Selecting equipment. primarily for snow removal

[mposter]

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I am considering a small tractor for the following purposes: moving dirt, mulch, firewood, misc. chores and snow removal. My questions, for now, have to do with the latter. I've read a bit here about pushing snow around and I'm sure my situation is far from unique, but the subject has me scratching my head.

First off, I'm in southern VT and we do get dumped on from time to time. We have a gravel driveway and to date have paid a neighbor, with pickup mounted plow, who is in the snow removal business, to deal with what we get: everything from a few inches to feet.

The driveway is a few hundred feet and plowing that is straightforward. But, there's a loop at the bottom that's bordered by the house, the garage, a couple of small streams and and perennial and shrub borders. There is space between all this, but not really enough for a truck mounted plow to push into piles that don't make things real tight by January. Not to mention the scraped up perennials and many pounds of gravel in the grass.

So, I am thinking that with a front loader, I could be a bit more surgical about moving the snow around without trashing the plantings and leaving piles of gravel all over the lawn. But it seems like it might be quite time consuming to plow the whole place with the FEL so I'm thinking about adding a back blade too.

Since writing the first part of this post, I visited the local Kubota dealer (other brand dealers are not close by) and confirmed my suspicions that the B2320 was appropriate for my needs. Except that I'm a bit worried about the 48" width of the FEL. The B2650 with 60" FEL is beyond my budget. I'd like to purchase new as well to avoid the possibility of inherited headaches.

So, I hope I've put down enough info for some of you to weigh in and offer advice.

What do ya think??!!

Michael

 

[peterc38]

What is your budget? I wouldn't necessarily count out a used machine if the maintenance history can be verified.

 

[TerryR]

Michael,

Plowing even a few hundred feet of driveway with with a 60" FEL would be an exercise in frustration. I can't image doing it with a 48" bucket. Either bucket quickly becomes very very small compared to the volume of snow in a few feet of driveway. A FEL works well for doing small tight places, but not for any noticeable length.

A rear blade works well for up to 6 to 8" of snow accumulation, but bogs down when you get much beyond that.

I suspect that those with experience with the kind of snowfalls you get in Vermont can suggest what is really required.

Terry

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN........


I'm in the snow belt just a little S.E. of Lake Ontario and snow plowing / moving is the main purpose for my tractor. The rest of the time the tractor does misc. chores like you do. My driveway is also gravel (runner crush). My tractor is the LS XR3037HC. I bought this last year to have a warm cab to plow with. I have a snow pusher blade, Made a quick attach 7'6" power angle plow from an old truck blade, and the 66" loader bucket for moving piles. I have loaded the rear tires with washer fluid, chains on tires for tractionon hard pack and ice and have rear ballast if needed.
48" would be way to small for me to plow with but if that's what you can afford that's what you use.
If you get the tractor and it has a quick attach bucket a set of forks is a very handy tool to get. Also, if you get half the snow I do you'll soon out grow that tractor but its a good place to start. As mentioned, I'd look around for a larger used tractor with a verifiable service record that's been taken care of.
My neighbor has a small MF GC2300 with a small loader (I think its 48") for his driveway. It takes him a while but he can peck at it all day being retired.

 

[vtsnowedin]

This works well in Vermont.

Your looking at tractor with beet juice in the rear tires wearing a good set of ice chains with a soft cab to keep the operator comfortable if not warm. Third function on the loader hooked up to the swing pistons of an old Fisher plow I scored off Craigslist and had an attachment plate made up for it. I can do a half mile with three side drives in an hour. I can take it off and put the bucket back on in five minutes if I need to pile snow or do other work. One neighbor has a Kubota B2700 with a 6.5 foot snow blade that clamps into her bucket. It works alright except she doesn't have the rear tires loaded or a cab of any kind. Set up right that would work well for you.

 

[nybirdman]

Small(affordable new)tractor+Vermont=snowblower.Now way you are going to handle your situation with a FEL and Back blade.Well you could,but will be time consuming.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Small(affordable new)tractor+Vermont=snowblower.Now way you are going to handle your situation with a FEL and Back blade.Well you could,but will be time consuming.

Yes a blower is a lot better then a back blade and front bucket but most of them are on the back and you get a crick in your neck running them. My plow lets me look forward and go at speed (5mph usually) and I can lift the whole thing up and push back banks when I need to. Front blowers can be had especially on the smaller tractors and as long as you have a cab that would be awesome.

 

[paulfun9]

Don't limit yourself just because other brands are not close. You really need to take the time to see what the others have to offer. I was able to step up 10 HP a lot more options, more weight, more lift capacity, more comfort better warranty and spent less money by going with the Kioti when I did.
In simple terms getting a better fit machine for my needs by not limiting myself to the dealer that's closest. If the size machine your thinking about is fine it could mean the difference between having to wait for the Snow blower or the plow attachment or getting it with the tractor now.

 

[NHbotanut]

I live in central NH & have a B7610. Don't be fooled at what these tractors can do based on size. I use my tractor for everything you mentioned and a lot more. You will want to get attachments for snow removal. My tractor has a 50" bucket but that comes off for the winter. I have a 6 1/2' snow plow on the FEL & a 60" rear blower. Biggest storm I can think of off hand was over 3 feet. I had no problems dealing with it. My driveway is gravel, and just about 1/2 mile long. Matter of fact 6 of my neighbors had me help widen their driveways this winter a they got "tunneled" from the truck plows.

I originally started out like you, FEL & a rear blade but very fast learned I needed the correct tools to deal with winter. Both the FEL snow plow and rear blower I bought used & were in good shape. If you look, you can find some good equipment out there.

 

[Will_C]

I plow with a B2620, FEL and back blade. I get by here in the Southern Tier of NY with this set up on a 500' driveway. If I lived in a snowier area, I would definitely have a plow and/or blower set up. I get everything done, but 12" + snows take time.

Will