Song Dogger
Member
Newbie here, looking for the best fit for my situation.
I currently use a John Deere 3046r (46 HP) utility tractor with a 7 rear blade to plow snow on a 1-mile well-crowned gravel road with huge borrow ditches. The rear blade doesn't have the height or the reach, so I'm forced to ride the ditch edge to try to get the windrows into the ditches. Still, over time, the windrows narrow the road and I'm forced to push them into the ditch with my loader bucket - position at an angle, push to the ditch, back up, repeat over and over. Steering is part of the problem. The back tires have LaClede V-bar tire chains, but chains on the front could tear up hydraulic hoses on sharp turns. I've tried filling my bucket with rock for added steering traction, but it's not much help. Bottom line, I've slid into and got stuck in those ditches more than I care to admit. I've not tipped yet, but man, it's been close.
Other things I do with the tractor - hauling/spreading piled materials, grapple hooking downed trees, rotary mowing, towing, rear blading, and landscaping. I'll use my rear mounted Lorenz snow blower only when necessary, because slowly driving backwards for hours and replacing shear pins is time consuming. So, other than the snow plowing/blowing issues, this tractor handles my tasks pretty nicely.
Here's what I'm debating for the optimum set-up. I won't say money is no object, but if there's real and significant improvement on snow removal, maybe I can rationalize the expense.
Option 1) Skid steer - I consider this overkill, and I'm not fond of how they tear up the ground. I do little digging, dozing, or loading trucks. My lighter duty tasks doesn't seem to warrant one, plus I'd have to replace my adequate PTO implements with more expensive, heavier duty ones.
Option 2) Current tractor - add a Boss HTX V-Plow attached to the frame (see attached photo). It's 7-1/2 feet wide and lighter weight, under 500 lbs (made for 1/2 ton pickups). Boss's undercarriage for this tractor has to be removed (11 bolts) to mount the front-end loader, which I need every 2-3 weeks for horse manure and/or snow. Not convenient, but the plow does add some reach, it clears my tire path (as opposed to a rear blade), and the added front weight might improve steering. But, if I still go into the ditch, it could damage the lightweight plow and I wouldn't have my loader to inch my way out. The ability to chain front tires would be nice, but not sure how much it'd help those small tires.
Options 3) Upgrade tractor - trade for a 4 or 5 series tractor. Problem is, even my John Deere rep says the snow plowing improvement would be minimal. He say there's more weight but bigger tires, so minimal improvement in tractive effort. And, he says the blade could be wider but so is the tractor, resulting in little gain in reach. Maybe he's trying to sell me a skid steer.
Option 4) Bobcat ToolCat 5610 - never saw one, and can only judge by what I've read and watched on the web. It seems like a good fit between a compact tractor and a skid steer. I can keep my PTO implements, add a V-plow with more reach outside the wheel width, add a front-mounted snowblower if necessary, and rent hydraulic attachments for odd jobs. The extra weight (twice my tractor and more than my pickup) and chains all around should help traction and steering, maybe keep me out of the ditch more, or more able to crawl out if I get in. With more control, maybe I can plow faster and move snow further. The lower center of gravity means less ground clearance, but should also reduce the "pucker factor" of tipping.
Is the choice obvious, or is my zeal for gadgetry and ignorance of the ToolCat clouding my logic??
I currently use a John Deere 3046r (46 HP) utility tractor with a 7 rear blade to plow snow on a 1-mile well-crowned gravel road with huge borrow ditches. The rear blade doesn't have the height or the reach, so I'm forced to ride the ditch edge to try to get the windrows into the ditches. Still, over time, the windrows narrow the road and I'm forced to push them into the ditch with my loader bucket - position at an angle, push to the ditch, back up, repeat over and over. Steering is part of the problem. The back tires have LaClede V-bar tire chains, but chains on the front could tear up hydraulic hoses on sharp turns. I've tried filling my bucket with rock for added steering traction, but it's not much help. Bottom line, I've slid into and got stuck in those ditches more than I care to admit. I've not tipped yet, but man, it's been close.
Other things I do with the tractor - hauling/spreading piled materials, grapple hooking downed trees, rotary mowing, towing, rear blading, and landscaping. I'll use my rear mounted Lorenz snow blower only when necessary, because slowly driving backwards for hours and replacing shear pins is time consuming. So, other than the snow plowing/blowing issues, this tractor handles my tasks pretty nicely.
Here's what I'm debating for the optimum set-up. I won't say money is no object, but if there's real and significant improvement on snow removal, maybe I can rationalize the expense.
Option 1) Skid steer - I consider this overkill, and I'm not fond of how they tear up the ground. I do little digging, dozing, or loading trucks. My lighter duty tasks doesn't seem to warrant one, plus I'd have to replace my adequate PTO implements with more expensive, heavier duty ones.
Option 2) Current tractor - add a Boss HTX V-Plow attached to the frame (see attached photo). It's 7-1/2 feet wide and lighter weight, under 500 lbs (made for 1/2 ton pickups). Boss's undercarriage for this tractor has to be removed (11 bolts) to mount the front-end loader, which I need every 2-3 weeks for horse manure and/or snow. Not convenient, but the plow does add some reach, it clears my tire path (as opposed to a rear blade), and the added front weight might improve steering. But, if I still go into the ditch, it could damage the lightweight plow and I wouldn't have my loader to inch my way out. The ability to chain front tires would be nice, but not sure how much it'd help those small tires.
Options 3) Upgrade tractor - trade for a 4 or 5 series tractor. Problem is, even my John Deere rep says the snow plowing improvement would be minimal. He say there's more weight but bigger tires, so minimal improvement in tractive effort. And, he says the blade could be wider but so is the tractor, resulting in little gain in reach. Maybe he's trying to sell me a skid steer.
Option 4) Bobcat ToolCat 5610 - never saw one, and can only judge by what I've read and watched on the web. It seems like a good fit between a compact tractor and a skid steer. I can keep my PTO implements, add a V-plow with more reach outside the wheel width, add a front-mounted snowblower if necessary, and rent hydraulic attachments for odd jobs. The extra weight (twice my tractor and more than my pickup) and chains all around should help traction and steering, maybe keep me out of the ditch more, or more able to crawl out if I get in. With more control, maybe I can plow faster and move snow further. The lower center of gravity means less ground clearance, but should also reduce the "pucker factor" of tipping.
Is the choice obvious, or is my zeal for gadgetry and ignorance of the ToolCat clouding my logic??
