Is this going to work?

[Catfish Man]

I've pretty well decided on the kubota L4240, loaded ag tires with chains, front mount six foot blower

my neighbor tried to blow the drive for me the other day
he has a 30hp tym with r4's, (i don't think they are loaded), rear mount blower
he couldn't make it up the steepest part of the hill, it would just sit and spin

 

[JoelD]

Without chains, on a slope, he likely had no chance, particularly while pushing a blower.

I have a little wheel horse workhorse 700 with front blower, without chains can't get out of the garage, with chains, I've yet to be stuck, and that is without wheel weights.

Joel

 

[kiotiken]

In my area they are saying heavy snow is not a rare event most winters.

If I go with a larger tractor such as the L4240, the cab issue will be decided for me, adding a cab will push it out of my range.

I'm going to agree that you want a 7' blower with at least 35 pto hp for that hill. A couple of ways to bring this back to your price point;

1) Consider a gear tractor, you'll get more PTO hp out of the same tractor and save over $1K.

2) Switch up the front blower to an inverse or pull type rear blower. You still drive forward and you can keep the loader on (assuming you'll be buying a loader) for any MAJOR drifts. You may find a good used one, and even if you don't, you'll still save a few thousand there.

3) Consider all your options, not just Kubota. There are PLENTY of great tractors that are at least as heavy duty without the premium price these days. For example, after reading another thread on TBN yesterday, I went to johndeere.com and priced out the most similar tractor to mine (Kioti CK30HST with FEL and Woods BH-70x BH with thumb and Kioti cab), a JD 3320 with FEL, BH and cab. My tractor beats the Deere in several areas (3pt lift, hydro flow etc), but there's no denying the Deere has nicer HST options (as does the Grand L line) and a nicer cab. If I win the lottery, I'll look at the Grand L or Deluxe JD lines, but since the price came to $44,500 vs the $34,000 I paid for mine, I'm pretty happy with my choice. Soooo all that to say a Kioti CK30 or Bobcat CT230 is more tractor than the B2920 at less money and a DK45 or Bobcat CT345 would let you run a 7' (front/rear) blower, and the cab version may stay in your budget.

So, I could see you saving at least $10K over a Kubota front blower/cab set up by following all of the above on comparable 45hp tractors.

 

[sixdogs]

Just a thought here...would you have to add chains to all four wheels to keep the rolling diameter the same so the front axle gears don't get chewed up? The front and rear tire diameters are set up so the front actually pulls the back by a few percent. When I plowed a lot I kept chains on all four wheels of the pickup for that reason and plowed as much in 2WD as possible. I'll add that my truck never left the snow of the farm.
One other thought I already mentioned is to try to find someone with the exact setup you have to see how it works for them. When I lived in big snow country, it was all about HP and lots of guys didn't have enough. You will likely have warmer and wetter snow and that will handle differently than cold and fluffy. Just my two cents here.

 

[aczlan]

I've pretty well decided on the kubota L4240, loaded ag tires with chains, front mount six foot blower
my neighbor tried to blow the drive for me the other day
he has a 30hp tym with r4's, (i don't think they are loaded), rear mount blower
he couldn't make it up the steepest part of the hill, it would just sit and spin

We have a L3830 with a 6' blade rear blade and that isn't quite wide enough to cover the tire tracks. I might see if I could get a wider blower.
The reason being: when you get near the edged of the paged area (or packed driveway) and your tire drops over the edge, it can get interesting getting back out. As such, I would try to have a blower that is at least a 6" wider than the tires on each side.

Aaron Z

 

[smfcpacfp]

I've pretty well decided on the kubota L4240, loaded ag tires with chains, front mount six foot blower

my neighbor tried to blow the drive for me the other day
he has a 30hp tym with r4's, (i don't think they are loaded), rear mount blower
he couldn't make it up the steepest part of the hill, it would just sit and spin

Simple solution to steep hill snow blowing. Only snowblow down the hill.

Of course if you can't get up the hill to start, this wouldn't be a solution. I helped a friend out who had a 30 degree grade and this technique worked.

 

[crazyal]

I use these for rear chains (and no chains up front). They are not good for pavement and when driving on the cement in the garage I have some old carpet I drive on. But they will handle a steep driveway no problem.

 

[Willl]

But they will handle a steep driveway no problem.

"Or straight up a tree if need be"

Those things look awesome.

 

[Catfish Man]

Simple solution to steep hill snow blowing. Only snowblow down the hill.

Of course if you can't get up the hill to start, this wouldn't be a solution. I helped a friend out who had a 30 degree grade and this technique worked.

he was starting from the bottom, he couldn't make it to the top with or without the snowblower on, he tried in forward and reverse

 

[Catfish Man]

We have a L3830 with a 6' blade rear blade and that isn't quite wide enough to cover the tire tracks. I might see if I could get a wider blower.
The reason being: when you get near the edged of the paged area (or packed driveway) and your tire drops over the edge, it can get interesting getting back out. As such, I would try to have a blower that is at least a 6" wider than the tires on each side.

Aaron Z

six is the largest they offer in front mount, but I already have plans to build some wings to extend the width