Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Newbie with a 3 mile snowplow challenge

[PeatMoss]

Dear Fellow Tractor fans,
I live at 5,000 ft. Caretake a year round camp. I think the camp needs a tractor for 2 reasons.
1) We have a gravel road, a 1/4 mile loop from an asphalt road to the camp and back. It needs grading about once a year. What kind of tractor would be best for a job like this? Is a gannon box enough?
2) Our county may limit their snowplowing activities next winter. This means I may have to bring our guests up a 3 mile asphalt road in weather that can dump snow 5 feet or more on the road. Could I use a tractor and sled in such conditions or should the camp buy a couple of snowmobiles or a more expensive Snow Cat??
Appreciate any insight I can get here. Thanks!
PeatMoss

[Rock knocker]

Pretty county up there.

From what I've seen, snow can come and go there. A good sized tractor with a blower would do a swell job, and be useful in summer.

Snow cats are finnicky, and it takes time or money to have high reliability, more so than any wheeled tractor

[Don87]

I would opt for a large 4wd turbocharged tractor(due to the elevation), with a V-plow mounted on the front, and a snowblower on the back. Guests probably won't like parking 3 miles away.

[jerrybob]

Welcome......I like Don's suggestion....would work well. Mt. Shasta is beautiful country......great brewery in Weed.

[Ted Summey]

I agree with the need for a "full-sized" 4x4 tractor - at 50 plus hp. You should have a cab tractor as well! Blowing/plowing snow can't be "fun" on an open station tractor! The advice for a plow/snow blower combo is very good advice. On Mt Shasta I suspect a block heater will be an absolute necessity as well. Chains on the rears will be a very useful addition as well.

[PeatMoss]

A good sized tractor with a blower would do a swell job, and be useful in summer.

Snow cats are finnicky, and it takes time or money to have high reliability, more so than any wheeled tractor

Dear Rock knocker,
Thanks for your thoughts. I agree with you about Snowcats. The Forestry Service around here seems to always be tinkering with their's. Unless one has a specific need for them, such as very deep snow on mountain terrain, they seem pretty impractical for the average joe like me. It would frighten me to have to buy a used one. The new ones are too expensive.
PeatMoss

[PeatMoss]

Dear Don 87,
"MF GC2400, FEL, 60in.MMM, 5ft. Cultivator, Single Bottom Plow, Bush Hog RTC48 tiller, MF 2360 front mount snowblower, 5ft backblade. BXpanded Piranha toothbar."
Wow! There is a mouthful! I'll dig into this right away! All those letters & numbers are greek to me. But they are handles to this new exciting world I'm about to enter. Thanks for the tractor tips!!
PeatMoss

[PeatMoss]

I agree with the need for a "full-sized" 4x4 tractor - at 50 plus hp. You should have a cab tractor as well! Blowing/plowing snow can't be "fun" on an open station tractor! The advice for a plow/snow blower combo is very good advice. On Mt Shasta I suspect a block heater will be an absolute necessity as well. Chains on the rears will be a very useful addition as well.

Dear Ted,
You guys are great! Thanks for the sound advice!
This may be more appropriate in the other thread about equipment, but might you have a good full sized 4X4 in mind (with cab and heater)? How much might it cost? Same for a good plow/snow blower combo?
Thanks again!
PeatMoss

[leonz]

Dear Ted,
You guys are great! Thanks for the sound advice!
This may be more appropriate in the other thread
about equipment, but might you have a good full sized 4X4 in mind (with cab and heater)? How much might it cost? Same for a good plow/snow blower combo?
Thanks again!
PeatMoss

Hello PeatMoss,


Until you know what money is available for a purchase the point is moot.


We can go one spending your money but until you know exactly how much
you have to use to make a decision it cannot be seriously examined.

There is both good iron and bad iron and unless you plan on spending for a mule with at least
85 horsepower, 4 wheel drive, , detachable front end loader, loaded tires and a 7 foot snow caster
that will remove Cascade Concrete without grunting let alone farting when exertion is needed all is moot.


A couple of sleds with wide tracks will be much less money and then you can seriously examine the issue.

Lots of folks use very small tractors with and without cabs and rear mounted snow casters to remove snow
over long distances.

The sleds and a very small 4 wheel drive with a loader,front and rear mounted snow casters will go
along way when clearing things and the dirt working implement cost will be less.


The issue is the total number of snow events that occur, thier duration and accumulation total for
the year are how something like this is examined.

Just dont go into a dealer wanting to spend money on iron because most dealers will take advantage of you.

Untill you know what is being used by the other locals in the area the issue is dead in the water and Cascade Concrete will be unforgiving.

[Egon]

Skidoo with a towed sled.

The tractor/equipment required for the conditions prevalent in your area will be some expensive and a lot larger than you expect.

You'll also have to include a time factor to get the road serviceable if patrons are coming and going