6 pounds. The poles snap together in five foot steps, so you can rake at a shorter length, and the store sells extra five foot sections that it says take it to 31 feet. The two rollers, which the maker calls Shingle Savers, keep the blade from touching the roof; the Amazon listing says the rollers "prevent shovel head from touching your roof".

No tester reviewed this exact rake, so why is it here? Because it is the type the contractor chose. Kiser Construction, which clears ice dams for a living, tried a standard aluminum rake alongside two slide rakes and concluded that a standard rake is the way to go on price and durability, adding that one can last 20 years or more with care. One of Family Handyman's complaints about its top pick, the Garant, was that the blade had no wheels to lift the cutting edge off the shingles; this blade has them. And it costs the least of our six picks. On our reach table its 20 foot pole gets about 10 feet past a one-story gutter at most and about 4 feet past a two-story one.

Where it loses: It is a rake, so you pull every load. Kiser's verdict on the standard type is that it is inefficient on heavy snow and you have to work a little harder. It needs tools to assemble: the store lists wrenches and a large flat screwdriver, says not to hand tighten any screw, and warns that cold weather can loosen the hardware over time. And the blade is aluminum on an aluminum pole; the rollers are what keep metal off your shingles, so check them each season.

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3. SnowPeeler Premium Roof Rake, 30 ft: best for heavy snow and long reach

Check price. The SnowPeeler is the one pick two testers name as the exact model. Family Handyman called it its best pro-grade rake, and Kiser Construction listed heavy snow loads as its strength, though Kiser only had a few inches of snow to try it on. It is a slide system like the Avalanche!, built bigger: an aluminum cutting frame on plastic glide pads, a 10 foot tear-resistant slide, and a handle of 5 foot aluminum sections that goes to 30 feet with no tools. Family Handyman gives the blade as 18 by 9 inches and lists the weight at 13.4 pounds. PolarMade, the maker, adds a curved handle adapter that it says works better when you are clearing more than 20 feet away, and a drift cutter for fresh and hard-packed snow. The listing calls it a solution for low-pitch roofs and hard-to-reach valleys.

On our reach table the full 30 feet gets about 14 feet past a two-story gutter at most, the most of any model on this page. PolarMade backs it with a two-year warranty, though its manual says the glide pads and slide are wearing parts excluded from the warranty. The manual also carries a safety instruction worth following: install the drift cutter so the snow falls to the ground without hitting you.

Where it loses: Both testers flag the price: it is the most expensive of our six picks. Kiser also found it ineffective on the few inches of snow it had to test on, judging it built for much heavier loads. Family Handyman adds that a novice could find it hard to handle fully extended. The manual says it is not an icebreaker and that it should not be used near electrical wires. If you get light snow and a one-story house, this is more tool than you need.

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4. Extreme Max 5600.3262 Poly Roof Rake, 23 inch Blade: best for metal roofs

Check price. Most metal roofs shed snow without help; Bob Vila's answer on metal roofs is that the snow usually slides off, and that many metal roofs need snow guards so the sliding snow does not hurt anyone below. If yours holds snow, a low slope or a sheltered side, you want a blade that is not metal. Extreme Max says the 6 by 23 inch poly blade on this rake "is perfect for any style slanted roof, including metal and shingle roofs", on a lightweight aluminum handle of three 5 foot extensions that snap together with push buttons. Its angled blade, the maker says, is effective on low pitched roofs.

No tester reviewed it. It is here because the metal-safe model a shopper would expect, the Avalanche! 750 with its 3 inch wheels for metal, tile and solar roofs, was listed as scarce on Amazon when we checked (see Also considered), and this was the in-stock poly blade whose maker names metal roofs outright. Its maker names metal and shingle roofs only, so we do not recommend it for tile or cedar shake.

Where it loses: Extreme Max's own page calls it a 16 foot reach, and the listing says its angled blade is effective on two-story houses. Our reach table says a 16 foot tool gets less than a foot past a two-story gutter even at best, so we would buy it for a one-story roof only, where it gets about 6 feet past the gutter at most. The listing states no wheels or rollers, so the blade rides on the roof itself.

