What is the most efficient snow removal machine?

[buickanddeere]

Snowblower gets rid of snow. Pushing show just raises mounds that make drifting worse.

 

[nybirdman]

They are going to get a lot of practice on the Tug Hill (central NY) calling for up to six feet the next couple of days.Unless you have seen it,you can't believe it can snow that much in a couple days.
For sure....snow-blower country.

 

[rbargeron]

I've moved snow several ways - but for small-scale jobs like residential driveways and paths the most effective (and warmest) is this L5450 cab with 7' Erskine front blower. I never miss having a loader on in the winter. The blower sends any kind of snow far enough that it doesn't need to be handled again. I run it at full 540+ pto speed where it spits out small rocks without shearing pins - it's very rugged. I do 8 places in the neighborhood usually in 2 hours or less.

We also use an open-station L3250 at another place with a 7' New Idea rear-mount - works fine but it's chilly.

 

[nybirdman]

Nice,that's a PTO driven unit(off the back) I assume.

 

[rbargeron]

Yes - see pic added above that shows the rear setup.

Below are pics of our other blower that's rear-mount - with an added clean-up drag blade.

 

[CJONE]

1st choice for me is a snowbox. I can move a bunch of snow and stack it about 12'+. If it is a long road and not a lot of snow [under 20"] I like a winged plow. I use a blower for moving banks and open up heavy drifted roads 4'+ so basically the blower is last but it is the most fun!! CJ

 

[Piston]

I have a similar setup to the OP. A FEL with bucket (one of the few times my tractor doesn't have the grapple on!) and a heavy duty 1k lb rear blade, 8' long.

It is certainly not the best setup, but it works. For small driveways that end at the entrance to the garage (I.E. nowhere to push the snow) it works quite well. However, for anything but those small driveways with nowhere to put the snow, I honestly can't see how you can beat a heavy truck with large plow on it. I've tried many times to clear snow faster than my father in his F350 diesel and 9' blade, but I simply can't.

I use my tractor for snow removal for no other reason than it's just plain fun for me! There are exceptions of course, but for most situations (as long as you have a place to push the snow) a plow truck will beat just about everything else out there that is commonly available and affordable to the homeowner.

It's not just the equipment, it's the operator as well. A good operator with some valuable experience will pretty much beat the pants off any poor, inexperienced operator regardless of what snow removal equipment they're both using. :thumbsup:

 

[Piston]

To add to my last post.... Regardless of "efficiency and practicality" I still want to get a snowblower for the tractor someday. Ideally (for me) it would be a rear mount, pull behind version so I could have better maneuverability than a front mount and still have the option to keep the FEL on if I wanted/needed it. Oh ya, and I "need" a cab

 

[FatTire]

For a tractor, I like an FEL plow with a blower on the back, or a rear blade instead of the blower if you get less snow or really need to scrape down. Or if you get a lot of snow, can't really beat a unimog....

 

[kevin37b]

When it gets that deep , nothing beats a loader . I do not like blowers in urban situations . I spent the last 4 days on my 316 / 4 way blade pushing 10+ and it was all Icould handle .Thank the Lord for that Cozy Cab .