Snow Attachments Blower or plow. Which is best?

[JerryK]

There is so much ' depends on ' in the question of 'which is best ', that there is no way of answering the question.... [[ ]]

 

[lungdoc]

All snow removal solutions are local. By that I mean your individual conditions in terms of:

1) Snowfall amounts and type of snow (dry, wet etc) - the more total snow the more a blower is useful as banks don't build up. Also do you get little falls or big dumps?

2) Temperatures - does it stay cold enough to allow a sustained frozen base? That makes plowing and blowing much easier at least on gravel as road stays put and don't blow/plow the gravel

3) Wind - are you in a drifting scenario or generally protected by trees etc.?

4) Width and ditches - do you have room for snow if plowed - elevated roadbeds for example have lots of room.

5) Hills - plowing uphill harder than blowing uphill, traction can be a big issue.

6) Area to plow - blowers nice on roadways, large parking areas where snow might need to be blown twice less suitable for a blower.

7) Nearby buildings/houses etc - is it safe to blow the snow?

8) Travel - do you need to move from site to site and if so how far and what speed/regulations etc.?

I'm sure there's a few more including of course what existing equipment you have. When I say local I mean really local: for example our cottage is about 1/2 mile from my in-laws but our place is hilly with a long road, blower is the tool for that. My father-in-law used his large 4WD backhoe as his home is flat and had some large parking areas and lots of room to pile snow. Our road gets too narrow with snowbanks and a lot of runoff damage in spring if plowed, blower much better as snow moved to other side of ditchline. Just got a cab tractor and have a front loader mount hydraulic blower on order, with a rear PTO power pack. Greatly looking forward to that after open station, rear blower for several years.

 

[FatTire]

Lungdoc hit the nail on the head. That's also why there is never consensus on this topic.

 

[DB Pilot]

Your getting correct advice. Just wanted to add that I have had two snowblowers and an asphalt driveway. This area is considered the snow belt with Lake effect snow. When the wind is in the wrong direction snow blowers are the worst. A long driveway can be a real trial. Broken shear pins, frozen chutes, wind/snow the in face, chain drives that slip off, bearings that fail, worn skid shoes, leaking gear boxes, etc. etc. and frozen fingers because none of the breakdowns happen on 75 degree sunny days. :thumbdown: I now use the backblade to move the snow off the drive and the bucket to pile. with several variations on that method. :thumbsup: Don't forget that the first and last snows of the year are rather slushy and chutes plug up fast. :2cents:

 

[oosik]

I can certainly second what DB Pilot has to say. The first snow fall on my gravel driveway ALWAYS broke 1 or 2 shear pins - rocks that somehow I missed when "cleaning" the driveway. And wet/slushy snow - a real nightmare - it would either build up and freeze on the impeller or freeze and plug up the chute. The ONLY way to be warm using a blower is with a cabbed tractor - mine was open station and only a very few times did the blown snow NOT drift back on me.

And talk about stiff neck and shoulders - its cold, the dam snow is blowing back all over me, I have to drive in reverse for at least three hours to clear my mile long driveway, mail box and yard.

My new M6040 Kubota is heavy enough that I can clear the driveway, etc, etc & remove the berms that form, with just the rear blade - all while driving forward, nothing plugs up and I never get showered with blown snow.

Another big difference - the blower took, at least, three hours - - I do the entire job with the rear blade in an hour. With the blower, my speed in reverse was around 1 mph - with the rear blade I go around 5 mph.

 

[skyhook]

Yes, like oosik stated, consider the "stiff neck theory",....especially if you have long drives to do,
whatever you decide, I would consider an attachment that lets you face forward while doing snow removal.:thumbsup:

 

[JerryK]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life. That said... there is a certain wuss factor in someone complaining about a little cold or having to ' look backward ' once and awhile to do the drive. I have spent many hours backblading, plowing, discing, etc.. and almost all of those operation require looking back. If you bought too little of a tractor to sit a little sidesaddle and operate the tractor, that's not the tractor or snowblowers fault. People ride snow machines, even open ATV's all winter up here in northern Michigan... I very seldom break a shear pin, none last winter. Never had a chain come off... I adjust mine and keep them oiled once a year. Never had a chute freeze up... I live in an area that gets 140" + a year, and a few miles from the spot in Michigan that recorded the all time low temperature [ it's in the lower peninsula, by the way ] I also like plowing... lots of fun and fast. But nothing wrong with a rear blower in a non-cab's tractor....

 

[farm boy00]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life. That said... there is a certain wuss factor in someone complaining about a little cold or having to ' look backward ' once and awhile to do the drive. I have spent many hours backblading, plowing, discing, etc.. and almost all of those operation require looking back. If you bought too little of a tractor to sit a little sidesaddle and operate the tractor, that's not the tractor or snowblowers fault. People ride snow machines, even open ATV's all winter up here in northern Michigan... I very seldom break a shear pin, none last winter. Never had a chain come off... I adjust mine and keep them oiled once a year. Never had a chute freeze up... I live in an area that gets 140" + a year, and a few miles from the spot in Michigan that recorded the all time low temperature [ it's in the lower peninsula, by the way ] I also like plowing... lots of fun and fast. But nothing wrong with a rear blower in a non-cab's tractor....

