Advice Needed

[zeq]

I am looking for advice on a snow removal setup that would meet my needs. First a little background on my circumstance:

I am planning to live at my cottage during some of the winter months. It is located in Central Ontario, where we can have winters that range from very little snow throughout the whole season to seasons where we can get a few feet of snowfall in a single day. I need to be prepared for the worst. The private road and my driveway that lead to my cottage are approximately three quarters of a mile in total distance from the municipal road. The terrain is very steep in some areas and so the equipment must be capable of handling severe traction conditions (wet snow, ice, high drifts). My cottage is located at the lowest point of the elevation change from the municipal road and so I would be going uphill for some segments of the snow clearing. Starting off from my garage would be uphill and very steep for the first three or four hundred yards. The driveway and private road are not paved.

I am considering a compact track loader like the Bobcat T770 with a 72" snow blower attachment. I will also get the snow blade and few other attachments that I will need for work around the property. I am not experienced in clearing such a large amount of snow. and I'm really concerned about the issue of getting stuck given that there are very steep inclines along the driveway and road. I an also looking for a climate controlled setup as the winters can get really cold and the summers very hot/humid. A few questions:

Is the Bobcat T770 a good choice?
Am I correct in assuming that a tracked vehicle would be better than a wheel/chain setup for traction?
Are there better options?

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[crazyal]

Welcome to TBN

Others may have more experience but I've used my case dozer in the snow and it works great. But once it's on ice or anything hard packed it has too much surface area and slides. I suspect that any thing you use will need some form of spike, whether it be spiked chains (that's what I use) or studs in a track. You may also want to look into options for sanding. With a building at the bottom of a hill I would want plenty of traction as I drove down it. I've never looked but I'm guessing you could get a hydraulic spreader for a SS. Snow blowers take very little force to push so getting stuck usually means driving off of the roadway and into a ditch.

 

[rekees4300]

Appreciate your thoughts.

Suggest contacting the Bobcat folks for recommendations. Sounds like you are going to need a substantial vehicle. You definitely need to consider chains for a wheeled vehicle. Four wheel drive would be essential. I don't know how good the traction of a tracked vehicle would be on ice?

Snow Removal Overview - Bobcat Company

 

[Ed of all trades]

Used a T250 tracked skid loader to clear snow on a hill, it was not the best. I think my sub compact massey would do as well or better. I know it would if it had chains on it.

 

[leonz]

About your snow removal needs;
The budget is the first consideration
and the topography is the second.


You have to examine the snowfall records from Weather Canada
in order to truly make decision about what size tractor you will need
versus the available budget if this is a concern.

If you seriously intend to live there only a few months of the year a small used
snow cat in good condition would be a better option.


Tracks are out of the question unless you
get into the snow cat or D-3 and up dozer
category size in any case because you need
mass and weight for traction.


A snow cat will have spiked tracks but
if this is not in the offing-


You will need a high horsepower four wheel drive tractor.

A higher horsepower row crop tractor will provide you with lots of room
in an all weather cabin and lots of visability for rear mount snow blower.

The row crop tractor will should also have the high end a swivel operators seat
with an air suspension to reduce operator fatigue.


50-75 horsepower range with an automatic transmission for snow blower use

The high end horse power comes in handy for snow removal with a snow caster
and pushing snow back with a front end loader.


front end loader

front and rear high traction snow and ice chains from Pewag (as an example
loaded rear tires for added traction rear mounted snow blower.


You may be money and aggravation ahead purchasing a
used small snow cat in good condition which would allow
you to carry food and supplies as well as shovels and a small
single stage snow thrower to dig out the cars if needed.


and you can leave
the vehicles at the top of the access road.


About snow blowers:

Its no secret around here that I like pronovost and they have a lot of dealers in Ontario.

What you are looking for is a high capacity snow blower that can remove the snow quickly and the

Pronovost models with the rotating impeller housing TR models bypass the chute and spout entirely
eliminating any chance of plugging the snow caster.

 

[joeyd]

I have no experience with tracked vehicles but I do maintain my road and driveway with my tractor and rear snowblower. I also have a rather steep road to deal with that does get icy at times during the winter. I feel very comfortable with v-bar chains on all four tires and 4wd. My rear tires are loaded with Rimguard for additional weight. Cabs are available on most tractors and depending on your budget and other needs for the tractor there are multiple ranges horsepower wise to look at. I would think a minimum 35-40 hp would give you the weight and power needed for a snow blower for your road.

 

[Don87]

Tracked vehicles are extremely dangerous on ice(unless the tracks have spikes as mentioned in other posts). I prefer 4 wheel drive, rubber tires with air and rimguard and chains.

 

[leonz]

Tracked vehicles are extremely dangerous on ice(unless the tracks have spikes as mentioned in other posts).

I prefer 4 wheel drive, rubber tires with air and rimguard and chains.

Thats the beauty of the snow cats and dozers with a heavy weight and deep cletrac treads.

The snow cats they have spiked treads with a huge surface area for traction and the ability to climb.

 

[flyingcow]

I like Loenz thought on a used snow cat. In the tractor size, as he said at least a 50 to 75 hp unit.

Where are you going to house this unit? Are you planning on showing up mid winter? and walk/snow shoe/ski, etc down to cottage? And retrieve unit?
Breaking trail for 3/4 of a mile, up hill, after a month or two of moderate snowfall, you want a decent sized tractor with blower. Not big deal, but just a thought.

On a personal note, you haven't lived until you slide a dozer sideways down an icy driveway. Didn't have use the bathroom for a day or two after that one.

 

[zeq]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

A used Snow Cat would be the ultimate solution however, I'm afraid even the smallest model would be just too large for storage.

I am now reconsidering my initial selection of a Bobcat T770 in favour of agricultural tractor. Ideally a bidirectional tractor would allow me to do many chores around the property and serve me for all seasons.

As suggested a 4x4 tire version with chains should get me through all conditions I would encounter.

If I could ask for some further advice since I'm very new to this. I notice that in the case of snow blowers, some versions are hydraulically driven and some are PTO. The bidirectional tractor has a PTO whereas the Bobcat has a hydraulically driven blower? Is it correct to assume the PTO driven allows for larger blowers? Better reliability?