FEL plow vs. rear blade for 1 mile of infrequent chipseal road snow removal

TPerini · Oct 2, 2023

agiardin said:
I live at the end of a 1 mile private road, which is chip sealed. We get anywhere between 0-3 "problematic" storms per year, usually between 4-12" of snow at a time. This doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a nightmare every time. The road has some steep parts and camber to it, with deep ditches on the side, and folks with lesser vehicles or lesser judgement always get stuck. Sometimes very stuck. After a day, the snow turns into ice and then everyone gets stuck for days and days until it melts.

Last year was particularly bad, and I used my loader bucket to clear out the worst sections of the road where people were getting stuck. This was very time consuming, and not the right tool for the job. I had to scoop it up one bucket at a time and dump it over the edge of the road. I was unable to push it anywhere, because it all clumps together and often freezes onto the inside of the bucket. It would take me all day to do the whole road.

I'd like to set my L2501 up to be able to clear these occasional storms, and I'm torn between:

7' rear blade with adjustable angle. Replace metal cutting edge with polyurethane strip. Let the "tilt" link on the 3 point hitch float, either by removing the link entirely or adding hydraulic top/tilt and floating the tilt valve, so that it can follow the contour of the road. Easy to find a rear blade used for $500.

7' quick attach snowplow attachment for front end loader, with either hydraulic or manual angle adjustment (I do have the 3rd function hydraulics). Hard to find used around here, would likely buy new.

The rear blade is definitely a cheaper option, and I get to keep my loader bucket or grapple attached for other tasks. I'm worried though that by not having my backhoe or chipper on the rear of the tractor (both at least 1200lbs) I'll be losing a lot of ballast/traction. The rear blade also doesn't have the springs of a snow plow, to give it relief if I hit an obstacle. There aren't many potential obstacles on the road, but these things happen. I'm also a little skeptical of how well the tractor will steer when pushing snow with the loader. The front end of this tractor is not particularly heavy, and I've noticed that when I'm pushing things around with the loader (stumps, piles of dirt, big rocks) it doesn't steer very well. It seems like the loader has too much leverage on the tractor, being so far out in front of the steering axle.

Thoughts? Similar experience? Any input is appreciated.

I have a 60 or 72 in snow blower, not sure on the width but I can check. It is in very good condition. It is a 3 point rear mount. I used it on my 1710 Ford for a couple of years but we don't get that much snow where I live now so it has been sitting in the shop for the past few years. Not sure where you live but I am in the Columbus, Ohio area. I would be willing to sell it for $1200.00. It has been repainted the Ford blue and white original color. I can send pics if you are interested. Timp1954-hd1@yahoo.com.

Fields_mj · Oct 2, 2023

BadgerCheese said:
The only issue with the back blade is there's no skids to keep you from scraping your road into the woods. Maybe a modification?

A friend of mine did exactly this. He had a friend of his fabricate mounts so that he could put feet on his rear blade, and then had me weld them on. He also bought a 3pt adapter for his quick attach plate so that he could mount the blade to his FEL. He's very happy with his setup.

troverman · Oct 2, 2023

Gale Hawkins said:
...Got the 2023 Tesla Model Y dual motor long range this past January and it's the best ice/snow mobile I have ever owned. On wet ice I can take off going WOT and never spin a wheel.

That makes no sense. No matter how heavy or powerful a vehicle is, it still has rubber tires on ice. They will spin. Dual motor still means there is a differential between the rear wheels and the front wheels. The wheels will slip and then the traction control system will attempt to brake the spinning wheel(s) and automatically reduce throttle.

ScooterBob64 · Oct 2, 2023

My situation is similar I have a mile of road (Dirt) to get to the state highway. We get quite a bit of snow December thru January and I have done most of the plowing since 2010. Since you only have occasional snow you can get by with a back blade once you get the blade set you shouldn't have to look back constantly, good mirrors are a neck saver. I started with an old 9n ford but the lack of 4 wheel drive made it tough on the hills I could often only plow down hill and getting back up was a krap shoot. I traded up to a Ford 1700 with 4 wheel drive which was much better. The problems with the back blade as have been mentioned are that you driving ahead of the blade and you have to drive through what ever you are plowing packing down the snow. In heavy wet snow the tractor will try to slide down the blade pushing you into the borrow ditch. You can turn the blade around which works well but your neck and back will suffer. When I upgraded to a Kioti CK3510 with a cab it came with a skid steer style quick coupler on the FEL and I purposely ordered it with a front remote. I bought a used snow plow blade with hydraulic tilt which made my life much simpler. The plow is much faster and easier but it does have a bit of a learning curve. On the early and late season storms when the ground is not frozen it can tend to dig in a bit but so will the rear blade. You just have to go slower and pay attention. Chains will pay for themselves quickly if you have deep snow or ice. I got by with the snow plow on the front and the blade in the back until last season when we had a super wet winter and I just couldn't push the snow berms any higher. I ended up buying a snow blower so I could get the snow completely out of the road. So my new winter configuration is plow on the front blower on the back and chains all around. A cab is nice especially with the blower.

