ORANGE or GREEN PHASE 3

badapple · Mar 6, 2004

Whoa!! Didn't mean to touch all those nerves w/ ph2. Henceforth JD shall be refered to as a U S based co., and K based offshore. Enough said about that ! BACK TO TRACTORS. Drove em' both loved em' both. What it's come down to is snowblowers. K is built like a tank,but looks like a pain to take on and off. Yes ,I will be switching back and forth to FEL during the winter. JD is less heavy duty but comes on and off in a snap. Question is will it hold up to annual snowfalls in the 13 to 14 foot range? Still having trouble deciding on tires too . R3 or R4 ( soft sand, snow, hills) $$ is about = JD4210 w/ FEL and 59" blower OR K2710 w/FEL and 63" blower I promise this the final phase!!! ( WELL MAYBE NOT)

BillyP · Mar 6, 2004

Which tractor and dealer do you like best?

badapple · Mar 6, 2004

Dealers are equal . The deciding issue will be the snowblower.

JDgreen227 · Mar 6, 2004

"annual snowfalls in the 13 to 14 foot range".....

In the lower peninsula of Michigan....? Do you happen to own a ski resort with one of those snow making machines?

The all time record snowfall for Michigan was back during the winter of '78-79, Keeweenaw County in the U.P. got 32 feet.
If you get near half that much every year, I suggest you buy a bigger tractor than you are considering.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

badapple · Mar 6, 2004

YOU BTTCHA' Mancelona ,Bellaire, Kalkaska all over 13' this year. This is the snow belt....... two words .. ............ . . LAKE EFFECT !!!!! Northwest lower Michigan Thats why all the ski resorts ARE here.

NATTYBUMPO · Mar 7, 2004

Hey ba,
Well, we're comin' late to this party but we're practically neighbors! We are just west of TC in beautiful hilly Leelanau Co. Can you say "lake effect"?? I hear ya, loud and c lear!

Just got in from 2 hrs of clearing snow from two driveways, pole barns, etc etc. Had abou
t 5" of VERY WET heavy snow. We have a K 3010 w/ FEL and 5' RM NH snowblower. In those two hours, I used each implement about equally timewise. Sometimes it was easier to blow this wet stuff and sometimes it was easier and quicker to just push and pile it up. Oh yes, R1's are the best for this type of snpw by far. This is the fifth year for thi setup and I just cant imagine having to switch back and forth all the time. Everybody's situation is different but this has proven over time to be the way to go for our layout. Hills and sand,we got 'em. Just my .02.

Natty B. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

badapple · Mar 7, 2004

We only got about 3" over on this side of the Bay.I'm not even going to mess with it. I don't think that one guy believed me about how much snow we get around these parts. What I'm really trying to get a handle on is just how hard it is to install the Kubota blower (model b2782) you have to bolt all that framework underneath, it's not light. On the other hand I'm wondering if the JD 59" will stand up to the task over time....Can't do the R1's too hard on the turf but ,it's confusing because Ginop's says R3 is the way to go , and Classic recomends R4???

NATTYBUMPO · Mar 7, 2004

badapple,

Cant help you on that one. We're lucky as we have only a small area of lawn which we can handle with walk behing mowers. The Kubota is dedicated to driveway duty, firewood cutting, bruchoggin', wildlife food plots, etc so the R1's are a natural. I needed some serious traction in that wet slippery stuff today.

I can tell you that one of my neighbors has a smaller orange tractor with a 2 stage FM blower and it has really done a nice job this winter. Ginop has been good for both of us. Good luck.

Natty B.

PerryWhite · Mar 7, 2004

BApple,
Here's my vote. The JD quick tach is pretty easy to take
on and off. I leave my quick tach bracket on all winter and
then take it off in the spring. I can easily switch from snow blower to FEL in a few minutes. When I am not using the snowblower, I leave it parked in my garage in front of my car up against the wall. When I want to use it, I just fire up the
salamander a few minutes and change it in the warm garage.
Bottom line of course, you are the only person you have to please.

PerryWhite · Mar 7, 2004

Bapple,
I just now read your private message asking more info about my 59 inch snowblower experiences. I haven't seen a Kubota blower but the JD blower seems heavy enough to me. I have had mine
since 1999 and used it for four years on a 790 gear tractor until I bought my 4310. I only use it three or four times a year and mine still looks like new. I have a 1200 foot long driveway and I have also used it on two neighbors driveways
of similar length. I have had no problem going through
3 to 4 foot high drifts that have accumulated the length
of the neighbor's drive. I think that the blower weighs somewhere between 400 and 500 pounds. The rear housing
of the snowblower has four extra holes for mounting spare
shear pin bolts. I have three left as I have only sheared one
in five years. The blower throws snow about 40-50 feet and
it will stick to tree trunks 10-15 feet in the air. Since I have a white rock drive, I made special sled runners to give me about a 1.5 inch clearance so I don't chuck white rock all over the place. If you don't like the JD snowblower, take a look at Erskine blowers. They have an ingenious driveline setup
that attaches on the rear PTO and runs up to the front mount blower. I have seen quite a few Erskine blowers on the
4510, 4610 and 4710 tractors as the JD 59" will only fit
the 4210, 4310 and 4410 tractors.

http://www.erskineattachments.com/Mvc-021s.jpg

http://www.erskineattachments.com/Model_720FM_Snowblower.htm

http://www.erskineattachments.com/Mvc-023s.jpg