Snow Attachments Best Choice for Snow removal

[TheBigO]

Hi all. I have a 400' sloped shale driveway, very bumpy. 4 options that i know of are the loader itself, a front blade, a blower or a plow. I like the idea of a plow due to the springs on it to handle the poor condition of the drive. I`m afraid of usind a blower because all of the rocks that might go thru it and they are a bit pricey. I do live south of the snowbelt but get my share of snow (lake effect). Any advice from others with snow removal tasks would be appreciated. thanks


steve

 

[PLOWER]

First of all what kind of tractor do you have? I think a loader is good and a rear blade. But a plow would be good to because you can see what your doing a little better.

 

[TheBigO]

oops sorry about that. looking at a 3010hst 4wd r4s maybe a 3410.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If limited to one implement, I would choose the blower......adjustable shoes are available on most which should eliminate you stone problem plus many advantages like ability to deal with heavy/deep snow, no snow piles or banks (which not only cause space problems as snow accumulates - they also promote drifting), etc. I use a 3ph blower for > 3" and a back blade for <. I leave my loader on for pulling snow away from buildings/doors, etc. and building snowpiles and sled jumps for the kids. My driveway is 1800' long gravel plus a several building building-site. I look forward to snows - good fun - helps when you have the right tools!

 

[hayden]

From what I've read on this site I'd say rear blades are the most popular provided the snow's not too deep and there's a place to push the snow. Loaders are great for short runs and for moving big piles, but because they don't shed snow off to the side like a blade, or throw it like a thrower, they tend to fill up and back up, especially on long stretches. Blades are also surprisingly inexpensive. My landpride 7' blade was only $395 which was a pleasant surprise to me.

I personally use a 3PH blower for a 2500' road. It's essential because there is limited room to shove snow with a plow, so the throwing effect of the blower is essential to keeping the road passable. I like the 3PH because I can still use the loader to move big piles of snow. Working in reverse takes some getting used to, but I've developed a comfortable side saddle stance that works pretty well.

Blowers can be a real nusance if you pick up rocks. I was blowing out shear bolts every time I cleared the road for a while. I suggest you keep a stock of at least 6 bolts AND nuts in whatever sizes you might need (my blower has two, one for the drive shaft and one for the auger). You might also look into a slip clutch rather than the shear bolts. If I get around to it I'd like to do that for mine this year. A fall rock clearing party and setting the skid shoes for 2" clearance will help lots too.

 

[snowman]

Heyden..I use a front mount blower on a B7500; have only had
it for one season.

I have a gravel driveway and had alot of problems with rocks;
blow five feet and break a shearpin - a real pain.

It is better with the skid shoes, but the skid shoes always
work themselves loose, so the blower ends up on the ground
again.

As a quick fix last winter, I tried to wedge a piece of wood
between the show and the blower bottom so that the shoe
could not lower itself. However, the wood piece would also
work itself out after awhile.

My next idea is to wedge a metal pipe or bolt in there, then
clamp it on tight.

Just curious if you've had that problem with the shoes and if
so, how you fixed it.

 

[Mike_Dumond]

Well, living in northern Maine, we have lots of opportunities to experiment. What I've come up with, is a 6 1/2 ft snow blade attached to the bucket of my FEL. It's attached with chain tighteners, so it only takes a couple of minutes to put on or remove. Leaves me with the bucket, if I need it. Also works great for pushing tall banks back.

 

[Sailorcrew]

Mike, You're using a regular truck snow blade? Did you remove all of the mounting hardware normally used on a vehicle? Where did you mount the chain tighteners? I have bucket forks which attach with chains wrapped around the bucket but would not want to do that with the plow blade as I would be gouging the pavement. Where in Northern Maine? My in-laws live in Caswell, I grew up in Ellsworth, a ways south of you, David

 

[Mike_Dumond]

Dave, I have to go up to my ex's place this week and get the plow. When I do, I'll take some pictures of how I mount it to the bucket. Works real good up here. Up here is Fort Kent, by the way. Just a little further north than Ellsworth.

 

[hayden]

My skid shoes have loosened up before but not as often as it sounds like your's are. Mine also have predirlled holes and different heights rather than a slot so when they do come loose they don't drop down, just wobble around a bit.

You might try aircraft nuts (I've reverted to using them with my shear bolts), or loctite on the threads to keep them from coming loose