Snow Attachments I'm thinking snow removal

[rimshot]

I have a new Kiote CK20 due to be delivered on Saturday, Feb 9th. It will come with a backhoe plus a FEL. I'm from the Upper peninsula of Michigan so we can get plenty of snow. I have plenty of blacktop drive that needs plowing about every two to three days. In the Summer, I will keep the tractor equipped with the FEL and backhoe. Come Winter, I would like to do the obvious and that's to park the backhoe and pin a snow blower in it's place. I like keeping the FEL in place so I can use it through the Winter.

My dealer has offered me a 60" Meteor 3ph new blower for $1495.00 (his last one for the season) which he can load up and bring with the tractor package. I have to do something to make this tractor into a snow removal tool for the Winter. I see TSC can sell me a rear blade for the 3ph for about $300. I don't have a lot of room to store a lot of snow piles due to wooded land surrounding my parking and drive. That's why I lean to the blower.

I would be interested in hearing from others about the Meteor snowblower or snowblowing vs blade use in general.

Thanks

rim

 

[WayneB]

Good Morning Rim, not sure about the pricing of the Meteor snowblower, but I believe it is in line with what most dealers are selling them for (?)

Sure you get enough snow up there that it is more than worth the price. I find my snowblower works great with six or more inches of snow. Less than that my blower doesn't work that great.

As for backing up and blowing snow the guys with front mounted snow blowers will say it is the best of two worlds and maybe so, but I have gotten use of the rear mounted blower and it isn稚 all that bad. You will still have snow banks but will be far away from your driveway. Plus it is sort of cute to look up at the trees and see them covered with snow 20 or 30 feet up!

 

[Dmace]

You just can't beat a snowblower when it comes to moving snow with a small tractor. My driveway is long and pretty straight so I find it faster to plow with a truck but I still mount the blower before every winter in case the truck breaks down or something. Also it's great for moving banks and getting in the close areas near mailboxes, steps, etc... I can sit sideways on my seat and see behind me without any strain on my neck and still have one hand on the steering wheel and one on the 3pt lift. I have the JRB model that my local Kioti dealer carried and it was $1500 new. 2-1/2 years later I am still glad I got it.




If you are not getting some sort of cab, you will want to make sure you dress warm or wear a helmet when blowing on those windy days. I bet you will get a face full of snow if you don't.

 

[rimshot]

You just can't beat a snowblower when it comes to moving snow with a small tractor. My driveway is long and pretty straight so I find it faster to plow with a truck but I still mount the blower before every winter in case the truck breaks down or something. Also it's great for moving banks and getting in the close areas near mailboxes, steps, etc... I can sit sideways on my seat and see behind me without any strain on my neck and still have one hand on the steering wheel and one on the 3pt lift. I have the JRB model that my local Kioti dealer carried and it was $1500 new. 2-1/2 years later I am still glad I got it.




If you are not getting some sort of cab, you will want to make sure you dress warm or wear a helmet when blowing on those windy days. I bet you will get a face full of snow if you don't.

===================

Thanks WayneB and Dmace.

A picture is worth a thousand words and I appreciate all the observations. I'm in total agreement about the cab or helmet and face cover for the blowing snow. I have had my face blown off a few times when using my big old 13 h.p. walk behind snowblower. Wow! and some people think an ice cream headache is the pits, right. Just wait till they get a whiff of my 22 horsepowered diesel powered five foot snowblower in action. There will be no more whiining about eating their ice cream too fast.

I was wondering about using the rear snowblower and was glad to hear Dmace say it aint all that bad. Seems to me it will also save my picket book a bundle considering the front blowers are $3200 and have to get hydraulic hoses installed by the dealer in my case. If need be i can easily install a rear unit myself and invest much less @1500 and keep my front bucket to boot.

How about the remote manual chute crank, any problem working that from my ez chair aboard the tractor?

Looks like I go to work backwards according to all reports so far.

rim

 

[shvl73]

Having a rear blower leaves the bucket available for clean up of frozen slush, like we got last night. We had a 6" berm at the end of the driveway, easily cleaned up in a couple of swipes. If you get a couple of inches of powdery snow and the wind is blowing, using the bucket in float prevents the wind from blowing it in your face. A rear blower gives you options and an obvious lower cost. I think you'll like it.

 

[Ductape]

Rim, I say get the blower. The price sounds fair, when i was looking for a new rear blower two years ago, there wasn't too much out there for $1500. I ended up with a nice used rear blower. You will find the controls to work fine, though eventually you'll get bitten by the hydraulic bug and add controls for the chute rotation and deflector. That can always be done down the road. I will admit however, that i whimped out this year and bought a tractor with a FRONT blower. No more need for me to be turning around while i drive backward. No doubt i'm just not as manly a man as most of the guys here. Get the blower and don't look back (figuratively!) !!!

 

[RobS]

As much snow as you guys get up there, I'd opt for a blower for sure. We get our share of snow, including some lake effect and keeping the banks pushed back becomes quite a chore, not to mention the potential for lawn tear-up. Not a concern with a blower. If I were up there, my only decision would be front or rear mount and I'd lean towards the front. I may also keep a blade on the back for the lighter snows. That would be faster for just a couple inches.

Of course, as long as I'm spending your money, I'd get a cab too!

 

[ToadHill]

Order it! I have the DK35 and put a 75" Meteor on it. It works well. Mine was $2090 with hydo shoot and I thought the price was fair. I tried plowing for a few years but the side piles built up to about 5' and when the wind blew the drifts were 5' high. The blower moves the snow 30+ feet and the drifts don't build up. You'll love the blower.

 

[ToadHill]

Here is a picture of my setup.

 

[Hearth]

I just noticed this on Craig's list... it seems expensive ??

6ft Meteor Snow Blower

6ft Meteor Snow Blower - $2299

Date: 2008-02-01, 5:35PM EST


2003 Meteor snow blower 3 point hitch excellent condition always garaged Like New!

Any thoughts ?