Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Using Blower on a grade

[Franko]

I have a Kubota B7800 and can plow snow up to 8-10 inches with a 72 inch landscape blade. If the snow builds up, I push it aside with the FEL. I have some fairly steep grades on my 900 ft drive, and if it gets slushy or slippery, I pretty much have to plow downhill and hope that I can get back up for another run. Sometimes only backing up will get me up, but I have survived 4 winters without getting stuck. The good news is that the blade cleans most of the snow off as it works and gives me a mostly clean path to drive on, which is how I can get back up hill to make another run.

I picked up a 60 inch Meteor 3 Pt hitch blower for those big snows, which happen most years here in central PA. I have only used the blower a couple of times and need some advice. My drive is not paved and I find that I cannot scrape down to grade with the blower. I have to leave some clearance or I hit rocks and have to replace a shear bolt every 100 feet or so, which is just not fun. But when I leave that free space, there is enough snow for the tires to pack down and turn into ice. I am pretty sure that once I get down the hill that the blower and tractor will not make it back up until Spring arrives. I now have chains for the front and rear tires and I notice a great increase in traction, but on a test run last year, it did not seem like enough, and I just gave up and used the FEL to do the job, which takes me a LOT longer and is a LOT more nerveracking as I push the snow to the side on the grades and try to avoid tipping the tractor. I am concluding that unless I get my 900 foot drive paved (ouch$$) that the blower is the wrong tool for my situation. Another strong possibility is that I just don't know how to use the blower. Should I keep those skids on for a gravel drive? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Frank

 

[ruren]

I have the same situation you describe and use the blower with mostly success. I do go through around ten shear bolts each winter from rocks that pop up. I clear my drive in three passes, one down the right side, one up the middle, and one down the left side. If it is icy the trip uphill takes a smaller bite so the machine isn't working as hard to maintain traction. If it is really icy I drive up the clean path and just make three passes down hill. I walk the hill in the fall and pick rocks that look like blower bait, and don't use the blower until the drive is frozen. Usually I use the back blade for the first few light snows, or just drive on it until there is a little build up. Trying to keep it absolutely clean seems to be worse than driving on a little matted snow, but PA might be different than MI and make more ice. I think you need to keep the shoes adjusted to hold the blower off the ground a bit, maybe do that and make a quick pass with your loader if you really want to scrape it down.

If it helps, the first time I used the blower on this driveway I went through four shear bolts in an hour and used my whole list of four letter words. After a while I got a better feel for what works with my driveway and it works well for me now.

 

[Franko]

Thanks for the info and encouragement. I think I should keep at it and see if I can get the hang of it. Do you use the shoes all the time? Chains?

I find that my car cannot make it up the drive with any snow left on the steep parts, since the snow gets pretty slippery when it packs down. It's just too steep for the old front wheel drive. I almost slipped back into a ravine on my first winter with it, so I have been keeping it fairly clear so the sun melts it back to a clean driveway. In spite of this, the mailman was making a delivery last year and tried to come up the drive with her Suburu and managed to get wedged sideways between the snowbanks. Not sure WHAT she was doing, but I managed to pull her around enough to get her straightened out so she could roll back down.

If I can get most of the snow blown clear with the blower and then hit it with the blade, it would be perfect. I hate the snow walls that the blade creates. After a while the snow won't push over the wall and the blade becomes completely ineffective. I usually have to use the FEL to take care of those walls, but if the blower can get rid of the snow in the first place, it would be great.

Frank

 

[leonz]

Hello Franko welcome to the forum,



The key to using a snow caster or rear blade is adhesion/traction
and if you have neither..............,

How fast is your ground speed when snow casting?

Do you have R4 tires or ag tires?

I am curious, are your rear tires loaded with calcium or WWF or Rim Guard
with your B7800?

Loaded rears are must with slopes and snow chains and make a world
of difference.

Which type of snow chains do you have? ladder, 2 link, V bar traction chains,
ring chains with ice lugs?

