3PH Snowblowers - pros and cons

[treefarmerguy]

I bought a rear mount last year and was glad I did. Two passes and all the snow was blown 50 ft away to make room for the next storm.
I've used a bucket and a plow and the blower is by far the easiest and best. The only problem is dealing with the blowing snow if it's windy.

 

[Quebecguy]

What is the minimum snow depth where a blower makes sense? 6"? 12"?

There is no real minimum snow depth for a blower but I seldom bother blowing unless there is at least a few inches of snow.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

When I both plowed and had a 3 point blower.....I'd always plow the small amounts, just to the edge of the drive, then every 2 or 3 times I plowed, I'd use the blower to blow out what's piled on the edges...

Heavy snow meant I just used the blower...

SR

 

[ishiboo]

Blowers are great for stuff like the 3' the east coast has with no where to put it.

If that's an issue for you a blower seems like a great option. Otherwise, a plow is fast, inexpensive, and you get to face forward.

 

[ScottyChip]

I have had my 3pt blower for 6 years now, and besides the occasional snow in the face the rear blower and front bucket combo works for me. Really deep snow, over the top of the blower, has to be blown from the top down in layers, so a little slower going. But, not had much to deal with in my 6 years. Really wet snow will sometimes block the chute, so I have to turn around and use the bucket. Others have stated and I agree, blow once and its gone, you never have to go back to widen your driveway, I never have tall backs that need to get pushed back, and if I need to scrape an area clean, I just use my bucket.
The turning in my seat and looking behind has not been a problem yet, and the occasional snow shower has a tendency to really wake you up on an early cold morning.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Aside from the cost, having to run in reverse

When you get more than a few decades of age behind you, turning around and driving backwards for long periods can be a real issue for old necks and backs. It's the primary reason I don't have a rear blower.

A front blower would be nice (but costly) except that I like to/need to use my fel in the winter and I don't want to have the pain of swapping them out all the time.

My fel and rear blade do nicely (and inexpensively) for me.

 

[doxford jim]

Methinks the TPH snow blower is just fine. it moves snow away from the driveway and keeps the driveway width constant. Driving backwards isn't that hard and yes I get a few aches and pains - it gets easier if you sit sideways on the tractor seat. From what I have seen of the cost of snow plows for pickups, the snow blower is actually cheaper - even when new (for most people). Industrial rated ones will be a bit more spendy. Getting snow in the face is par for the course unless you have a heated cab tractor.

 

[4570Man]

If you had a plow and a blower could you make one pass with the plow on each side of the driveway pushing the snow to the center and then make a pass with the blower to remove the row of snow.

 

[snowbelt geauga]

If turning to look back is a problem why not install a back up camera.

 

[kevinwak]

If turning to look back is a problem why not install a back up camera.

I tried the back up camera. It was very hard to distinguish where to back up when everything was white. I ended up trading in my rear blower for a front. Front mount is just fun, rear blower was work. When I had the rear blower I U bolted a sheet of plexiglass to the ROPS and it blocked the majority of snow from blowing on me.