Keith Rosenfeld · Oct 2, 2023

I have a New Holland TC48DA (4wd 48hp) in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia with FEL. I have a pretty heavy 7' rear blade and both a gravel and paved road to plow. I find the FEL is not a good approach at all.

I typically first go downhill along the center of the driveway with the blade perpendicular the the tractor. (If heavy snow, I sometimes have to angle it). Depending upon the crown, that typically moves about half the center snow to each side. I sometimes have to float the blade a few inches above the driveway to make it easier on this first pass (I just keep my hand on the lift control and adjust based upon how the tractor is driving). But, I've never had a problem with less than 15" of snow.

Then, I back up the hill, angle the rear blade to one side and go downhill along one side to further push snow to the side. Then, repeat for the other side. Depending upon depth and consistency of the snow, I take a full width bite or sometime overlap my cleared center area and just adjust steering to compensate for the partial drag.

Does a nice job and gets me down to the gravel without gouging.

Depending upon snow consistency and depth, I sometimes just reverse my blade and back up to clear the snow. It can be a pain in the neck, but eliminates the tire track issue.

If it's not windy/drifting I often go out and do a first pass partway through the storm, so I don't have to deal with the entire depth at once.

oldpilot · Oct 2, 2023

>"For a mile of road to clear, I wouldn't even think about a rear blade. Not because it won't work, but because I'd have to go to the chiropractor after every snow plowing session. Your neck will be killing you to look backwards for that amount of time."

That was my reaction as well, and my driveway is only 1/3 mile!

troverman · Oct 2, 2023

I've had an L2501. Mine was HST, but great tractor. Engine performs better than its rating. Obviously its not a huge tractor, but I think a 7-foot blade is fine. I ran a 7-foot blade behind my B2920 which is considerably smaller and lighter than an L2501. I also would go with the cheaper and effective rear blade. I live in New Hampshire and we average 100+ inches of snow a year.

LouNY · Oct 2, 2023

oldpilot said:
>"For a mile of road to clear, I wouldn't even think about a rear blade. Not because it won't work, but because I'd have to go to the chiropractor after every snow plowing session. Your neck will be killing you to look backwards for that amount of time."

That was my reaction as well, and my driveway is only 1/3 mile!

Why look back all the time, I check my pull rear blade once in awhile but I certainly don't watch it all the time.
Unless the driveway is thawed and soft.
Also a mirror or camera works good.

Paul McILwain · Oct 2, 2023

I use my 6 foot bucket on the front and 6 foot snow blower on the back of my LS 5030c (58hp front wheel assist) tractor that works quite well in our Manitoba Canada winters

Robin Veerman · Oct 2, 2023

I’m waiting on my new inverted pull-type, and I can’t wait for the neck relief. So no experience yet, but sick and tired of looking back to blow snow….and my lane is only 300’.

7000 Series | Agro Trend

Pull-behind snowblowers are designed for convenience and operator comfort. These blowers allow forward travel while blowing. This is a very cost-effective alternative to a front-mount blower. Built from the same time proven components are our regular 3 P.T.H. blowers.

www.agrotrend.ca

IndyIan · Oct 2, 2023

I would try the rear blade first, make sure you can reverse it for heavier snows, or try to plow with the storm. Also if your tires have the tread depth, you can stud your tires for $20-30 with some hex head sheet metal screws. They give some decent grip on ice, but won't damage your road or your tractor with too much traction. I pop these in if my driveway gets too icy, and leave them in until spring. They don't seem to wear much and I've used the same ones for a decade now. These ones are pretty large 3/4" ones but going down a size will work and I've used very small ones for the ATV tires to plow the pond.

CADplans · Oct 2, 2023

Hmmmm,, I need MORE snow options,,,,,,,,

I haven' tried this one,,, YET!!

Gale Hawkins · Oct 2, 2023

troverman said:
That makes no sense. No matter how heavy or powerful a vehicle is, it still has rubber tires on ice. They will spin. Dual motor still means there is a differential between the rear wheels and the front wheels. The wheels will slip and then the traction control system will attempt to brake the spinning wheel(s) and automatically reduce throttle.

