ncoonen
New member
I live at 7,600' elevation in north-central Colorado on the eastern side of the continental divide. My tractor is a Kioti CK3510H with KL4030 FEL and R4 tires with chains, and a 900# ballast block out back. This is the time of year when we get our biggest snows and it is always wet, heavy, and comes down fast. This past weekend we got about 3' and I spent most of the day yesterday clearing our driveway and yard. I hope the road is plowed today so I can make my Covid vaccine appointment later. Following are a few thoughts and questions on using a tractor for snow work.
Thanks...ned.
This is an example: Titan 72" Skid Steer Bucket
- R4 tires, even with chains, aren't great when the snow is really wet. Once you drive over the snow and pack it down, the snow is hard to scrape up. Plan your work accordingly. Next time (hah!) I would buy more aggressive chains. Overall though, traction was never a critical problem.
- I've read people don't know about or ever use their rear diff lock. It saved me from getting stuck a few times yesterday when one of the fronts goes off the edge of the drive and the tractor tipped a little. It is a very useful feature.
- This may be Kioti specific but I have read many folks say that they run their tractors at 1,800-2,100 rpm when doing "normal" work with the FEL. Maybe it's my elevation but my tractor runs and works *much* better at 2,600, its rated speed. Every operation just feels less stressed and comfortable. Virtually everything on my property is uphill/downhill so I am sure that makes a difference too.
- In a normal snowfall, I can run the level bucket up and down my gravel drive, pausing once in a while to empty the bucket off to the side. It's not super efficient but it works. This latest snow was so deep and heavy that I had to scoop and dump as though I were moving a pile of road base. That took time and had me wishing for a 72" high capacity bucket instead of the small-ish 66" material bucket the FEL came with.
- I have though many times about a SSQA plow or snow pusher for the FEL but am over that idea now. I think in snow light enough for that to work well, a bucket would be okay. In this much snow, it would have been useless or worse, damaging to the loader frame.
- I use Edge Tamer "bucket skis" for snow but when the snow is really wet, you can leave too much under the bucket and it seems like the bucket bottom polishes the surface of the snow. They work well for dry snow but I ended up taking them off to scrape off packed wet snow in front of the garages so the melt off wouldn't make a mess.
Thanks...ned.
This is an example: Titan 72" Skid Steer Bucket