Snow Snow removal: bucket, blower, plow?

[ray66v]

We do know the MF 1705 is a riding lawnmower size machine not a full sized 80HP tractor that can run anything.
A 4' or 5' blade is about the limit, front or back.

My smaller 2310 pushes a 6' plow without any trouble.

 

[K Arno]

I just got off my JD 2035R open station with a front mount blower. The access road to the house is about 1/4 of a mile all together. Gravel and I do the Lady next door including a pad in front of there barn and the house next door as well. I plowed this with a one ton pickup before and it was a lot more comfortable most of the time. Heat stereo, little things you learn to value. I was as usual covered in blown snow. you can dress for the cold but keeping your glasses free can be a trick. We have had a deep freeze for a while now here in the North East and getting underway took longer than usual and I spent about four hours outside in the cold.

Ride a touring bike for fun so have some stuff you don't usually think of when you think tractor that work with with an open station machine. Modular helmet with bluetooth. Use earplugs and can still listen to music from my cell phone. Visor down wiping snow off is relatively easy... could get a snow machine visor as well I guess. Heated vest with collar. Plug it into the power point on the machine. You adjust how much heat you want. Ah the life.
The tractor is slower than the plow was. Never got stick and had to dig out the tractor . (yet)
When I hit the lottery a hard cab is in my future. Until then what I have will do. Working any type of gravel/dirt road it needs to be frozen to clean up without relocating it. Plow or blower.

Enjoy

 

[texasranger556]

My smaller 2310 pushes a 6' plow without any trouble.

There are a ton of variables. My 4400 with foam filled tires and loader can struggle with a 6' rear blade depending on snow conditions, slope, etc. On a machine with half the weight, I'd lean toward a 5' blade if dealing with more than 4-6" of snow.

 

[ray66v]

There are a ton of variables. My 4400 with foam filled tires and loader can struggle with a 6' rear blade depending on snow conditions, slope, etc. On a machine with half the weight, I'd lean toward a 5' blade if dealing with more than 4-6" of snow.

Yes, there are variables. Pushing vs. pulling, tires, slope, & weight.

I would have agreed with you, on a 5' plow being the limit. Until, I saw my tractor push a 6' plow.

I made the plow from combining two Bolens tube frame plows, 6' was what it came out to. My original intention was to find out what it could handle. I expected 6' to be too big. I planned to cut it down a little at a time, until it was just right.

To my surprise, I have not needed to cut it down.

For the record, it's a 6' loader mounted plow, a basically flat gravel drive, air filled turf tires, 4wd, no chains. And, the backhoe is on for ballast.

I have pushed it through deep snow, with drifts. It doesn't have any trouble pushing it.

 

[majorwager]

RAY66v
Believe the secret to you success is the mounted backhoe. Had a IH 2400B 2 wheel drive TLB, and it would push an incredible amount of snow although with a 6 ft bucket.

 

[MossRoad]

RAY66v
Believe the secret to you success is the mounted backhoe. Had a IH 2400B 2 wheel drive TLB, and it would push an incredible amount of snow although with a 6 ft bucket.

I had a 2500b. Small world.

 

[ray66v]

RAY66v
Believe the secret to you success is the mounted backhoe. Had a IH 2400B 2 wheel drive TLB, and it would push an incredible amount of snow although with a 6 ft bucket.

There is no doubt a backhoe is good ballast.

And it does quite well in 2wd. Once, I found half the winter had gone by, before I remembered to even put it in 4wd.

 

[irvingj]

I used to use my BH for ballast --and yep, it DOES work very well-- but the slope of my driveway (steep!) made steering totally unresponsive while going uphill with my blower on the front. So now I use 4WD a lot, and had to use chains once when it got really icy.

Still vote for my blower as being, for me, the quickest way to remove snow. Love that it leaves no high snowbanks on the sides and my driveway doesn't gradually become narrower as winter progresses. Dealing with strong wind, however, leaves a lot to be desired....

 

[Devi8]

True BH is great Ballast but its also adds 8 ft to the tractor, I like the cheap titan ballast boxes for adding weight. These GC are great home owner tractors, I just feel people are using them for Jobs that are way over capacity due to them being affordable compared to a compact unit. you got a real long driveway to plow? buy a yard truck with a plow.

 

[ray66v]

BH is great Ballast but its also adds 8 ft to the tractor

That's quite an exaggeration.

I like the cheap titan ballast boxes for adding weight.

Why buy a ballast box? Then, take the B/H off and install the ballast box, find a place to store the B/H, for the winter, take the ballast box off, find a place to store that, and put the B/H back on in the spring? Especially, when you already have the B/H, and it's sitting on the back of the tractor?

These GC are great home owner tractors, I just feel people are using them for Jobs that are way over capacity due to them being affordable compared to a compact unit.

That's probably true in some cases. GC's are "estate" tractors. They were designed for property maintenance. This is exactly what they had in mind. Not sure why it doesn't make sense to use it, if you own it? That helps justify the $15,000+ investment in it.

you got a real long driveway to plow? buy a yard truck with a plow.

Again, buying something, maintaining it, and storing it, when you already own a tool that can do the job? To each his own.