Plow now or wait?

[CADplans]

Wait until the liquid stops, no matter what.
I could move 24" of heavy wet snow with my 2WD IH 404,,
the trick was to reverse the blade, and push backwards,,

After that winter, I bought my 4WD 584 IH,,

Now, I have zero concern about snow depth, hill steepness, etc,, EXCEPT for ice on bare driveway.

That tractor has AG type tires,, and goes in any snow.

With skid steer type tires,, this little bit of snow stopped this tractor in the little snow shown,,

I have the blade on the JD now, but, I also have chains on the front tires,
so that I can steer,,

I will go out after the ice/sleet,, and possibly wait until the entire precipitation stops,,

 

[CADplans]

I found the pic of my front chains,, THESE will make the tractor steer,,,

 

[MossyDell]

Wait until the liquid stops, no matter what.
I could move 24" of heavy wet snow with my 2WD IH 404,,
the trick was to reverse the blade, and push backwards,,

After that winter, I bought my 4WD 584 IH,,

Now, I have zero concern about snow depth, hill steepness, etc,, EXCEPT for ice on bare driveway.

That tractor has AG type tires,, and goes in any snow.

With skid steer type tires,, this little bit of snow stopped this tractor in the little snow shown,,

I have the blade on the JD now, but, I also have chains on the front tires,
so that I can steer,,

I will go out after the ice/sleet,, and possibly wait until the entire precipitation stops,,

Wow, you got set. I have R14s and they seem to have great traction. It's probably more weight up front I need and that's hard to get. Don't think there's room for a front weight rack with the loader on.

I do have over 650 lbs in weight rack and hitches on the back. Plus loaded rear tires.

 

[DK35vince]

My opinion with 4" of snow then freezing rain wait to plow. (ice on top the snow is far better than ice underneath)
And when plowing snow, I never take my tactor out of 4 WD. Never. And I'm running chains on all 4 wheels.

 

[MossyDell]

Yep. It is sleeting now. Freezing rain forecast in one hour. After that, I venture out.

 

[MossyDell]

View from our front door. The ridge is where I shoveled the sidewalk a couple of hours ago and put on deicer. Ha!

 

[PILOON]

My opinion with 4" of snow then freezing rain wait to plow. (ice on top the snow is far better than ice underneath)
And when plowing snow, I never take my tactor out of 4 WD. Never. And I'm running chains on all 4 wheels.

For sure, else you will have a skating rink.
Let the snow act like a sponge to soak up the rain.
And, to avoid clogging the blower chute, colder is better, if U can wait.

 

[RoyJackson]

For sure, else you will have a skating rink.
Let the snow act like a sponge to soak up the rain.
And, to avoid clogging the blower chute, colder is better, if U can wait.

Wet snow, spray the chute, auger, fan and housings with an anti-stick. I use the same thing my wife uses on pots, skillets and such

 

[Thomas]

Go with your gut feeling.

 

[Jstpssng]

For sure, else you will have a skating rink.
Let the snow act like a sponge to soak up the rain.
And, to avoid clogging the blower chute, colder is better, if U can wait.

He's using a front mounted plow. Everything else that you say is spot on.
One word of caution, driving on that wet heavy snow can make the plow want to ride up on the packed tire tracks.

 

[RoyJackson]

My opinion with 4" of snow then freezing rain wait to plow. (ice on top the snow is far better than ice underneath)
And when plowing snow, I never take my tactor out of 4 WD. Never. And I'm running chains on all 4 wheels.

I don't normally use 4WD (MFWD, in Deere parlance) unless necessary, but I'm not working on any slopes. Also, turf tires work pretty good as snow tires
That said, reckon 4WD will help using a front blade

 

[MossyDell]

Had pretty good traction with my R14s and got a bunch of snow moved. Did not get as much done as I'd hoped after doing my drive once and three neighbors' drives and a bit of our road.

Had a loader problem, one of the front stand legs came loose, jammed into the ground when I backed up, and got bent. This is the fourth dealer setup issue I've had, all with the loader. I'd have noticed the front leg was not attached in front if I ever took the loader off. Rest of the bolts on that side were very loose. I lost the big nut in the snow in front of my garage taking everything off so I could plow more.

 

[i7win7]

Get a pair of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Yaktrax-Traction-Cleats-Walking-X-Small/dp/B008S6LG06/ref=asc_df_B008S6LG06?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80401840125111&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584001418830457&psc=1

I've been using them for the last couple winters and they're considerable help
I have a pretty gimpy leg, so I need to be really careful when it's slick. With me, the trax aren't a cure-all, but they do lower the risk of falling

I'd recommend some thing like this -- pointed edges

Yaktrax ICEtrekkers Diamond Grip Traction System | REI Co-op

The ICEtrekkers Diamond Grip traction system easily attaches to a variety of footwear for enhanced, aggressive traction on winter outings, hikes and snow shoveling adventures.

www.rei.com

 

[MossRoad]

Had pretty good traction with my R14s and got a bunch of snow moved. Did not get as much done as I'd hoped after doing my drive once and three neighbors' drives and a bit of our road.

Had a loader problem, one of the front stand legs came loose, jammed into the ground when I backed up, and got bent. This is the fourth dealer setup issue I've had, all with the loader. I'd have noticed the front leg was not attached in front if I ever took the loader off. Rest of the bolts on that side were very loose. I lost the big nut in the snow in front of my garage taking everything off so I could plow more.

View attachment 729561

So you're getting it plowed to your satisfaction so far?

 

[Cycledude]

Seems pretty amazing after only 12 hours this thread has 6 pages !

 

[MossyDell]

So you're getting it plowed to your satisfaction so far?

No, I have a lot more to do. I got off maybe half the snow. My drive needed lots more passes. But after my extracurricular plowing and the problem with my loader, I was out of time. Am hitting it early.

 

[Hay Dude]

All our snow was washed away by rain from 10-3

 

[Torvy]

More possible bad outcomes from plowing before the rain. Usually better to wait.

One thing I would do with slick spots since you don't have chains...mix sand or kitty litter or even regular dirt with the snow melt. Some people will hate this because it can leave a little mess after winter. I figure the mess is better than a damaged tractor or, worse, damaged person.

Asphalt is great for solar absorption. Our place in Wisconsin had that. Even with temps in the 20s and clouds, you can mostly clear the drive and the sun will burn away the rest.

Go slow. You are in the South, it may be worth waiting it out. Also, don't assume the forecast will be right.

 

[LD48750]

A little late but.....
To some of us, 4" is questionable to plow or not.
The rain will beat that 4" down to 2" with a crust.
Again questionable whether to plow or not.

In your case with the incline, I would plow AFTER the weather stops.
Plow blade angled. Take as little or as much as you can control the steering.
I am sure I would be in 4x4 all the time.
You will soon learn if your drive is too steep to plow up as well as down.

Good Luck with the rest of your job & remember to Have FUN.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I use a bucket loader on all but one walk that I can't get to. It'll move anything with a bit of patience. I will go out and do the walk shortly, before it builds up fully. Same on the decks--not waiting to move it all at once. The driveway will wait until it's about done, they I'll clear it.