bam747
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2004
- Messages
- 200
- Tractor
- John Deere 4720 (2007)
I am trying to decide if a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT with a FEL and 3-PH snow blower will handle the kind of worst case snow I have to deal with on occasion.
I live along the Palmer Divide at 7500 between Denver and Colorado Springs. Our snow can vary from light dry powder to super wet and heavy Sierra Cement. Storms can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet with blizzard class winds. And, being the front range of Colorado, we are back to nothing but blue sky within 24-48 hours!
To be fair, I should divulge that I currently have a JD 4720 (50 PTO HP) with 400CX FEL (2400 lb lift capacity) and a Land Pride RBT3596 rear blade with all hydraulic adjustments. Frankly, there has been no amount or type of snow I cannot eventually deal with using this tractor, including pushing out through the biggest drift piles from inside the garage. Even so, the bigger and heavier snow storms can shove this tractor sideways when trying to use my angled rear blade, in which case I just revert to pushing and shoving with the FEL, which gets the job done.
Unfortunately, I may need to economize my snow removal setup...
My biggest concern with moving way down the CUT class scale is that with the way my house and driveway are laid out with respect to the prevailing winds, I can get HUGE drifts of snow in front of my garage doors and along my drive. You will get an idea of just how huge my drifts can get from the attached pictures. They are from various big storms over the years and show the snow cleared with various equipment from a walk behind snow blower (ugh!) to my current tractor setup.
Given that in the past I have handled my snow removal needs with a 11 HP Toro snow blower (definitely in my younger years!), I am reasonably sure a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT with a 3PH snow blower and HST transmission will handle most of my snow removal needs, excluding dealing with the enormous drifts directly in front of my garage doors, where the tractor must be stored.
So...
I am very concerned about being able push out through the giant drifts in front of the garage doors and then having to move the drifts away from those doors using a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT and its lower capacity FEL. This is NOT an issue with my JD 4720.
I also foresee significant issues trying to remove these giant drifts using just the snow blower, especially if the snow is wet and heavy. I am specifically worried about the 35 to 40 feet I need to throw the wet heavy snow, which is where I would then use the FEL to literally bucket the snow away from the garage and house to deposit it off the side of my drive way and parking areas (where there is plenty of room for snow).
I'd be very appreciative of getting opinions and real experiences from SUB-CUT and small frame CUT owners out there that have successfully used their rigs for snow removal tasks similar to mine. I would REALLY hate to find out that a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT could not even get out of the garage without having to manually shovel through the drift first!
I live along the Palmer Divide at 7500 between Denver and Colorado Springs. Our snow can vary from light dry powder to super wet and heavy Sierra Cement. Storms can be anywhere from a few inches to a few feet with blizzard class winds. And, being the front range of Colorado, we are back to nothing but blue sky within 24-48 hours!
To be fair, I should divulge that I currently have a JD 4720 (50 PTO HP) with 400CX FEL (2400 lb lift capacity) and a Land Pride RBT3596 rear blade with all hydraulic adjustments. Frankly, there has been no amount or type of snow I cannot eventually deal with using this tractor, including pushing out through the biggest drift piles from inside the garage. Even so, the bigger and heavier snow storms can shove this tractor sideways when trying to use my angled rear blade, in which case I just revert to pushing and shoving with the FEL, which gets the job done.
Unfortunately, I may need to economize my snow removal setup...
My biggest concern with moving way down the CUT class scale is that with the way my house and driveway are laid out with respect to the prevailing winds, I can get HUGE drifts of snow in front of my garage doors and along my drive. You will get an idea of just how huge my drifts can get from the attached pictures. They are from various big storms over the years and show the snow cleared with various equipment from a walk behind snow blower (ugh!) to my current tractor setup.
Given that in the past I have handled my snow removal needs with a 11 HP Toro snow blower (definitely in my younger years!), I am reasonably sure a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT with a 3PH snow blower and HST transmission will handle most of my snow removal needs, excluding dealing with the enormous drifts directly in front of my garage doors, where the tractor must be stored.
So...
I am very concerned about being able push out through the giant drifts in front of the garage doors and then having to move the drifts away from those doors using a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT and its lower capacity FEL. This is NOT an issue with my JD 4720.
I also foresee significant issues trying to remove these giant drifts using just the snow blower, especially if the snow is wet and heavy. I am specifically worried about the 35 to 40 feet I need to throw the wet heavy snow, which is where I would then use the FEL to literally bucket the snow away from the garage and house to deposit it off the side of my drive way and parking areas (where there is plenty of room for snow).
I'd be very appreciative of getting opinions and real experiences from SUB-CUT and small frame CUT owners out there that have successfully used their rigs for snow removal tasks similar to mine. I would REALLY hate to find out that a SUB-CUT or small frame CUT could not even get out of the garage without having to manually shovel through the drift first!