North Country
Gold Member
The only reason you don't know is you're stuck on tractors. The OP doesn't own a tractor yet, why buy one?
Why bend your neck for 3+ hrs each snowfall? Go FORWARD!
North Cascades - Snowblower in action. - YouTube
Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Newbie with a 3 mile snowplow challenge
- Thread starter PeatMoss
- Start date
The only reason you don't know is you're stuck on tractors. The OP doesn't own a tractor yet, why buy one?
Why bend your neck for 3+ hrs each snowfall? Go FORWARD!
North Cascades - Snowblower in action. - YouTube
leonz
Super Member
That certainly looks like Stevens Pass on State Route 2.
The nice thing about the newer tractors is that you can
purchase them with either a swivel seat or a bi-directional
tractor that articulates(swivels in the middle)
A standard row crop tractor or an articulating tractor
would be more than enough for the five foot wet snows
up there as you would not be movong any faster than
176 feet per minute anyway which is 2 miles per hour.
The isssue with snow in the Cascades is the
one foot per hour snow falls with silver dollar size snow flakes,
the compaction of it, and the melting cycles making it very dense
when you are trying to remove it.
The unit in the video you provided us is a Sicard two stage snow caster with two engines
I believe-one for propulsion and the main engine for the snow clearing head.
The thing is that a high horsepower four wheel drive row crop tractor with an
Erskine or Degelman silage blade/plow and an 8 foot snow caster will be more
than adequate for the work as the tractor will have snow chains and loaded
tires as well.
It is simply an opportunity cost problem in economics 102 where the only
unknown is the funding available.
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North Country
Gold Member
Why do you continue to recommend the most expensive equipment possible?
North Country
Gold Member
Good point; I was wrong. That's much more expensive.
I figured I would throw that out there, it was the only option that had not been covered yet.
leonz
Super Member
______________________________________________
It is not an issue of my continuing to recommend the high dollar machinery.
The need for access, number of persons requiring access or egress, the snow fall totals, the number of snow fall occurances, the annual snow fall totals and the snows moisture content are going to determine this BUT saying that their available funds for a purchase will determine the entire answer to this as they have not attempted to detemine this by implementing a decision tree or asking someone familiar with the decision tree process to determine
this for them.
If knew what they wanted a snow cat that would solve the issue completely and also provide them with a means of maintaining the dirt road with many implements including landscape rakes and dirt levelers.
A snow cat is high floatation tracked tractor with low ground pressure per sqaure inch using ice and snow cleats which can also have a single stage ZAUGG snow clearer mounted on it to clear the roadway when desired as well as a plow system.
With Cascade snow falls containing a very high moisture content that is the only real option,and it is referred to as Cascade Concrete for the same reasons due to its density and total volume of precipitation per snow event. The only solution is a high horsepower prime mover with a plow and a two stage snow caster. matched to the prime movers horsepower if they want a full width road to maintain bare pavement during the snow season from 1, October to 1, May every year. The other issue and last but not least as Lt. Chang has so kindly explained in great detail previously is the hunting lodge entities liability in the event of a members needing medical attention and requiring ambulance and first responders aid.
madmax12
Veteran Member
This I mean seriously:
What about a pickup truck with a front snowblower. I've seen a few. There are some on YouTube, I think. I'll look for a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFC7GdsMoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOSYl9W8WqM
There are quite a few videos of trucks with snow blowers.
Maybe add a rear blade/plow to the pickup for a complete package?
Like This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k0_ljrGmNQ
What about a pickup truck with a front snowblower. I've seen a few. There are some on YouTube, I think. I'll look for a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFC7GdsMoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOSYl9W8WqM
There are quite a few videos of trucks with snow blowers.
Maybe add a rear blade/plow to the pickup for a complete package?
Like This:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k0_ljrGmNQ
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Coginchaug
New member
I have no where near that much to clear but, when I was looking for a tractor and snow-blower combo I almost talked myself into a rear blower. I ended up with an front unit and I am glad I did. I can't imagine clearing that much snow turned around sideways. Even my 25 year old son says dad we made the right choice with a front unit. Something to seriously consider with 3 miles to clear.