So yesterday I discovered that a 5 ft box blade makes an excellent tool for snow removal. It's so good in fact, that I think I'll cut my rear snow blower usage down by 80%. There are countless discussions on these forums regarding rear or front blades for snow, but you rarely hear of someoe suggesting the box blade!
Are there others who've used this implement for snow? What are your thoughts?
I've used it 3 times now, and I think it's superior to rear snow blower for the following reasons:
1. No shear bolts to worry about (heck, no moving parts at all!) The blower has at least two bolts, one on the shaft, and one for the auger. It's kind of a tradition to blow a few of these on the first blower outing every winter (finding those random rocks that you never noticed before the snow came down!)
2. You spend more time going forward than reverse. This is a big relief on my neck! Plus, you can generally go faster because you're going forward and feel more in control of the tractor.
3. You pull the snow where you want it and then you back up and push it out of the way. I would imagine that a rear bb would be superior to a front blade as it would be easier to get snow out of corners or other tight spots. Plus with the BB on the back, it frees up the front for the loader for added weight or material handling.
4. Easier to use on windy days - There's no mist of snow blowing in your face. Plus, you're not contstantly winding the chute to point in the right direction, as you go back and forth on the driveway.
5. It's better for the surrounding lawn during those first few uses on a gravel driveway when you normally litter your grass with rocks and pebbles
6. When you lower the BB in reverse, it cuts through the packed snow much better than a snow blower. I made quick work of a fairly thick accumulation of hard-packed snow in front of the garage doors. This would've been impossible with the blower.
7. It leaves a neater finish. It leaves no tracks behind and makes the freshly finished driveway look awesome. My wife came home from work this evening just after I finished our 300 ft X 40 ft driveway and commented on how 'well manacured' it looked.
8. When you remove the scarifiers, it leaves lots of space for snow buildup in the box, so it actually moves a lot of volume in a single pass.
9. With a fully loaded bucket for weight, and tire chains on the back, it can push a fairly large mound of snow fairly easily
10. Because the 2305 doesn't have very good position control for the 3PH, I found it tricky adjusting the 3ph height so it doesn't get hung up, or gauge the ground. With a box blade, I quickly/easily lower all the way to the ground, let the frame sit and do all the leveling and contouring for me.
11. Quicker dismount from tractor - No more forgetting to turn off the PTO when you jump off the machine while it's still running. I'm in the habit of putting it into Neutral, but the engaged PTO usually gets me.
I can really think of only one key advantage of the rear-mount blower:
1. It moves more snow and you rarely need to touch the same snow twice. Once you blow it, it's generally gone. With the BB, you may go over the same spot a couple of times or pull, then push the same pile out of the way.
So my snow clearing strategy this winter will be to use the BB for the bulk of clearing jobs. I'll push and pile the snow to the edges, then come along with the blower and demolish the piles in 30 seconds flat!
Man, I thought my tractor was snow-killing machine last winter with the blower and bucket combo, but now it's like the Godzilla of the driveway and yard!
All we need now is more snow!
Are there others who've used this implement for snow? What are your thoughts?
I've used it 3 times now, and I think it's superior to rear snow blower for the following reasons:
1. No shear bolts to worry about (heck, no moving parts at all!) The blower has at least two bolts, one on the shaft, and one for the auger. It's kind of a tradition to blow a few of these on the first blower outing every winter (finding those random rocks that you never noticed before the snow came down!)
2. You spend more time going forward than reverse. This is a big relief on my neck! Plus, you can generally go faster because you're going forward and feel more in control of the tractor.
3. You pull the snow where you want it and then you back up and push it out of the way. I would imagine that a rear bb would be superior to a front blade as it would be easier to get snow out of corners or other tight spots. Plus with the BB on the back, it frees up the front for the loader for added weight or material handling.
4. Easier to use on windy days - There's no mist of snow blowing in your face. Plus, you're not contstantly winding the chute to point in the right direction, as you go back and forth on the driveway.
5. It's better for the surrounding lawn during those first few uses on a gravel driveway when you normally litter your grass with rocks and pebbles
6. When you lower the BB in reverse, it cuts through the packed snow much better than a snow blower. I made quick work of a fairly thick accumulation of hard-packed snow in front of the garage doors. This would've been impossible with the blower.
7. It leaves a neater finish. It leaves no tracks behind and makes the freshly finished driveway look awesome. My wife came home from work this evening just after I finished our 300 ft X 40 ft driveway and commented on how 'well manacured' it looked.
8. When you remove the scarifiers, it leaves lots of space for snow buildup in the box, so it actually moves a lot of volume in a single pass.
9. With a fully loaded bucket for weight, and tire chains on the back, it can push a fairly large mound of snow fairly easily
10. Because the 2305 doesn't have very good position control for the 3PH, I found it tricky adjusting the 3ph height so it doesn't get hung up, or gauge the ground. With a box blade, I quickly/easily lower all the way to the ground, let the frame sit and do all the leveling and contouring for me.
11. Quicker dismount from tractor - No more forgetting to turn off the PTO when you jump off the machine while it's still running. I'm in the habit of putting it into Neutral, but the engaged PTO usually gets me.
I can really think of only one key advantage of the rear-mount blower:
1. It moves more snow and you rarely need to touch the same snow twice. Once you blow it, it's generally gone. With the BB, you may go over the same spot a couple of times or pull, then push the same pile out of the way.
So my snow clearing strategy this winter will be to use the BB for the bulk of clearing jobs. I'll push and pile the snow to the edges, then come along with the blower and demolish the piles in 30 seconds flat!
Man, I thought my tractor was snow-killing machine last winter with the blower and bucket combo, but now it's like the Godzilla of the driveway and yard!
All we need now is more snow!
