Have not tried this item as winter has arrived here in Colo.  this was a replacement for a  Nelson which was backed over by a delivery truck.  The previous model was tremendous and provided years of reliable service  This unit appears to be sturdy and well made although not quite as heavily constructed.  Generally, we expect the same level of performance from this unit. We rated it some what less than perfect because of the lighter gauge metal and the stop device is quite different than the one we previously used. We hope that it will stand up to the task.