Snow Attachments Blower or plow. Which is best?

[JerryK]

There is so much ' depends on ' in the question of 'which is best ', that there is no way of answering the question.... [[ ]]

 

[lungdoc]

All snow removal solutions are local. By that I mean your individual conditions in terms of:

1) Snowfall amounts and type of snow (dry, wet etc) - the more total snow the more a blower is useful as banks don't build up. Also do you get little falls or big dumps?

2) Temperatures - does it stay cold enough to allow a sustained frozen base? That makes plowing and blowing much easier at least on gravel as road stays put and don't blow/plow the gravel

3) Wind - are you in a drifting scenario or generally protected by trees etc.?

4) Width and ditches - do you have room for snow if plowed - elevated roadbeds for example have lots of room.

5) Hills - plowing uphill harder than blowing uphill, traction can be a big issue.

6) Area to plow - blowers nice on roadways, large parking areas where snow might need to be blown twice less suitable for a blower.

7) Nearby buildings/houses etc - is it safe to blow the snow?

8) Travel - do you need to move from site to site and if so how far and what speed/regulations etc.?

I'm sure there's a few more including of course what existing equipment you have. When I say local I mean really local: for example our cottage is about 1/2 mile from my in-laws but our place is hilly with a long road, blower is the tool for that. My father-in-law used his large 4WD backhoe as his home is flat and had some large parking areas and lots of room to pile snow. Our road gets too narrow with snowbanks and a lot of runoff damage in spring if plowed, blower much better as snow moved to other side of ditchline. Just got a cab tractor and have a front loader mount hydraulic blower on order, with a rear PTO power pack. Greatly looking forward to that after open station, rear blower for several years.

 

[FatTire]

Lungdoc hit the nail on the head. That's also why there is never consensus on this topic.

 

[DB Pilot]

Your getting correct advice. Just wanted to add that I have had two snowblowers and an asphalt driveway. This area is considered the snow belt with Lake effect snow. When the wind is in the wrong direction snow blowers are the worst. A long driveway can be a real trial. Broken shear pins, frozen chutes, wind/snow the in face, chain drives that slip off, bearings that fail, worn skid shoes, leaking gear boxes, etc. etc. and frozen fingers because none of the breakdowns happen on 75 degree sunny days. :thumbdown: I now use the backblade to move the snow off the drive and the bucket to pile. with several variations on that method. :thumbsup: Don't forget that the first and last snows of the year are rather slushy and chutes plug up fast. :2cents:

 

[oosik]

I can certainly second what DB Pilot has to say. The first snow fall on my gravel driveway ALWAYS broke 1 or 2 shear pins - rocks that somehow I missed when "cleaning" the driveway. And wet/slushy snow - a real nightmare - it would either build up and freeze on the impeller or freeze and plug up the chute. The ONLY way to be warm using a blower is with a cabbed tractor - mine was open station and only a very few times did the blown snow NOT drift back on me.

And talk about stiff neck and shoulders - its cold, the dam snow is blowing back all over me, I have to drive in reverse for at least three hours to clear my mile long driveway, mail box and yard.

My new M6040 Kubota is heavy enough that I can clear the driveway, etc, etc & remove the berms that form, with just the rear blade - all while driving forward, nothing plugs up and I never get showered with blown snow.

Another big difference - the blower took, at least, three hours - - I do the entire job with the rear blade in an hour. With the blower, my speed in reverse was around 1 mph - with the rear blade I go around 5 mph.

 

[skyhook]

Yes, like oosik stated, consider the "stiff neck theory",....especially if you have long drives to do,
whatever you decide, I would consider an attachment that lets you face forward while doing snow removal.:thumbsup:

 

[JerryK]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life. That said... there is a certain wuss factor in someone complaining about a little cold or having to ' look backward ' once and awhile to do the drive. I have spent many hours backblading, plowing, discing, etc.. and almost all of those operation require looking back. If you bought too little of a tractor to sit a little sidesaddle and operate the tractor, that's not the tractor or snowblowers fault. People ride snow machines, even open ATV's all winter up here in northern Michigan... I very seldom break a shear pin, none last winter. Never had a chain come off... I adjust mine and keep them oiled once a year. Never had a chute freeze up... I live in an area that gets 140" + a year, and a few miles from the spot in Michigan that recorded the all time low temperature [ it's in the lower peninsula, by the way ] I also like plowing... lots of fun and fast. But nothing wrong with a rear blower in a non-cab's tractor....

 

[farm boy00]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life. That said... there is a certain wuss factor in someone complaining about a little cold or having to ' look backward ' once and awhile to do the drive. I have spent many hours backblading, plowing, discing, etc.. and almost all of those operation require looking back. If you bought too little of a tractor to sit a little sidesaddle and operate the tractor, that's not the tractor or snowblowers fault. People ride snow machines, even open ATV's all winter up here in northern Michigan... I very seldom break a shear pin, none last winter. Never had a chain come off... I adjust mine and keep them oiled once a year. Never had a chute freeze up... I live in an area that gets 140" + a year, and a few miles from the spot in Michigan that recorded the all time low temperature [ it's in the lower peninsula, by the way ] I also like plowing... lots of fun and fast. But nothing wrong with a rear blower in a non-cab's tractor....

I'm guessing your from northern Michigan. West Michigan here

 

[JerryK]

I'm guessing your from northern Michigan. West Michigan here

Not Northern Northern.... I'm a Troll like you..... But I spent a day in da U.P. last week... eh...??

 

[ecbaatz]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life.

Me too!