Best snow removal tool for this winter
- Thread starter jcmseven
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gerard
Veteran Member
You have to consider how likley you are to get a big snow. Do you really want to get a snowblower for a "once every three year snow?" I get 120 inches a year of snow, have a rear snowblower, snowbucket on front, and 7 foot rear blade. The vast majority of my plowing is done with the rear blade driving forward. Unless there more than 12 inches on the ground, driving through it forward is not a problem and you could do that for your road. More than 12 inches, I lower the bucket to about 12 inches and drive. The snow sheds off left and right and the blade (at highest angle) windrows the rest. If the banks build up too much, you drive backwards with the blade and push them back. I don't think you'll get enough snow down by you to justify a snowblower but I could be wrong. A simple test is go to a tractor dealer and see if they have any in inventory. If they don't you have your answer (less of course they sold out cause of a big storm!!)
Karl2
Gold Member
I get about 150 inches a year and would do without a blower if I wasn't doing commercial snow removal. I know I could clear my own property using only the reversible snow bucket (it combines snow blade, bucket and puller) or even just a regular bucket. Would take longer than using a blower but the job would get done relatively fast. However in commercial clearing time is really money and the more nasty EOD's you can get rid of in an hour the more cash flows in, that's where there's no alternative to a heavy-duty blower, it clears snow at least 20 times faster than a bucket would and requires less maneuvering.
On the other hand, it requires a lot more HP to be efficient and that's a serious limitation. For example the blower I use requires at least 45 hp PTO output (read that as 55 hp engine power) and the majority of CUT's fall short of this requirement. In my experience smaller blowers are not that more efficient than a blade/bucket combo unless there is a requirement that snow must be thrown a fair distance either horizontally or vertically, or that snow must be loaded onto a trailer or truck. Loading snow into a large vehicle using any blower is supremely faster than using a bucket and in the case of a 10-wheeler the blower is the only means of doing it with a CUT. But even then one still has to use a bucket to carry and spread the snow so that it can be blown into the truck by backing up towards it while aiming the chute.
Food for thought to those who wonder if they really need a blower. If they are asking themselves the question, they probably don't.
On the other hand, it requires a lot more HP to be efficient and that's a serious limitation. For example the blower I use requires at least 45 hp PTO output (read that as 55 hp engine power) and the majority of CUT's fall short of this requirement. In my experience smaller blowers are not that more efficient than a blade/bucket combo unless there is a requirement that snow must be thrown a fair distance either horizontally or vertically, or that snow must be loaded onto a trailer or truck. Loading snow into a large vehicle using any blower is supremely faster than using a bucket and in the case of a 10-wheeler the blower is the only means of doing it with a CUT. But even then one still has to use a bucket to carry and spread the snow so that it can be blown into the truck by backing up towards it while aiming the chute.
Food for thought to those who wonder if they really need a blower. If they are asking themselves the question, they probably don't.
