Snow snow removal question

[raykos]

Hello all,

I just bought a 2305 this summer. Among the many reasons for buying it was snow removal. Last winter I fell & broke my tailbone trying to use my snowblower to remove the pile of snow dumped at the end of my driveway by the township plow; the township plowed late at night and by the time I got to it, the pile had frozen over. So, I'm hoping that this winter I can use my FEL on the 2305 in 4 wheel drive to plow/remove snow on my driveway.

But, after looking at some posts & pictures in this forum, it looks like I'm going to need chains & a snow plow blade? Considering what I had to pay for the 2305(FEL, backhoe & MMM), my financial officer,(a.ka. the wife), probably wouldn't be to excited about having to spend more money on my "new toy".

Has anyone had any experience using just the FEL without any chains for snow plowing? My driveway is about 125' long, and it's flat.

Thanks,
Ray

 

[ToadHill]

I've done it but I have the tires loaded. You can plow with the FEL but it takes a long time if the snow is deep. You didn't list your location so it's hard to guess. When the FEL fills up and you you begin pushing snow in front of you, the front end tends to lift and you aren't getting all the snow anymore so it's time to backup, unload the bucket and start again. You can't just push snow in front like you can with an angle blade.

 

[jjmarotz]

Another option to the blade is get a blower. You will be able to direct the snow where you want it, not where it has to end up. As in snow banks that keep crowding further and further into your drive, thus creating a very narrow path to your house. The blower may be more $$ than the blade, but I will never use anything else for snow. All this does depend on how much snow you recieve in any given year of course. Blowing also compacts the snow more than piling it. Thus you shouldn't have the huge mountains of snow around your place.

 

[Yourkie]

jjmarotz...you do have some snow there and that looks cold. I've always used a rear blade which sometimes works better than my neighbors 3 pt SB. Other times it's hard to move the snow out of the way, so I'm thinking of adding a three pt blower.

What size and make is that snowblower? Do you find that the manual control of the chute works OK and is easy to control? I was looking at a used one that had hydraulic control which could be a convenience but maybe not a necessity. My experience with my walk behind which I occasionally use to clear a path, is when the wind is changing it is sometimes hard to pick a good direction, other than in your face.

 

[MikeD74T]

raykos, If you were able to clear your driveway with a walk behind snowblower you certainly can with your FEL. If you have a 1/2 mile driveway I'd say go for the plow. I clear my driveways with a DK45S & FEL without chains on flat ground. I have ring chains but they'll eat hottop. Once in a while it takes a little momentum to get things moving but I've never been unable to move all the snow I wanted to. If you feel traction is a slight issue look into traction screws as used in ATV tires. ROETIN MOTO-R SNOWMOBILE TRACK & ATV TIRE TRACTION SCREWS from Western Power Sports Snowmobile Accessories MikeD74T

 

[gary_dsc]

I had a 445 with a front blade and it worked really well for snow removal. I later bought a FEL and used that for snow in place of the front blade. It worked real well unless the snow got really deep which doesn't happen too often where I live. It definitely took longer with the loader versus the blade, but my driveway is only about 300' long (flat, no chains needed), so it wasn't too bad. However, when I would plow out the farm lane (about 1200'), it just took too long. When I bought the 2305, I also bought a front blade. Based on past experience, I think that the blade will work much better for me than the FEL. If the snow gets too bad and I can't push it away from the driveway with the blade, I have the best of both worlds. I'll just go get the 2040 and move the piles back with the loader on that tractor.

My neighbor has a blower on his tractor and it works real well as long as you can blow the snow downwind. With no cab, blowing snow on a windy day is just no fun.

 

[jjmarotz]

That was yesterdays 2 hr storm. Yourkie, it is a Meteor model 68, check out homepage for specs. The hand crank works fine as I can still reach it when the blower is down. Make sure to keep it greased up though. I took the chute completely off and spread grease all around any parts touching each other. Helped to move freely and stopped the metal to metal screaching. I am going to put on an electric turn control at some point just for more convenience, as I still don't have rear hyds. And the "in your face" quote is SOOOOO true, but part of living in snow country I guess.

 

[Oleozz]

Has anyone had any experience using just the FEL without any chains for snow plowing? My driveway is about 125' long, and it's flat.

Thanks,
Ray

Hi Ray----I used a JD 870 with turf tires and FEL for six years to remove snow and it did well. I had a plow on the back but never put it down. Chains would have helped but you can get by without them.

 

[Tig]

I used the FEL to clear snow last winter. I had ags and no chains. It's fun and good FEL practice. Looks kinda silly if there isn't much snow but what the heck.

 

[Yourkie]

...... Last winter I fell & broke my tailbone trying to use my snowblower .....

Raykos I can identify with that. I was using a Bolens 8hp walk-behind snowblower about 20+ years ago to clear sidewalk snow for my mother and her neighbors, and while I was pulling it backwards ( it was stuck) , my feet went out from under me on the black ice. It took me a number of weeks to feel comfortable sitting down. That was a lesson learned that I never forgot.

BTW I still have that SB (its about a 1975 vintage that I bought used) and it runs fine.