Ah, yes, the age-old question, how to move snow? I've read so many answers to this question over the years that it makes my head spin. So many times I've read things here that are 100% contrary to my experience that I have come to one of two conclusions ..... either half of us are brain dead (not sure which half I'm in!), or the answer to this questions depends COMPLETELY on your circumstances. Read on if you want a long-winded explanation as to what works for me and why.
As for my circumstances, I need to clear about a half a mile or so of GRAVEL road, which is a key factor in determining what works for me. My tractor is a JD 4320 (almost 50 HP), with a cab, which makes any method more bearable. I live in Maine which means two things... we get a lot of snow, and it usually doesn't melt until sometime in March or April ( though this winter, so far at least, is an exception!) It is generally not sufficient to just push the snow to the side of the road, 'cause if you do, there is a pretty good chance you will run out of room before it melts.
I started out with a 7' Woods blade on the rear. It actually worked reasonably well, especially when the gravel was frozen. Most of the time I drove forward with the blade facing backwards; this kept the blade from digging into the gravel minimizing damage to the roads, and allowed me to get done quickly as I was moving forward as fast as I could. The problem came in when the snow started to pile up on the sides of the road and I needed to push back the snow banks---that was always a royal pain using the FEL.
My next try was with 7' front loader-mounted hydraulic-angle blade. As alluded to here, I spent less time turned around, but overall I found it more troublesome than the rear blade. It was very difficult to control the blade angle well enough to keep it from digging up the uneven gravel roads as the blade was so far out in front of the tractor. Also, when the snow got deep or heavy, the front blade would tend to push the front of the tractor around, instead of the other way around.
Next I tried a 78" Lorenz rear blower. Again this has its advantages, most notably the ability to touch the snow just once. It is especially effective with deep, heavy, wet snow that is just a real pain to push around, no matter how you are pushing it. The problem, though, is it is SLOW compared to using a blade, and looking backward all the time is a literal pain in the neck.
In the end, my tool of choice now is a heavy-duty LandPride RBT4096 rear blade with three-way hydraulic adjustments. This blade is heavy, wide, tall, and most importantly has the ability to swing out to either side of my tractor. This allows me to push side banks back without getting my tractor down off the side of the road ... something I could never do with the front blade. The ability to control the angle of the blade and the location of the blade makes for quick work. I still have my rear mount blower, but only use it when we get a big storm over 12 of wet snow, or if the gravel is just too soft to touch with a blade.
So, I've tried them all. In my case, under the conditions I deal with, the front-blade was definitely not better than the rear blade. Unless your circumstances are like mine, you probably will have a different experience.
One other comment ... Someone suggested that a front blade and rear blower would be optimal. In my opinion, it's the other way around. I want to put my blower up front, and keep the heavy blade on the rear. In that case, I will always be moving forward ? something my aging neck will appreciate. Plus, I will be able to use both blower and blade at the same time: blow a 6.5' path, then clean-up and widen with the 8' blade swung out to one side. I just need the $4K it takes to buy the kit to put my blower out front.
Bob
