Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Compact tractor for snow removal

[Rowski]

Grande

<font color=blue>My answers are vague 'cause conditions and terrain are diverse.</font color=blue>
That's why I like Vermont

<font color=blue>Most is level or gently sloping but one section is VERY steep (about 100'), shaded and needs sanding to even walk on it.
Exposure is NW, half shaded, half open.</font color=blue>
Chains will be a must! Boondox got some chains for his L series, see his <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=photos&Number=99212&Search=true&Forum=All_Forums&Words=norse&Match=Entire%20Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=50&Old=allposts&Main=99212>post with pictures</A>. These chains are the only way to go! The shade area will save you from freezing rain but will not allow the sun to hit it to soften it up or melt it down to the gravel. The NW exposure will slow the thawing process. Some times if the tractor is heavy enough the chains can break up the ice or at least rough it up to make it slightly less slippery.


<font color=blue>Hiltop with much wind.</font color=blue>
Is there anything that can drift snow? If so, a blower will be best. If you have a large open area and can push the snow way back than it might not be a problem.


<font color=blue>I'd say we've aprox. 300yds.
Width is 10 feet with a few spots a little wider (to 15).
A few spots have ditches, much is closely lined with fence, some is level along field.</font color=blue>
This is were I think the blower saves time in the long run. If the drive is closely lined with fence and has ditches you can only set the snow so far to the side. After a few storms you side banks will get too high and you won't be able to get the snow out ot the road. With a ditch you can push the snow back with the loader at a 45 degree angle to the snow bank, but that only gets you a few feet of more room. Then after a few stroms you have the same situation again. Also if the snow banks set up (freeze) you may have a real hard time with your tractor pushing it back. As far as the fence goes you can only push the snow back to the line and that is it, unless you take down the fence and put it back up very year. Depending on how you road is arranged by your field you might find (as mntion by someone else) that the wind will keep it clean. Even better if you have no snow banks.

A snow blower may seem slow but it is consistant, 3" or 16" or more and it will be at the same pace. Once the snow is blowen away it is of no more concern. If you opt for the front mount blower you can alway use your rear blade to make a few passes and winrow the snow to the side or middle of you road and than in one pass blow it way. This would work very well for just a few inches of snow. With the rear blade you can pull or push snow away from places you don't want to be with the blower, like near the house or garage.

A few mistakes some people make with a blower (or what ever setup they have) is not clearing the few inches of snow that falls. What ends up happening is it pack down and keep building up a base. Then when there is a thaw you have this big sloppy mess which usually gets rutted up and is a real pain to clear. If you mis the chance to clear it and it freezes/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif. The fist few inches of snow should be packed down if conditions make it possible. If it snows only a few inches pack it down with the tractor just by driving over it. If it snows a lot just adjust the skid shoes to the maximum height. Once a base has been established you can lower the skids to1/4"or less.

I'm kinda like my plow trucks warm, quiet, cd player, comfortable. They quick to get around but have trouble with lots of snow. I'm in the early stages (mostly just thoughts on paper) of designing a snow removal equipment. I'm want a rear blade with a blower up front. I'm trying a different approach. I want the tractor purchased around the equipment. The rear blade is the easy part. I've found the snowblower I like. I just need to figure out how power (hydraulic or pto) the blower. Then I can get the tractor that meets the need of the blower. The last thing win the lotto/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif!


I think the front blower with a rear blade is the way to go. Its the most expensive but will serve well for a long time and pay for its self in the longer run. Don't get me wrong the FEL and rear blade will get the job done, its just a matter of choice.


Here are the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=photos&Number=38643&fpart=1>post</A> of the snow we got during the 2000-2001 season.

Best of luck! Let us know what your choice is.

 

[hazmat]

Derek,

Your insight into removing the whitestuff is most insightfull.

Sounds like you need one of these for your plowing business

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.unimog.co.uk/>Unimog</A>

 

[Rowski]

I know/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif. I've been eye balling those for a while. Once we got the tractor it wasn't quite a much but I still do. The price is pretty steep but I think they are worth it. We don't see any many around here. Well the state of VT has one that they use to drill test holes for various projects. Seem's like most of the larger distributors for the Unimog are in TX or out on the west coast. Last time I was in Germany to visit, I saw Unimogs everywhere! The neat thing about them is you can do 50 MPH and then do AG work. The other problem is using it for 5 months (snow removal) and than having it sit. It's just not worth it nor does it do the equipment any good. So you would need to use it for other things too.

 

[BigDan]

I would love to have a front mounted snowblower.

With my limited equipment (B5200 with rear blade), I have to concur that a rear blade is the best MINIMAL answer. Here in NE NY, most of the snowfalls are minimal -- 3-6" with an occasional 12". With the smaller snows, driving forward with the rear blade to clear the drive will work. The trick I found is that I still have reverse the blade and pile the snow banks higher to preserve the width of the drive.

The monster storm of 2000-2001 winter (we got 36" overnight) made it extremely hard to clear -- I got 20' done, then hired my neighbor with his truck to make a path. I still had to pile the snow to get the width back.

One other trick for back blades -- use it backwards for the first few snows until the gravel freezes. This will minimize the gravel in the yard.

Also, don't forget to investigate loading your tires -- I use loaded turfs and have not needed chains (yet -- we'll see!).

 

[vo2et]

As you can see in the attached picture, we get a fair amount of snow here in Labrador. The FEL bucket is very slow in that amount of snow and a rear blade is not that effective backing up, you wouldn't be able to use a rear blade in forward in this much snow, so the blower is the optimal choice here to get rid of the snow. IMO its all about the conditions your working in and how much white stuff you gotta move, and how often, - this dictates the best tool for the job. good luck!

 

[Tomtint]

Last year we got dumped on with snow. I maintain my 1300 foot gravel driveway and 1500 foot gravel road. If you are going to plow, remember to push it far,far,far off to the side as possible early in the season. The bucket will be useful to move curb piles. A rear blower would be ok, but the constant looking over your shoulder will get old. A front blower is better but a cab is almost a must. Maybe a 2500.00 plow truck and call it a day?

 

[Jimbo16720]

This spring I'm going to be fitting a front plow to the front of my tractor. I bought a Yamaha 4wheeler off my son and it came with a 5ft plow. I have a back blade right now which I only had to use twice this year. I was told the best way to use the back blade is to replace the toplink with a chain so it rides with the contour better. We've only had at the most 4 inches of snow in one day this year so it didn't matter. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use the winch to lift the plow or change it to hydraulic.:confused2:

 

[smfcpacfp]

Did we just forward in time a decade, or what?:laughing: Most of the old links have long since gone.

Kubota B3030 Snowblowing on 1/02/2012 - YouTube

Kubota B3030 HSDC snowblowing Jan 2012 (HD) - YouTube

 

[5picker]

Did we just forward in time a decade, or what?:laughing:

Talk about a BUMP !!