Clearing snow w/ front loader

[LD1]

^^^^ I would agree with that if you do indeed get enough snow to justify a blower.

A blower would be slower and a waste of alot of money for the snows we get around here. I have anywhere and everywhere to pile snow if I want. But a good snowfall around here is a 6" event. If we got a couple of feet all at once, that would certainly warrant a blower.

Dont go with just a FEL. A rear blade good for snow, sized for a BX is only gonna be a few hundred bucks. And for long runs, being able to angle and windrow is a much more efficient way to move snow than the scoop and dump approach.

Do you plan on keeping the tractor and blower you have now? That would be a good one to keep for a backup for those monster storms. But for the 6" - 8" events or less, I think you will find it a lot faster to use a tractor and rear blade, with a FEL to push back piles when needed.

 

[Ford850]

I detail is missing or maybe I missed it. How big is your driveway? The answers to the question will vary a great deal, depending on the size of the driveway. 50' or 100' is probably easy to handle with a FEL bucket. 750' or 1500' would be much different.

 

[Deere Dude]

I currently have a JD 455 with the 47" blower. It's been amazing clearing some enormous lake effect snow falls. I am considering a new machine (something along the lines of the Kubota BX series.) I can't see being in a position to afford a front loader and a blower, so I am thinking it may come to clearing snow with the front loader. I would think it's going to be a little more time consuming and maybe not as clean as the blower but I'm getting to an age where lifting 8 yards of bark mulch and cords of firewood no longer agree with my back. What can you guys share with me regarding snow removal with a front loader? Am I going to miss the blower?

I had an X740 and bought a JD3720 with a big bucket when I lived in WI. I plowed out the drive a couple times with the FEL and bucket and said, screw that. I went back to my 47" snow blower. Keep them both and use them both.

 

[powerscol]

I am saving up for a Land Pride RBT 3584 rear blade. With out typical snow events this will work. I also use my bucket, but have learned by watching the position guage and keeping the tip up about 1/2 inch (ride on the bucket heal) I can do nicely. Hope this helps

 

[dickfoster]

I currently have a JD 455 with the 47" blower. It's been amazing clearing some enormous lake effect snow falls. I am considering a new machine (something along the lines of the Kubota BX series.) I can't see being in a position to afford a front loader and a blower, so I am thinking it may come to clearing snow with the front loader. I would think it's going to be a little more time consuming and maybe not as clean as the blower but I'm getting to an age where lifting 8 yards of bark mulch and cords of firewood no longer agree with my back. What can you guys share with me regarding snow removal with a front loader? Am I going to miss the blower?

I just did mine for the first time a couple of days ago. I added a Snowedge to mine to save my asphalt drive and everything worked out fine. I finally started just pushing the snow off to the side and didn't even lift the bucket for the next pass. The tight areas I backdraged to get the snow out from close to the garage door etc. then pushed it off to the side. All the odd angles and such are not easy to clear as my drive way is essentially a big sloping doughnut with no straight lines anywhere not even the connection to the road to work with. Just float the bucket and push the snow off to the side. BTW I grooved my R4 tires for better snow traction and did the whole thing in 2WD.
Anybody wanna buy a John Deere Trac 24 walk behind for cheap.

 

[coachgrd]

I live in NE Ohio right in the snow belt. I do all my plowing with my front end loader exclusively. I plow my drive and several neighbors. It works very well. You can push scoop or pile snow to get it out of the way. If for some reason you run out of room all you have to do is push the piles back with your loader. I am the neighbor that goes around and pushes the frozen piles at the ends of other neighbors drives because they are out of room to help them out. No problem.


View attachment 493861

Jefferson, OH? Well then you know full well what Lake Erie is capable of! I swear if you travel across I-90, even in July, you'll hit snow somewhere near Geneva-Ashtabula-Jefferson, OH!

 

[coachgrd]

I detail is missing or maybe I missed it. How big is your driveway? The answers to the question will vary a great deal, depending on the size of the driveway. 50' or 100' is probably easy to handle with a FEL bucket. 750' or 1500' would be much different.

180' in length.

 

[coachgrd]

Thanks for the responses everyone, really appreciate them. In addition to something like the Kubota BX line, I'm also looking at the possibility of something like a JD 585 where I can use the blower I currently own. Finding on with a front loader is proving to be a struggle though.

 

[Byrdnyrd]

Coach,

I have a BX2370 with an FEL. 400' asphalt driveway. Other than a Rake, I cannot think of a less efficient way to move snow than a Front Loader. I did it for two years and then bought a Rear Mount Blower, it was a Monster, but I have to drive backwards.

This year I bit the bullet and bought the Front Mount Blower.

The BX is a great machine for home use, definitely get a front loader, I use it for everything from mulch to lifting stuff in and out of the truck.
I needed an machine that was big enough to do the driveway, yet small enough to mow the lawn. I replaced my 20 year old Wheelhorse tractor with the BX because like you, it was getting harder to lift stuff! The BX is a Great little machine.


Kubota offers great financing deals and incentives on implements purchased with the Tractor....just sayin...

Cheers,
BN

 

[Piston]

Obviously a blower is nice, as you already know, but for a 180' drive you'd make do with just the FEL.

It's all in how you look at things...compare snow removal using a FEL bucket, vs an 18" snow shovel. The bucket doesn't seem so bad when you look at it like that