Best implement for snow removal

   / Best implement for snow removal #1  

El Wood

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
280
Location
Michigan
Tractor
JD 3320
Within the next few months, I'll be moving out to our new place and taking over 450 feet of flat gravel driveway. I currently own a JD 3320 that I'm sure is up to the task. I'm trying to decide now which snow implement would be best.

I talk to my dealer and he basically gave me three options...

The first is a front mount snow blower. I cringed when he told me the price was about $5500. I could go with a rear blower for less...

The second option is a front blade at about $2000.

The third option is a back blade at about $500 or so.

The thing I hate about a blower or front blade is that it seems their only good for moving snow. I'm thinking I could use a rear blade for other things as well.

What do you use and/or recommend?

Thanks!
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #3  
Front blower AND a rear blade. The only way it could get better is with a warm cab.
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #4  
Within the next few months, I'll be moving out to our new place and taking over 450 feet of flat gravel driveway. I currently own a JD 3320 that I'm sure is up to the task. I'm trying to decide now which snow implement would be best. I talk to my dealer and he basically gave me three options... The first is a front mount snow blower. I cringed when he told me the price was about $5500. I could go with a rear blower for less... The second option is a front blade at about $2000. The third option is a back blade at about $500 or so. The thing I hate about a blower or front blade is that it seems their only good for moving snow. I'm thinking I could use a rear blade for other things as well. What do you use and/or recommend? Thanks!
450 feet of flat driveway isnt too bad to handle with a rear blade as long as the accumulations arn't generally too much. you have any idea what your average snowfall are? I gave up on rear blade cause i had too much snowfall. went with a rear mount on my old JD870 and used it for 14 years. worked great, but very hard on my neck. i have about 1500 feet of driveway to deal with plus removal of shedding snow on my buildings. My new loader mount blower works great, but i also needed a plow for the early and or wet snow conditions that the blower doesnt work on. My blower was ridiculously expensive, but my health was more important.
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #5  
Like many other things, the most expensive item the dealer told you about is the best! It is just a matter of what you want to spend. I plowed for years with a blade on a garden tractor. It was what I had, so I made it work.

Now I use a FEL and a back blade. I won't spend the money for a front blade-the FEL was not much more $$ and it is usable for so many other tasks. The back blade is another implement that has other uses besides plowing snow. I have thought about a 3pt hitch blower, not as nice as a front mount but it would fit on any tractor I will have for the rest of my life!!

Will
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #6  
I just went through the same thing. I wanted ONE thing for snow removal and I decide on the FEL mounted plow. I got it used on craigslist with the hydraulics and lines to run it 6 way. For me I have a 300' driveway and half is stone. The blower is expensive and I don't think works great for those pesky 4-6" slushy storms. Plus they take way longer to put bucket back on if needed for digging cars or neighbors out. Also I don't want any more moving parts to deal with during a major storm like we had last couple years. The rear blade seems popular up to 8" snow otherwise you have to push it in reverse. In my case I would have to take backhoe off and I would probably then need weights and chains which would negate the savings for me. Also I have box blade so I wouldn't get additional use out of a rear blade.
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #7  
450' isn't that long of a drive to deal with using a back blade, and a loader, as long as you get ahead and stay ahead of the slop coming down, and don't have much of an incline to fight. Things can get sporty when pushing heavy wet slop uphill, with a light tractor and no chains. Sometimes you just have to only make downhill passes and deal with it.

It can be a pain in the neck towards the end of the job, on our 1,400' drive and between the barns, though.
If it's a day long, heavy lake effect dump, I get to cussing a bit and start looking for the Advil, or borrow the cousins tractor with the rear blower.;)

The rear mounted blowers are awesome, though.
If you're near Bangor, Alf Woods is closing up and selling off inventory at cost, and there is a Woods 60" rear blower left in the yard.
Might save you a bit if you go that route.
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #8  
I just ordered a backblade 7 footer Everything Attachments 7ft 6 Way Value Scrape Blade for Compact Tractors with 25-50 HP they have these in 5 and 6 footers as well. Watch the video, these are a pretty nice blade, plenty good for snow and gravel.

If it was that deep, I don't see why you couldn't run with the front bucket just off the ground and the rear blade down, this will be my first winter with the tractor, so I'm just bench plowing,:D
I'm planning on doing most of it going forward, we will see.

I want a grapple bucket come spring time, so I opted to skip the FEL plow for now do to cost.

I think between the bucket and rear blade I will do fine, I'm going to chain the rear tires, and they are loaded, it should root pretty good.:thumbsup:
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #9  
I use a FEL and back blade on a small 3038e JD for my mile long, hilly, curvy, gravel lane. It ain't fun sometimes, but it works. If you don't let the snow get ahead of you you can handle most anything... Except heavy sleet/ice. I have filled rear tires for weight and shoot to plow every time 6 inches has fallen. So far it has worked.

In the mountains of Virginia we usually have two or three 6+ inch snowfalls each winter, and a few lighter ones. A few times over the past five years we've been nailed with some 2 footers. Honestly, I look at overall costs. What I have works for almost all the snows we get. If we are hit by a monster we can't handle, I can have a contractor rough-plow the drive for $400. Doing that every couple years is still a lot cheaper than plunking down thousands for a blower.

Now when I win the lottery....
 
   / Best implement for snow removal #10  
For years I have used and still use a rear blade. I also have a blade for the loader. I would start out with a 6' rear blade. You can use it year round. I have cleared some deep snows with a rear blade. A $500 rear blade is not going to be enough to hold your tractor. You can look for a plow off a truck and convert it to work on your FEL if you don't like the rear blade. The bad thing about a snow blower is it will only fit that tractor. If you decide in a few years you want another tractor it probably won't work unless you modify it.
 
 
 
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