Price Check Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & others

[ducati996]

I wanted to find out as much as possible regarding a snow thrower option for the front only for a 4100 series (gear).
Currently have the 410 loader w/ a 61 bucket. Using a bucket
seems very tedious and slow ( could be wrong) but I really want a thrower....anybody have a front thower? opinions? prices?
How much of the loader do I need to remove for the thrower, the complete unit of just the bucket?

 

[garchib]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

I don't like snow blowers for attachments as they are one role attachments. You can use a loader for many things, but a snow blower
is an expensive weight for more than half the year. I live in New Hampshire and my neighbors and myself own a total of (5) utility
tractors among us and no one uses a snow blower they all use their
FEL(s). My father owns a snowblower for his JD 455 and loves it, but
I think he should have just used his loader and saved some money.

 

[Bob_In_MN]

Have you given thought to a rear snowblower? They can be purchased for much less $ than front and you maintain the use of the FEL? Lot's of people don't like having to look backwards all the time, but you pay a lot of money for the front snowblower. I can't give you solid numbers, but I remeber pricing both front and rear at the dealer and the difference was substantial.

Bob

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

Id go w/ a rear mount just b/c of cost. First youll have to drop your loader and second front moutned blowers are way expensive. The rear mount (which is what I have) was less than half the cost of a front mount. As for using only the loader: If you only have a small amt to move then the loader would be fine. However, if its anything more than that and you live in an area that gets a large snawfall then a blower is the only way to go. (Then again if you have lots of time on your hands it probably doesnt matter.) Blowing is far more effiecent. Theres no backing up, pushing, laoding, unloading etc....just continusous snow removal. Yes, the blower does sit around for the spring, summer and fall but so do other implements. I wouldnt base the decision solely on multiuse of an implement. jimg

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

Bob,
As for looking backwards Ive found that exc for loader work Im doing that anyway esp when mowing (up hills or backing into areas that cant be mowed straight in). As for blowing snow its a down and back affair and your finished so its cant be too terrible unless you have very long stretches. I agree w/ you on price....front blowers are really expensive and you loose the loader as well. Seems that a rear mount and loader go together. jimg

 

[ducati996]

I thank you guys for the responses....I'm looking specifically at the front blowers...I cant spend time looking over my shoulder !! I have been spoiled I guess the last 30 years because I recently had a Cub 125 with a single stage blower.
The unit was the best, and never let me down. I recently
pick up Cubs newer 3204 series with this task in mind, then stumbled on this never been used 4100 Deere. So its going to be a blower either way because I know what I had. I just dont know which tractor will win on the attachment choice.
I do prefer the 4100 because of size & 4wd capability, and I wont need weights or chains (it now has loaded tires)...
As for the price for any attachment, isnt everything expensive these days? has that stopped any of us ?

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

If you get any ice during the winter you should rethink the chains. Here in NH itll get cold freezing the ground, warm up and rain then turn cold again. The ground never has a chance to thaw so the water just stands around waiting to refreeze....which it does. This puts a layer of ice down which isnt fun even w/ a walk behind blower much less something big and heavy like a tractor.

As for the blower just be prepared for a fairly hefty price. When I priced them earlier this spring a front mount was a bit more than $4k and the rear mount was about $1.5K. In the end they came down to a bit more than 1K for the rear mount. The up side of rear mount is the ability to use the loader for cleanup.

The reason I went w/ a rear mount was due to price. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Dahammer]

I don't know how long your driveway is, but I do mine (200') with a little garden tractor and front blade, no blower at all. I tried it with my JD 4600 w/460 loader and the 48" blade on the garden tractor was a LOT quicker. In Maine we get some pretty good snowfalls and I would think adding a front blade to your tractor would be all you really need if your driveway isn't too long. A 54" front blade for your tractor is about a grand....

 

[EldoNixon]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

According to my dealer, a front blower for a 4100 should run about $2500 total including all of the "kits" you need for the front attachments. Front blowers are considerably more on the mid sized (4200 +) tractors. The 4100 series use a 47", whereas the larger size tractors use a 60." Personally I prefer the smaller blower because it can be used on the walks.
I found through my shopping that moving up in tractor size can make a big difference in implement prices.

 

[EldoNixon]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

Also, it has hydraulic chute rotation. You can also get a kit for hydraulic angle of the chute, I believe.

 

[bigpete]

As Dahammer mentioned, a front blade with hydraulics is pretty slick. I have a lot of pavement to clear and I use a rubber "squeegee" between the cutting edge and the moldboard and I can really move a lot of snow in half the time a blower or loader can.

The only differences to consider between my use and yours is the type of surface you are clearing and the amount of snow you receive. My 54" front blade handily cleared a 30"+ snowfall this last President's Day for me and five other neighbors with 200' + asphault driveways. The issue for you might be that you will run out of space to put the snow unless you start your berms several feet off the paved surface (that's what I do). With a blower, you can relocate the snow mass far away from the area. Our snows typically melt down pretty well before the next round so the build up from several storms may be the clincher for you.

Also, snow blowers work best on pavement. Loaders and blades work well on all surfaces. The beauty of the front blade is the speed, especially with hydraulic angling.

 

[bigpete]

Quick pic: JD2210 with 54" hydraulic front blade. Total cost including hydraulics was under $1,000.

 

[Dahammer]

<font color="green"> With a blower, you can relocate the snow mass far away from the area. </font>
Or if you have a loader, throw it on and dump it someplace else, gives you another excuse to use the tractor ! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bigpete]

Another of the 54" blade. This is the same setup as for a 4100. The quick hitch is a specific for each model

 

[bigpete]

I use my loader to relocate a few of the bigger piles after zipping around getting the snow off the pavement. I don't need to, but it feels like the right thing to do.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

Thats not surprising...around here all of the dealers price like they were selling gold instead of steel. Still front mount is at least twice the price.

As for the chute I didnt know you could get a front moutn w/o chute rotation assist. In other words I didnt think anyone had a model w/ a hand crank. jimg

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

The problem Ive observed w/ pushing snow is that it only works well when total snow fall is low. Eventually collection areas start to encroach on those youre trying to keep clear. Then it has to be moved a second (or more) time. Also despite being careful youll wind up doing damage to grass, walkway, etc w/ a blade. jimg

 

[Dahammer]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

<font color="green"> The problem Ive observed w/ pushing snow is that it only works well when total snow fall is low. </font>
Well, they sell a LOT of snow plows for pickup trucks and most of those are plowing driveways, so I guess if you know how to use one it will work fine. My blade is spring loaded, so I can't do much damage with it. You can control the height of the blade, so that you don't go smacking into things. If you usually get more than 10 or 12 inches at a time, then a blower is probably the better way to go. I can easily push 8 to 10 inches of snow off my driveway with a two wheel drive garden tractor. I imagine a 4wd compact would do as well or better. Notice how clean the area is after it is plowed..

 

[jimg]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

No doubt they sell a boat load. Im not sure its b/c theyre the best thing just the most common and cheapest. Yes, you can do a lot of work w/ a plow but in the end if the snowfall is great enough youll wind up w/ a shrinking driveway and piles in the way. Now if your drive isnt pavement then its not quite so clean and tidy. If theres any loose stone itll wind up in a pile somewhere in you yard etc. Then if you want paths from the house to the barn plowing starts to look not that interesting. OK, Ill leave it at that...Id just rather move it once and not have to cleanup a mess in the spring. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Dahammer]

Re: Front snow thrower for 4100 series- Price & ot

Nothing like watching my neighbor get a face full of it when the wind changes direction and he is blowing snow. That is, if he can keep the chute unclogged long enough with that wet, coastal snow we often get. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif