Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Anyone use an RTV 900 for plowing snow?

[Franko]

Well, I know that it is a little early, but with September suddenly showing up, I started thinking about the colder months coming.

My 900 foot hilly driveway is now blacktopped and I want to try to keep it from getting too slippery by keeping the snow off (East Central PA). I am wondering if my RTV 900 will have enough traction to do the job with a front plow. Anyone doing this? If so, what kind of plow?

I have been using a rear plow behind my B7800 and it does a fair job if the snow if not too bad. Sure would be nice to get the snow off in front of the vehicle without driving over it first. And the old tractor does get me nervous going down a couple of the slopes when that blade fills up. The landscape blade does not really push the snow sideways very well, and does not push it very high! The snow likes to fill the blade and stick there.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Frank

 

[Dozernut]

I use my 900 with a Curtis plow. The setup works well and it has pushed 12" of heavy wet snow just fine, I did however have to drop down in first with that heavy of a push.

 

[jpaeye]

I also plow with a RTV900 and Curtis plow. Does a great job. Hydraulics change the angle of the blase very quickly. Travel up and down is via an electric actuator--rather slow. If I had one wish it would be hydraulics all around--much quicker.

Really haven't needed to put much weight in the bed to plow, either (but I often do anyway). Mounting the plow is quick and easy also.

When the electric actuator conks out because you were on the switch longer than necessary at the end of the travel there is a fuse down around the battery (20 or 25 amp) that needs replaced. Wish I would have known about that little detail the night we got 18" and the blade got stuck 4" off the ground. Had to finish the drive with the TC33D and the FEL/bucket. My dealer clued me in to that one several days later after we dug out.

Overall, the RTV900 is very capable with snow in 4 wheel drive. It has rescued our cars multiple times from snowdrifts and simply because they could not make it up the hills of our drive. The RTV900 has no trouble on snow covered hills.

I have both RTV and tractor, and thr RTV is much faster at plowing snow.

 

[timswi]

Agree with all that is said here..My RTV1100 does a great job and is very similar to the 900

 

[jcmseven]

You would like the RTV for plowing. I plow with a Gator XUV but I suspect the RTV to be similar. The higher end UTV's are the best for plowing of any piece of equipment I have used, even a big tractor (notice I said plowing). My Gator would easily outplow my 4520 and the steeper the more the difference is noted. Uniquely, the RTV is a heavy machine, which is good for plowing and has HDAP style tires stock and a true hydro tranny with low range and a diesel which all would help it to plow really well. The only downside is that the RTV does not have a lot of engine power and sometimes snowplowing is a function of momentum, but I would think the times you would note a lack of oomph would be very rare. What I like about my Gator and I suspect would apply to the RTV also is that in most cases I do not need tire chains to plow where with about any compact tractor on any degree of hill I would. Most tractors have either R3 or R4 tires. The R4 tires especially are simply to rigid in the tread and sidewall to get traction, where the UTV tires generally do. This saves the driveway from scuffs and scrapes.

John M