Snow Attachments FEL Plow blade or rear snow blower?

[brokenknee]

I think driving backwards down a steep windy 1/4 mile driveway would be a pain.

here is a pic of the snow removal with the blower. I only run chains on the front. I go slow and don't ram rod my equipment. the front chains provide stability and turning control side to side for the plow and push when going up hill in reverse with the blower.

BTW- you get use to looking backward, I even thought about a mirror on the FEL arm. One other note. if you can spring for a hydraulic chute rotator you won't regret getting it. It is awsome to be able to turn your chute as you are manuvering.................you can avoid snow in the face alot of times if you get caught of guard with the wind.

I agree, you get use to looking backwards. It's not like your out blowing snow for eight or ten hours a day.

[PILOON]

Blowing backwards is really not all that bad.
You just sit sorta sideways and soon get accustomed to that position.
Just be sure that any blower U buy is wider than your tracks by 6-12 inches.
As to blower rotating, install an el cheepo ATV winch to rotate the chute. You mount it vertically with a shortened cable (5-6 turns on the winch drum and 1 1/2 turns around the snow chute. Works like a charm! plenty of torque and even comes with the fwd/rev (lt/rt) switch.
Have fun! now you will enjoy winter.

[grsthegreat]

I agree, you get use to looking backwards. It's not like your out blowing snow for eight or ten hours a day.

i do....if i get more than 8-9" of snow, its an 8 hour ordeal to move. my neck has not bore this well after 14 years of driving backwards.

This year i had enough and went with a loader mounted blower and plow.

[brokenknee]

i do....if i get more than 8-9" of snow, its an 8 hour ordeal to move. my neck has not bore this well after 14 years of driving backwards.

This year i had enough and went with a loader mounted blower and plow.

If you spend that much time blowing snow I can see how a front mount blower would the better choice.

Do you do it commercially?

[TGReaper]

I am a big fan of the blower on the back and loader on the front.The strange looking hydrostatic pedel on the Kabota makes sitting sidways a breeze.
TGR

[crazyal]

One thing you'll find is that backing up on a hill after plowing snow to the side is hit or miss on whether or not you'll have traction. Chains and filled tires will help. But on the big snow falls plowing to the bottom of the drive would mean a pile of snow way too big for your tractor to push.

Snow blowers are slower and you need to remove any loose rocks (if you have a gravel driveway) the size of a fist but they are also a safe bet. If you may want a front mounted blower you might be able to find a rear mounted brand that also sells front mounted blowers driven off the rear pto and maybe the blower is the same and all you would need to buy down the road is the drive line.

[grsthegreat]

If you spend that much time blowing snow I can see how a front mount blower would the better choice.

Do you do it commercially?

i do 2-1/2 miles of roads and up to 5 driveways commercially, the rest my own property. i have lots of roads , paths, an arena and shedded snow to move

[wny770]

Just an idea.... I have 2 8 inch convex mirrors up high on my canopy, and 2 flat 5 inchers on the loader frame, one on each side. Once I got used to my area, I seldom sit sideways anymore.

[tractorgp]

It might depend on the "kind" of snow you get in your location. I sometimes get hard snow sticking to my paved driveway. Here's a video I did a short while ago showing the benefit of having either a bucket or plow as well as a blower for those conditions. The video shows that the rear mounted snow blower just wouldn't bite into the snow so I had to scrape and break it up first so that I could blow it away.
Snow blower, plow and bucket on Kubota - YouTube

[jeffgreef]

What I'm wondering about is whether it's worth getting a front mount blade that is hydraulically operated for both angle and tilt.

I've seen blades that just hang off the loader, or blades that mount on the FEL arms after you have detached the bucket (if yours is detachable, deere or Skidsteer quick attach). In both cases the blade cannot be angled, nor tilted so a corner doesn't dig in where the road isn't level.

I've seen hydraulically operated blades that attach to the skidsteer quick attach on the FEL arms, which will both angle and tilt. As well, I saw one manufacturer that made a wing blade that mounts on the side of the tractor, sticks out 2-3 feet. Looks like you angle your front blade, set the wing, and just move steadily forward with the snow pushed off to the side.

Lost the link to that wing blade manufacturer. Anyone know who it is?

A blade that doesn't tilt is only going to push snow forward, not to the side, so you have a lot of back and forth to do.

Thoughts?