Everything is asphalt. I set it up at first with the shoes up so the shoes & blade both contacted the ground. I thought it was a bit rough on the drive so last week I lowered the shoes to give 1/8" clearance at the blade.
The storms of the past several days started as freezing rain, then sleet, ending in snow. It has been real cold so there was a good base of ice in place. Bottom line is that I don't know if raising the blade made any difference. I use melter only on the hill - from the house to the road. The combination of the melter and the sun on the southwest facing drive keep that part mostly clear.
Keep in mind that the blade is double sided. If you start to get too much wear, you can flip it and lower the shoes.
The storms of the past several days started as freezing rain, then sleet, ending in snow. It has been real cold so there was a good base of ice in place. Bottom line is that I don't know if raising the blade made any difference. I use melter only on the hill - from the house to the road. The combination of the melter and the sun on the southwest facing drive keep that part mostly clear.
Keep in mind that the blade is double sided. If you start to get too much wear, you can flip it and lower the shoes.
