During the last 3 weeks, we've had a total of nearly nine feet of snow. This is quite a record, even for here in the foothills of Colorado.
Previously, I've had moderate difficulty in plowing with my 425 and the 5' blade. I've put a rubber lip made from tire tread on it, and it does quite well on our gravel driveway.
The problem has always been the 8-10% grade of most of the driveway. Usually, I work my way up the hill to the road through deep snow, or plow a few inches and push to the side until I get there. Plowing downhill on a grade like this is easy as long as I don't get into a place on the ditch side where I have to back up.
BUT, with all this snow (most of which came after freezing rain that created about 2" of ice first), it took a long time to do that, since I could barely move the 425 up the hill even after part of it was cleared.
That means it took about 18 hours total (first for 48", then for 36", then for 18", then another 12" or so) to be able to clear the 600' long drive. About 6 hours of that was with the front end loader pushing huge amounts of snow over the downhill side. I did learn to be careful after I realized that I was clearing a 15' wide swath on our 12' wide road; I was a few feet over the edge on the piled up snow!
About 1/3 of that time was struggling to get up the hill, even with only a few inches of snow or no snow after plowing.
I then ordered tire chains from tirechains.com:
23X10.50X12
I bought the 4 link (one cross chain every four links) V bar chains for all four wheels, as well as the tensioners.
What a difference!
I can now plow UP the hill in a few inches of snow on the ice, and 'crabbing' when pushing a lot of snow is not a problem.
The chains fit well, with about 1/2" clearance between the chain and the tractor frame.
The only downside is that the ride is very rough as the V bars on the crosslinks simulate driving over 3/4" ridges every 10" or so.
The V bars are NOT recommended for pavement, as they will damage it. Our driveway and the main road are both dirt, so that's not a problem.
Now, I can stall the engine when pushing any amount of snow instead of spinning the wheels.
Hopefully, this purchase will stop all snow in our area for several years.
Regards,
Mark H.
Previously, I've had moderate difficulty in plowing with my 425 and the 5' blade. I've put a rubber lip made from tire tread on it, and it does quite well on our gravel driveway.
The problem has always been the 8-10% grade of most of the driveway. Usually, I work my way up the hill to the road through deep snow, or plow a few inches and push to the side until I get there. Plowing downhill on a grade like this is easy as long as I don't get into a place on the ditch side where I have to back up.
BUT, with all this snow (most of which came after freezing rain that created about 2" of ice first), it took a long time to do that, since I could barely move the 425 up the hill even after part of it was cleared.
That means it took about 18 hours total (first for 48", then for 36", then for 18", then another 12" or so) to be able to clear the 600' long drive. About 6 hours of that was with the front end loader pushing huge amounts of snow over the downhill side. I did learn to be careful after I realized that I was clearing a 15' wide swath on our 12' wide road; I was a few feet over the edge on the piled up snow!
About 1/3 of that time was struggling to get up the hill, even with only a few inches of snow or no snow after plowing.
I then ordered tire chains from tirechains.com:
23X10.50X12
I bought the 4 link (one cross chain every four links) V bar chains for all four wheels, as well as the tensioners.
What a difference!
I can now plow UP the hill in a few inches of snow on the ice, and 'crabbing' when pushing a lot of snow is not a problem.
The chains fit well, with about 1/2" clearance between the chain and the tractor frame.
The only downside is that the ride is very rough as the V bars on the crosslinks simulate driving over 3/4" ridges every 10" or so.
The V bars are NOT recommended for pavement, as they will damage it. Our driveway and the main road are both dirt, so that's not a problem.
Now, I can stall the engine when pushing any amount of snow instead of spinning the wheels.
Hopefully, this purchase will stop all snow in our area for several years.
Regards,
Mark H.
