[amigauser]

I also live in Connecticut and we don't get a huge amount of snow here. It also tends to melt between storms (at least for the last few years anyway).

I think your idea of using the rear blade and FEL should work fine. Some TBN folks spin the rear blades around backwards and run them in reverse, others drive over the snow and pull the blade forward. I think either method would probably work as long as you have a place to dump the snow.

I use a front blade and it works very well. I had considered the snowblower option myself but for the amount of snow we get here the blade is faster. I also have a place were I can pile snow, if I did not I would probably have gotten the blower.