Snow Equipment Owning/Operating Need snow removal help

[speedyvelo]

This year I will try to learn the front and rear blade and the FEL. I may be back later if I decided to go the snowblower route.

These last two messages from Looking4new an Skyhook make me aware of another thing that there are two types or rear snowblowers I though there was only one and you have to look backward and push. Even before I bought the tractor I though in installing a rear camera IF the decision was for a rear blower (I have almost a mile of road to clear). I just looked and saw this pulling type of rear blowers. Skyhook how these pull types perform? It there a problem when the tractor goes over and pack the snow and then the rear snowblower comes? These pull types look so convenient but do they worked well? Why Kubota and LandPride (I think now owned by Kubota) do not make rear pull snow blowers?
Again thank you both

-=terry=-

 

[Looking4new]

With an average annual snowfall of 16 feet, I would seriously consider getting a snow blower.

 

[Farmall45b]

After having a front mount snow blower, I would bit consider going any other route. Even for light snowfall they allow you to place the snow exactly where you want it.

 

[Danny C]

Hydraulic operated (requires special valving), front mount blower with back blade to pull behind to clean up as you're blowing.

 

[speedyvelo]

speedyvelo.....

Looks like Black Hawk CO. is one of the most snowy places in the USA ?

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Yes.

It has a good and a bad part.

The good is that Black Hawk is a gambling town and thus, the road from Denver/Golden to BlackHawk is the cleanest road in Colorado, one flake of snow and 5 plod trucks are ready to remove it. If the road is in bad conditions or closed, Black Hawks looses millions of dollars and hour. Then we have a dirt county road for about 3 miles very well maintained. So from Golden to the entrance to our place is about 30 minutes summer, 40 - 45 minutes when snows.

The bad part is that we have a private road a little less than a mile that is the one that I have to keep drivable to be able to live there. We have just retired and after looking at different options to remove snow we decided to go the tractor way. This forum has been great first to help us to go the tractor way and now the help us in how to do it.

-=terry=-

 

[DHD]

On the Erskine website for their pull-type rear mount snow blowers they suggest in deep snow, like a snow drift, to turn around, raise the blower all the way up, back up so the blower goes over the deep snow then drop down the blower then drive forward, blowing the snow. Sounds too cumbersome for me, but I am a big fan of the rear mount push snow blowers, but I'm only dealing with a 500 foot driveway and a 300 foot driveway, which is not a problem for me to back up while blowing snow.
For your situation with that one mile long driveway and the very big possibility your snow storms could produce many inches of snow, I think a front mount snow blower is your very best choice.

There are even front mount snow blowers that will mount on the front of a 4wd truck, they have gas motor mounted right on the blower to run the snow blower.

 

[arrow]

Yes.

It has a good and a bad part.

The good is that Black Hawk is a gambling town and thus, the road from Denver/Golden to BlackHawk is the cleanest road in Colorado, one flake of snow and 5 plod trucks are ready to remove it. If the road is in bad conditions or closed, Black Hawks looses millions of dollars and hour. Then we have a dirt county road for about 3 miles very well maintained. So from Golden to the entrance to our place is about 30 minutes summer, 40 - 45 minutes when snows.

The bad part is that we have a private road a little less than a mile that is the one that I have to keep drivable to be able to live there. We have just retired and after looking at different options to remove snow we decided to go the tractor way. This forum has been great first to help us to go the tractor way and now the help us in how to do it.

-=terry=-

Last time I was in Black Hawk was in 1998. There was a restaurant on a hill that was up about a quarter mile or more from the town. the town was like enetering the 1960's. Hippies and stoners seemed in quite the abundance. The area was beautiful however. Hiking in that wilderness was like being removed from civilization. One of my daughters who was 13 at the time, stated "oh, look at that beautiful snake" that had just crossed her path. She went to "go get it" and I had nothing to do but grab her pony tail as she whisked by me. I said: this isn't like home sweet heart and this is not the zoo". What she was about to chase down was a timber rattler of some type that was purported to be in it's "yellow stage". I never knew what that was but was told this by a store proprietor there when I asked why the snake acted as it did instead of "rattling" and curling to strike. It was in the May- June time frame.

