Snow Snow plowing

[SBHunter]

New to the forum but have not purchased a tractor yet, I am in the market for a small compact that will plow snow. I want a FEL, snow plow and a back blade. My question is will a 25HP tractor plow 12-15 in of snow? Will it plow it efficiently? I am trying not to have to buy a bigger tractor in 2 years. I just don't want to beat up the tractor during a big storm.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[nybirdman]

Of course it will.I used to plow with a 600lb.atv and it still has it's place.Weight is your friend for snow plowing;so the heavier the better.I have always used R1(loaded) tires.A tractor that size should have a six ft.front plow and maybe a seven in the rear.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Used a Massey sub compact, 25 hp for years and it did well up to about 2 ft and I worked through some 3 ft drifts. A long 4 ft drift stopped me. I like a frame mount plow much better, the weight is much closer to the tractor and for the massey it costs less. With it out on the loader you might need to put weight on the back that is more that just a back blade. :2cents: Ed

 

[Tomtint]

I had a BX and it did just fine moving snow. 15" of wet snow is different than 15" of powder. Depending on what type of snow you get, a plow or small snow box on the front could work well.

 

[RjCorazza]

As others state, weight is more a factor than hp. I wouldn't necessarily limit your shopping by hp, but would physically look at machines of various sizes. As far as traction, 4wd and R1 tires are generally preferred. I personally run loaded R4 industrial tires without issue for snow plowing. You may also want to consider a snowblower if you really do get even occasional 2' snows. A lot of opinions out there on snowblowers, but my preference is rear mount for the flexibility and cost.
A final consideration would be if you want a cabbed tractor. I finally got a cabbed tractor this past spring after many miserable hours in the snow over the years. My current setup is a 40hp Kubota L4060 with SSQA loader, 7' front blade, 7' rear blade, and a 6' rear blower. I plow between 10-20 driveways making the cab and heavier weight a real plus. This winter I will be in a T shirt listening to Abba while I plow!

 

[oosik]

I plowed my mile long gravel driveway for 25 years with a 28 hp Ford 4WD 1700 tractor. I used the rear blade and when the berms got to big to blade the snow over, I had a 3-point snow blower to clear the berms. Wet snow will always be a PITA, no matter what size tractor is used.

The little Ford worked out just fine, plowing snow. It was a bit heavier than the standard small compact tractor.

 

[Thomas]

How long of push?
Around 30hp should do the trick.
Have you consider style tires,loaded tires,tire chains,type of transmission?

 

[SBHunter]

Thanks for all the replies, I did consider the weight to be a major factor in the ability for the tractor to plow efficiently so I am glad multiple members confirmed that. How good is a back blade for snow? I was surprised to read multiple people use back blades. I need to be able to plow about 400’ of gravel/dirt drive and then about 1000’ of blacktop.

 

[SBHunter]

How long of push?
Around 30hp should do the trick.
Have you consider style tires,loaded tires,tire chains,type of transmission?

Thomas so you think 25 is too little? I would like to be able to run R4 tires unloaded without chains with a HST trans. What do you think?

 

[CobyRupert]

Weight= traction.
Horsepower=speed.