700' gravel driveway with 2 acres of lawn in snow country

[mg448]

My wife and I just bought our dream house in upstate NY. It has a 600-700 foot gravel driveway and a lot of lawn area to mow. I'm on the fence about what I should do with a budget of 10-12k to spend on snow removal, mowing and general land maintenance. My first instinct is a used sub-compact tractor, maybe a Kubota bx 2200(there's one local for sale with a fel and a 60" belly mower for $8,000. that would leave me enough $$ in my budget for a front mount snowblower and tire chains).
Or should I get a zero turn mower and a plow truck or atv and plow?
I bought a new ariens 28" sho deluxe walk behind snowblower last year that would do the job, but it would take a long time on the new driveway.

I'm leaning towards the tractor idea, but I'd like to hear what some of you think would be best. Here's a picture of the driveway and lawns I need to take care of courtesy of google earth


Thanks
Mike

 

[newbury]

Best would be to vacation in Hawaii during snow season.

Where in "upstate New York"?
As a former New Yorker from Poughkeepsie (near West Point Military Academy) I've heard "upstate" is everything north of the city.
Syracuse averages about 10' per year, Massena about 5'. I've been up in the snowbelt and seen more than 3' fall overnight. A bx 2200 and 700 feet of driveway with 4' deep snow won't work.
What does your neighbor use?

I'd suggest a nice $60,000 truck and a plow on the front while interest rates are still low.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I'd go with a zero turn for mowing and a tractor with a front mount snow blower.

Great property! Is the pond yours? How much land total?

 

[Weedy Fields]

for the snow, hire it out. I hire out our snow plowing for $300-400/yr. 10-12K for snow removal!!! that covers me for about 30 years.
For the law, I suggest cutting the amount that needs mowing to what can be cut in about 1 hr on a small riding tractor (think 42-48" deck).
This will save you lots of money and time, you'll enjoy more wildlife and the scenery will be better. A win for everyone and every critter.

Seriously, reconsider the amount of time and money you'll be spending. I bought a place in the country very similar about 25 years ago. 900 ft driveway, 10 acres with about 2 acres in lawn. It did not take me more than a couple of months in June and July to realize that having a lawn of more than 1/4-1/2 acre is folly. I do not understand why anyone does it. Lawns are ecological waste lands compared to the alternatives. And I won't even go in to the added cost if your going to buy weed and feed. Looking at the picture its clear this place is a perfect candidate for letting the vast majority going back to nature.

Snow plowing. Are you serious? Why anyone would entertain buying a 10-12K tractor is bad enough but spending 60K is totally out of any kind of financial responsible planning, I hope newbury is kidding.

 

[rustyshakelford]

for the snow, hire it out. I hire out our snow plowing for $300-400/yr. 10-12K for snow removal!!! that covers me for about 30 years.
For the law, I suggest cutting the amount that needs mowing to what can be cut in about 1 hr on a small riding tractor (think 42-48" deck).
This will save you lots of money and time, you'll enjoy more wildlife and the scenery will be better. A win for everyone and every critter.

Seriously, reconsider the amount of time and money you'll be spending. I bought a place in the country very similar about 25 years ago. 900 ft driveway, 10 acres with about 2 acres in lawn. It did not take me more than a couple of months in June and July to realize that having a lawn of more than 1/4-1/2 acre is folly. I do not understand why anyone does it. Lawns are ecological waste lands compared to the alternatives. And I won't even go in to the added cost if your going to buy weed and feed. Looking at the picture its clear this place is a perfect candidate for letting the vast majority going back to nature.

Snow plowing. Are you serious? Why anyone would entertain buying a 10-12K tractor is bad enough but spending 60K is totally out of any kind of financial responsible planning, I hope newbury is kidding.

Having the ability to clear your drive when you need it can be worth a lot to some. I'd rather spend money and be able to ensure I can always leave when needed vs rely on someone to fit me in. When you put a pen to the paper, it's really hard to justify most of the tractors we see on here. There's a difference between need and want and sometimes a want overrides justification

Brett

 

[cat fever]

Having the ability to clear your drive when you need it can be worth a lot to some. I'd rather spend money and be able to ensure I can always leave when needed vs rely on someone to fit me in. When you put a pen to the paper, it's really hard to justify most of the tractors we see on here. There's a difference between need and want and sometimes a want overrides justification

Brett

I totally agree,
I have spent more on my barn, tractor and hay equipment than I'll ever make in 5 lifetimes of growing a couple calves. But it is well worth it to me. Therapy!
Just as you stated, I would rather rely on myself to clear the snow.