Do you use spring tensioners for the snow chains to keep them taunt?


A lot depends on the snow chain types and available grip as well.

You may want to sell the chains you have and purchase a pair of
Pewag ring chains or carbide lug chains.

Do you use actual snow tires with your car or cars or have weight in the
rear of the automobile for traction?

Can you have a supply of sand dumped off and spread it on the driveway
when needed and keep the loader bucket full and have a pail and small
shovel in the bucket?

The concrete sand is best for a traction aid and until the ground freezes,
if in fact it does where you are. You are in a bit of a pickle if your rears
are not loaded with liquid ballast.

I am not trying to spend your money, I want you to succeed and have
zero problems. I have had my share of WILD WILLY Moments having nearly
lost a lowboy in a creek over a plowed snow bank and a Simplicity nearly
the same way(needless to say someone was looking out for this idiot at the time)

 

[flyingcow]

FWIW- The first couple of storms I have to roll the blower back, so as the blower doesn't cut into ground too much. I do this by shortening the top link on blower.

 

[Franko]

Tires not loaded. I keep thinking about this, but I am not sure that the plywood floor in my shed could take the weight. I could beef it up if it was really worth it. I keep wondering what I would do if I had to remove one of those loaded back wheels, though. A friend with a JD loaded his tires and a few years later ended up with a corroded wheel, too. I don't hear that happening much but something went wrong for him. I went with the RM7 Ladder Tractor Chains with rubber tensioners from TireChains.com for the back, although the front ones are lighter (car tire chains, I think?). But I did not want the front to do too much of the work anyway. I got them for ice, and they seem to do the job for that. When the snow gets deeper on the steep parts, they don't seem to help as much since there is nothing to bite into.

I bought some sand for those few really icy days but it is alarming how much you can spend on sand and how quickly it disappears. It also does not seem to do much on slippery snow except color the snow.

I think the chains will do the job and is worth a serious try to get the blower going. I will get the skids back on to help avoid picking up rocks and see if the chains will navigate the snow layer that results.

Great comments, guys - I really appreciate it!

Frank

 

[leonz]

Hello Frank,

You can have windsheild washer fluid
loaded in your rears and "fronts" and
have zero worries about rim corrosion.

Your snow casters skids are a must have
for your snow removal.

 

[devildog1]

FWIW- The first couple of storms I have to roll the blower back, so as the blower doesn't cut into ground too much. I do this by shortening the top link on blower.

This is a good trick for most new snow blower owners to learn, it has always worked for me when I had a gravel driveway. I still use it today even though my driveway is blacktop, it stops the cutting edge from damaging drive or edge itself.
DevilDog

 

[reggiejr]

It sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on your driveway clearing situation.With chains on all four that tractor should be a tank.

Like others have stated shorten up your top link and it may give you less resistance and therefore better traction.The problem i see here is your car I would just get 4 good studded snow tires for the winter time and problem solved.

I have a gravel drive and i prefer it to not ever show gravel at all.It just makes plowing/snowblowing soo much easyier my blower leaves about a inch of loose snow behind and that gets packed in and profides a good surface imo for a gravel drive i dont sand unless absolutely nessesary (freezing rain).

Four studded tires makes a big difference on a fwd car.

 

[joeyd]

Frank,
Last year was my first year with a tractor and a 68" Meteor blower. I went through my share of shear pins (I get them at the fastener store, much cheaper than from the tractor supply). This year I had a pair of skids fabricated and will try them. I also have a long hilly drive and leaving an inch or two of snow is more preferable than spreading my gravel all over the place. I use chains and loaded tires on my tractor and blow downhill. If I use the blower coming uphill I take a smaller bite.

The road up to the house is 1 1/2 miles, steep in some spots and 4 different neighbors plow their portion so the road is always changing surface wise. I have to use chains a majority of the time on the jeep or truck. For ease of putting them on and removing the chains I use a product called Spike Spiders. They are pricey but go on in about 1 minute, google them to check them out.