Garden or Compact with snow removal

jim spencer · Sep 9, 2011

Looking for a tractor for general purpose gardening and landscaping in the summer but primarily to clear my 1000 foot paved driveway that averages 15% grade in the winter. Our snowfall is typically heavy wet snow. Often at two to four feet deep.

Muhammad · Sep 9, 2011

Welcome to TBN.

creekbend · Sep 9, 2011

:welcome::tractor:

tsteahr · Sep 9, 2011

Sounds like you are looking for a SCUT with a front mount blower. Kubota BX, Deere 1026. Massey GC, etc. You'll want a front loader for gardening and possibly a tiller if you have a large food garden. All the front mount blowers can handle 2ft of snow at a time as that is about the height of the chute. Don't wait for 4ft to pile up or you will be overwhelmed getting the 1000ft drive cleared. The back hoes for the SCUTs are small but they are excellent for landscaping projects. Visit your local dealers, try out all the major brands, and choose machine based on the following priorities. 1st, machine comfort and ease of use for you (everyone has their own opinions of what they like best). 2nd, dealer quality. Choose a dealer that is responsive and trustworthy. You know when someone is being straight up or trying to feed you a line. Finally 3rd, price. All the comparable machines tend to be fairly close in price. In the long run a small difference in price will be long forgotten and the quality of the dealer will remain.

Good luck and enjoy the search!

Briana03 · Sep 12, 2011

Hello & WELCOME to TBN!

I moved your thread to the Buying/Pricing/Comparisons Forum.

DennisFolsom · Sep 18, 2011

jim spencer said:
Looking for a tractor for general purpose gardening and landscaping in the summer but primarily to clear my 1000 foot paved driveway that averages 15% grade in the winter. Our snowfall is typically heavy wet snow. Often at two to four feet deep.

With the amount of snow, and length of driveway you are talking about, the SCUT (sub-compact) category may not be as big as you need. You might want to move up into the lower end of the CUT (compact) category. Check out the Kubota 3200 & 3600, Deere 3000 series, Massey Ferguson 1500 or 1600 series, Bobcat CT235, etc.

There are trade-offs in selecting a tractor size, besides the price. A larger tractor will generally have more power, traction, lifting ability and stability, but that comes at the expense of maneuverability in some situations.

I notice that you did not mention lawn mowing. That's good. Unless you're mowing some acreage, a lawn mower is better for the job anyway. If you do plan to mow lawns with your tractor, that should influence you toward the smaller sizes.

Good luck in your search!