 

[mike69440]

Do you have other Acreage besides the 2 Acres of grass?

I not Just get a ridding 48-54" deck lawn mower or zero turn. Mow just 1/2 to 3/4 Acre around house.

You need a 4 x 4 Pick-up don't you?

Get a plow, sell the Prius ,etc.

Gets cold removing snow on a tractor.
or
If you have land and like to landscape/do land management, you need a decent size CUT, implement like rotary cutter to occasionally keep field open, and a snowplow and at least a soft Cab.

 

[CalG]

for the snow, hire it out. I hire out our snow plowing for $300-400/yr. 10-12K for snow removal!!! that covers me for about 30 years.
For the law, I suggest cutting the amount that needs mowing to what can be cut in about 1 hr on a small riding tractor (think 42-48" deck).
This will save you lots of money and time, you'll enjoy more wildlife and the scenery will be better. A win for everyone and every critter.

Seriously, reconsider the amount of time and money you'll be spending. I bought a place in the country very similar about 25 years ago. 900 ft driveway, 10 acres with about 2 acres in lawn. It did not take me more than a couple of months in June and July to realize that having a lawn of more than 1/4-1/2 acre is folly. I do not understand why anyone does it. Lawns are ecological waste lands compared to the alternatives. And I won't even go in to the added cost if your going to buy weed and feed. Looking at the picture its clear this place is a perfect candidate for letting the vast majority going back to nature.

Snow plowing. Are you serious? Why anyone would entertain buying a 10-12K tractor is bad enough but spending 60K is totally out of any kind of financial responsible planning, I hope newbury is kidding.

Dollars make no sense.

Life reduced to bankers terms is no life at all.

 

[Rara Avis]

for the snow, hire it out. I hire out our snow plowing for $300-400/yr. 10-12K for snow removal!!! that covers me for about 30 years.
For the law, I suggest cutting the amount that needs mowing to what can be cut in about 1 hr on a small riding tractor (think 42-48" deck).
This will save you lots of money and time, you'll enjoy more wildlife and the scenery will be better. A win for everyone and every critter.

Seriously, reconsider the amount of time and money you'll be spending. I bought a place in the country very similar about 25 years ago. 900 ft driveway, 10 acres with about 2 acres in lawn. It did not take me more than a couple of months in June and July to realize that having a lawn of more than 1/4-1/2 acre is folly. I do not understand why anyone does it. Lawns are ecological waste lands compared to the alternatives. And I won't even go in to the added cost if your going to buy weed and feed. Looking at the picture its clear this place is a perfect candidate for letting the vast majority going back to nature.

Snow plowing. Are you serious? Why anyone would entertain buying a 10-12K tractor is bad enough but spending 60K is totally out of any kind of financial responsible planning, I hope newbury is kidding.

A nice new pickup truck can be used for more than plowing the driveway and definitely more useful doing other chores than a tractor just fiddling around on the two acres...

Also, in our neck of the woods, if you need someone to plow out your driveway then the snow storm was big enough that those hired plow jockeys will be overly late getting your driveway cleared...

 

[mg448]

Thanks for all the tips, I'm going to try and answer a few of the questions and comments here. The house is about 30 minutes nw of Albany. It's outside of the lake effect snow belt, but it's got enough elevation where it gets significantly more snow then Albany does. 3 foot storms are rare, but 1 foot storms aren't.
Half of the pond in the picture is mine. There is a smaller dug pond behind the house for swimming too!
As for hiring out my snow removal and letting the land "go back to nature" that's not even an option. I don't want to be stuck in my driveway until a contractor with 20 other driveways to clear can get to my house. I know how much time it takes and I know how cold it gets snow blowing a long driveway. I grew up on a farm with a 400' driveway and an '82 wheelhorse riding mower with a 30" snow blower for snow removal. As for the lawn, I love the way it looks now and I don't want an overgrown weedy field full of scrub brush in front of my house.
Mike69440-I don't drive a prius!:laughing: I'm going to need a CUT for enough different things that that's probably the route I'm going to go. The more I think about it the less I want to have to do maintenance on an old truck that I just use for plowing. And I'm not going to beat up my truck by plowing with it. I have a feeling I will probably buy a soft cab after the first big windy storm this winter.
Anyone have a kubota bx? Does $8,000 sound like a fair price for one in decent shape with a bucket and mower?

Thanks,
Mike