Looking for some opinions

[MacTractor]

I am looking for some opinions.

I currently have a 2320 with a Rear 54" blower and 72" rear blade and have a pretty sloped driveway that is quite long and is gravel. I bought the 2320 as the house was new and had difficulty getting quotes for snow removal as most companies here use truck plows. Out of the 5 companies I had quote, only 2 of them would even do it. The 2 that did quote were quoting $130 a plow with both of them telling me if we had a big storm, they may not be able to do it and in a big snow (30cm +) they may need to come twice. $260!!

I wanted another tractor so this was justification enough for me to just pull the trigger. I though the combo of the 2320 and the blower would be perfect but I have found the gravel driveway a PITA. It would be great if it would just be cold and stay cold so that I can make a base, but that is not the case. Most of the time I feel like I have a gravel blower.

I also live on a steep road that is a private lane. The neighbor plows it with his old truck and he has now come to me asking if I can do it as his truck is basically done. Again, gravel and there is another neighbor above us on the same private lane that he does as well.

In a big storm last year I tried to go up to blow out the top neighbor but basically could not get up the hill as the snow was too deep to drive up through and the minute I put the blower on the ground, I have no traction to go up. All in all, I have been a bit disappointed with the combo or maybe I had my expectations set to high.

So I am looking now to come up with a better strategy for this year. I have R4's unloaded so should I load them? Should I look for R3's? I don't want to use chains as I don't want to trash the floor in the garage. Should I get a QA mounted blade? I have the rear blade which works great in small storms but in the larger ones, I need to use the blower which for mine and the private road, I would be out there for a few hours. I don't want to get the front blade because I don't want to take off the loader as it is very useful at the bottom of the road in moving snow. I figure switching the bucket out should be easy.

I have been half contemplating going to a 3320 with a cab to make the time out there easier, but the cost may be hard to convince my wife? Would going up to a 3320 make it easier or will it just be a bigger machine that can't get up the hill? have been using the 2320 for landscaping and other things as I had intentions to mow with it but I ended up picking up a used Craftsman to mow with. Maybe if I looked for a few other driveways to hit with a 3320 and make some $$ it would make more sense?

I apologize for the long winded post but I need some opinions here.

Cheers,

 

[ff1221]

If you can't get a solid frost in the ground, regardless of plow or blower you will constantly relocate gravel. I have a front mount blower for my 2520 that my dad uses in the winter on his gravel driveway, it works really well and turf tires work far better in snow than R4s due to the surface area actually touching the ground, if you look at the R4s the only part touching the ground is the narrow band in the centre of the tire which is basically bald. I do snow removal and my one tractor has R4s and we have difficulty with a couple of steep driveways.In the beginnng of the season when there is no frost in the ground I tilt the blowers back a bit so they don't dig in, try that until you get some frost in the ground.
The cab would definitely make the job a lot more comfortable, as well as a front mount blower, but if you are upgrading I would sggest turf tires for better traction and load the tires as well.

Hope this hels a bit.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would not eliminate tire chains as a possible solution because of the garage floor. Put some mats or plywood down to drive on.

I prefer a cabbed tractor but it is more money and is a judgement call you would need to make.

 

[Labrat]

Loaded tires and chains will make a huge difference. I've been in situations that I would have never got out of without chains. Recycled tire mats would probably work well as they are open and would allow the floor to dry. My friend was making them but I'm not sure if he still is as bias tires were getting hard to come by.

 

[Egon]

Stay with tHe present tractor. Add chains and place wood planks on the garage floor.:thumbsup:

 

[steverino101]

i had a gravel drive for years before finally blacktopping it. as said earlier, as long as the base is not frozen, you will have some issues.
secondly, i would not even contemplate farming that out. the money is better spent on your equipment and not someone elses. i drove a cub gt3200 with chains all over my garage floor and there wasn't a problem, but the floor isn't painted and that's quite a bit smaller tractor.
i guess the turf tires would have more surface contact, but i was steered towards the r4's as being the better tire for snow because the treads won't fill with snow as soon as you start, so that may be something others can comment on further.

 

[k0ua]

R4 tires are not optimum for snow. R3 (turf) are better in snow, although R4 tires can be improved by grooving/siping to make them more like R3's, click here for more information. But chains are the ultimate and best, although an expensive solution. Put down mats or plywood in the garage to protect the floor. The fact that the R3 turf tires fill with snow immediately is what makes them more effective than any other type on snow. The snow in the tread acts as a traction agent against the snow on the ground. None of the three tire types are any good on ice. Only chains are effective in all conditions.

James K0UA

 

[glc24]

I'll be another to suggest chains. Do whatever you need to do to protect your floor,but go with chains. You will not believe the difference they will make,even with the R4. If you do go the chain route,get the V Bar Ladder chain. They are awesome for traction. Two or four link. Two link has twice the chain,but four will work just as good.

tractor tire chains for farm tractors

My .02


Greg

 

[Henri88]

Well you obviously don't live in the Northern part of NB. lol. Although I agree that turf tires would give you more traction, chain would probably be the cheapest and a sure bet.

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm also going to suggest chains...and if you do want them, don't wait too long to order them (especially if your tires are a more popular size) since some sizes sell out fast.
As far as your garage, if you go with ladder type chains (2-link or 4-link), you won't damage your floor...I didn't (using 4-link ladder chains on 41X14X20 turf tires). As others wrote, use plywood or mats (I like horse mats, but let them "air out" outside for a week...they do have a very distinct (and objectionable) rubber smell initially).
However, ladder type chains may not give you the grip you need. They work for me, and they work for a buddy of mine (who does have a steep asphalt drive with a hairpin curve), but that doesn't mean they'll work for you.

Again, as others wrote, turfs do better in snow then industrials. Had industrial tires on my previous tractor (Deere 790) and they would slip and slide more then the turfs on my current tractor (Deere 4400). Rear ballast will help too, BTW.

Changing tire types (industrials to turfs) is not going to be an inexpensive proposition...chains will be considerably less expensive.

 

[Henri88]

Agree with everything you said Roy, but scratch the rear ballast. His got a rear blower and a front loader.

 

[RoyJackson]

Agree with everything you said Roy, but scratch the rear ballast. His got a rear blower and a front loader.

Yeah, read his post.
Hope his blower is heavy enough!
Actually, since he has the rear blower, it probably wouldn't hurt to drop the loader bucket off...put more weight on the rear axle.
Of course, the disadvantage then is he wouldn't have the bucket to "walk" him out if he got stuck...

 

[Henri88]

Yep, and every time you drop the rear blower you lose weight on the rear wheels. Loading the rear tires as suggested by Labratt would definitely help in this case.

 

[MacTractor]

Thank you all for the input.

I think going up to a tractor with a cab might be a pipedream right now unless I can find a good used one, which is hard to find. I will also have to get all new attachments as well as a 54" blower will not make sense for the 3320.

In a nutshell from what I am reading, to make my rig better at this task, it would appear I need Chains and Weight.

I am going to start looking for chains but I think I might acutally try grooving the R4's. I have been looking for turfs but used are hard to find and going the dealer route will result in $1200 +, so I think I will try to groove and add RimGuard. The blower is great for weight when it is in the air, but when it is on the ground is when I have a problem. I figure adding the RimGuard should help a bit.

Cheers,