Snow Blade Loader Blade, Front SB, Front Blade or rear SB????

[skmen32]

Just bought a used JD 3520 with a cab. Live in Northwest Ohio. Trying to decide what to do for snow removal. my options are as follows:

1-Loader hydraulic angle snow blade? Could be used for snow or dirt/snow....
2-Front mount snow blade hydraulic angle
3-Front mount snow blower hydraulic rotation
4-Rear mount snow blower with hydraulic rotation.

Leaning towards option one... snow blower is $3300 new from frontier SB64. dealer told me for $2700 i could have the angle blade on the loader.... my drive is stone (washed 57's ). we can get anywhere from no snow, to 18"s in an event. worried about throwing stones... so my thoughts are put a blade on the loader, so i can use it for more than snow... and, if we do get dumped on, i can pile the snow as i live in the country and get ALOT of drifting... What are thoughts? all i have done before is rear blade on my open B2620 and will never do that again...

 

[PILOON]

Generally a front blade is faster to use but it also will scatter more gravel.
Blade will create windrows (snow banks) and make for deeper snow drifts.
A blower simply gets the snow farther away so less drifting plus you only handle it once.
As to throwing stoned, you want to create a compacted base with the first snow events, and to do so you lower the skids on either the plow or the blower so as to leave an inch or 2 for compaction.
I sometimes even resort to driving back and forth to compact my base.
With deep snows a blade will be a lot of work and you'll soon have more high snow banks than you want and if it melts or rains you'll then have a problem.
I personally like to blow the snow as far away from my drive as I can.
I like both, blade for lighter events and the blower for deeper snows and simply to be rid of it.
I would opt for the blower, but that's me.
I am in Quebec, snow belt with usually 25-30 events/year and generally 12 ea 12" -16" events with to occasional 24" dumping.
I both push and blow with push simply for the smaller events as it is faster.

 

[bigtiller]

My opinion, there is nothing better for moving snow with a small tractor than a front mounted blower. Especially with your heated cab!

 

[nch209]

I'm in a different boat as I'm in VA with less snow. I made package deal on my 3520 and part of it was an af11 6' loader blade with hydro angle. Never used it and never hooked it up yet, but I think it will work fine. I figure I'll keep my eye open for a year blower--- don't need but like having toys--- and then I'll be set.

I would say caution needs to be used with a setup like mine. The blade is wayyy out there and you don't wanna rack the loader. In any case- I say buy used. In the past 2 weeks I've found complete 366 front blade kits for under a grand, and af11 can be found for 2k, and rear blowers can be found cheap in the summer and at auctions.

Any will be ok for you, but I just hope you find a deal!