[lawdog130]

I live in New England where there is ample snow and ice. I carefully use a plastic roof rake as I don't think the weight of several feet of snow is good for the roof. The first snow usually leaves an inch or so coating on the roof making a nice buffer for the rake. I have never used a cover and have not seen any ill effects. It's hard enough raking around all the vents, the AC and TV antenna. I can't imagine trying to rake the roof without snagging a cover on the shovel. If I ever have the time and $$ I would build a similar structure pictured in post #11.