dhollman
New member
Hello everyone
This is my first year using a John Deere 455 for snow removal. First year for using anything for snow removal actually! I got this tractor last April and picked up the blower, cab, and other items over the course of the summer. So I had what seemed like a long wait to really try it out. Here in central New York State real snow started around New Years and since then we've had a few respectable snowfalls to try things out. I'm very pleased with the result! Plenty of power and gets it all done quickly (though not TOO quickly
Anyway we took a video of the snow removal process about a week ago which I posted. When I was researching this topic I found every little detail and examples of how it was done very valuable, so maybe someone considering a similar arrangement will find this useful...
Snowblowing with a John Deere 455 tractor - YouTube
(in case that link doesn't work, search on you-tube for "Snowblowing with a John Deere 455 tractor").
One specific detail of my driveway which was originally a concern was its incline. There is a 50-ish foot long rise of moderate slope leading up to the road, with the last yard or so being more extreme due to how the road paving meets the driveway. But I have found with the weight setup I'm using, this is not a problem at all.
Some specs / details:
* JD 455 (diesel) from early/mid 90s, all-wheel steer
* 47" 2 stage snow blower / thrower with standard quick "tatch" hitch. Its a direct (shaft) drive to power the blower, with hydraulics for up/down and chute direction.
* 4x 42# suitcase weights on the back (best deal was from Lowe's last fall)
* Plastic/concrete-filled wheel weights
* 1" rear wheel spacers to provide enough clearance for chains
* Upgraded halogen front lights
* Ordinary turf tires
* Aftermarket fast-reverse pedal
* Cab has a manual windshield wiper and no heater, neither of which seems to be a real issue.
* Steering wheel spinner
* I wear Peltor Optime 3 ear protection; its borderline "too" loud but I prefer to go easy on my hearing!
Note that by good use of Craigslist and eBay searches I was able to get nearly all of these things used but in good/excellent condition. Did take a while, however, so I was glad to have the time in the end.
I find that going uphill it is useful to engage the rear differential lock, though not absolutely necessary. It is able to throw snow when moving uphill though its harder to steer in this arrangement, at least with enough down-pressure on the blower. The rear-wheel steer does enable some crude navigation when the front wheels are not grabbing but this isn't really satisfactory for most operations.
Night operations have been okay too, with just the built-in headlamps, though with the blower raised the lights are blocked. I am considering if some kind of cab-mounted light would be worthwhile.
That's all I can think of... if anyone has any questions at any point I'd be happy to try and answer!
This is my first year using a John Deere 455 for snow removal. First year for using anything for snow removal actually! I got this tractor last April and picked up the blower, cab, and other items over the course of the summer. So I had what seemed like a long wait to really try it out. Here in central New York State real snow started around New Years and since then we've had a few respectable snowfalls to try things out. I'm very pleased with the result! Plenty of power and gets it all done quickly (though not TOO quickly
Anyway we took a video of the snow removal process about a week ago which I posted. When I was researching this topic I found every little detail and examples of how it was done very valuable, so maybe someone considering a similar arrangement will find this useful...
Snowblowing with a John Deere 455 tractor - YouTube
(in case that link doesn't work, search on you-tube for "Snowblowing with a John Deere 455 tractor").
One specific detail of my driveway which was originally a concern was its incline. There is a 50-ish foot long rise of moderate slope leading up to the road, with the last yard or so being more extreme due to how the road paving meets the driveway. But I have found with the weight setup I'm using, this is not a problem at all.
Some specs / details:
* JD 455 (diesel) from early/mid 90s, all-wheel steer
* 47" 2 stage snow blower / thrower with standard quick "tatch" hitch. Its a direct (shaft) drive to power the blower, with hydraulics for up/down and chute direction.
* 4x 42# suitcase weights on the back (best deal was from Lowe's last fall)
* Plastic/concrete-filled wheel weights
* 1" rear wheel spacers to provide enough clearance for chains
* Upgraded halogen front lights
* Ordinary turf tires
* Aftermarket fast-reverse pedal
* Cab has a manual windshield wiper and no heater, neither of which seems to be a real issue.
* Steering wheel spinner
* I wear Peltor Optime 3 ear protection; its borderline "too" loud but I prefer to go easy on my hearing!
Note that by good use of Craigslist and eBay searches I was able to get nearly all of these things used but in good/excellent condition. Did take a while, however, so I was glad to have the time in the end.
I find that going uphill it is useful to engage the rear differential lock, though not absolutely necessary. It is able to throw snow when moving uphill though its harder to steer in this arrangement, at least with enough down-pressure on the blower. The rear-wheel steer does enable some crude navigation when the front wheels are not grabbing but this isn't really satisfactory for most operations.
Night operations have been okay too, with just the built-in headlamps, though with the blower raised the lights are blocked. I am considering if some kind of cab-mounted light would be worthwhile.
That's all I can think of... if anyone has any questions at any point I'd be happy to try and answer!
