Snow Buying snow plow TC 33D

[PineRidge]

I have been using a KingKutter 60" blower on the back of my 25 HP Bison for the past 5 years and it works great. I maintain 650 foot of access road to our ranch that needs to be kept open to UPS and other delivery trucks. I was skeptical of the rear mounted blower when I 1st saw it but driving backwards really isn't that bad. The deluxe swivel seats offered on D series NH's would make it even easier. I considered the front mount blower but the price was almost twice as high factoring in the mid mount PTO. But then if money is no problem go for the front set-up.

 

[dylan]

consider an inverse blower. It blows as you drive forward so you don't have to crane your neck. I have a 72" one on my TC33D. So far the deepest snow I have been though is 12" but this is Ottawa so ... I'm sure I'll see it deeper.
Mine is a smyth but pronovost and normandin also make them. I got mine with urethane edges and an extra scraper out back so I can back right up to garage doors and not miss anything. i'll post some pics when I get them developed.

 

[jimg]

re: looking backwards and the rear mount blower

Consider that in most cases blowing a road/driveway is a down and back affair. It wouldnt be like clearing a large area going back/forth many times. Theres also nothing that says you cant take a rest while doing this. I got a taste of doing the backward thing this summer. I have a steep wide hill I mow by backing up it and various places on my land need to be mowed by backing into them. It didnt seem a problem really. I know this sounds strange but I felt more at ease backing into a steep bumpy situation than going in to it forward. Im sure thats just an oddness of me though. That said I suppose too its a matter of how limber you are. If you arent then I can see how it would be a problem esp in the cold of winter.

 

[AndyMA]

I have a Ford/New Holland 715A 63" rear blower which I used for a while before moving from a house in West Boylston, MA with a 1/4 mile, very curvey drive up a hill and a circle at the top of the hill. I have both plowed that drive with with an 8' blade and blown the drive going backwards. In addition I have done it with just a bucket which I wouldn't recommend to anybody on a long drive unless you have a lot of time and run off areas. I have no problem driving backwards because you grt a great view of what the blower is doing. Also the plow tens to slide the front end of the tractor to the side when you get a large pile of snow being pushed. In my opinion, the best combination for moving snow is a front bucket to pile high when you need to and a blower which cuts very neatly and does not move the tractor at all. BTW since I no longer have a need for the blower and it is for sale in the classified section of this board. Today I plow a wide parking lot at my company in Woodstock and a blower is not very good for that since you have to blow the snow several times to get it off the parking lot. A blower is at its best when you have a long run where you can just make 2 passes and be done. Remember also that here in Mass after a few storms the piles on the sides of the drive can be quite high when plowed requiring you to push then back even further.

Just my thoughts

Andy

 

[rh1346]

One of the problems I had with my old Ford 1120 (same dimensions as a TC 18D) was it didn't go fast enough to throw the snow any distance. The 33D is definitely faster at the top end, and I'm having the 5' Curtis plow lengthened to almost 7', which is about $1500 cheaper than a new plow. Since my driveways total 1/2 mile (paved), I'm visualizing a full throttle run each way and be done with it. With the 5' plow, the snow would fall back under the tires of the 1120, making traction an issue, and it would take at least 4 passes to clear the full width of the driveway.

If the plow comes up short, I'll be looking at a blower - just curious - how fast can one drive a blower? Maybe 1/4 the speed of a plow??

 

[AndyMA]

If you go with the Curts Plow which I think is an excellent choice, you may want to think of changing over to a Quick Attach system like the one from ATI. You use your original bucket and cut off the mounting ears and weld on the female adapter plate. Curtis has a set up with a like plate so changin cover is acouple of minute job and you'll be able to go back to the bucket to pile the snow high which I'm sure you'll need to do. Changing the pins which is fine in warm weather, is a giant pain when everything is cold, frozen and coated with show. To answer another question you asked in an other post, a 7' plow is much easier to use than a 5' plow and I think you'll get better results.

Andy

 

[snowbound]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You mentioned difficulty with your old tractor and a 5' blade. I'm not sure what the TC33 weighs, but a 7' blade on the front might still be tough to use.)</font>

I just thought this through for my own situation. The weight of my TC35D with 16LA and 7' Curtis power angle blade is 5100 lbs. (Including the rear wheel weights). I think the TC33D is about 800 lbs lighter than the TC35D so that doesn't strike me as really light either. If it is, I'm not sure what the most convenient solution is. Front wheel weights?

 

[rh1346]

you may want to think of changing over to a Quick Attach system like the one from ATI

How much did you pay for the ATI - I'm tired of reading about how good the setup is, so I might as well take the plunge. Also, where to buy it?

I'll let everybody know how the plowing goes once we get a real snowfall.

 

[lamarbur]

I took the old 6 1/2 ft plow blaqde off my Jeep. along with the mounting tangs. Welded the tangs in the bucket and off I go. I changed it over to manual angle as I don't feel like messing with saving the power angle set up. It was in need of serious work, and I can jsut as quickly and easily jump off the tractor if I need to change angles.

 

[AndyMA]

I bought mine from Kahn Tractor in North Franklin CT. I think there about 45 minutes from you. There phone number is on their web site.
www.kahntractor.com I've had mine for quite a few years and I don't remember the price.

Andy