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5. Leanaco 21 ft Telescoping Roof Rake with Foam Blade: best one-piece telescoping pole

Check price. Every other pick here is a pole of snap-together sections that you add or remove as the roof changes height. That is one of Bob Vila's two complaints about the Avalanche! Combo, and his tester calls lugging loose extension segments around while raking a pain. The Leanaco is the only one-piece telescoping pole among our picks: it slides from 4.7 to 21 feet with a quick-release thumb lever, so you change length on the fly with nothing loose to carry. That is the job Bob Vila's telescoping pick, the Garant, did, and the Garant is out of stock on Amazon. At 21 feet it gets about 11 feet past a one-story gutter at most and about 5 past a two-story one. The head is a 16 inch C-shaped foam blade with a brush on the other side; the listing says it removes snow without damaging shingles, works pushed or pulled, and suits solar panels, and it carries a one-year warranty.

Where it loses: No tester has reviewed it, and the Amazon listing is our only source; claims such as wobble-free at 21 feet are the seller's. At 16 inches it is the narrowest fixed head among our picks, so a house roof takes more strokes, and the wider Avalanche! (17 in) or USA Handy Tools (24 in) head covers more per stroke. The pole is aluminum. On solar panels, check your installer's or panel maker's instructions before you rake them: one maker on this page, EZ Smart, tells its own users to keep the rake clear of solar panels.

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6. EZ Smart Adjustable Snow Roof Rake with 16 ft Pole: best for roofs with chimneys, valleys and skylights

Check price. A roof with dormers, a chimney and a valley or two is where a fixed 24 inch blade gets stuck. EZ Smart's answer is a polyethylene V-blade that opens and closes like an umbrella: the listing says it adjusts from 3 to 36 inches wide without tools, wide to move a lot of snow on open roof and narrow to work around valleys, chimneys and skylights. The maker says there are no wheels and no metal edges on it by design, and that the blade was tested at 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The kit comes with a 16 foot sectional pole and a mesh bag; EZ Smart says the whole thing breaks down to about 23 inches long. The pole uses a standard 3/4 inch Acme thread, so the head also fits other threaded extension poles.

Where it loses: No tester has reviewed it. The 16 foot pole is the reach EZ Smart's own guide calls 21 feet, and on our table 16 feet gets about 6 feet past a one-story gutter at most and less than a foot past a two-story one. The guide also tells you to stay clear of skylights, roof vents, solar panels and chimneys, which is sensible but narrows what the obstacle feature is for: working the snow near them, not over them.

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Also considered: models that missed the list and why

Avalanche! 750. The heavy-duty sibling of our best overall pick: the same 15.5 foot fiberglass pole and 17 inch by 12 foot slide, with a cut and tear resistant vinyl coated polyester slide and 3 inch wheels that the listing says suit tile, cedar shake, metal and solar panel roofs. It missed only on stock: Amazon listed it as currently unavailable when we checked on September 28. If it comes back and your roof is metal, tile or cedar shake, or carries solar panels, it is the one to buy over the 500.

Avalanche! SnowRake Deluxe 20. Family Handyman's best plastic blade rake and the second head in Bob Vila's Combo: a 24 inch plastic head with built-in wheels on five aluminum sections to a 20 foot reach, with a wall bracket in the box. The listing says it works on shingle, architectural asphalt, shake, tile, metal and solar panel roofs. Family Handyman's only complaint was that a larger blade would suit it. It missed because it was out of stock on Amazon.

Avalanche! Big Rig. Bob Vila's pick for flat roofs: a 24 inch plastic head with wheels and an angled tube near the head so it sits flat on a trailer, RV or flat garage roof, on a 15.5 foot fiberglass pole. Bob Vila's tester cleared his camper roof in a few minutes, and his one con was that the angled shaft is not ideal for sloped roofs. Out of stock on Amazon, and it is a vehicle and flat-roof tool rather than a house rake.

Garant telescopic roof rake. Garant's telescopic rake was picked by two testers, as Family Handyman's best overall and Bob Vila's best telescoping handle: a one-piece pole to 16.5 feet with push buttons and a poly blade. Both testers named the same weaknesses, that it is shorter than rival rakes and has no wheels. The Garant telescopic listing we found on Amazon carries no model number or specs, so we cannot tie it to the model they tested, and it was out of stock anyway; the Leanaco takes the telescoping role on our list.