 

[speedyvelo]

Last time I was in Black Hawk was in 1998. There was a restaurant on a hill that was up about a quarter mile or more from the town

Arrow, the restaurant most likely was the Black Forest Inn, the owner a German immigrant opened it many year before, it was famous and it was a place to treat yourself if you live in Denver, nice ride inside of the Canyon, great restaurant and great service. Then gambling came, the restaurant was in a top spot and the owner owned the land. He could have sold the property for many million dollars to the casino industry, but at the time they believed they could run the casino by themselves. They could not compete with the casino's pro and he went under. What a pity! He recovered and now has a similar restaurant in a not to distant town call Netherlands.

There are snakes in Colorado and there are rattles, they are not as posing as in the south, but it is a serious problem mainly for pets.

There are two town together, Central City and Black Hawk. Before gambling the top town was Central City that had the opera house, bars, and the "aliens" (aka people form another galaxy ;-)) , Black Hawk was more of a low key town with a couple of bars and the Black Forest Inn. Then gambling came and Black Hawks surge and Central City was basically absorbed by BH. Now there is only one town (administratively speaking). You will not recognized the area.

Those town were the center of silver/gold mine. If you go up, above Central city, you will find many tails of old mines. Every time gold goes up in value some will reopen.

If you go to Black Hawk from Golden/Denver you take 119/6 inside of the canyon, Black Hawk/Central City are in the left side, the mountain we are is about 2 miles before BH to the rigth of 119/6. We are at 9300 ft.

-=terry=-

 

[gnawbone]

Speedy,

Congratulations on your new tractor! I'm envious of the cab - at this time of year they look like a great idea.

I think the best advice you've gotten so far is to learn by experience and have fun; that being said here is how I do it.

First of all, my road is about 1200 feet long and is about 8' wide - though I've never measured it. I make it pretty simple, I angle my rear blade (don't have a front blade) so that the snow goes off to the side and I start just off the right of center of the road. I drive the length of the road, turn around, again just slightly to the right of center, and drive back to where I started. I ALWAYS have the blade reversed and lowered all the way in the "float" position. Depending on the depth of snow, I may be done or I repeat the process. I have a gravel road which is why I always have the blade reversed - I don't want the cutting edge digging in to the gravel. The advice about keeping the snow from piling up and then trying to do it all at once is great advice. We don't get as much snow here as you get so my methods may not work where you live but addressing 6" or less at a time will make you life much easier if it is possible to do it that way.

During warm weather I usually do almost the same thing except for a couple of things; I angle the blade so that it pulls the gravel in from the edges and let the gravel run off to the middle and then do a final pass in the center of the road with the blade straight (again, all runs are in 'float'). Our road is not 'crowned' - it is a shared road with my SIL/BIL and they seldom chip in on the gravel so we've never been able to get the road built up over the grass on the sides. I grade it often enough that it stays the way I want it. If we go too long without adding gravel I'll get out the box blade churn things up good but that is a whole different story.

Have fun!

View attachment 403885

I just got a Kubota B3350 with
Front loader 60" bucket
72 Hydraulic snow blade with a 3rd function valve
72 rear blade.

The dealer was excellent and spent many hours teaching me in how to drive the tractor (I have zero experience/knoledge of tractors)
I need to clear the snow in a little less than a mile dirt road, in the mountains, with some areas of steep grade so I can get the suv to the road.

Q1 how should I orient the rear blade? with the convex part forward of backward
Q2 how should angle the rear and the front blade?
Q3 the front blade has a pin that allow the blade to be fix like dozer blade or to be floating, I set it up floating for snow correct?


Plase any tips very appreciated, even the more obvious to all of you are new to me.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

-=terry=-

 

[Don H]

I would think a snow blower on gravel would be a problem with throwing gravel and damaging the blower.
I used a 6' grader blade for years until we had the gravel drive paved, then I went with a blower.