Questions about snow removal.

[dodge man]

I looked up the specs thatJD appears to be a construction type machine with a serious back hoe and end loader. I doubt it has a removable backhoe. They usually don’t have SSQA but I’m sure one could be adapted but might take a lot of work.

 

[Captain Dirty]

I suspect a 100 HP, 14,000 lb. construction BH/loader would be a viable snow removal machine with just the bucket. Angle plows that attach to the bucket or in place of the bucket are available if the OP wants to plow more quickly. If snowbanks become a problem the loader should be able to push them back easily.

 

[SylvainG]

In the initial post, he mentions he got a new (to him?) tractor and mentions compact and utility tractor. In a another thread, he mentions he's looking for a Kubota MX5100 HST or 4400 HST so I don't think he'll be using the JD TLB for snow removal.

 

[Captain Dirty]

In the initial post (in this thread) he says he got a new tractor; in post #11 he said it was a JD 310L. In the initial post he asked what we (other forum members) used on our CUTs and UTs. The other threads date from 10 years ago, 2011. Also in post #11 he said he was tired of using his Gravely for snow removal, and he only lists the Gravely 16G and JD 310L in his profile.
It will be most interesting to find out after the Winter of 21-22 what he did and how it worked out for him.

 

[PHIL850]

I just took ownership of a tractor, and hope to use it to plow two driveways. I'd like to ask some questions.

1. What do you use to plow with your compact and utility tractor? Front loader? Back blade? Plow? Etc? I get the impression that the standard loader bucket is a bad choice, as it digs up the pavement, packs with snow, and is very inefficient. Agree?

2. In the commercial market, the following things are important. Getting down to bare pavement, no breakdowns, and no damage if someone hits a curb or manhole cover. What is most important to you?

3. Do you use tire chains?

Trying to figure out what I need to get to do this job right.

I just took ownership of a tractor, and hope to use it to plow two driveways. I'd like to ask some questions.

1. What do you use to plow with your compact and utility tractor? Front loader? Back blade? Plow? Etc? I get the impression that the standard loader bucket is a bad choice, as it digs up the pavement, packs with snow, and is very inefficient. Agree?

2. In the commercial market, the following things are important. Getting down to bare pavement, no breakdowns, and no damage if someone hits a curb or manhole cover. What is most important to you?

3. Do you use tire chains?

Trying to figure out what I need to get to do this job right.

I made a bolt on plow frame for my bucket and a small truck plow. The plow pivots via the electric hydraulic pump.

 

[Kesbo]

I have a Mahindra 3616 36 HP 4WD and it's a plowing machine. Our driveway is 600 feet long with 400 feet of 5% grade. After two years in upstate NY, I'm thrilled with plowing snow with my rig. I have a regular 7' "truck" snow plow welded to a quick attach mounting plate for my front end loader (like Dwellonroof showed). My tractor didn't have 3rd function hydraulics for the plow blade angle, so I purchased the WR Long 3rd function kit made for my tractor and installed it myself. The rear tires have ballast and I have a 3 pt hitch ballast box full of sand. These are important. I also use rear only tire chains. I tried getting by without this investment, but with any hill or melting that leaves some ice, life gets hard. I also installed a block heater which I set on a timer the night before a storm so that the engine gets about 2-3 hours of heating before I fire it up. I have a hard canopy made of a golf cart roof. This let's me add a thrifty cab in the winter by draping a golf cart rain enclosure over it. A few bungees and clamps keep most of the wind off me. Once I added the enclosure, my engine exhaust built up (mine exhaust front left). So I extended the exhaust along the loader the frame rail to the back of the rear axle. Works great. PM me for more details/conversation/advice.

 

[grsthegreat]

They use this style machine to plow parking lots here in idaho. They chain a snow bucket to loader bucket. But they suck in small, tight spaces. And when you swing around make sure you don’t hit anything with the backhoe.
I ran a hoe like this for years. Very good digging and hauling dirt. But driving empty was always a seesaw ride. Lots of rear end weight.

 

[nfisheremti]

i clear about 20 driveways. until last year, i used a kubota b2400 with soft cab, and a 60" farm king snowblower, and a bucket on the front. i'm in PC utah (~300" annually - light an fluffy except for early and late snowfalls). almost all my driveways are asphalt of concrete, only one gravel. almost all ridiculously steep.

i don't have too much trouble with the steel edge on the concrete, but i have to go light on the asphalt. gravel i can't use the snowblower until the ground gets frozen enough, so back blading with the bucket is really the only option there.
the biggest issue i had was transit speed. i'm not making money between jobs, and i have a day job also. i start moving snow around 0430, and have 2 hrs to do all the driveways.

that's why i've upgraded to a l3800, with a 72" woodmaxx. next year i'm getting a 72" snow pusher for the front. the bucket is terrible for garage doors.

i do not use chains. mostly because they'd slow me down. that said, R1 tires suck. i hear r4s suck even more. if you need to work on the steep and deep, consider grooving and siping those tires. i siped my fronts (i do a lot of backing up hills, and they were cheaper to replace if i f'd them up. the siping did wonders. i'm grooving and siping the rears over the off season. can't afford r14s. that's a little rambling, but it's what i do. hope you find something useful in here.

 

[hube2]

...i siped my fronts...

Have any pictures you can share of siped R1s

 

[GarySWMT]

I have a Ford 2120 40 hp 4WD, and have been using the backblade for about 10 years for plowing in SW Montana.
It works pretty well -- but, does give you a crick in the neck
Driveway is about 1/4 mile long.

I find that for really tough snow, the backblade will tend to push the back end of the tractor inward. Under these conditions, I rotate the blade 180 degrees so its facing backward, and then backup to plow - this helps.
It pays to push the early snowfalls well off the driveway because if you get a lot of snowfall later in the season, it gets hard to maintain the full width of the driveway.

I find the front bucket to not be very good for plowing.

I've thought about getting a PTO snow blower, and I'd guess it would work well, but probably not enough better to justify the cost.

Gary