B3230, can it use or is it worth getting a snowblower?

[jinjimbob]

Correct model# is B2320.

First real snow since moving to our home, we had several feet which wasn't great, but a few passes with a B2320 and FEL, industrial tyres, and my truck having chains I could get out of the steep driveway.

BUT now I have a few feet of slush, and my tractor or my truck are useless, and without digging the several hundred feet of driveway by hand, we're stuck in.

We only get a few weeks a of snow per year, but I hear this is the most snow this area has had in over 10 years. My wife is kinda tired of not being able to get out now.

Is it worth getting a front or rear mounted blower for this tractor, can it do a worth while job? I don't think I would use it more than 10 times a year.

I know I already have to get a full set of chains for the hills.

 

[ChuckinNH]

One thing that is learned quickly in snow country is that you have to deal with snow right away since a slight change in the weather can make a mess! If that slush freezes solid you will be fighting it until spring. If you can't get your chains right away, get someone in to clean up this mess while you get prepared to deal with the next one. As far as the snowblower goes, I wouldn't count snowstorms too closely. If you get ten big storms a year, that is 100 storms in ten years. How well do you like shoveling? I don't plant gardens ten times a year, but would like a tiller.

 

[WaxMan]

One thing that is learned quickly in snow country is that you have to deal with snow right away since a slight change in the weather can make a mess! If that slush freezes solid you will be fighting it until spring. If you can't get your chains right away, get someone in to clean up this mess while you get prepared to deal with the next one. As far as the snowblower goes, I wouldn't count snowstorms too closely. If you get ten big storms a year, that is 100 storms in ten years. How well do you like shoveling? I don't plant gardens ten times a year, but would like a tiller.

Very good point well said , Get the blower or the blade for slush, consider it part of the investment.

 

[Farmall45b]

The blower on my B2320 works great. It is the best thing that I have bought for my tractor. I also have a front blade too. The blower works good for snow, you can move pretty quick and get the snow moved away so you don't have to worry about running out of places to put the snow. The blade works good for scraping the paved driveway when there is a sunny day or when there is some heavy slush or almost liquid to mov e out of the way. The entire quick hitch and blower blade come on and off really easily.

 

[jinjimbob]

What does a bx2750d cost? Thanks for those pictures!

I found this MSRP price list, I'll call the dealer this week. http://www.chwaltz.com/new.php

Does the bx2750d do ok with slushy snow, or does it have to be the freshly fallen kind?

If this slush freezes, I'm screwed.

My driveway is gravel, which makes it more fun.

 

[Evil the Weasel]

If you're dealing with slush, the blade is your best bet. The snowblower is either going to clog or not blow it out of your way. If you don't have to snowblow often, a rear blower will save you some money and allow you to keep your loader mounted for dealing with occasional slush. The front mounts are really expensive when you add everything up (4-5K). Good luck to you.

 

[Farmall45b]

The blower works ok for the wet snow. I have cleared the wet slush stuff that you get at the street from the plow. You will need to have the chute deflector tillted up to avoid clogging. I ussually have the delfector all the way down when blowing snow and it still blows it pretty far. I have even blown back the snow banks and plow piles will little effort. The front quick hitch setup it great. I can take the loader off, put the quick hitch on and attach a blower or blade in minutes. I can send more photos of this if you would like. I got front mount implements becasue I did not want to look backwards all the time and because the total length was less that a rear blower and made the tractor easier to manuver and better traction. The rear blower will take weigth off the front end when I is raised. A loader will mitigate this some.

Here is what my snow equipment cost;
B2733A Quick Hitch $821.51
B2734 Mid PTO $360.64
BX2735 Front PTO $150.88
BX2750D Blower $1628.40
B2733A Blade $1128.00
BX2762 Skid Shoes $115.92

Be aware some of this snow equipment may be a little hard to get right now. I would not compromise and get something to get by though, I would wait and get what I wanted.

 

[ChuckinNH]

Farmall, is the blower set up longer, or shorter than the tractor / loader combo?

 

[Farmall45b]

I seem to remember that the length of the loader and blower are about the same. I could make the loader slightly shorter by curling the bucket. The nice think about the front quick hitch is you can drop the implement and make it really short. Often times I drop the blower onto a roll around cart and then hook it back up while I am warming the tractor. Only takes me a minute or two, but I figure it is good to give the tractor a couple minutes to warm up before using it. If space it not and issue for you leave it on all the time.

 

[smfcpacfp]

One thing that is learned quickly in snow country is that you have to deal with snow right away since a slight change in the weather can make a mess! If that slush freezes solid you will be fighting it until spring. If you can't get your chains right away, get someone in to clean up this mess while you get prepared to deal with the next one.

I agree 100%. If it still slush, hire someone fast to get it cleaned up, especially if it has big ruts. Sometimes you just need a bigger tool. Otherwise you will need dynamite to get the ice out. As ChuckinNH said, you will be screwed until you have a thaw.

I can't think of a better tool for snow removal than a blower. The 2 stage blowers do slush pretty well, if you go real slow and run the blower real fast.