Buying Advice Small Tractor For Snow Removal?

[TJP89]

A pick up truck is faster and probably cheaper.

Ditto, if you have a decent truck, about 4 or 5K (from when I explored that option) will get you a hydraulic front plow on the front of the truck. That will handle anything unless you are in a really really really small area. A lot quicker too. A SCUT will do it with a blower, but it will be slower. Also, for a dedicated blowing machine, front blower is the way to go, same amount of power. With a blade, it will be faster than a blower, unless you have more than 18" of snow, at which point you will be doing more skidding than plowing. Even my 35HP tractor with Ags and loader will have a hard time in more than 18" (heck, I've even seen the local farmer's JD 8330 with front blade sliding on the road with 30" drifts). A truck plow with appropriate weight in back is likely the better option.

 

[MDOGG]

Ah- questions abound. Private use, or commercial? You only specify Thornton, but where is that? We ask because do you anticipate multiple heavy snows every winter- 180" total, or irregular snowfalls of 4-10"?? Unless you have one heavy snow after another, I would think a plow would be quicker and simpler.

(Opps- in re-reading, I see that he did say "customers"...)

I am in Ontario Canada.

 

[MDOGG]

I like the idea of a pick up for mobility. I find a lot of people seem to really like having their driveway blown as it doesn't create the large snow banks. Who knows I might also get a plow truck as well as the tractor. I don't want to use my current truck as I think the plowing will be hard on it. Thats another reason I am leaning toward the tractor. I feel like they would stand up to the abuse better.

 

[check]

Got an ATV? You could plow the first few times, then use the blower. That way you get all the sticks and rocks and stuff off the road before you risk your blower blades. It is amazing how much stuff is sitting around under the snow waiting to murder your blower if you yourself don't clean it out ahead of time. And then there's the dead branches that fall down just before it snows, and wait there, hidden, until you hit them with your blower.

 

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Also, you are right near the Barrie snowbelt, so you will get a lot of snow, and with the plow you will eventually narrow the road down so much with your plow leavings that you will have to use a blower or a front end loader to push back the snowbanks.

 

[MDOGG]

So what type of machine would you recommend?

No ATV unfortunately. I will keep what you said about debris and blowers in mind. If I had the FEL maybe I could scrape it down a bit with that although that probably not ideal?

 

[MDOGG]

Check, Do you do any blowing/plowing with your BX 25?

 

[check]

Check, Do you do any blowing/plowing with your BX 25?

.

I have the Kubota rear Blower, because it is so much sturdier and cheaper than the front mount, and it leaves the FEL free to move snowbanks and the like. It will blow any snow you are likely to encounter., and cost me about $2k OTD. Kubota North in Bracebridge are good guys to deal with.

The new BX25D is compatible with a QA for the FEL so you can get a front plow blade and change it out quickly. If I didn't already have a big ATV with a plow on it that's what I would do.

 

[check]

Also, if you do get the BX 25, make sure and get the bucket expander from BXpanded.com, because it doubles the heaped capacity of the front bucket, and this has an amazing impact on your ability to move snow with it.

 

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One big disadvantage with the rear blower, however, is that you can get a sore neck from looking backward all the time. Check out some of the discussions on TBN, because the solution for many is to get a rearview camera or a mirror.