While that logic would be true if talking about my Subaru it is false based on my Tesla experience this past February. Like you I had misconceptions about rocket science advanced technology in the lastest Teslas a year ago. Take a free spin in a Tesla Model Y dual motor long range to better understand.

My old mindset wanted to keep the new $47,500 Tesla out of the snow and ice and take the Subaru but the son said NO. He was correct.

The cab on my Tesla snowplow is preheated and deiced before I leave the house to drive on chip and sealed local pig paths. Seldom do we see more than 4-5 inches of snow. Now that we don't have to drive before 2:30 PM and the trend to warmer winters means often the sun and traffic have most snows knocked off before we get out. The Tesla traction is welcomed on midnight refreezes. 4 wheel Regen is helpful for controlled stopping too.

stantonovitch · Oct 2, 2023

I didn't realize there were so many options. Lots of great information here!

I have a 1/4-mile gravel driveway, and plow my neighbors, both paved and gravel. We're in the western hills of NJ, so can sometimes have a winter with no plowing required, and sometimes multiple 36" snowfalls.

I have a 35 HP New Holland. I use a 7' swinging offset rear blade, and am really happy with it. I didn't realize at the time I bought it, that there's an added benefit of spinning the blade around to "wipe" vs scrape when the ground is above freezing, to keep the gravel in-place. I use the swinging offset feature in December and January, to push the berm further off the driveway, to make room for future snow before the snowbank freezes in place. I agree with the other post mentioning the limitations of a rear blade for heavy snowfalls. I just go out multiple times during a big storm.

I keep the blade on all winter, and still have use of the FEL bucket, which is handy for taking care of the huge mounds of snow at intersections.

My 7' swinging offset blade is an Everything Attachments SO7 version 1. It has a smooth back side, which is good for my "wiping" above freezing. Newer, and heavy duty, versions have gussets on the back side which I think would make this action more difficult.

MMC · Oct 2, 2023

Robin Veerman said:
I’m waiting on one my new inverted pull-type, and I can’t wait for the neck relief. So no experience yet, but sick and tired of looking back to blow snow….and my lane is only 300’.

7000 Series | Agro Trend

Pull-behind snowblowers are designed for convenience and operator comfort. These blowers allow forward travel while blowing. This is a very cost-effective alternative to a front-mount blower. Built from the same time proven components are our regular 3 P.T.H. blowers.

www.agrotrend.ca

I was wondering when someone would comment on these. I have a FEL snowplow blade, rear blade, and a pull type 8' snowblower. And I'm in Kentucky... But, 10-12" snows can drift very high on old carriage roads in high winds and the county can take a while to handle the issues.

I have the nice option of heavy tractors to mount these, admittedly. I don't have issues with pushing snow and sliding much (10-12K tractors). But, I can see a lighter rig having problems sometimes. So...maybe back up and try again?

No doubt the snow blower in a heated cab is great and throws snow (and gravel) a long, long, way. Not cheap, but nice. Rear facing snowblowers would not interest me for reasons others point out (heck, my own driveway is over 1/2 mile and I also take care of others on my county road).

But, to begin, for the snows mentioned by the OP, why not start with a rear blade turned backwards so as not to dig in? And maybe chains if needed. If that doesn't pan out, perhaps the OP and neighbors could split costs on an inverted snowblower. Uhh...used, in the warm months to keep costs down. I do use a hydraulic top link to tilt mine back a bit to protect gravel and asphalt surfaces...

shooterdon · Oct 2, 2023

You have received some terrible advice. It is common for folks to preach about what they use on their roads, with their tractors, and under their conditions.

You can spend a lot of money to move the small amount of snow you are getting. Here is something to consider.

Get an estimate from the local yokel with a pickup truck mounted blade to give you a quote. I bet he is hungry for work and will plow the road for $100/event. That is $25/event if you have four folks on the road. If you have four events a year, that comes to $100/yr/home. Talk to the other homeowners about such an approach. If you are sick or traveling when the snow hits, it will not be your problem and you will not be putting wear and tear on your machine.

There is no need to get down to pavement. Let mother nature do her thing between snow falls.

It might be wise to invest a bit of money in an ATV spreader to sand/salt the parts of the road that may ice up.

If you need to prove how smart you are for getting a tractor, buy a blade, and/or blower, and/or set of rear remotes. You should be able to justify about $1500-2000 of used stuff. If you dump the tractor into the ditch, it is just a learning experience that will cost you some $$ if you do not get hurt.

You have a light machine with less than 20 PTO HP. Go through the thread and eliminate the advice from folks you have far heavier tractors and higher PTO HP. Ignore the advice from folks who deal with over 120" of snow a year.

