How does FEL handle snow? MF 1705

[BigBoyToys]

We can have some fairly large storms up here dumping a couple feet of snow. The bucket is the best tool for "moving" snow. Like a plow, the challenge is getting that first pass cut. As others have said, a rear blade/bucket combo works well. With gravel you do have to worry about the FEL digging in. I made my own bucket skids and they work really well!







I'd try the bucket/rear blade for a season and see how you make out.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Nothing works as well as a side by side with a 72" angled plow blowing snow away at 20 MPH. I have a 350' long driveway that you can do U-turns in in a full size crew cab truck, it takes me less than 10 minutes to plow it. I would never want to plow with a 5 mph tractor :thumbdown: That would be truly painful, but I do get it. If it's all you have... you use what you got. My Yamaha Rhino and Warn 72" plow together are total beast mode in snow.

 

[newbury]

Search on TBN, there have been a number of threads discussing DIY blades that peeps have put in their bucket for pushing snow around. Usually involves good thick plywood.
But with the cost of plywood today a rear blade may be cheaper.

 

[HillStreet]

I use a Kubota B2650 with FEL to clear snow from my 350 foot paved driveway. We have had up to 30 inches where I angle push it and it's fine. I am retired so I will pretty often use a 30 inch Ariens snowblower for the exercise.

When snow is heavy the Kubota works pretty hard and the tires slip (I have tire chains but don't use them so driveway stays unmarked)-- just take smaller bites and you will be okay. As for the mower: I would not spend the money for it, but get a small tractor or even get one of the cheaper zero turns for cutting.

 

[AxleHub]

Nickgindy,

You will get alot of varied opinions to consider. Personally a rear "anything" does not suit my needs or desires.

We get snow in WI and living on a more ridge like area we get drifting too. A neighbor has a front plow on his unit and the problem is on concrete or blacktop or gravel you scrape alot . Also you develop a "tunnel" because his snow is all along the sides of your driveway and sidewalks and it piles up and up and up. If you get small snows and lots of melting it's OK. . . But even a 2 foot plowed buildup along the sides stays where it is and that might be just the accumulation of one fair snow or 2 or 3 really small snows and then???

I bought a "snow edge" from ratchet rake and that attaches to my bucket. So I can plow some and bucket accumulated piles or really deep deep snow. The entire snow edge elevates the bucket off the surface and you have no scraping or digging in. So if you have gravel you tilt your bucket a bit and engage the float and you push the snow and then bucket it up and over where needed. And that edge lasts for years even here in WI before you buy a 50.00 replacement edge that attaches to the snow edge. On blacktop or concrete you don't tilt the bucket. . Just set and engage the float.

By the way. . . I have turf tires and never use chains. I have considerable slope angles and sometimes ice and I clear snow going uphill and downhill. I have a gc1715 with loaded rear tires and a 3pt weight holder/trailer mover so I don't have some big wide 3pt attachment. I have been known to clear 24" and 30" drifted sidewalks 100 feet long as well as my 150' concrete driveway (up to 55 feet wide at top and bottom).

Sometimes you'll use the dif lock. you will be amazed what your gc1705 gets for traction with turf tires and smart driving.

 

[Phillip w]

I have to agree on the traction issue. With four wheel drive and a locking rear end, you should not need chains. These little compacts get around on snow and ice better than the big stuff. My allis Chalmers 185 is almost helpless on snow and ice. Chain her up and you're good to go.

 

[charlton289]

I have a gc1705 and have a home built snow plow made out it a 4' wheel horse plow extended to 6.5 ft.on on my fel didn't have a back blade last year but my son got me a 6' ft. For my birthday so I will be more prepared this year. My GC has the ag tires I have ad no problem pushing about a ft. Of snow with it I maintain a circle drive and neighborhood drive ways in all distance approximately 3/4 mile.

 

[PhysAssist]

Hi,

As AxleHub mentioned even plowing with our F-350 4X4 and 8' Winter Wolf Snow Plow, the packed snow on the sides of our 1000'+ gravel driveway, which meanders through our randomly treed road frontage, can eventually make it hard to clear out the snow in late winter or heavy periods of snow fall.

We use 2 different methods to deal with the problem:
1) Wherever we have adequate space to do so, we'll angle off and push the pile leading the plow off as far as is safe to go without getting stuck- depending on how heavily things [the ground] had frozen prior to snow falling, the "not-getting-stuck part can be a cr@pshoot- occasionally with dice loaded against us, especially because our property is pretty swampy out in that direction.

2) We use our little Kubota B2320's bucket to scoop up and move back the banks that cause us the most trouble- in that vein, we have also used it to dig out a path through upwards of 3-4' of heavily drifted snow so we could get to our palletized firewood stacked along our back lot line where the driveway doesn't go.

We also grooved our rear tires which gave us a great effect on improving our traction in snow.

 

[JWR]

OK, 1 more perspective:

1) Anything you use on the front that angles will push the front tires off to the side with surprisingly little snow load. Steering disappears.
2) I got a larger than stock old bucket and adapted it to my loader frame for snow purposes. Then put hard polypropylene skids under it using carriage bolts to avoid pavement scraping.
3) No more snow than Indy typically gets (and you being there all the time instead of once a month) you'll be able to keep it plenty clear with just the loader bucket. Make several passes and let it overflow to the sides. If wanted, make a shield on one side that forces overflow to one side.
4) Effective add-on is to buy a used 3pt. blade. You will find it is a big help, as another guy said, for leveling and maint of your gravel too. By having "some way" to move snow on both ends of your machine you can work both coming and going and avoid "dead heading" either way.
5) I disagree with several posters on turf tire traction. The very slightest spin on wet or heavy snow turns it to pure ice under the tires and you will be surprised how easy it is to get hung in deep snow. Strongly recommend getting the mild bar tread fat tires that are like turf tires in size but have shallow bars sort of like Ag tread but less aggressive. These will give you MUCH better traction in snow & probably allow you to avoid chains. [That is if you can tolerate the mild bars on your lawn...]
6) Big variable is steepness. I did not notice if you said how steep this driveway is.

 

[buickanddeere]

Depends on the snow. Around here pushing snow just makes edges, ridges and embankments that cause the snow to drift in faster and deeper. Two stage snowblower is required to get rid of the snow to the down wind side of the lane way.