I'm guessing your from northern Michigan. West Michigan here

 

[JerryK]

I'm guessing your from northern Michigan. West Michigan here

Not Northern Northern.... I'm a Troll like you..... But I spent a day in da U.P. last week... eh...??

 

[ecbaatz]

First off, I'd like a cab'd tractor... with a front blower... a young pretty wife... and more money than I could ever spend. Along with great health for me and mine... plus a long a happy life.

Me too!

 

[vtsnowedin]

Me too!

He had me at the cab'd tractor but the rest of his list is right up there.

 

[kco]

I have only used a tractor rear blade before switching to a pull-type blower after several years. The pull-type blower is far quicker for my conditions and I never use the rear blade. In fact, my neighbour has it and I just get it if I need it, which has been a couple of times in the last few years. I used to grade my 800' gravel drive with it but find the landscape rake with guage wheels far more effective.

As others have noted, I think the most effective snow clearing tool depends on local weather conditions and driveway configurations. For my area's winter a blower is more effective than a blade. We normally get a damp fall and then cool weather which freezes the driveway. The following early snows are generally light and can be packed over the gravel. Starting in mid December we get several 6" to 8" snows with one or two heavier snows. It is cloudy and humid most of the winter so the snow never leaves--it just gets deeper and more dense. With a rear blade the snow gets so heavy that the angled blade eventually pushes the rear of the tractor sideways (even with chains). So you eventually need to plow in reverse to push the now-frozen piles into the ditch.

I have a neighbour with a truck plow who calls once a year to get me to move the snow banks with the loader and blower. There are other neighbours who appreciate help with heavier snow dumps because the blades can't effectively move it far enough off the road.

I think a blower is quicker than a blade for clearing wide parking areas or turn-arounds.

I regularly clear three other 1,200' driveways. I would not be able to do that with a rear blade. Driving in reverse to knock down piles is too hard on my back.

The gravel driveways aren't a problem since they generally have a packed snow base and no large rocks. But in the spring the snow base can melt. You can manage that by raising the blower on skid shoes or changing the angle with the top link so it is less aggressive. The other key is to have good consistent gravel on the surface and grade it so the crown is not too steep.

One of the driveway's gravel is as good so rocks can be a problem if there is not a good snow base. Rocks can also fall from a steep bank in mild weather. I handle that by adjusting the skids and keeping farther from the bank.

A cab would be nice but is not critical for my area. There is virtually no wind. Besides, I'm one of those who actually enjoys winter and snow(especially snow). That's another advantage of a pull-type over a front-mount blower on a cabless tractor. You don't drive through the blown snow.

An important option to consider if you do get a blower is a hydraulic or electric chute rotator. It is handy for the areas I clear.

 

[CJONE]

8' snow box in front and a 7' rear facing blower. I looked at the pull behinds and they are great unless you get 3-4' drifts like we do or blow banks back from plow trucks. That is the main use for mine. The pull behinds work great for getting close to doors and clearing long drive/roads so you don't have to look back. I guess if I had to choose 1 it would be the snow pusher for the amount of snow we get. Not unusual to wake up to 2'+ in one night. The most I have seen in a while was 37" from lake effect. It fell in just a few hours. The add drifting, it can be fun! CJ

 

[hutchman]

I guess I could start a new thread about this (not trying to hijack) but has anyone converted a rear 3pt. blower you have to drive backwards with to hydro with a skid steer mount and then use it on the front? I see used PTO blowers come up for sale and I often wonder if you have fabrication tools how hard it would be to convert to something that can be used on the FEL.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I guess I could start a new thread about this (not trying to hijack) but has anyone converted a rear 3pt. blower you have to drive backwards with to hydro with a skid steer mount and then use it on the front? I see used PTO blowers come up for sale and I often wonder if you have fabrication tools how hard it would be to convert to something that can be used on the FEL.

I've been thinking about this for a while, but I have a small tractor, and probably can't afford to give up the power loss, but sounds great in theory if you have enough hp. A pto power pump and hydraulic tank on the rear, hoses run to the front, and a mount for a hydraulic motor and you should be good to go. You can buy FEL mounted blower set-ups, but they are awfully pricey.

 

[CJONE]

I have supplied the hydraulics and helped on a few different units. Very few tractors have the hydraulic capacity to drive a blower. Most would need to have a pto driven power pack built. All the ones I have been involved with have had the pto driven unit. CJ

 

[Got2BTru]

Interesting discussion. We'll have 1300' to plow/throw. I think just for the sheer fact of cost, I'll be plowing first. Just need to make sure I can angle the blade...would be nice to be able to adjust the angle from inside the tractor cab!

 

[CJONE]

Interesting discussion. We'll have 1300' to plow/throw. I think just for the sheer fact of cost, I'll be plowing first. Just need to make sure I can angle the blade...would be nice to be able to adjust the angle from inside the tractor cab!

If you have a remote, all you do is hook the port on the back of each single acting cylinder [2] to each port on your remote. 2 double acting cylinders need to be teed. CJ

 

[green raider]

the only people who could think a blade is better than a blower, have not used a blower yet.

 

[farm boy00]

the only people who could think a blade is better than a blower, have not used a blower yet.

Or have major neck and or back problems and can't afford a front mount snow blower