Snow Equipment Buying/Pricing I know it is July...but a snow question....

[wolc123]

If you have plenty of room to stack the snow, and it does sound like you do, and enough traction, then a blower is not necessary. I have tons of room for snow, and I live in a heavy snow-belt area that really gets dumped on. I get by just fine with a rear blade and a front loader. I do 90% of the work with the rear blade. A rear blade works much better pushing the snow backwards so you dont need to drive over it. I just have a cheap rear blade that can be manually angled by placing a pin in different holes. I have added condiderable reinforcement and weld over the years to make it hold up on a larger tractor than that for which it was designed. I made my blade larger by running a piece of angle iron across the top and attaching a 12" wide piece of marine plywood such that the blade overall height is almost 3 ft. This 7 ft wide blade will really push mountains of snow on my 43 hp, 4wd tractor with loaded R1 tires. I dont need any chains to get excellent traction in almost any conditions. The rig actually works so well that I plow several of my nieghbor's driveways free of charge, in addition to several driveways, and parking areas around my own house and barns. I am amazed at the traction of the 4wd with R1's, which is far better than the previous 2wd tractor (8n) I used, that had loaded rear R1's and chains. With those chains, I was always tearing up blacktop, aggrivating my wife, where now I can push a lot more snow and not put a scratch on the pavement. Blowers are good if you have a lack of space and/or a lack of traction as would result from use of a 2wd tractor or a 4wd with R4 or turf tires. Blowers are not real good on slushy or packed, icey snow, while a blade works on anything. The blade can often be operated at a much higher speed than the blower, for lighter snows, and is many times less expensive as has been discussed previously. A blade is also much less likely to give you a mechanical brakedown that will stop your work, and if it does brake, it can usually be quickly repaired with a little scrap steel and a welder. I also love having the loader up front thru the winter as I use it for hauling firewood, and it can dig me out from the occasional blizzards we are socked with that can dump over 8 ft of snow over 24 hours. The loader also lets me easily move snow when the banks get to high. My dad uses a blower, mainly because his tractor is 2wd with turfs/chains and he is always complaining of sheared pins, or poor performance on many types of snow. Me, I cant wait for a snow storm so I can attack it with my nearly perfect rig. One more tip, for near perfect winter performance, get yourself a block heater and plug her in for an hour or so before starting. That will greatly reduce engine wear and make for much smoother cold starts. Gear transmissions are also nicer when it is real cold as they aint sluggish like the hydros can be until they warm up.

 

[RoyJackson]

That would be my area, snow every day of this past febuary.
(dates on the pics aren't correct)
Pic no 2 is my patio, that is below the pond I built, as seen from my back door.
Pic No 4, is where I turn around in my driveway. Snow is almost 9 feet high.
Other pics are self explanatory.

Here's what we got...the storm was diminishing, but hadn't ended yet. IIRC, we got another 6" after the second picture was taken.

First picture is my old 790 digging out. Frankly, a rear blade would have been useless as a plow and wouldn't have provided enough rear ballast. That much snow was stopping snow plow trucks with chains.

The 2nd pic is the back yard. I was digging a place for the dog to pee. The chain link fence is 48" tall, BTW

 

[lostcause]

i feel that a blower is the best option in the world if you have a tight yard with little or no room to pile snow, the blower spreads it out storm after storm, so you don't have to worry about getting it pushed back far enough the first time. i've had years where we've had a foot or more of snow on wet ground. if i had tried to push it back to make sure i had room for the later storms, i would have sunk into the lawn.

i've never been willing to justify the tractor mounted blower. i don't have a mid pto, and i don't like the idea of doing all my work in reverse. i used a bucket for over 10 years, and it did the trick well, if not a little on the slow side. i gave thought to a blade, but didn't think it would be a huge improvement over the bucket. one thing i would recommend if you choose to use the bucket - bolt or weld some skids to the bottom of the bucket to prevent wearing through the bottom of the bucket.

my most recent choice ended up in another direction. tractors with blowers, buckets or plows will do a great job clearing snow, but nothing beats staying dry and warm. i put a 9' plow on my truck and it sure beats those cold wet snowstorms. a functional yard-only plow truck can be had for under $1000, and for the price of a blower you can get a pretty decent used plow truck that is road worthy. or, if you have a truck you don't mind adding a plow to, you can get a good used or maybe even new plow installed for that price. my ton truck had originally had a plow, and still had all the push plates and wiring harnesses installed, so i ended up buying a few used plows and parts to make one. in the end, i had about $750 invested in a 9' minute mount.

