N.E. Blizzard of 2013

   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #31  
We have an elderly neighbor who lives by herself. Her son runs a tree service and has all kinds of equipment including a tractor/loader. You'd think he'd come dig out his 80 year old mother...not so much. That's the bad news, the good news is I got 3 hours of seat time today when I volunteered to dig her out. Her driveway is a lot longer when it's full of snow compared to summer time when you walk down it! After I got her driveway cleaned she paid me with a blueberry pie, some homemade chicken soup, mac & cheese and lemon bundt cake. She's an amazing cook so I definitely came out ahead on the deal!

I've rethought my original comments about the R4's. They did a good job today. I think the biggest change over yesterday is that I started pushing, then lifting and dumping straight ahead rather than trying to take a bucket full of snow, lift it and dump it over to the side.
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #32  
We were in the 30" path too. Tank and a half of diesel through the kubota blowing snow, first time I ever had the fuel message come on !
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #33  
We have an elderly neighbor who lives by herself. Her son runs a tree service and has all kinds of equipment including a tractor/loader. You'd think he'd come dig out his 80 year old mother...not so much. That's the bad news, the good news is I got 3 hours of seat time today when I volunteered to dig her out. Her driveway is a lot longer when it's full of snow compared to summer time when you walk down it! After I got her driveway cleaned she paid me with a blueberry pie, some homemade chicken soup, mac & cheese and lemon bundt cake. She's an amazing cook so I definitely came out ahead on the deal!

I've rethought my original comments about the R4's. They did a good job today. I think the biggest change over yesterday is that I started pushing, then lifting and dumping straight ahead rather than trying to take a bucket full of snow, lift it and dump it over to the side.
Enjoy your pie and the rest of the goodies, you earned them. As to the R4s you are just learning how to do the best job you can with the harness you have on. Experience is valuable and improves performance but doesn't actually make the machine or the tires any better. Your just learning what works and not wasting time on what doesn't. Try that same machine & tire set up with a good set of chains and you will never go back. They double or triple the amount you can pull or push before you spin the wheels and the worse the conditions are the more difference they make.
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #34  
"Try that same machine & tire set up with a good set of chains and you will never go back."

This!!!
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #35  
We have an elderly neighbor who lives by herself. Her son runs a tree service and has all kinds of equipment including a tractor/loader. You'd think he'd come dig out his 80 year old mother...not so much. That's the bad news, the good news is I got 3 hours of seat time today when I volunteered to dig her out. Her driveway is a lot longer when it's full of snow compared to summer time when you walk down it! After I got her driveway cleaned she paid me with a blueberry pie, some homemade chicken soup, mac & cheese and lemon bundt cake. She's an amazing cook so I definitely came out ahead on the deal!

I've rethought my original comments about the R4's. They did a good job today. I think the biggest change over yesterday is that I started pushing, then lifting and dumping straight ahead rather than trying to take a bucket full of snow, lift it and dump it over to the side.

Did you advise her to change her will tomorrow?
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #36  
Each plow situation is a bit different depending on where the snow needs to end up. In my case the drive almost 16 ft wide but 300 long so I learned pretty quick to push off to the side early with the snow when its really deep. I grab full buckets at time with a diaginol sweeps off to the side all the way down to open it up. And then go back and clean up trails. On the other hand in front of the garage I can only push straight and need to move it off to either the left or right side so it ends up in a wide vee and a big pile. Experience IS the best teacher! :)
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #37  
Old gal at work on the new snow P1010008.jpg
 
   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #38  
Had to give this storm the one two punch

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   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #39  
la vie dans les bois

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   / N.E. Blizzard of 2013 #40  
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We got close to 30" and now that I have the snowblower attachment; loved moving all of it. I still use the rear blade for anything from a couple inches up to 8" or so. As has been said here before, the blade is almost useless in stuff this deep. I find that it acts like a rudder in water and the tractor moves accordingly all over the place. One of the reasons I bought the blower is that I have limited room down the driveway because of the horse fencing. When I use the blade, the berms get too high. I then have to use the loader to move the snow out and it tends to be a pain because of the angle dropping the snow over the fence. Now the blower shoots it over the fence and does a great job. I also have a distance to travel from the rear door of the barn where the tractor is stored to the driveway (through a pasture and riding ring). I have actually gotten the tractor stuck in the deep stuff. Now with the blower, I just back all the way out making a path as I go. I can also make paths around the barn for the horses, which they appreciate. The only thing that could make it better would be a cab....but they are a tad expensive and I prefer the openess during the warmer months.
 
 
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