Snow Joe RJ204M telescoping roof rake. Snow Joe's telescoping roof rake: a 6 by 25 inch poly blade on a twist-lock handle that the listing says extends to 21 feet, with a total overhead reach of 27 feet, at 4.8 pounds. It is a useful example of why we compare poles and not "reach". No tester we read covers it, and it was out of stock on Amazon.

Extreme Max 5600.3207 Shingle-Saver 21 ft roof rake. A blade rake with rollers, a 7 by 24 inch blade and a 21 foot reach, the same pattern as our classic pick with a foot more listed reach, and it costs slightly less. It missed because Amazon listed it as scarce; if it is in stock when you look it is a fair substitute for the USA Handy Tools rake.

MinnSnowta Dynamo with Metal Roof Wheel Kit. A slide system with a 24 by 6 inch head, a 10 foot slide and a 24 foot overall length, bundled with a wheel kit the listing calls essential for metal roofs, architectural shingles and some shake and tile roofs. It missed because no tester we read covers it and it costs more than any model on this page that has a current price.

VEVOR 21 ft roof rake. A 25 inch ABS plastic blade on a handle the listing says adjusts from 5 to 21 feet, at 6.7 pounds, and it costs less than any of our picks. It missed because the listing states no wheels or rollers and no tester we read covers it. Bob Vila's budget pick, a 17 foot True Temper telescoping rake, did not come up in any of our Amazon searches, so we could not check it.

How long should a roof rake be? Reach by house height

This is the table none of the pages we read has. For every pole length on this page we worked out about how far past the gutter the head can reach, at most, standing 10 feet back from the gutter line, the distance OSHA says to keep people from where snow is expected to fall. One-story: every pole here can reach about 6 feet past the gutter at most, and 20 feet or more raises that ceiling to about 10. Two-story: 15.5 to 16 foot poles get less than a foot past the gutter even at best, and only the 23.5, 24 and 30 foot setups can reach 6 feet.

Computed by us, not measured: about how far past the gutter the head can reach, at most, with every cell rounded down. The pole has to pass over the gutter, so the length left past it is the pole length plus your arm reach, minus the straight-line distance from your hands to the gutter. Assumptions: you stand 10 feet back from the gutter line, the distance OSHA says to keep people from where snow is expected to fall; your hands hold the pole 5 feet off the ground with 2 feet of arm reach toward the house; the gutter is about 10 feet up on a one-story house and about 19 feet on a two-story. Pole lengths are the makers' or listings' figures; where a maker gives only one "reach" figure (both Extreme Max rakes, the Deluxe 20) we used it as the pole, and if it already includes your height, the real numbers are lower. The Avalanche! Big Rig is left out because its angled shaft is built for flat roofs. These are ceilings: past the gutter the pole rises away from the roof, so how much of that length the head actually rakes depends on your roof's pitch and the rake's head angle, and it will be less. Measure your own eave height and redo the sum if yours differs.

A sanity check against a real owner: CNET's author rakes a raised ranch with a 16 foot rake, and says that when he reached as far as he could he was hitting the 6 foot mark or getting close. Our 16 foot row gives about 6 feet at most. He adds that on the side of his house where the ground slopes away, a higher eave in effect, he can get only the first foot or so of snow, consistent with the table: a higher gutter lowers the ceiling.

How much roof do you need to clear? CNET's author says the guides he read recommend up to 6 feet up from the eaves, but that 1 to 2 feet has generally been enough for him, because that is where the freezing happens. Steve Kuhl, owner and CEO of the Ice Dam Company, disagrees in Bob Vila's ice dam article: raking only the bottom few feet can form a second ice dam higher up, right where you stopped, so he recommends raking as much snow as you can safely reach. EZ Smart's user guide suggests about 6 to 8 feet or more after heavy snow. On a one-story house every pole here reaches about the 6 foot figure at most, and 20 feet or more raises that ceiling to about 10. On a two-story house a 20 or 21 foot pole tops out at about 4 or 5 feet, short of the 6, and only the three longest setups can reach 6 feet or more.