 

[RoyJackson]

Nice rig, LostCause...

 

[LBrown59]

1*A front, full control, hydraulic snow blade is the cat's meow.
The front blade, just as on a pickup truck, is great!!!! Much more expensive than a rear blade, but much less money than a blower.
.

1*Love mine .

My drive is 8-10 feet wide, 150-180 feet long (never actually measured it) and hard packed gravel.
I prefer using the FEL bucket. Goes fairly fast, actually.
I also have a rear blade which can either push (by driving in reverse) or pull (but going over the snow first). 2*The blade is quicker for lighter snows (6-8 inches), then you use the FEL for moving the piles further from the driveway.
Front blade...love to have a QA front blade for my loader...not in this year's budget.
3*I would not want a front blade that replaces the loader though.
NSBound made a good point...
4*using a front blade pretty much demands tire chains (and rear ballast, I might add).

2*I used the BX1500 with a front blade to plow the snow and the BX23 to move and stack the piles last winter.
3*That's why the my front blade is on one tractor and my FEL is on another tractor .
4*I don't need chains on my BX1500 and the tires ain't filled.
I do leave the tiller on for rear ballasr however.

I have (and have used) a front blade and blower. I prefer the blade. It goes much quicker, and (to me) is more fun.
5*I'm spoiled with the hydraulic angle, makes it even easier.
6*I run R-1's with no chains and no rear weight, it's been no problem thus far.

5*I could not do with out the hydraulic angle.
6*I run R1s not filled no chains.
I leave the tiller on for rear ballast.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

WOW!!

As expected....lots of replies.

I got a little bit of everything.

I immediately ruled out the plow on my truck...I don't think the Avalanche is really designed for that.

I have also ruled out the front snowblower....I think I will keep the 13hp Cub Cadet walk behind. If it gets to be too much, I will bust out the FEL.

I also think I am going to skip the chains for the time being. The hosue is only a year old, a newer concrete...and I certainly don't want to take chuncks of concrete out with the chains. If I find that after the first year the tires spin just too much, I will pick some up summer of 2011.

Really the only decision left is the loaded tires or the rear box. I am a simple guy, so I lean to the loaded tires....but then that opens up the problem of the tires sinking in my yard. Geeezzz...all these problems with a new tractor!

Good problems to have.

Thanks for all the replies and advice.
Mike

 

[RoyJackson]

Really the only decision left is the loaded tires or the rear box. I am a simple guy, so I lean to the loaded tires....but then that opens up the problem of the tires sinking in my yard.

If a choice between the ballast box and filled tires, and if your land is level...go with the box. It'll give you more traction.

 

[Duffster]

If a choice between the ballast box and filled tires, and if your land is level...go with the box. It'll give you more traction.

That would depend on the weight of both options.

 

[pitt_md]

With 120' feet of drive to clear and where you live I would not worry about it. Just use the FEL. If your getting dumped on clear the drive before it gets to deep.

Where I live in MN the snow falls and stays all winter because it does not warm up much for a few months. The wind ALWAYS blows and it's colder than he||. Snow is always drifting and filling in over what you pushed to the side. I have got by with the ATV with a plow and the FEL but last year broke down and bought a rear mount snow blower. I have to move hay to the winter pasture for our horses and its to far to use a FEL.

 

[irvingj]

As you can see, it all depends on your conditions... I bought my tractor specifically for the blower, but I have a steep driveway that's about 200', plus wide turn-around area and a path around the house. Did it for 20 years with a walk-behind, and it took 3-5 hours. With tractor & blower, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours, and a lot less tearing up of the body!:laughing:

But it really does sound as though your situation could easily be handled with a walk-behind; save your $$.

Oh- and ditto Egon- that backhoe does make for great ballast! When my septic tank needed pumping.... needless to say, a backhoe comes in very handy sometimes!