What have you done with/to your GC Series 2300, 2400, 1700 Tractor TODAY

[Dmacleo]

accuweather is only SLIGHTLY more accurate than my local forecasters....
all other US weather crap is LESS accurate than local forecasters.
can't trust any of them really, all they depend upon is models and not actual knowledge.

 

[GeneV]

We had some slush falling since early morning, so I went out there with my push shovel to get all that stuff off the driveway/walkways before it freezes up. But now it's snowing, my phone says 3"-5" expected.

 

[hube2]

I can't even trust the weather forcast for 4 hours. They said 1" before changing to rain when I last posted. I got 4" of wet crap before it changed to rain. Just got in from moving it so that I didn't end up with a 1" thick sheet of ice covering the entire driveway by morning.

 

[Dmacleo]

I can't even trust the weather forcast for 4 hours.

heh heh...I got my coveralls warming up and alarm set for 0430 in morning as I also don't trust ****.
at least I am old enough that if I don't clear crap in a timely manner nobody cares. told them all this was last year so...I got options

 

[irvingj]

So I just went to sleep and let it come down.... Looks like 5"+ of wet stuff, then it warmed up and has been raining since around 1AM. Looks like the LRB will get a work-out today! Not sure how well the blower will handle it; it does well, but this is pretty sloppy, especially at the bottom of my driveway, around the garage & such. All that water tends to pool up down there -- might have to switch to the FEL, we'll see.

Right now I'm just waiting for the rain to stop....

Dave - my side-note: US Army Security Agency, 1969-72, Chinese (Mandarin) translator, 14th ASA FS Hakata (Fukuoka), Japan. My buddy was a VN lingie; we shared an off-base house.

 

[hube2]

So I just went to sleep and let it come down.... Looks like 5"+ of wet stuff, then it warmed up and has been raining since around 1AM. Looks like the LRB will get a work-out today! Not sure how well the blower will handle it; it does well, but this is pretty sloppy, especially at the bottom of my driveway, around the garage & such. All that water tends to pool up down there -- might have to switch to the FEL, we'll see.

Right now I'm just waiting for the rain to stop....

Dave - my side-note: US Army Security Agency, 1969-72, Chinese (Mandarin) translator, 14th ASA FS Hakata (Fukuoka), Japan. My buddy was a VN lingie; we shared an off-base house.

I don't know what kind of blower you have, but I have not seen anything that mine can't handle, and sometimes it still surprises me. Mine is a Woods SB54S rear blower.

I discovered something interesting last night. Because of the way the wind was blowing I blew the snow from the bottom of the hill to the top, something I have not actually done before. I have always blown the snow going down hill. But going up hill the blower did not ride up and over the wet snow the way it usually does going down hill.

 

[kenmbz]

We got many inches of rain.
Instead of moving snow , I have to move fallen trees and branches.
Just got back from moving a small fallen ash from the shared road.

 

[irvingj]

hube, I have the "standard" M-F front-mount (PTO-operated) blower, the one that's made in Canada. I was surprised that it handled this morning's slushy mix as well as it did; only had one clog that I had to clear out... but here's the rub: I couldn't make it up the last 30' or so to the top of the driveway, what we affectionately call "heartbreak ridge." Shoulda put those chains on!

I quit right about then, and then it started to rain - quite heavily! Rain gauge when I started was showing 0.18" (glad I had the foresight to put a rain suit on), but was reading 0.39" when I came inside 40 minutes later, just dripping rainwater.

I'm now hoping that the rain, plus warming temps (now about 40) will clear off the pavement so I can get back at the top later this morning. Might have to switch to the FEL, we'll see. Might have to put the chains on.....

 

[Dmacleo]

got little over 4 inches snow. hopped out of bed 0500, looked outside, turnover to rain had happened. said screw it and again gazed lovingly at the tractor/blower and went back to bed.
presently 39 F out and already gotten 1 inch of rain.
good day to binge watch crap

 

[hube2]

@irvingj

I thought about the front blower, but I did not want to have to switch out when I needed the FEL, which I use all the time for back dragging snow, knocking down banks the the plow makes and knocking down deep drifts. I also use it for breaking up ice. I want to spend as little time outside dealing with snow as possible. I also had a front blower once and that thing was just a PITA to put on and take off and took a lot of time to do, where the rear blower takes less than 5 minutes to put on or take off.

Did you try locking the rear diff on that hill. By the sounds of it we have similar driveways. Mine slopes up to the house about 150' and there is a spot about 3/4 the way up that is a lot steeper than the rest and it's also where the snow drift piles up the deepest when the wind is from the west, which is is 90% of the time. If someone is going to have a hard time getting up to the house, that the spot that it happens.

 

[irvingj]

Yes, similar, except I'm on a north-facing slope and the driveway is also oriented N-S...though my house is at the bottom, with a dirt road at the top.

Yes, I was using the diff lock; that helped, but it was just a bit too much. Went back out around noon and was able to power through to the road and clean it up. Here are some views -- In the third pic, you can see the left-over layer at heartbreak ridge -- it did mostly melt off later (we got even MORE rain yesterday PM).

 

[GeneV]

Whoops 8 to 12 expected tomorrow, just in time for my wife's flight back from her sister's in Florida.

 

[walhondingMF]

I would give a lot for 8-10" of snow tomorrow. That would make my week...

 

[hube2]

I would give a lot for 8-10" of snow tomorrow. That would make my week...

Honestly, I would prefer 8-10" of snow to the changing snow, rain, snow, rain of the current forecast I'm looking at.

 

[GeneV]

Honestly, I would prefer 8-10" of snow to the changing snow, rain, snow, rain of the current forecast I'm looking at.

Yep, sounds like that's what awaits me tomorrow....more of what I already shoveled and plowed a few days ago.

 

[cdaigle430]

One thing you also need to be aware of is that you can't really use chains on a GC without adding wheel spacers. I say can't, but if you are okay with the clearance then I guess you can. I was not comfortable with it. I've shared this image before, but it shows the chain clearance without spacers. I added a set of Bro-Tek 2 inch spacers, currenly $190 a set.

If you don't want to spend a lot then you don't want what I have.
I have studded chains 26x12-12 ATV UTV Stud Tire Chains, priced per pair
But like I said, I deal with extremely icy conditions on a hill.

I use lots of short bungee cords to keep them tight.

 

[GeneV]

After walking doggie, time to plow this stuff. I plowed 7" of it, with more coming down. Heavy snow, took me near 3 hrs with also shoveling the walkways. Tomorrow, I'll plow the rest that fell afterwards.

Respectable winter storm overall, bunch of flights in/out of O'Hare cancelled, including my wife's return from her sister's in FL.

 

[GeneV]

I'll also say that this was probably the most challenge my GC had plowing. I had to use the locking diff more often than usual, and even almost got stuck when climbing back up my sloped side-drive. I say this sarcastically of course, being that mine wears R4's, no chains, no ballast.

 

[MF RED in MT]

At 8am this morning on the back deck which is the closes to the North Pole, -47° F.

KC

 

[irvingj]

We hit 37F or so. About 3" of wet snow overnight, followed by maybe 1/4" of rain (still raining off & on now).

Set a new record on my outdoor weather station thing for max gust -- 19.7 mph. Previous record --2 years ago-- was 17+ mph. The wind sounded like a jet engine all night & all morning. Just calmed down about 2 hours ago.

Lots of branches & trees down; we lost power --thankfully a rare occurrence-- for about 5 hours today. Glad I already had the woodstove running!