So, for a one-story house, 16 feet of pole is enough; add length if your ground falls away from the house. For a two-story house the honest answer has two halves. The table says 20 feet at the very least, and realistically the 30 foot SnowPeeler, or the USA Handy Tools with the extra five foot sections roofrake.com sells to take it to 31 feet. Two makers on this page sell their rakes for two-story use: roofrake.com's spec table lists the USA Handy Tools 20 foot as "2 Story" reach, and Extreme Max says its angled blade is effective on two-story houses. Bob Vila, on the other hand, says roof rakes are for single-story homes only, used from the ground and never from a ladder, and Family Handyman found two long rakes hard to manage fully extended, one of them wobbling at full length. Our read: on a two-story roof, a professional is worth pricing.

Do roof rakes damage shingles?

They can. Bob Vila says the blade on a roof rake can damage shingles, especially an aluminum head, and that built-in wheels avoid the problem by holding the blade just off the surface. The University of Minnesota Extension says the same in one line: a roof rake can be used to remove snow but may damage the roofing materials. Bob Vila also says leaving an inch or two of snow on the roof will not cause ice dams and helps protect the shingles. CNET's author admits he usually drags right along the shingles and has not seen a problem, which is one owner's experience, not a rule.

All six of our picks keep bare metal off the shingles: wheels on the Avalanche! 500, rollers under the USA Handy Tools' aluminum blade, glide pads under the SnowPeeler's aluminum frame, foam on the Leanaco, and a plastic blade on the Extreme Max and the EZ Smart, which its maker says has no metal edges. Technique depends on the type. For a blade rake like the EZ Smart, its guide says to pull the snow down toward you rather than push it up the roof, and to use slow, steady strokes rather than yanking the rake. Slide systems such as the Avalanche! and the SnowPeeler are designed to be pushed up under the snow: Marshalltown says the Avalanche! slide slips under snow, and Family Handyman describes the SnowPeeler's blade diverting snow onto its slide on the push forward.

Do you need a roof rake for a metal roof?

Often not: Bob Vila's answer is that snow will usually slide off a metal roof on its own, and that many metal roofs need snow guards or snow fences to stop that snow hurting someone below. If yours holds snow, use a head that is not bare metal, such as our Extreme Max poly blade pick, whose maker names metal roofs. For tile or cedar shake, none of our six picks' makers names those roofs; the Avalanche! 750 does, with 3 inch wheels, so buy it if it is in stock, and ask your roofer if it is not.

How to use a roof rake safely

Every safety line below comes from OSHA, a maker's manual or a named source; none of it is our own invention. OSHA's guidance on falls and other hazards to workers removing snow from rooftops is written for employers, not homeowners, but it is official guidance on exactly this job.

• Stay on the ground. OSHA says workers should not use a snow rake or shovel while on a ladder because it greatly increases the risk of losing your balance and falling. Bob Vila says the same: roof rakes are used from the ground, never from a ladder. EZ Smart's guide adds: do not climb on the roof.
• Keep the pole away from power lines. OSHA sets a distance of at least 10 feet from any power line, tells workers to treat lines as energized even if they are down or look insulated, and for snow rakes calls for extendable, nonconductive poles with a second person watching the gap. SnowPeeler's manual says it should not be used near electrical wires, and EZ Smart's guide says to keep away from electrical wires and never to use metal tools that can conduct electricity. CNET's author puts it plainly: you are waving a metal pole in the air, so know where the line comes into your house. Know what your pole is made of: the Avalanche! pole is fiberglass; the USA Handy Tools, SnowPeeler, Extreme Max and Leanaco poles are aluminum; EZ Smart does not say. None of the six listings on this page says its pole is nonconductive, so keep the 10 feet whatever the pole is made of.
• Stay out from under the snow. OSHA says to mark a safe work zone and keep people back 10 feet from the point where snow is expected to fall, and to remove small amounts at a time to avoid strain and to avoid being hit or buried by falling snow. EZ Smart's guide says not to stand directly under the area you are raking, and SnowPeeler's manual tells you to fit the drift cutter so the snow falls to the ground without hitting you.
• Start at the edge. Bob Vila says to begin at the roof's edge and work toward the center, and warns against pulling a big load down at once. EZ Smart's guide says the same, in 1 to 2 foot sections.
• Dress for it. CNET's author wears heavy gloves because an aluminum pole gets very cold; EZ Smart's guide lists non-slip boots, winter gloves and eye protection.
• Know when to stop. EZ Smart's guide says to consider a professional if the snow is hard-packed or there is ice buildup, rather than forcing it, and SnowPeeler's manual says the tool is not an icebreaker.