I get 120" of snow, and have a 5000 lb plus tractor with 32 PTO HP. What I use is irrelevant to you needs.

Jchonline · Oct 2, 2023

agiardin said:
I live at the end of a 1 mile private road, which is chip sealed. We get anywhere between 0-3 "problematic" storms per year, usually between 4-12" of snow at a time. This doesn't seem like a lot, but it's a nightmare every time. The road has some steep parts and camber to it, with deep ditches on the side, and folks with lesser vehicles or lesser judgement always get stuck. Sometimes very stuck. After a day, the snow turns into ice and then everyone gets stuck for days and days until it melts.

Last year was particularly bad, and I used my loader bucket to clear out the worst sections of the road where people were getting stuck. This was very time consuming, and not the right tool for the job. I had to scoop it up one bucket at a time and dump it over the edge of the road. I was unable to push it anywhere, because it all clumps together and often freezes onto the inside of the bucket. It would take me all day to do the whole road.

I'd like to set my L2501 up to be able to clear these occasional storms, and I'm torn between:

7' rear blade with adjustable angle. Replace metal cutting edge with polyurethane strip. Let the "tilt" link on the 3 point hitch float, either by removing the link entirely or adding hydraulic top/tilt and floating the tilt valve, so that it can follow the contour of the road. Easy to find a rear blade used for $500.

7' quick attach snowplow attachment for front end loader, with either hydraulic or manual angle adjustment (I do have the 3rd function hydraulics). Hard to find used around here, would likely buy new.

The rear blade is definitely a cheaper option, and I get to keep my loader bucket or grapple attached for other tasks. I'm worried though that by not having my backhoe or chipper on the rear of the tractor (both at least 1200lbs) I'll be losing a lot of ballast/traction. The rear blade also doesn't have the springs of a snow plow, to give it relief if I hit an obstacle. There aren't many potential obstacles on the road, but these things happen. I'm also a little skeptical of how well the tractor will steer when pushing snow with the loader. The front end of this tractor is not particularly heavy, and I've noticed that when I'm pushing things around with the loader (stumps, piles of dirt, big rocks) it doesn't steer very well. It seems like the loader has too much leverage on the tractor, being so far out in front of the steering axle.

Thoughts? Similar experience? Any input is appreciated.

The problem with a rear blade is you run over the material before you scrape it. Not terrible, but also you are compacting portions of it before you scrape it. It doesnt sound like you have enough snow for that to matter anyway.
You can also get a rear blade that you can turn around so the convex portion faces forward...this will reduce the amount of cutting into your road tremendously. The key to a rear blade is watching it all of the time and make micro adjustments as you move along. I would try and do it in 2 passees each side. Make sure the blade is wide enough for your road.

That said I have a rear blade and never use it anymore for snow. RTV cabbed with Boss V Plow (this gets 90% of the seasonal use) and a rear mounted snow blower on L60 for any serious drift spots I need room for displacement. We get about 10 FT of snow a year up here.

airbiscuit · Oct 2, 2023

shooterdon said:
You have received some terrible advice. It is common for folks to preach about what they use on their roads, with their tractors, and under their conditions.

You can spend a lot of money to move the small amount of snow you are getting. Here is something to consider.

Get an estimate from the local yokel with a pickup truck mounted blade to give you a quote. I bet he is hungry for work and will plow the road for $100/event. That is $25/event if you have four folks on the road. If you have four events a year, that comes to $100/yr/home. Talk to the other homeowners about such an approach. If you are sick or traveling when the snow hits, it will not be your problem and you will not be putting wear and tear on your machine.

There is no need to get down to pavement. Let mother nature do her thing between snow falls.

It might be wise to invest a bit of money in an ATV spreader to sand/salt the parts of the road that may ice up.

If you need to prove how smart you are for getting a tractor, buy a blade, and/or blower, and/or set of rear remotes. You should be able to justify about $1500-2000 of used stuff. If you dump the tractor into the ditch, it is just a learning experience that will cost you some $$ if you do not get hurt.

You have a light machine with less than 20 PTO HP. Go through the thread and eliminate the advice from folks you have far heavier tractors and higher PTO HP. Ignore the advice from folks who deal with over 120" of snow a year.

I get 120" of snow, and have a 5000 lb plus tractor with 32 PTO HP. What I use is irrelevant to you needs.

Above is good advice. It's hard to come up with a solution that is effective, not costly, and feasible for a 25hp tractor. Clearing heavy wet snow off a 1 mile drive is no small task.

If you want to use your tractor, TractorTYME has the right set up (underslung front blade and rear pull snowblower).