In market...Maybe

camson · Mar 21, 2014

Well we are ready to move to U.P. in Michigan.First thought was a PU with plow.Have a 2011 ford f-150 4x4 with 5.0 liter.Only plow available to me is the snow-way 26 series because of the epas.Well the locals are telling me that a blower is what they recommend,mainly because they get so much snow,you run out of room to push it.My lot is narrow and the drive is about 300' gravel.
So thinking about a garden tractor with a blower.I can't afford all the nice big tractors i see here....Is there anything i can look at with max cash being around 4k that's going to be decent.Drive is straight with just a very slight slope?I really prefer newer and most likely the only thing it would be used for is blowing as the yard is to small for a rider.
I looked at a Husqvarna and craftsman,that had locking differentials,i would think that is a plus?
And hello,my first post

vtsnowedin · Mar 21, 2014

camson said:
Well we are ready to move to U.P. in Michigan.First thought was a PU with plow.Have a 2011 ford f-150 4x4 with 5.0 liter.Only plow available to me is the snow-way 26 series because of the epas.Well the locals are telling me that a blower is what they recommend,mainly because they get so much snow,you run out of room to push it.My lot is narrow and the drive is about 300' gravel.
So thinking about a garden tractor with a blower.I can't afford all the nice big tractors i see here....Is there anything i can look at with max cash being around 4k that's going to be decent.Drive is straight with just a very slight slope?I really prefer newer and most likely the only thing it would be used for is blowing as the yard is to small for a rider.
I looked at a Husqvarna and craftsman,that had locking differentials,i would think that is a plus?
And hello,my first post

Welcome to the forum.:welcome:
The old 312 in my avatar pic has a 48" snowblower attachment that works just fine. A new JD rider with the same would serve for years and there is no such thing as a lawn too small for a rider.

varmint · Mar 21, 2014

Interesting problem... I once had a Wheelhorse garden tractor with the front blower, and I was not impressed with how it would throw snow. Maybe I would look at the most powerful walk behind blower I could find. Like a 30" wide with tracks. Heavy snow that's deep requires HP.

camson · Mar 21, 2014

Looked at newer Deeres and best prices i could find on smaller ones were 6k and up.I know you pay for quality but yikes! As for walk behind,i have looked at the Ariens 926040 and for a track drive,i looked at a Honda HS1332TAS,Real nice but not sure how much work it would be walking up and down the drive,well i guess i have a whole summer to try and find something,U.P. summer lasting a whole 6 weeks Lol

dave1949 · Mar 21, 2014

Welcome!

Walk behinds don't move very fast, you shouldn't have a problem keeping up but you will be out there for a while. A 32" blower will need two round trips @ 600' each.

Tracks are nice for gravel because they set the height of the blower, not just skid shoes. It makes it easier to avoid blowing gravel.

Rustywreck · Mar 21, 2014

Consider one of the big walk-behind blowers. Ariens makes one that is 36". and there are larger blowers I believe.
Add a cab to it and you'll make short work of your driveway.

dave1949 · Mar 21, 2014

There are bigger blowers.

45", dual wheels. I have no idea if these are any good or what sort of wrestling match is involved in turning them.

Stanley 45SS 45 in. Walk Behind Two-Stage Snow Blower w/ Electric Start - Rakuten.com Shopping

Bwgad96 · Mar 21, 2014

If your looking for a garden tractor, an older gravely might be something you want to look into, and you can get the blower attachments.

vtsnowedin · Mar 21, 2014

camson said:
Looked at newer Deeres and best prices i could find on smaller ones were 6k and up.I know you pay for quality but yikes! As for walk behind,i have looked at the Ariens 926040 and for a track drive,i looked at a Honda HS1332TAS,Real nice but not sure how much work it would be walking up and down the drive,well i guess i have a whole summer to try and find something,U.P. summer lasting a whole 6 weeks Lol

You have been misled. Summer in the UP is on July 17 th from noon to three P.M. make your plans accordingly.

deerseeker001 · Mar 21, 2014

Welcome from Wisconsin

camson · Mar 21, 2014

vtsnowedin said:
You have been misled. Summer in the UP is on July 17 th from noon to three P.M. make your plans accordingly.