Does a roof rake prevent ice dams?

It treats the symptom, not the cause. The University of Minnesota Extension explains that ice dams form when heat from the house warms the upper roof, the snow there melts, and the water refreezes at the cold edge. Taking the snow off removes one of the ingredients, which is why raking works in the short term; Bob Vila says raking the same day it snows can stop ice building up in the gutters. But the Extension's long-term fix is inside the house: first make the ceiling air tight so warm, moist air cannot flow into the attic, which it calls the major mode of heat transfer behind ice dams in many homes, then consider adding ceiling or roof insulation. A rake manages this winter's snow; the Extension's fix is air sealing and insulation.

Weight is the other reason people rake. Bob Vila, citing FEMA, says wet snow can weigh as much as 21 pounds per square foot, and OSHA lists preventing overloading and collapse among the reasons snow comes off roofs. The Extension adds that a house built to current codes should not have a structural problem, and suggests an engineer if you are unsure. If the gutters are part of your problem, our guides to gutter guards and gutter cleaning tools cover that job.

How to choose: three questions

How high are your eaves? Measure, then read the reach table. One-story: any pick. Two-story: the SnowPeeler, or the USA Handy Tools with extra sections, or a professional.

What is the roof made of? Asphalt shingle: the Avalanche! 500 or the USA Handy Tools. Metal: the Extreme Max poly blade, whose maker names metal roofs. Tile or cedar shake: none of our six picks' makers names them; the Avalanche! 750 does, so buy it if it is in stock, and check with your roofer if it is not. Solar panels: check the panel maker's guidance first (see the FAQ below).

How much snow do you get? A few inches at a time: either type works. Kiser, testing on a few inches, recommends its standard aluminum rake or its wheeled slide rake for that, and found only the big SnowPeeler ineffective on so little snow. Frequent heavy snow: a slide saves you pulling every load. Bob Vila's tester chose the Avalanche! slide system for places where the snow piles up, and the SnowPeeler is the one Family Handyman and Kiser rate for heavy loads. Past a foot of snow, keep a blade rake in reach: Kiser, citing Amazon reviews, says a wheeled slide rake may not be effective on snow deeper than 12 inches, and suggests breaking out the standard rake then. For the ground below, see our picks for the best snow shovel, the best cordless snow shovel and the best ice melt.

A word from the people who wrote this

We are Spear Head Spade, and what we make is digging tools: double-patented spades, with over 600,000 sold. None of them rakes a roof. When the snow is gone and the ground softens, our spade finder matches a spade to the soil you will be opening in spring.

Frequently asked questions

When should you rake your roof?

As soon as the snow stops, ideally the same day. Bob Vila says fresh snow is much easier to move than snow that has melted and refrozen, and CNET's author rakes after every storm, even minor ones. EZ Smart's guide suggests raking after every heavy snowfall of 6 inches or more.

Can you use a roof rake on an RV, trailer or flat roof?

Yes, with the right shaft. Bob Vila says a flat roof needs a rake with an angled shaft that can reach over the edge and still sit flat, and the angled-shaft Avalanche! Big Rig is the one his tester used on his camper; it is out of stock on Amazon. Of our picks, the Leanaco's listing sells it for RVs and says its head works pushed or pulled, but it is a straight telescoping pole, not the angled shaft Bob Vila describes.

Can you use a roof rake on solar panels?

Check the panel maker's or installer's guidance first. Avalanche says its 750 is designed for solar panel roofs and Leanaco sells its foam head for solar panels, but EZ Smart's own guide tells users to keep the rake clear of solar panels. The makers do not agree, so the panel's own instructions decide.

How much snow should you leave on the roof?

An inch or two on the shingles is fine. Bob Vila says leaving one or two inches will not cause ice dams and helps protect the shingles from the rake. Past the edge, rake as much as you can safely reach from the ground: Steve Kuhl of the Ice Dam Company warns in Bob Vila's ice dam article that stopping after the bottom few feet can form a second ice dam where you stopped. Our guide to preventing ice dams covers the attic fix that stops them at the source.