I knew it was to good to be true! :laughing:

a5t1 · Apr 2, 2014

Ha. Welcome, I'm on the other side of the UP. Whatever you decide to purchase, just remember you will be using that equipment a lot. You'll be relying on it to get you out of your driveway...

Buy big, with a cab and you won't hate removing snow. Financing rates are anywhere from 2.5%-4.5% from a local credit union / bank. I'm not a big fan of financing but you'll be time and frustration ahead if you buy the right equipment right off the bat.

camson · Apr 2, 2014

a5t1 said:
Ha. Welcome, I'm on the other side of the UP. Whatever you decide to purchase, just remember you will be using that equipment a lot. You'll be relying on it to get you out of your driveway...

Buy big, with a cab and you won't hate removing snow. Financing rates are anywhere from 2.5%-4.5% from a local credit union / bank. I'm not a big fan of financing but you'll be time and frustration ahead if you buy the right equipment right off the bat.

Thanks!Well we were planning on spending up to 6k for a plow but now that that is off the table and we are going to be looking at other alternatives,we would like to stay close to 3k-4k,if a real good deal came along,i spose i would go as high as 5k but it would have to be something pretty great.not a fan of financing myself,so would be cash sale.

a5t1 · Apr 2, 2014

I was in your shoes, same train of thought. Ended up financing but bought a smaller tractor with cab. Rates are cheap and it has saved me already this year.

vtsnowedin · Apr 2, 2014

a5t1 said:
I was in your shoes, same train of thought. Ended up financing but bought a smaller tractor with cab. Rates are cheap and it has saved me already this year.

Please show us what you bought.

Grunt0311 · Apr 3, 2014

Using a walk behind on 300' of driveway probably isn't going to be very speedy, or fun when it is -10 deg as it has been many times this year up there. If you are just using it for snow removal, I would recommend either a garden tractor, or 4 wheeler with a two stage blower. Even going with an older one, blowing really doesn't put a lot of stress on the mower. It is nothing like a plow on one. I think you should have no trouble staying within your budget on a used GT with a 47" blower.

CJONE · Apr 3, 2014

Along with my Kioti I have a 25hp Husky with a front mounted Berco blower. It works very well. Where you are at the cab suggestion is a good one, because you will be in it a lot! We snowmobile in that area and they get a bunch of snow. I live in the snowbelt in the LP and they get quite a bit more than we do so have fun preparing for next winter, it comes in just a few more months! CJ

peterc38 · Apr 4, 2014

vtsnowedin said:
You have been misled. Summer in the UP is on July 17 th from noon to three P.M. make your plans accordingly.

My wife is from Aroostook county (Maine) and that kinda sounds similar except they have no Summer really, 10 months of winter and two months of bad sleddin!

vtsnowedin · Apr 4, 2014

peterc38 said:
My wife is from Aroostook county (Maine) and that kinda sounds similar except they have no Summer really, 10 months of winter and two months of bad sleddin!

Your forgettin black fly season, mosquito season and horse fly season. Mixed in with the poor sleddin but important if your outdoors trying to get something done.

smfcpacfp · Apr 4, 2014

I live between Marquette and Gwinn in Marquette County. First of all, the summers in the UP are quite nice generally, much better than down south. It is funny the vtsnowedin would mention black flies as we have them where I live, but no mosquitos or horse flies.

I agree with at51's advice, generally. I always tell people snow blowing with an open station tractor and a rear blower would be a job I would hate. Having a tractor with a heated (air conditioned) cab and a front blower is a job that I love. A walk behind unit would be out of the question. I guess it depends upon your threshold for pain. On average here, I snow blow about 30 times a year, usually taking 45 minutes from when I climb into the tractor, until I have cleaned it off and put it away. All things considered my driveway is equivalent to 600 feet long.

I thought I would use it pretty much just for snow blowing when I bought it, but as it turns out only 30% of my time is snow blowing. I use it more for wood work (i.e., hauling around dead trees which I process into firewood) and the FEL for many tasks. It is extremely useful for so many tasks, but it isn't cheap unless you amortize it over all of the years you will use it. Below is a short movie of my tractor in action.

For this winter season, I would hire someone to plow, or blow the drive and then figure out you will really need. Open station garden tractors and walk behinds aren't going to cut it in the UP with a 300' driveway, or as a minimum you will hate the thought of having to move snow with these tools. Where are you coming from?